Page 40 of The Runaway Mate

“There’s something important you need to understand about fated mates, about the power that comes with the bond. The Moon Mother puts two werewolves together, but that’s it. There is no ‘happily ever after’ unless we make it so. Fated mates have this potential, but we have to nurture the bond, protect it, and watch it grow.” He hesitated, then continued, “Things with me and Hayley are difficult right now.”

I nodded. It was hard to miss.

“You know what it was like for her living with her aunt. They treated her like a slave; she was a modern-day Cinderella. I got her out of it as soon as I worked out what was happening, but it shaped her, Mai. It shaped who she would become. Hayley needs constant love, attention, and reassurance. She is only happy if she feels that she is my top priority at all times.”

Jem sighed, his expression somber. “After you left, after I was Alpha, I talked with Sofia. I talked to your school. I finally saw what I’d been too busy to see all those years. I realized the mistake I’d made in leaving Hayley to raise you. I confronted her. We fought.” Jem paused, his eyes going distant. “We didn’t talk for six months. I was busy spending most of my time trying to get the Pack stabilized and organize the search for you. We had to root out the old enforcers, work out who could be trusted. I stayed away because I blamed her for you leaving, even though it was just as much my fault as hers, and it tore our bond. Hayley felt lonely and deserted. For an Alpha pair, it was irresponsible of us. We hid it for a time, but it got harder not to notice the damage we were causing to the whole Pack. Then, a year ago, Hayley cheated.”

I sucked in a breath. I couldn’t believe Hayley had betrayed Jem in that way.

“It wasn’t all her fault, Mai. She found someone who paid her attention and offered her the things she craved. When I found out I… I went crazy. Ryan stopped me from killing him. He knew if I had murdered him, the guilt would have crippled me. Instead, I banished him from the Pack. Since then, I’ve had to hope that our actions—mine and Hayley’s—haven’t irreparably damaged our mate bond. That, in time, we’ll find a way past this. As the Alpha pair, our weakened bond has affected our entire Pack. It’s the little things: fights in the Pack breaking out over spilled drinks, mothers nipping at their kids when they can’t keep up, more road rage than normal. The Pack bonds are anxious, on edge, and it’s making everyone that little bit more aggressive. It’s dangerous for a Pack. They feel this niggle all the time, and instead of feeling safe and happy, everyone is wary of each other. I’m hoping we can fix it, but it’s going to take time.”

He looked into my eyes, his gaze intense. “I’m telling you this because I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did. If you can trust each other, you and Ryan will become more powerful as a pair than you could individually. But take it from me: if you treat your bond badly, it will weaken you both.”

Jem’s eyes were haunted. “Talk to Ryan. Work through your issues with him. Don’t throw it all away; don’t let your bond with your fated mate be damaged over this.”

Chapter twenty-eight

Mai

My phone rang. Unknown number. Jem’s face had gone hard. He nodded at me. If it was Seth, maybe I could work out where he was or if he knew where I was. I took a deep breath.

“Hello?”

“Mai, girlie!” Wally’s voice floated out of the phone.

I watched as Jem smiled at me, then left the room, shutting the door behind him.

“I’m at the bar with Sofia, and we’re dying to hear all the gossip about last night! Why don’t you make an escape from the tower and come have lunch with us?”

I sighed, thinking. So much had happened since last night; too much to digest right now. I might as well go get something to eat.

“Sure, just let me have a shower first.”

I walked into Bottley Bar an hour later. I’d taken time in the shower to think about me and Ryan, and I’d decided I didn’t want to think about me and Ryan. I would talk to him, but not anytime soon. Let him stew in his back-stabbing, laptop-hacking office.

Wally and Sofia were sitting in a booth toward the back of the room. It was quiet, only a couple having lunch and a businessman working on his laptop near the window.

“Hey, Mai!” Sofia called, waving at me.

“Well?” Wally demanded as soon as I slid onto the seat next to Sofia. “We want to hear everything. What did you wear, where did you go, what did you eat, what did he say?”

I shrugged, really not keen to talk about last night. “We ate in, actually. Ryan cooked steak at his place.”

“You had a date with all the Shaw brothers?” Sofia asked, her eyes bugging out.

“Oo-ee! That would have been one hell of a date!” Wally said, picking up a napkin and fanning himself.

“No! Just Ryan. The others were all out.”

“So? How did it go? Did you manage to leave all the history at the door?”

“Mmmm,” I muttered. “Maybe too well.”

Sofia and Wally stared at me.

“Is she saying what I think she’s saying?” Wally asked Sofia. “‘Coz if she is, I’m gonna lose it and start squealing!”

“I’ve got this,” she replied to him, then turned to me. “Mai, look at me.”

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