Page 48 of The Runaway Mate

“He hugged her. Like really hugged her. Then kissed her forehead. My wolf went nuts. It was all I could do to stay on the road and not jump out of the car and rip his balls off.”

“Maybe—”

“Maybe nothing. Derek barely says hello to me anymore, and that’s just the way I like it.”

“I’m so sorry, Sofia.” I reached over and pulled her into a hug.

“Don’t worry about me, I’m over it,” she lied. “Anyway, enough about me. We have to work out what we’re going to do about Brock.”

“Brock’s not going to willingly spill his guts,” Wally said.

“We’ll need to follow him,” I agreed.

Wally rubbed his hands together. “I can tail him without being noticed.”

“And I know some of the Pack members who work with Brock. They might be able to give us some information,” Sofia added.

“Good. Let’s do that,” I said. “But we need to be careful not to get caught. Brock won’t be happy if he finds out we’re snooping around.”

Wally smirked. “Don’t worry, Mai. I’m the master of disguise. No one will recognize me.”

Sofia rolled her eyes. “Just make sure you’re not too obvious. And no trench coats!”

We spent the next hour ironing out the details of our plan. Wally and I were going to follow Brock. Sofia listed the people she thought might have noticed something and those who would be willing to talk to her.

As we left the bar, I couldn’t shake off the feeling of unease that settled in my stomach. We needed to find out what Brock was up to, but I hated the thought of putting Sofia and Wally in danger. The stakes were high. A misstep, a moment of bad luck, and we could land in a heap of trouble. My heart twined around the fear of what could go wrong, tugging at the edges of my determination.

“Stay safe,” I implored, my gaze locked onto Sofia. “If something feels off, leave it. This is about finding out what is going on, not playing heroes.”

With a nod, Sofia pulled me into a hug. “We’ll be fine, Mai. You worry too much. Just take care of yourself, okay?”

Sofia slipped into the afternoon shadows as Wally touched my shoulder. “She’ll be okay. She’s good at talking to people.”

I nodded, my gaze lingering on the street Sofia had taken.

“Come on, Mai. My car’s over here.”

I followed Wally to a dark blue Mercedes and got in the passenger side. As he started the engine, I leaned back in my seat and took a deep breath.

Our plan hinged on Brock being where we thought he was. At this time of day, Sofia had figured our best bet was to wait outside the betting shop on Broadway.

Wally’s car was a sanctuary, a bubble of warmth against the afternoon chill. I twisted a frayed thread on the cuff of my jacket. Wally drummed his fingers on the steering wheel in tune to some silent beat only he could hear.

He glanced sideways at me. “So, what’s it really like? Being back in the Pack?” He spoke softly, the kind of soft you use when you don’t want to startle a fawn.

“I never thought I’d come back here. But now that I am, I’m glad I did,” I admitted, eyes flickering back to the betting shop. “I didn’t realize how much I’d missed everyone, you know? Jem. Sofia…” The words stalled on my tongue, an unspoken name caught in my throat.

“Ryan?” Wally’s smirk was more knowing than teasing. I sighed, the sound escaping me like the echo of a forgotten dream.

“Yeah… Ryan. It’s just so complicated now.”

Before Wally could respond, the betting shop door creaked open. Brock walked out and slid into his car, a shiny, ostentatious black thing that screamed of overcompensation.

“Okay, Wally, stay cool. We don’t want to tailgate him, all right?” I cautioned, my heart sounding a drumroll in my ears as Brock pulled out into traffic, and we followed him.

Wally shot me an incredulous look. “Do you think I learned to drive yesterday?”

“Um—”

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