18. Mai

Ifollowed Thomas into the house and let him do a quick exam, testing my muscles and bones.

Just as he was finishing, I heard the front door open and a man yell, "Thomas? You here?"

"He knows full well I'm here," Thomas whispered to me. "He does that every time he smells I'm with someone new. He doesn't want to spook them, you see. You're not spooked, are you?"

"No," I whispered back.

Thomas sighed. "Maybe he's right, then, and it does help."

"Of course, it helps," said a voice from the doorway.

I turned to see a man there, almost the opposite of Thomas. Whereas Thomas loomed no matter how hard he tried not to, this man was skinny and small, though maybe he just seemed that way next to Thomas. He obviously took a lot of care in his appearance, with a crisp light-blue shirt, perfectly ironed black trousers, and polished leather shoes. His skin was light brown, his dark hair was combed back, and his bright eyes stared at me with a sparkle of mischief.

"Well, hello there. I'm Wally, Thomas's mate." He strode forward and offered me his hand.

"Hi, I'm Mai."

"Mai?" He darted a questioning look at Thomas. "The Mai? The one who has been missing for years and is now back and making Ryan all hot and bothered? That Mai?"

"Um—"

"Leave her be, Wally. Now is not the time for your gossiping."

"Shush! Don't be silly. I hold the title of town gossip, so it is my duty, my darling. Therefore, it is always time for my gossiping." Wally turned to me, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. "So, Mai, tell me everything! What brings you back?"

"Everything? To the self-declared town gossip?" I joked.

Wally put one hand on his hip. "Did you see the sign on your way in?"

I couldn't remember any sign outside. "Um, no?" I said, not sure where he was going with this.

"Well, trust me, there is one. It says ‘Thomas Merdais, Doctor,' then some letters afterward, but they're not important." He waved his hand as if to demonstrate how unimportant they were.

Thomas snorted.

"But that sign means that anything you say in here is covered by doctor-patient confidentiality."

I opened my mouth to point out that Wally was not a doctor, but he continued, "And I take that oath seriously on behalf of my gorgeous hunk of a husband. So that means that anything you say here does not leave these fine lips of mine."

I glanced at Thomas, and he nodded. "Wally won't repeat a thing."

I hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. But I had to talk to someone, and Thomas and Wally didn't know me. They weren't here when Ryan rejected me; they didn't know the person I was before. They wouldn't know just how idiotic I'd been to believe in Seth or how stupid I'd been in staying with him so long. Oh, Sofia and Jem would be sympathetic if I told them, but I'd see it in their eyes, that judgment of what a fool I'd been.

"After Ryan rejected me, I thought maybe I couldn't be loved by anyone. I ran. I spent time bouncing from town to town, just wanting to put distance between me and the Pack. I used different names, took on temp jobs—waitressing, barkeeping, cleaning rooms. I slept in the streets, in back alleys, cheap motels, and bedsits."

"That sounds tough." Wally put his hand on my arm and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I coped. I just wanted to escape from the heartbreak. I didn't care what I did or where I stayed as long as I could keep busy and not think about Ryan or the Three Rivers. Then, in one town, I saw an advert for an online coding class. I fell in love with it. It was challenging but straightforward. I felt like maybe, just maybe, I could do something with my life. I worked to pay for more classes, and when I thought I was ready, I started my own web design business. It started small at first but then took off. I had my regular clients, whose sites I'd build then maintain, and new clients were calling me every week. It got so I started turning people away. The money was good, and I was able to rent a cute flat in the center of Cocrane.

"I've been there!" Wally said. "It's a nice town, good Pack Alphas if I recall?"

"Kara and Ajak. Yes. They're good people. Their Beta is a wolf named Korrin, and Korrin has a son, Seth."

Wally leaned forward. "Uh-huh, I just know we're getting to the good bit now."

I nodded slowly, remembering the first time I'd seen him. "I was in a coffee shop, working on a website. He sauntered over and said, ‘Impressive,' in a deep, growly voice. I thanked him, and he said he was talking about me, not my work. I was flattered, you know?"

Wally nodded. "You hadn't had much male attention before, had you? And then Ryan's mishap made you feel that maybe there was something wrong with you?"

I glanced at him, wondering how he knew that from what I'd told him. He must have read the question on my face.

"It's what I would have thought."

I blinked. Was it that obvious?

"Go on, what happened with Seth?" Wally urged me to continue.

"Seth made me feel special and appreciated, something I hadn't ever felt before. We started seeing each other. No red flags. He was attentive, kind, and seemed genuinely interested in my life. But things changed over time. He became controlling—commenting on my clothes, discouraging me from making friends. I put it down to him being tired or stressed with work—he was being trained as an enforcer. His dad wanted him to take the Beta spot one day, but Korrin is a hard man to please. He was always telling Seth he wasn't good enough, that he had to be better. Seth tried to hide it, but it really got to him. He wanted nothing more than to get his dad's approval. I thought that was why Seth was so on edge all the time, and I knew exactly what things would annoy him, so I started to avoid doing them, or saying them, or wearing certain clothes.

"It wasn"t until Seth started trying to control my work schedule that I realized how toxic our relationship had become. With my business, I can set my own hours. For me, the best time of day is the early morning; I love watching the dawn come up with my laptop and a mug of coffee. But Seth, he began to get angry about it, insisting that I should stay in bed with him until he decided to get up. I finally realized how much of myself I'd changed to fit around Seth, and now he wanted me to change how and when I worked, too. It felt suffocating; I needed to end it."

"I'm guessing that did not go well."

I shook my head. "He wasn't angry at first. He just laughed at me. I told him I was serious, and he stared at me with this look of betrayal on his face. Then he punched me. I was so surprised, I didn't do anything. Just curled up as he started kicking me. He… he…"

Wally squeezed my arm again. "It's okay."

I took a deep breath; the room was filled with the scent of my fear and adrenaline.

"After… after he said, ‘You're never leaving.' Then he slammed my head against the floor, and I passed out." I stopped there, unable to go on.

"Here," Wally said gently as he handed me a tissue.

I frowned, then touched my cheek. It was wet.

When did I start crying?

"You're safe, Mai. He can't hurt you here."

I wiped the tears with the tissue before continuing, "When I came to, Seth wasn't there. It took me a while to crawl to the couch and get myself up. But I knew what I had to do. I grabbed a few things, then got to my car. I was so scared that he would come back before I could get away."

"But you did. You escaped him," Wally said gently.

I nodded. "I drove out of Cocrane and came straight here."