20. Mai

Isat on the plush couch in the Shaw brothers' cozy living room as Derek tapped away on his computer. My new phone was plugged into it, and he'd just finished giving me the 101 of how to be a spy. At least, that was what it felt like.

I'd told Ryan about Wally's idea on the way back.

"Sounds good," he'd said, holding my gaze for a moment and making my stomach do a flip. "I'll take anything I can get."

"Alright, then," I'd replied. "Pick me up at seven, and don't be late."

When we made it back to the compound, Derek had been waiting for me, and Ryan slipped off "to make some calls."

My eyes followed Derek as he shut his laptop with a definitive click. "Okay, your digital life is now Fort Knox," he announced, looking pleased with himself.

"Fort Knox, huh? I feel safer already." I smiled. "Seriously, thanks for setting this up. It means a lot."

Derek leaned back in his chair, eyeing me with a smirk. "You do realize that ‘password123' isn't the epitome of cybersecurity, right?" His eyes twinkled with mischief.

I rolled my eyes. "I know that now. It's a process. I'm evolving."

"Evolving, you say? Can someone who always clicked on the ‘You've won a million dollars' emails evolve?"

I grimaced, remembering my younger, more hopeful self. "Okay, fine. I get your point. This isn't the flip-phone era anymore."

"Exactly," he said, getting serious for a moment. "With the kind of attention you're attracting, you can't afford any digital vulnerabilities."

I leaned back to mirror his posture. "Alright, Mr. Cybersecurity, any other wisdom you'd like to share?"

"Just remember to update your apps, especially the security ones. You don't want to be that person who ignored the update notifications and got hacked."

"Updates? Like, I have to nurture this thing?"

His smile was genuine, warm. "Think of it as a pet that doesn't poop but can bite you if you neglect it."

I laughed. "Fine, I promise to be a responsible phone owner."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Derek chuckled. Then his face turned serious, and he looked me dead in the eyes. "You know, Mai, I"m really glad you"re back. We all are. Ryan hasn't been the same since you left."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How so?"

"He got harder—more ruthless. He's always been protective, but these last few years, it's like he's got something to prove. He'll do anything to make sure the Pack is safe. He'll do anything, and I mean anything—even if it pisses you off—to make sure you are safe."

I really didn't want to have this conversation right now. "Derek, I get that you're rooting for him, but he rejected me four years ago, remember?"

"I know, I know. Just, listen, okay? I've seen him smile more since you've been back than in the last four years put together. He messed up, Mai. I'm not defending him. But you guys are meant to be. I want you to be happy, both of you. And I reckon that"ll only happen if you are together. So I"m going to do anything I can to help you guys."

"Why?" The word escaped before I could stop it.

"Because you bring out the best in him, even if he's too stubborn to see it. And because you deserve someone who'll fight his way to the ends of the earth to make sure you are happy."

I sighed, letting Derek's words sink in. "I don't know if I can forgive him, Derek. It's complicated."

The sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway, growing louder until the door swung open, and Ryan stepped in. The moment he entered, the room's atmosphere changed. Tension thickened the air like a gathering storm. His eyes met mine briefly, then flicked toward Derek, who was still sitting next to me. Derek quickly looked at the floor but I could see the muscle in Ryan's cheek twitch.

"Derek, you finished showing Mai the security features?" His voice was deceptively calm, but I felt his annoyance from here.

"Yeah, she's all set up," Derek replied as he stood up and moved a few steps away from me.

What was going on?

"I'll leave you two to catch up. Got some things to take care of." He cast a knowing smile at me and then glanced at his brother, who was still standing rigid, like a sentinel.

"That alright?" Derek asked Ryan. Derek was blocking my view of Ryan, so I couldn't see either of their faces. They stood facing each other for a moment before Ryan moved to the side and let Derek leave the room. He turned just before he closed the door and winked at me.

The room felt smaller with Derek gone, the tension between Ryan and me now an entity of its own. Ryan seemed to take all the oxygen in the room. His presence was overwhelming my senses, making my heart beat faster. Ryan's stance remained taut, his eyes still fixed on me, scrutinizing my every expression. I felt like I was under a microscope, my emotions and thoughts laid bare, whether I liked it or not. Silence enveloped us, and I suddenly felt unsure.

Ryan must have seen something in my face, as he made a visible effort to relax his posture. He broke eye contact and walked, oh so casually, over to the couch I was sitting on. "So, Derek got you sorted with your new phone?"

I looked up from where I was sitting, my eyes meeting his. "Yeah, he did. Apparently, my phone is now a fortress no one can breach." I kept my tone playful, but I couldn't forget why the security was needed.

Ryan smiled, his eyes meeting mine with a momentary softness. "Derek knows his stuff. He'll make sure you aren't vulnerable."

The word hung in the air, charged with unspoken emotions and memories. There it was, confirmation that the Shaws all saw me as a weak link.

As if he had read my mind, Ryan said, "Mai, being cautious doesn't make you weak. It makes you smart."

I cocked an eyebrow, leaning back on the couch. "Smart, huh? So why does it feel like you're gearing up to bubble-wrap me?"

Frustration etched the lines on his face. "I'm trying to keep you safe, Mai. Can't you see that?"

"Oh, I see it. I just don't need a knight in shining armor, Ryan. I've been managing just fine on my own."

"Just fine? Was it not you who I had to drag to the doctor with some broken bones and a twisted knee?"

I exhaled sharply, my hands clenching. "I didn't ask you to! I had it under control. It was you who stuck your nose in my business and got insufferably bossy."

"Fuck, Mai! Why do you have to make everything so damn difficult?"

Me? What planet was he on? He was the one making everything, even a damned conversation, so challenging.

Ryan ran his hand through his hair and sighed. Almost unconsciously, he picked up a water bottle from a side table, unscrewed the cap, and set it down beside me. I stared at the bottle and then back at him as he turned away. He was oblivious to what he had just done. It was such a simple act but no one had offered me anything, not even a water bottle, for years. I had always been low down in the Pack hierarchy, here with Oliver as Alpha and in Cocrane. It would have been seen as weak for anyone higher up to offer something to me.

"Look, Mai, I don't want to fight anymore," Ryan began, but before he could continue, his phone vibrated on the coffee table. He glanced at the screen. His eyes narrowed, and the tension in the room seemed to ratchet up a notch.

"What's wrong?" I asked, nodding at his phone.

He pocketed the phone and looked back at me, his face softening. "Nothing. Are we still on for dinner tonight, or have I messed that up?" His voice was casual, but the tension was humming beneath his words like a tautly pulled string.

I glanced at the water bottle in front of me. "Annoying as you are, dinner still sounds okay," I said, forcing a smile. And it did. I wanted to get to know him again. To leave all my baggage behind for one night and just be me. Besides, he promised I could yell at him, and my wolf would kill me if I backed out now.