Page 13 of The Runaway Mate

Ryan looked at me for a moment, his blue eyes searching mine. His jaw was tight, and I thought he was going to say something, but then he looked at my arm and then my leg. “I’m going to give you this, Mai. But we are going to talk. Whatever fucked up version of events has been in your head for the last four years needs to be straightened out. I’ve waited all this time to tell you the truth, and you aren’t going to push me away, Mai. This is going to happen.”

What the hell was he talking about? I frowned, then stifled a yawn. My eyesight was going fuzzy. I needed sleep. Then, I could put a new avoid-Ryan-at-all-costs plan into action. I yawned big this time and slumped down onto the bed.

“Christ. Get some sleep, Mai.” Ryan turned and walked to the door. “I won’t be far. Call, and I’ll be here.”

I watched blearily as he closed the door, then I laid down on the bed.

Just hide and heal, then run away. My plan was so simple. And so utterly fucked. How had I ended up seeing Ryan and being installed in the Alpha’s compound? It hadn’t escaped my notice that all the security on the way in meant the chances of me slipping away unseen again were zilch.

If I was going to make a run for it, I’d have to come up with something more sophisticated than packing a bag and driving off this time. Fuck! My car wasn’t even here; it was still at the apartment. I couldn’t have messed this up any worse. I giggled. It was either that, or cry and I’d done all the crying I was going to do driving myself here. I sighed, too tired and weary to think anymore, and fell asleep.

Chapter ten

Mai

When I woke up, it was already dark outside. I had to admit, the bed was incredibly comfortable. I sat up and stretched. Then winced as my broken ribs asked what the fuck I was doing.

“Mai? Are you awake?” The voice came from the other side of the door.

Hayley.

I hesitated for a moment, but I couldn’t hide in this room forever.

“Yeah, I’m awake,” I replied, my voice a bit hoarse.

The door opened, and Hayley walked in. She was wearing a casual outfit of dark, fitted jeans and a plain white shirt, and her long blond hair was pulled back in a messy bun. She looked older, more aged than the four years since I’d seen her should have shown. She had always been tall and slender, like a toned marathon runner, but now she was bordering on the side of skinny. It wasn’t a healthy look for a werewolf.

Hayley looked around the room and then finally at me. “So, you’re back.”

“It looks like it,” I replied, wondering briefly if I should avert my eyes. She was a Pack Alpha but I bristled at showing her that respect. “Don’t worry, I’m not staying long.”

We stared at each other for a moment and I felt her Alpha power sidle round me. Her eyes bore into mine, willing me to look down. When I didn't, her eyes flashed before they flickered over my injuries. “You should stay, Mai. As long as you need to,” she said, her voice soft.

I tilted my head, wondering if Jem was within hearing range. Hayley used to pull this trick before, playing nice whenever Jem was around and making certain I knew I wasn’t wanted whenever he was out.

“I mean it,” she insisted, almost like she could read my thoughts. “Things are different now that I’m the Alpha. Jem has struggled with you being gone. It’ll be good for him and the Pack if you stick around for a while.”

A knot formed in my stomach at her words. The last thing I wanted was to get involved with the Pack again. But I knew I couldn’t just run away this time. Not with security all around the compound and Ryan hovering over me like a mother hen. Maybe I was going to have to face my past.

“I’ll think about it,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

Hayley nodded and then sat on the edge of the bed. “You know, Mai, I always admired you. When you left, I knew you were strong enough to make it on your own. It takes a lot of courage to walk away from everything you’ve ever known.”

Did it? I’d done it twice now, once when I fled from Ryan and again when I escaped Seth. Was it courage or cowardice that made me run from them? I didn’t know anymore.

I did know that I wanted to steer this conversation away from me. “You seem to have gotten everything you wanted, Hayley. You’re Alpha now. You live in the big house. No one to tell you what to do.” That had been so important to her after growing up with her aunt’s family. I really was happy for her that she had that security now, that she had what she always wanted. A shadow crossed her face at my words. If I’d blinked, I would have missed it. What was going on with her and Jem?

She paused for a moment too long, then laughed airily. “It certainly has its perks.”

I wasn’t falling for it. Hayley was not a happy wolf. Did I care enough to try to find out why? No. I had to look out for myself. Heal up, find a way to make a run for it again. Nothing had changed. I couldn’t stay here with Ryan around every corner, his delicious scent drifting on the air, always just out of reach. I still knew that he was my fated mate. It would drive me mad to stay here and see him every day, knowing I couldn’t touch him, not in the way my wolf yearned to do.

“Come on.” Hayley got up off my bed. “Jem’s waiting, it’s time for dinner.”

Hayley stayed in the corridor while I got dressed and freshened up. She didn’t offer to help me down the stairs, something I was grateful for. I didn’t like to feel like an invalid who couldn’t look after herself. Going to school with Brock Madden and living on the streets for months after I’d left here had taught me the dangers of looking weak.

I followed Hayley into the dining room. She walked straight to a chair next to Jem. Jem was sitting at the head of the table, with Ryan next to him. I felt a stab in my chest at the sight of him. Okay, so the sleep didn’t make it go away. Fine. I’d deal with it. No fucking clue how, but I would work something out so I could at least cope while I was here.

Jem stood up as I entered the room, a smile on his face. “Mai, how are you feeling?”

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