Page 14 of The Runaway Mate

“Better, thank you,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Good. Mai, you remember the Shaw brothers, right?"

Ryan and his three brothers, each of them tall and muscular men, stood up. With their Alpha standing at the table, Pack hierarchy dictated they were not allowed to be seated.

"They’re all Pack enforcers now," Jem continued, "although Mason and Sam also run a private investigations firm on the side.”

“Sure.” I felt Ryan’s gaze on me, but I avoided it and looked around at the rest of the Shaw brothers.

Sam and Derek were twin brothers and had been in the year above me in school. They’d left by the time Brock had held me down and got everyone to pour food on me. Otherwise, they would have broken both of his legs.

Although they were twins, it was clear that time had accentuated their differences. Derek had always been the more serious of the two and had just left for the army by the time I’d done my vanishing act. His time there seemed to have left its mark on him. He sat tall and confident; his dark brown hair was cropped short, and his steely gray eyes seemed to take in everything around him. Next to him, Sam appeared more approachable and easygoing, his warm smile and bright green eyes giving off a welcoming vibe. His light brown hair was longer than Derek’s, falling into his eyes in a charmingly disheveled manner. I remembered how Sam had always been the more outgoing twin, and I thought it was a smart move, joining forces with Mason in a PI firm where Sam could use his knack for connecting with people to help solve cases.

Mason was sitting nearest to the door. He was the oldest, after Ryan. It had been four years since I last saw him, but I couldn’t help but marvel at how much he had changed. He must be twenty-four now, and he’d certainly filled out. I guessed he was at least 6’3” when he stood up, his muscular and athletic build probably down to rigorous training I knew enforcers went through. His short, jet-black hair appeared slightly tousled, giving him a rugged and effortlessly attractive look that I hadn’t noticed before.

Mason was always one to put family and Jem first. He’d backed Jem and Ryan one hundred percent with their plan to take over the Pack. I remembered his dry sense of humor and how he’d share a joke or crack a sly smile, but only with those close to him. Although he often came across as intimidating, I knew that beneath that tough exterior, Mason would always help those in need.

I turned to Sam and before I could blink, he had encased me in a bear hug. His scent of wood smoke, dark chocolate, and a tinge of citron enveloping me. “Mai. Girl. We missed you!”

“I missed you, too.”

“My turn,” Derek said, tugging his brother off me and pulling me into his arms. I’d only ever seen Derek truly relax when he was around Sofia. His hug was the same. Where Sam was an all-in kind of hugger, Derek held me carefully for a moment and then backed off.

“Hey,” Mason said, striding toward me and kissing me on my cheek. “Sam’s right. We missed you, Mai.”

The sound of glass breaking and the scent of fresh blood made me turn around. Ryan was glaring at his brothers, a broken wine glass in his hand.

“For fuck’s sake, Ryan,” Hayley hissed as she started mopping at the spilled red wine on the table.

“Shit, man, you okay?” Sam said, going over to Ryan.

My wolf nipped at me, wanting me to go to him, but I pushed her back.

“It’s fine,” Ryan replied, gruffly grabbing a napkin and wrapping the cut on his palm. “Just a little cut.”

“What happened?” asked Mason as he picked up the pieces of glass that were strewn on the table.

“An accident, that’s all.” Ryan’s tone made it clear that was the end of any discussion. He took the pieces of glass from his brother and strode into the kitchen.

I watched him go, wanting desperately to follow him to make sure he was okay.

“Why don’t you sit, Mai?” Jem said as he gestured for me to take a seat. “We were just about to start dinner.”

I hesitated for a moment, my eyes darting to the kitchen, then I nodded.

“Sure.”

Jem had gestured to the only seat left, and the universe seemed to be conspiring against me. It was right next to Ryan’s. With a deep breath, I slowly made my way there. I could do this. I just needed to avoid smelling Ryan. Avoid touching Ryan and avoid talking to him. Easy, right?

As I sat down, a trim middle-aged woman with short brown hair and three earrings in each ear started to put dishes on the table. The woman’s warm brown eyes took in the scene, and then she cursed. “Well, not the best start to a meal. But no matter. The food will more than make up for it.”

“Mai, this is Sylvie, our housekeeper and chef extraordinaire,” Jem said.

As the delicious scents of lemon chicken, sage potatoes, salad, and freshly baked baguettes wafted around the room, it was clear that Sylvie’s culinary skills were not to be underestimated.

Sylvie smiled at me. “I’ve heard all about you, Mai. It’s lovely to finally meet you in person.”

I smiled back at her just as Ryan came back and sat down next to me, his hand in a clean bandage. I ignored Ryan and the way his body was mere inches from mine. He was so close. His scent was suddenly all I could smell, overpowering everything and everyone else in the room. I swallowed, looking down. His leg was almost touching mine; I couldn’t even see daylight between them. The image of me running my fingers up his leg and slowly undoing his belt jumped into my head.

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