Page 39 of The Runaway Mate

I watched her storm out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Okay, that did not go to plan. I sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing my hands over my face. Seth was still out there. I had to keep her safe, even if it meant she hated me for the rest of my life.

Chapter twenty-seven

Mai

Idarted out of the house and across the street to Jem’s place. I needed to get the hell away from here. I couldn’t believe Ryan had Derek hack my life. He must know everything about me by now. There were no secrets, no things that I could tell him when I was ready. No, he had to know everything now. How could we start something when the power was so one-sided? He was never going to see me as an equal. I would always be the little girl who needed protecting.

I slipped in the door, ignoring Jem’s shout, and went straight to my room. I sat down on the bed as my anger drained away. My face burned, and I cringed, the humiliation of my choices weighing heavily on me. I’d been so stupid to stay with Seth, and now Ryan and his brothers knew it, too. Did they think less of me?

I had thought of coming back here over the years, but I didn’t want to come back to the Pack like this. I didn’t want them to see me as weak and vulnerable. I’d always thought I’d turn up and show them how strong I was, show them that I had achieved things in my life since I’d left, that I was more than my past mistakes.

“Mai?” Jem’s voice called out as he knocked on the door. “Can I come in?”

I took a deep breath and stood up. I didn’t want Jem to see me like this, either. If he didn’t know already, it was only a matter of time before Ryan told him the truth about Seth. I sighed, knowing I couldn’t run from it.

“Sure.”

Jem pushed the door open and looked me up and down. “You had quite the night.”

It was a statement, not a question, and I knew he could smell Ryan all over me.

I held my chin up higher, daring him to make something out of it.

“I gotta say, Mai, I’m fucking delighted for you and Ryan. As your Alpha, I felt it when your mate bond sealed. You made a good choice. He loves you, Mai. Even more than he loves the Pack.”

“He’s an arrogant, pig-headed asshole!”

Jem grinned at me. “Yeah, that too.”

“How do you put up with him? I want to tear my hair out! Or better yet, claw his eyes out!”

Jem chuckled. “Well, I’m his Alpha, so I can just order him to leave.”

“I wish I could order him to leave, or shut up, or even to stop fucking looking at me!”

“You’re fated mates, Mai. That’s a special bond. You’ll work out how to handle him.”

I slumped down on the bed. “No, I don’t think I will.”

I had to leave. It was the only way. Start somewhere new, where I could be myself, where no one knew about the choices I’d made, the rejection, the stupidity. Where no one thought less of me.

“Mai,” Jem said, his stern voice bringing me back to reality. “What happened?”

I thought about lying or shrugging it off. But Jem was my brother, and he would know I wasn’t telling the truth. “He got Derek to hack into my laptop and phone. He invaded my privacy, Jem. He knows everything about me and didn’t respect me enough to let me tell him about my life, in my own way, in my own time.”

Jem sat down next to me. “He’s scared, Mai. He just found you again. He’s desperate to keep you safe. His wolf will be pushing him to keep you near at all times. He’s going to be extremely possessive for the next few months. It’s normal for a newly mated pair. You know how much he loves his brothers, would do anything for them, yet he’s struggling for control whenever they come near you.”

“His brothers?” I shook my head. “He knows I’m not interested in them, and they are certainly not interested in me.”

“Oh, he knows that. But that’s your rational human side talking. To his wolf, it is simple. You are his, and if another male gets near you, he will try to rip their throats out. At least for the next few months. After that, it will settle down. Probably.”

Fan-fucking-tastic. This was going to complicate things if I did decide to leave. I would not only have my own wolf demanding I stay, but Ryan would come after me, too.

“You know he raised his brothers. He had to grow up fast, Mai, when their mother died and their dad checked out. Ryan always had a strong protective instinct, but the experience of raising his brothers, of keeping them safe under Oliver, of making sure they had a roof over their heads and food on the table… It honed this instinct into a sharp point. That’s what makes him such a good Beta. It’s what will make him a brilliant Alpha someday. But right now, it’s working against him. He’s terrified Seth is going to find and hurt you or that you will run again.”

I closed my eyes. Of course, Jem fucking knew about Seth. Did the whole Pack know what an idiot I was?

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