Page 6 of The Runaway Mate

“Mai Parker.” His voice was full of disdain, like I was a bug he’d found on the bottom of his shoe.

“Alpha.” My eyes were rooted to my feet.

“Well?” he asked.

My mind went blank. Well, what? I sneaked a peek from under my eyelashes. Oliver was standing with an Alpha pair who I didn’t recognize. I could feel their power flowing off them in waves.

“Um…”

Oliver’s eyes were cold and calculating. My heart was hammering against my ribs, and I knew he could hear it.

“Come see me in the Alpha compound tomorrow,” Oliver commanded, then pushed me out of his way. I spun around, and that’s when I saw them. Ryan and Sarah were just five feet away. Ryan was staring at me. He had heard what Oliver said. Jem was going to be so pissed. Rule number one for me was to stay away from Oliver. Don’t draw attention, don’t get on his radar. Sarah sidled up to Ryan, placed her hand over the six-pack I knew was hidden under his shirt, and pressed herself into his side. Her entire body was touching Ryan.

It was too much for me. Before I knew it, I’d darted forward and shoved Sarah away from him. She staggered back and looked at me with such surprise I almost laughed. Everyone discounted me. Everyone just saw me as Jem’s quiet kid sister. I heard the gasps from those around us. Sarah’s breathing was shallow. She kept her eyes locked on me. Her legs tensed, ready to spring at me. I growled, and then Ryan stepped between us. He grabbed hold of me and dragged me away from Sarah.

“What the fuck, Mai?”

I struggled against his hold, my wolf raging inside of me. “She was all over you, Ryan! Why are you letting her touch you like that?”

Ryan’s expression hardened, his grip tightening on my arms. “That’s none of your business, Mai. You need to calm down.”

I glared at him, my heart pounding in my chest. I couldn’t stand the thought of him with Sarah, of anyone taking him away from me. He was mine, even if he didn’t know it yet. I struggled against his hold, trying to break free.

Suddenly, a voice cut through the chaos. “What’s going on here?”

I turned to see Jem standing there, his eyes taking in the scene before him. His expression was cool and collected, but I could see the anger simmering beneath the surface. He walked over to us, his eyes flickering between Ryan, Sarah, and me.

“Mai?” he asked.

I was unable to control the words that spilled from my mouth. Without taking my eyes off Ryan, I blurted, “You’re my mate.”

A shocked silence spread out from us.

“Bullshit!” Sarah growled, walking toward us. “Tell her, Ryan. Tell her she’s fucking delusional.”

I glanced up at Ryan, afraid to look at him but needing to see his reaction. Was he pleased? Finally, he would have a fated mate. He had to be happy. Everything was going to be okay now that he knew.

Ryan’s grip on my arm tightened. His face was blank, no emotion there at all. I frowned, confused.

“Ryan?”

“Mai, you’re a fucking kid. We’re not mates. We’ll never be mates. You don’t understand how this works. You will, one day when you grow up, but this is just a little girl’s fantasy that’s gotten out of hand.”

His words hit me like a punch in the gut. I staggered, my heart shattering. How could he say that to me? He was supposed to be my mate, my other half. I looked at him, my eyes pleading for him to take it all back. But his expression was cold.

I yanked my arm free and stumbled back. “Why are you saying this? You know the truth, Ryan. You know I’m your mate.”

How could he not feel it? How could he do this? My wolf was whimpering inside of me. Ryan’s rejection of everything we had ever dreamed of confused her. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

“Mai.” Ryan took a step toward me, but stopped when Sarah placed her hand on his waist.

I glared at her hand, willing Ryan to shrug it off. He didn’t. I saw him glance around the room before he carefully put his hand over Sarah’s.

Jem strode forward to stand facing me, blocking my view of Ryan and Sarah. “Mai, go home.” His voice was harsh, disappointed. “Go cuddle your teddies. We’ll talk about your behavior in the morning.”

That was when I heard the laughter. Brock, Ben, and Roscoe had wandered over and had heard everything.

“Oh my God, this is fucking priceless. Even her own side doesn’t want anything to do with the trashcan bitch. You know, Mai,” Brock raised his voice so everyone in the room could hear, “if you beg, and I mean really beg, I might take you in as my plaything.”

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