37. Ryan

Chapter thirty-seven

Ryan

M ai looked so small, so scared, sitting there. I wanted to take this pain away from her. I'd do fucking anything, so she didn't look like this ever again.

I turned as Sam hobbled in the back door, followed by Amara and Wally. Through the open door, I could see Ben doing a piss-poor job at hiding in the bushes. He'd been spying on them, though they didn't need to be werewolves to know he was there. Two paws were visible under the leaves and his tail kept wagging, causing the entire bush to shake. Without parents to teach him, he'd obviously missed out on some vital lessons. I'd have to take him into the woods and show him how to be the predator he was born to be.

Derek, his phone pressed to his ear, was in front of Ben. Sam was vulnerable while he was Shifting from one form to another, and while we trusted Wally, Amara was still an unknown. Derek must have been watching over Sam while he Shifted.

Sam's face was pale as he limped past me and eased himself into a chair. Wally grabbed a glass of water .

"See? You're looking better, already," he said, placing the water in front of Sam. "A few more Shifts and you'll be running round after all the delinquent pups again."

Sam managed a weak grin at Wally's words.

"How are you really doing?" asked Mai.

Sam shrugged, wincing slightly at the movement, but then grinned at Mai. "A little near-death experience isn't going to slow me down," he said, then paused as if thinking. "Although the limp might."

That pulled a small smile from Mai, and I felt a of surge of gratitude for my brother.

Wally patted Sam's shoulder gently. "I'm sure it's perfectly normal after the injury you had—"

"Yeah," Amara snorted. "It was fucking hideous! Your leg was half hanging off!"

Sam's face paled even further, but Wally waved off Amara's comment. "I'll get Thomas to take a look at it after you've Shifted a couple more times. For now, the only thing you need is some of my cooking."

Sam's stomach grumbled as if on cue.

"Male werewolves and their stomachs," Amara shook her head wistfully. "They're never happy unless they've got a full belly!"

"No, that we are not," agreed Wally. "So, I'd better get on it tout de suite , and you, Amara, can give me a hand by running to the shops." Wally handed her a shopping list and a credit card.

I raised my eyebrows at Wally; that was awful trusting of him.

Amara seemed to think so too; she stared at the card for a moment before reaching out carefully and taking it, like she thought it was a trick and Wally would snatch it back any second .

"Sure," she said, heading for the door. "I'll be back soon."

Just as Amara went out the front door, Derek strode into the kitchen, his face grim. "Ryan, I've got Ronnie on the phone. To say he's pissed would be a colossal motherfucking understatement."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I couldn't blame Ronnie for being angry. Only two of his men had walked out of the forestry station of their own accord. The rest had to be carried out. If I were in his shoes, I'd be furious too. I nodded to Derek and took the phone.

"Ronnie."

"I lost two men, Ryan. Two good men. And three more have serious injuries. We're talking life-changing stuff here."

I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of those losses. They might not have been Pack, but they fought with us. "I'm sorry, Ronnie. I truly am."

"I know that, Ryan. And I'm glad you found your boy. But I'm pissed as hell that Brock wasn't there. I went in expecting to take him down, and instead, we walked into a fucking bloodbath."

"Brock's a slippery bastard, but we'll find him, I promise you that."

"I want in from now on, Ryan. I want revenge for what he did to my men."

I nodded, even though Ronnie couldn't see me. "I understand. We'll keep you in the loop."

"You better. I heard Mai didn't nominate Brock for the council. Thank fuck for that."

I frowned, wondering where Ronnie kept getting his information from. He always knew more than he should.

"She made a good choice. Smart even. "

I glanced at Mai. She looked sheepishly away, and I narrowed my eyes. With everything that had happened, I hadn't had time to talk to her about who she nominated in the end. Of course, it wouldn't be a good idea to let Ronnie know that I was fucking clueless about it.

"Well, I'm glad we surprised you."

Ronnie laughed, the sound low and gruff. "I mean it, Ryan. It was a smart move."

With that, the line went dead.

Ronnie was obviously not one for goodbyes.

"Well, I for one," said Sam, "feel sorry for whatever poor fucking sucker Mai nominated. Who'd want to be thrown into that pit of vipers?"

Mai looked at Sam, her expression guilty. "Yeah. About that..."

Everyone in the room paused and turned to look at Mai, then swiveled their heads to look at Sam. Sam's jaw dropped open as he realized who she'd nominated.

Mai was a fucking genius, and the Wolf Council didn't have a clue what was going to hit them. I couldn't help it; I burst out laughing.