40. Ryan

Chapter forty

Ryan

T homas came and helped Jem back to bed. After they were gone, it was finally fucking time to look after my mate. I could still feel her pain through our bond. This hadn't been the happy reunion that Mai had thought it would be.

"Let's go home, baby," I murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I'll run you a hot bath and make you something to eat. You need to rest too."

Mai looked up at me, her eyes soft. "Thank you," she whispered. "For everything."

We walked hand in hand to the car, and I opened the passenger door for her, helping her inside before moving around to the driver's side.

Mai was quiet as I pulled out. She leaned her head against the window, her eyes closed, and I didn't need to check our bond to know how exhausted she was.

"You doing okay?"

Mai nodded but didn't open her eyes. "Just tired," she murmured. "It's been a long day. "

Mmm. Dwelling on Jem wouldn't do Mai any good. She needed a distraction, something to take her mind off her thoughts.

"You know," I said casually, "We haven't had sex in this car yet."

A faint blush crept into her cheeks. "That's true. Or in any car, for that matter."

I could see the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"I'm looking forward to exploring all the possibilities."

Mai opened her big brown eyes and looked at me, her black, wavy hair framing her face. I wanted to pull the car over and fuck her right now. It was tempting. So tempting. But she needed food first, especially with what I had in mind for her later.

"I can think of a few myself," she whispered, and my determination to feed her first took a significant hit.

I pulled through the gates at the compound and sped up to the Alpha House.

As soon as I got out of the car, though, I knew something wasn't right. My wolf was instantly on alert.

Mai knew it too. "Something's wrong," she said softly, her eyes scanning the front of the house.

"Stay—"

"Don't even think about it, Ryan. I'm not staying out here."

Knowing Mai, she would follow me inside no matter what I said.

"Stay behind me then."

I moved silently up the steps to the front door. I paused, listening. Nothing. I swung the door open slowly. Nothing looked out of place, but when we stepped inside, the feeling of wrongness intensified. It didn't smell right .

I went right past the bookcases and cleared the living room and kitchen. Nothing seemed out of place, but the feeling of unease grew stronger.

I turned as soon as I felt a tug on our bond, a silent message from Mai. She dipped her head towards the study. I swung open the door. The desk was clear, but there, sitting on the sofa next to a pale and trembling Amara, was Brock. He had one arm draped casually over the back of the sofa, a smile playing on his lips. My eyes zeroed in on the knife Brock had pressed against Amara's side. I could smell her fear from here and saw the way her body trembled against Brock's.

"Well, well, well," said Brock. "Welcome home."

My eyes scanned the room, looking for anyone else there.

"I can't say I particularly like what you've done with the place," Brock's tone was light and conversational, like we were all friends.

"I'm so sorry," Amara whispered, her gaze going to Mai's.

"Hush Amara," Mai replied. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Let her go," I growled at Brock.

He laughed. "Oh, I don't think so, Ryan. You see, Amara here is my insurance policy. As long as I have her, you two are going to sit down and listen to what I have to say."

He pressed the knife harder against Amara's side, and she let out a whimper. "Sit," Brock ordered, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Or I'll slit her throat right here and now."

I considered it. Amara was one life compared to the lives of our entire Pack. And this was our opportunity to finally get Brock; we might not get another. As Alphas, we were going to have to make hard decisions like this .

Brock looked between me and Mai and laughed again. "What's the matter?" he taunted. "If it were me, I'd attack. No question. No doubts. What's the loss of someone like Amara to a whole Pack? Nothing. You made that decision with Jem, no? Put the Pack above one life, even if it was your brother's."

His eyes bored into Mai's. "What's the difference? Is it that you're a coward? With Jem, you knew I would have killed him, but you thought I wouldn't have done it right in front of you. But Amara? That's a different story. You're going to have to look her in the eyes, knowing that you are the reason she's about to die. I'm betting you're too much of a coward to make those kinds of decisions. Too weak to do what needs to be done."

How fucking dare he talk to my mate like that. The fury within me swelled like a tidal wave, crashing against the fraying barriers of my self-control. Every fiber of my being demanded that I lunge at Brock and tear him apart, consequences be damned. But I knew I had to rein in the primal urge, to leash the beast within, no matter how it clawed and raged against its confines. I forced myself to breathe through it, to focus on the bigger picture, even as my vision narrowed to a single, crimson point of hatred.

Mai straightened her back and walked forward, her steps measured and calm. She sat down on the sofa, her eyes never leaving Brock's face. "I will never be the kind of leader who sees their people as nothing more than disposable pawns in a game of power. Jem never wanted me to nominate you to the Wolf Council. He wanted me to put the needs of all of us above him. It's what made him a great Alpha, and it's something you never could understand, Brock. It's why you will always be a piss-poor leader. "

Pride surged through me at her words. That was my mate, my Alpha. She would never sacrifice her people for her own gain, never see them as anything less than the beating heart of our Pack.

"What do you want, Brock?" I asked.

"I just wanted to chat," Brock smiled. "How was your little family reunion? Was it everything you hoped for, Mai? Or did your ‘great Alpha' try and attack you?"

He must have seen the answer on Mai's face because he laughed. "Well, he finally did something right!"

I could feel Mai's anger and guilt pulsing down our bond, but she didn't respond. Just sat there patiently waiting for him to get to the point.

"Tell me, did you kill the witch?" He said it so causally, too causally. The answer was important to him.

I let my rage slip out a little. "You mean the bitch who's been casting spells on your drugs, making Shifters ill? You know the rules, Brock. Any witch caught doing magic here is a dead witch."

Brock nodded, but not before I saw the relief in his eyes. "Well, congratulations. You found your brother. You nominated Sam. You figured out that I run ripple. Clever, clever little wolves."

His smile fell away. "But I don't want you to think that you've won. You've only delayed my plans, not stopped them."

I kept my face blank and uninterested. "Really?"

Brock leaned forward. "Haven't you wondered why I haven't been put down by the Wolf Council yet? They've never needed much evidence in the past to eliminate any threat to the Shifter community or the peace with the humans. And yet, here I am, still breathing. "

Brock was right. It didn't make sense. The Wolf Council was notoriously swift and brutal in their justice.

"Quit the games, Brock. If you have something to say, just say it and get the fuck out of my home."

Brock's smile widened, a predator's grin. "I'm trying to connect the dots for you two. In case you really are as stupid as I think. I have powerful friends. Maybe it's Talia. Maybe she hasn't been passing the intel back to the Council. Did you think of that? Then again, maybe it's someone above her, blocking the intel? You don't know who you can trust. I have friends in high places. It's not just me you have to worry about, you two just made some very powerful enemies by crossing me and delaying our plans."

I kept my voice bored. "We already know you have someone on the Council, Brock. This isn't news to us."

Mai showed Brock her teeth. "And we'll handle whatever comes our way. Just like we handled you."

Anger simmered in Brock's eyes, but it was a controlled anger, cold and calculating. "Let's put that to the test, shall we? Two days from now, I will bring my army to the east bank of the Whispering Willow. You bring yours to the west bank, and we'll see who's still standing by sundown."

Mai's eyes narrowed. "Why would we agree to this little plan of yours?"

"Because, Mai, you have two choices. Either you meet me at the river, and we fight it out there, or I'll bring my army onto the streets of Three Rivers. We can battle it out surrounded by children on their way to school, families going about their daily lives. I don't give a fuck either way. How about you? "

I felt another surge of rage at his words, at the casual way he threatened the lives of our people. But I kept my face impassive, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing me react.

Brock's gaze shifted to me, his eyes burning with a deep, unrelenting hatred. "I will never forget that you killed my father, Ryan. I want a chance to make you pay for what you did. And when I've finished with you, I'll take over the Council and decimate any remaining members of the Three Rivers Pack."

He stood abruptly, yanking Amara up with him. She let out a cry of pain as the knife dug into her side, but Brock ignored her, his eyes fixed on us as he edged towards the door.

"I'll be expecting you at noon in two days. Don't disappoint me."

With that, he picked Amara up and, like she was a doll, threw her towards us. I surged forward, caught Amara, swung her round, put her on her feet and took off after Brock.