42. Mai

Chapter forty-two

Mai

A s Jase and I pulled up to the Alpha House, I noticed Thomas waiting for us outside, his face etched with concern. A knot of worry tightened in my stomach as I jumped out of the car.

"Is Jem okay?" I asked, my voice tight with fear.

Thomas held up his hands in a reassuring gesture. "Jem's fine. Well, physically, he's recovering remarkably quickly, faster than I expected. Mentally and emotionally, that's a different matter. It's going to take time."

I nodded, my heart aching for my brother.

Thomas shifted his weight. "But that's not why I'm here. I need to talk to you about Esme."

I frowned, surprised. "Has she been causing problems?"

Thomas shook his head. "No, it's not that. It's just...our house is not the right environment for her. She's struggling to control herself."

My frown deepened. "What do you mean? Did she hurt someone?"

"No, quite the opposite, actually. Even though I've told her to stop, she keeps trying to use her magic to heal my patients. She feels guilty about the damage she caused with the spell on the ripple pills, even though it wasn't her fault."

She was using magic? That was going to be a problem.

"It's taking a lot out of her," Thomas continued, his brow furrowed with concern. "She's exhausting herself, Mai. She needs rest, she needs to look after herself, but no matter what Wally or I say, she keeps pushing herself to the limit, healing patient after patient every time my back is turned."

I sighed, rubbing my temples. I could understand Esme's desire to help, to make amends. But Thomas was right. She needed to take care of herself, too.

"I've been able to keep it quiet for now," Thomas said, his voice low and urgent. "But it's only a matter of time before word gets out that there's a witch at my house, healing people."

"And then we'll have the Wolf Council to contend with."

"Yes," Thomas agreed.

I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of yet another problem settling on my shoulders.

Jase stepped forward. "Esme can stay with me and Sofia."

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Hadn't you better check with your sister first?"

Jase hesitated, then pulled out his phone, his thumb hovering over the screen. Before he could dial, Sofia walked out of the front door, her eyes fixed on her brother.

"Don't bother, Jase," she called out, her voice carrying across the lawn. "I already told Wally that Esme can stay with us."

Jase blinked, lowering his phone. "You did? "

A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "We have the room and she needs to stay hidden until Mai and Ryan work out what to do with her."

Sofia always had my back, no matter what.

"Come on then, girl!" Sofia grinned at me. "We are having a par-tay!"

"A what now?"

"A par-tay!" Wally appeared behind her. "Everyone's been so caught up in doom and gloom lately that we are kicking back and having some fun."

I stared at them both. "The night before the biggest battle we've ever had? The one where we're fighting for the very existence of the Three Rivers? And you want to kick back and have some fun?"

"Oh, tosh!" Wally waved his hand dismissively. "We're always plunging into one emergency or another. It's time we had a break, had some fun."

I raised one eyebrow. "And Ryan agreed to this?"

"I don't think I was given the choice," Ryan said, walking out of the house and scanning me head to toe. Then he was there, scooping me up and holding me close. I breathed in the scent of him and closed my eyes briefly. My wolf chuffed in happiness. She didn't like to be apart from him.

"They railroaded you, huh?" I teased.

"There was no railroading," Sofia called over Ryan's shoulder. "He immediately saw what an awesome idea it was from the Pack's two geniuses."

"Genii," said Wally .

"What?"

"Genius plural, Einstein, is genii," he explained.

I ducked my head around Ryan to see Sofia frown at him.

"No, it isn't!"

"Er, yeah, it is!"

Ryan grinned down at me and whispered. "I figured everyone could use some down time. They've been working hard, and tomorrow..."

"Tomorrow we could all die," I whispered back.

"I heard that!" Wally cried. He came toward us both. "It is par-tay rules, and that means no more death talk!"

I grinned at him as Ryan took my hand and led me inside.

"So, did everything go okay?" he asked, and I knew he was dying to know what I'd been up to.

"Yes. We now have forty-eight more fighters for tomorrow."

Ryan's eyes widened, then narrowed as realization dawned. "Mai, you didn't?"

"I did. We need more fighters on our side. They need a Pack."

Ryan's jaw clenched. "We'll talk about this later," he said, and I knew he didn't want to argue with me in front of everyone.

I stood on my tiptoes and kissed the end of his nose. "It's okay. You can admit that I'm the number one genius in the Pack later."

He opened his mouth to reply, but his brothers walked into the house.

Sam, his usual easygoing grin back in place, slung an arm around Jase's shoulders. "Ready to party?"

Jase grinned back, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Always."

I noticed Sam was still wincing slightly as he moved, but he was looking and moving a lot better.

"Sam, about the nomination— "

He held up a hand. "You are still my favorite Alpha, Mai. You'd have to really fuck up for Ryan to overtake you on that score. Besides, tonight is for revelry, not reflection."

"Hey!" Ryan said in mock outrage, but Sam just grinned back at him.

Sylvie emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Mai! You're back! That means we can get started. I'm making a feast," she announced, her warm brown eyes surveying the room.

Sam's face lit up. "Sylvie, you're a Goddess among wolves," he declared, placing a hand over his heart. "What would we do without your culinary skills?"

"Starve, probably. I've tasted your cooking, remember?"

The room erupted in laughter, and I felt a warmth spread through my chest. Sam seemed almost back to his usual self.

As the laughter died down, I noticed Mason standing off to the side, a coin dancing across his knuckles as he stared into the distance. He seemed more agitated than usual, his brow furrowed and his jaw clenched.

I sidled up to him, nudging him gently with my elbow. "Everything okay?"

Mason blinked, as if snapping out of a trance. "Yeah, just...thinking."

I raised an eyebrow. "About Shya or the battle?"

He ducked his head. "Am I that obvious?"

"Only to those of us who know you well."

He sighed, pocketing the coin. "Well, enough of that for tonight. Tonight, we celebrate the Three Rivers and the best Alphas we've ever had. "

"Alphas?" Ryan said, slipping his arm around my shoulders possessively. He hated any male wolves getting too close to me, even his brothers. "You mean I'm at the top of your list of favorite Alphas?" He shot a glare at Sam as he said this.

"Fuck no!" Mason laughed. "Mai will always be number one. You're a far distant second."

Derek and Sofia were standing in a corner, their voices low and tense. Sofia's face was flushed, her hands gesturing animatedly as she spoke. Derek's jaw was clenched, his arms crossed over his chest.

I leaned closer to Ryan. "Do you think those two will ever get out of each other's way and get together?"

"Only the Goddess could get those two together," he said, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "They're both too stubborn for their own good."

I sighed, watching Sofia storm away from Derek, her red curls bouncing with each angry step. "Maybe we should lock them in a room together until they sort it out."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "It's definitely an idea. They'll either tear each other apart or fuck each other's brains out."

I honestly wasn't sure which one it would be.

As the sun began to set, everyone pitched in to move tables and chairs out to the front lawn. The Renegades opened the gates to the compound, the ones that would soon be torn down, and soon, people from all over the Three Rivers began to arrive, each carrying dishes of food and drinks to share.

Wally and Sofia had sent the message out and our people showed up .

The air was filled with the aroma of grilled meats, fresh bread, and sweet desserts. Laughter and chatter mingled with the clinking of glasses and the scraping of utensils against plates. Children, in human and wolf forms, ran between the tables, their faces smeared with barbecue sauce and ice cream.

I watched as Wally and Thomas sat together, their heads bent close as they whispered to each other, each of them touching the other one every now and again. Soft, little gestures; a hand placed on an arm, a finger tracing a jawline, knees close enough so they nudged. They looked so happy, so in love, and I was glad that they had found that here. In their previous Pack, they couldn't have shown physical affection for each other, not out in the open like this. Here they were safe and loved, and they could finally be who they were.

Ryan's arm slipped around my waist. "Well, what do you think? Is this what you envisioned for our Pack?"

I leaned into him, my heart swelling with love and pride. "Yes," I whispered, my eyes scanning the crowd of smiling faces. "This is exactly what I hoped we could build. This is what we'll be fighting for tomorrow."

Ryan pressed a kiss to my temple, his grip tightening around me. "Then we'll just have to win."