Page 16 of The Runaway Mate

Hayley remained silent, eating her food and glancing out of the window every now and again.

“We’ve been hearing rumors that Bridgetown are recruiting again, though,” said Mason.

“I’ve been hearing that, too. Did Tanya confirm it?” Derek looked at Mason.

Mason managed to glare at his brother and look uncomfortable at the same time. “She’s seen the new recruits. Delivered to where they are being based. She could give us an idea of how many there are, but we need to go slow with Tanya. She’s loyal to her Pack. She likes gossip, which is where we get some intel from her, but it always needs to be confirmed with our other sources. Her use is more in giving us a feel for Bridgetown; the state of the Pack, how people are feeling about things that their Alphas are doing. She sometimes confirms things we have heard elsewhere, but I don’t want to push hard with her unless it’s an SOS situation.”

“Michael and Camile might be allowing her to deliver to you, knowing she will plant false information.”

Mason raised an eyebrow. “Sure, Derek, we definitely hadn’t considered that.”

“Alright.” Derek grinned and held up his hands in surrender. “Just checking. The Bridgetown Alphas are clever.”

I knew Bridgetown. Its territory bordered our own. When I left, it was already a pretty big Pack. Oliver had always forbidden us to interact with them, but if Tanya was making deliveries here, I guessed Jem had changed that. “Do you think Bridgetown is looking to expand their territory?” I asked.

Why did I ask that? I didn’t want to know, didn’t want to care, or be drawn back into the Pack and what was going on here.

Jem looked pleased at my question. “It’s a possibility. We’re keeping an eye on the situation. Derek, Mason, and Sam have been gathering intel to find out what their intentions are. We should know something for sure soon.”

Mason chimed in, his deep voice steady, “It’s important we know what their plans are. The Pack comes first. Always. But we also need to make sure our clients and those we care about are safe. We don’t want any surprises or unnecessary confrontations. We need to be prepared for anything.”

“Anything except you turning up again after four years,” Sam said, a cheeky glint in his eyes. “So, Mai, you gonna tell us where the fuck you have been all these years?”

Chapter eleven

Mai

Sam’s voice was light-hearted, but everyone in the room tensed, including me.

“Er, let me think. No, Sam, I’m not.”

There, that should shut him down.

“Come on, Mai. We missed you. You left. Ryan went crazy. Jem and Hayley killed Oliver. We’ve purged the old enforcers and built the new Pack, all so that it was safe and welcoming for when you eventually came back. You gotta give us something.”

I froze as his words sunk in. Ryan went crazy? They built the new Pack for me?

“What?” I whispered.

Mason’s voice was sharp. “Drop it, bro. Now’s not the time.”

“What does that mean? You built the new Pack for me?” I looked at Jem, knowing he’d answer me.

Jem threw a sharp look at Sam before answering. “We looked for you, Mai. For years. Ryan ran down every lead we ever got. It soon became clear that you didn’t want to be found, but I knew that you’d come back sooner or later.”

Jem paused, his gaze softening. “We wanted to create a Pack that you’d feel comfortable returning to. One where you’d be safe and welcome, no matter what had happened in the past.”

“The school is closely monitored now,” Ryan said, his tone gentle. “The children of our enforcers do not hold sway there simply because of who their parents are. The teachers are not too scared to speak up or punish those who bully others. Jem has restructured the whole Pack. All enforcers get vetted now. It’s not a case of who your father or mother was or who owes who a favor. Each enforcer goes through rigorous tests and training, and we keep an eye on them. Anyone looking to take advantage of those weaker than them is thrown out. All Pack members get a basic income. Anyone who has the Three Rivers bond is entitled to it. We put a hydro dam in the Coldbrook River. It runs the whole town, cutting down our costs, and we sell a chunk of it back to the grid at a premium price. Shaw Investigations is funded by the Pack. Sam and Mason run a tight outfit with over fifty employees. They offer security services to human and Shifter businesses on the whole east coast, and they do a lot of work in the conclave cities.”

The conclave cities were those that allowed both humans and Shifters. There were still human-only places, and some of the Shifter towns up north refused entry to any non-Shifter.

“The Pack is doing well,” Ryan continued, “and we make sure we look after all our members. We knew it was what you would have wanted.”

I swallowed hard, my heart racing. I didn’t know what to say, the enormity of their actions washing over me like a tidal wave. “Why? Why would you do that?” I looked at Jem. “I wasn’t… I mean, I was just your kid sister. I left. People do that all the time.”

“That night, Mai, the one when you—”

“We are not going to talk about that night,” I said, my voice harsh and my eyes darting to Ryan. I couldn’t talk about the single most humiliating, heart-breaking moment of my life in front of everyone.

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