15. Ryan

Chapter fifteen

Ryan

I used to like being in Jem's study, talking through strategies with Jem and my brothers. Today, though, there was too much going on inside my head for me to feel its calming influence.

With Korrin down, his crew, or what were left of it, made a run for it, but the Renegades mopped them up. We'd have to decide what to do with them. They'd been exiled from the Cocrane Pack so we couldn't send them back there. Talia had offered to arrange transportation to Adarcan Prison, a jail run by the Wolf Council. Shifters referred to it by its nickname, The Kennel, but most Wolf Council members were not impressed by that name. It was going to take a few days to arrange, though.

Thomas had arrived on site shortly after the end of the fight. He'd enlisted Wally in helping him treat the wounded, a role Wally dove in to, just like he did with anything that would make his mate's life easier.

Sofia's hands would heal, but it would take a few days. Derek and Jase had taken her home to the apartment she had above the Bar. She'd been upset at the state Bottley's was in, but Mai had assured her we'd fix it up in no time .

"We need to focus on Jem," Mai said, her voice soft. "Brock's proof of life...I spoke to him, Ryan. I heard his voice. Jem's out there, and we have to find him."

The mention of Jem steeled my resolve. He was more than just my former Alpha; he was my best friend, my brother in all but blood. "We will," I assured her.

Mai nodded. "I want to believe that, I really do, but we need a Plan B. We need to consider what we do if we can't find him in time. We'll need to nominate Brock for the Wolf Council."

The idea caught me off guard. "Nominate Brock? After everything he's done? You can't be serious."

"Of course, I'm serious. It might be the only way to find Jem."

"Brock on the Wolf Council, Mai? You know what he's aiming for," I said, my voice edged with concern. "He's made it clear he wants to rule over all the Packs in North America. That kind of power in his hands..."

Mai's expression was resolute. "I know, Ryan. I know what he wants. But that's a fight for another day. We have time. We know what he plans, and we can work to stop him. But right now, our priority has to be Jem. We have to do whatever we need to to get him back."

I started pacing. "If Brock gains a foothold in the Council, the power he could wield...and if he succeeds in his plans to take over the Council, then it's not just about Jem anymore. It's about the future of all Packs."

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She looked tired, really tired. "We can't tackle everything at once. Yes, Brock's ambitions are dangerous, but right now, the only thing that matters is finding Jem."

She needed to be in bed. Not arguing about this with me .

"Ronnie's right, Mai. Even if we nominate Brock, chances are he'll kill Jem, anyway."

"It's a chance we have to take. We have to get my brother back."

I let out a slow breath. If it made her sleep better, or sleep at all, I'd agree to anything right now. "Alright. We keep trying to find Jem, but if we need to nominate Brock to get him back, we will."

Mai nodded, opening her eyes. "We bring Jem home, then we'll deal with Brock. One battle at a time." She paused. "Well, two I suppose. We have to tackle the ripple situation at the same time. But after that, then we'll deal with Brock." She tilted her head to one side. "And take down the compound walls, recruit more enforcers, stabilize the Pack, root out the rest of Brock's supporters, get more help for Thomas, and make sure Mason doesn't start a war with Bridgetown over Shya."

Plus, mold this Pack into a motherfucking army. "You didn't think this Alpha gig was going to be easy, did you?"

"I thought we'd get the Pack back from Brock and Hayley and then I'd get to go away for a spa weekend with Sofia."

I laughed, then picked her up and sat down so she was snuggled on my lap. My cock went hard at having her so close. "There's no spa weekend with Sofia. You owe me ten weekends, just you and me, before you can even think about going away without me."

"Mmmm," she purred. "What kind of weekends were you thinking about?"

"Naked ones. Definitely naked ones."

She blinked up at me, an innocent look on her face. I wasn't buying it for a second.

"Won't that be a bit cold? "

"If you get cold, I'll let you go on top, make you do all the work. That'll warm you up."

She opened her mouth, and I was dying to know what she was about to say, when her phone went off.

She pulled it out of her pocket and I saw the screen flash Jase before she answered it.

"Mai?"

"I'm here. You okay?"

"It's Amara. If I text you directions, can you come down here?"

She glanced at me, and I nodded. "We'll be there, Jase. Are you in danger?"

"No. It's not that, but it would be good if you could come."

Fifteen minutes later, we pulled up at the end of a cul-de-sac. The houses here were old and rundown, with broken gates and peeling paint. There was a gap of about fifteen feet between two of the houses, and a narrow trail snaked between them. It led into the forest. Mai and I exchanged a glance, both of us on high alert as we got out of the car and followed Jase's scent into the forest.

I hadn't been this way in years, not since I was an enforcer for Oliver and did patrols round here. The path wound through the trees and gnarled roots, and I caught the musty odor of ancient stone on the air. Mai's cute button nose wrinkled as she caught the scent, too. The ruins of an old temple slowly came into view, with its crumbling walls and partially collapsed roof .

"Sofia and me used to come here to play," Mai whispered. "Her mom told us it was an old temple for the Dark Goddess. Did you know that we used to worship both the Dark Goddess and the Moon Goddess, but that long ago our Alphas made a deal with the Moon Goddess to only worship her in exchange for greater powers and protections? The Dark Goddess, on hearing this, cursed the protections so that they would wear away with time. She warned the Pack that unless we went back to worshipping her, we would slowly die out."

I raised my eyebrows at her.

"I didn't say I believed it. But it certainly made playing here more exciting."

We followed Jase's scent to a small, hidden entrance on the side of the ruins. Mai walked over to the wall and ran her fingertips over a marking. "See?"

I looked closer and saw Mai's initials.

MP he was scrawny and thin so could be older or younger. The child was fast asleep, his head nestled against Amara's chest. Even in slumber, the resemblance between the two was striking. The boy had the same rich skin as Amara, and his small face held the same delicate features—a button nose, full lips, and long, curling lashes that rested against his cheeks. I looked at Amara again, sitting there in her oversized green hoodie. I was betting she was just as skinny as the child and was trying to hide it.

Mai took a step forward, her voice low and gentle. "Amara, it's okay. We're here to help."

Amara tightened her hold on the boy, her gaze darting between Mai, Jase, and me, but she didn't say anything.

Jase stood up slowly, his hands held out in a placating gesture, and made his way over to us.

His voice was soft as he spoke. "She ran away from Thomas and Wally's house," he explained. "I followed her. She went to a house on Callisto Avenue. She was inside for maybe ten minutes, then came out with the boy and brought him here."

"You know who he is?" I asked, though it was obvious they were related.

"It's Ben, Amara's brother."

I glanced at the sleeping child, the pieces of the puzzle starting to fall into place .

"After their parents died, Amara was left to support Ben. She couldn't find any jobs that paid enough. They got kicked out of their home, and she's been struggling to find enough food for them both."

I glanced over at the girl with the bright blue hair and her sleeping brother. I recognized that look in her eyes, that desperation and fear that you won't be able to feed your siblings that day. I knew what it was like to live off scraps or not eat at all so that your brothers could eat. I'd only gotten through it because Jem had helped out when he could.

"She's been working as a drug runner for the last two months because it pays, and she can finally feed her brother. The dealers know her situation. They know about Ben."

Jase's voice dropped even lower. "Amara was scared that someone saw her being taken by me and Mai yesterday and that word would get around. She thought the dealers might do something to Ben to make sure that she doesn't talk. So she left tonight to fetch Ben and move him somewhere safer."

I looked around at the ruins, taking in the crumbling walls and the debris-strewn floor. This was hardly a safe place for either of them.

"She's refusing to tell me anything about the dealers, in case we shut them down. If they get shut down, Amara has no money coming in and no way to get food for her brother."

Amara glowered at us, a stubborn look on her face. With her werewolf hearing, she could hear every word Jase was saying.

Mai stepped forward and crouched down in front of Amara. Her voice was gentle but firm as she spoke. "Amara, if you come with us, we will make sure Ben has more food than he knows what to do with. Neither of you will ever go hungry again. I promise. "

Amara's gaze flickered between Mai and me, uncertainty and distrust plain on her face. It was a look I knew all too well, the look of someone who had been let down too many times, who had learned the hard way that trust was a luxury they couldn't afford.

"Amara, listen to me," Jase said. "Mai and Ryan are the real deal. You can trust them. They really will do everything in their power to help you and Ben. And if you can't trust them, trust me. I know things didn't end well between us, but you know me. You know I won't lie to you about this, not when it might put you and Ben in danger."

Amara's eyes searched Jase's face, then she sighed.

"Alright."

In a gesture that spoke volumes about the depth of her trust in Jase, she gently shifted Ben in her arms and held him out for Jase to take.

As Jase reached for the boy, Ben stirred, his eyes fluttering open. He looked around, taking in the unfamiliar faces. He was immediately on edge, burying deeper into his sister's arms. "Mara, who're they?"

Amara's hand gently smoothed Ben's curls. "They're friends, Ben. They aren't here to hurt us."

Ben blinked. "You think that, but you can never be sure. Everyone can hurt us."

I felt Mai's reaction through the bond; her sadness that such a young boy had learned this lesson and her desire to make sure no-one hurt this boy ever again.

"Hey, Benny," Jase called. "Remember me?"

Ben nodded. "Yeah, you're the dickhead that Mara dumped."

I burst out laughing at the look of shock on Jase's face.

"We're going to have to work on your language," Jase replied, shooting an annoyed look at Amara. "How about we go outside for a bit? I saw a soccer ball out there. I'll let you have a three goal advantage?"

Ben laughed, delighted, all thoughts of people hurting him gone. "You are so going down! Three goals? Should have gone for ten, dickhead!"

Jase narrowed his eyes at Amara, but she only shrugged at him. Jase followed Ben outside, Ben's excited chatter fading into the distance.

Left alone with Mai and me, Amara took a deep breath. She seemed to be steeling herself for what she was about to say. "I don't know much about ripple or the dealers," she began, her voice low and hesitant. "I was approached two months ago by this guy I went to school with, Markus Remny. He always was an ass. But he knew I was struggling. He said I could make some real money."

She paused, her face twisting into a grimace. "He's been my sole contact. He calls, tells me when and where. I do it."

Fuck, another dead end.

"You said he went to school with you?" Mai asked. "You ever hang out, catch up on old times?"

Amara nodded slowly. "Twice. I wanted more info about his bosses. I wanted to find out what I was getting into."

"Anything he let slip?"

"The second time, he was talking on the phone, telling someone that they had to go to the new place. Said it was at 589 Denison. I went and checked it out the next day, but it was just a big warehouse. Locked tight. No-one about. No way in that I could find."

I nodded. I'd text Derek and get him on it as soon as we left here.

Amara's face turned wary. "That's all I know. Is it enough? Is it enough to protect and feed Ben? "

I looked down at her, still sitting on the dirty floor. "Amara, even if you had nothing to give us, it would have been enough."

Amara's eyes widened, and for a moment, she looked impossibly young and vulnerable. Then, to my surprise, tears began to stream down her face. She angrily swiped at them.

"Don't tell, Jase. I'm too fucking badass to cry," she muttered, but her voice was thick with emotion.