Page 56 of The Runaway Mate

I shook my head. A sense of unease grew within me. Michael was many things, but reckless was not one of them. Something was definitely off about this whole situation.

I steered the car onto the main road, the shadows of the night swallowing us. The streetlights flickered by intermittently, their glow washing over us in a spectral dance.

“We’ll update Jem, see if he has any insights,” I said finally, my focus still on the road.

Derek’s confirmation was a simple nod, a line of tension etching his features in the dim light.

Chapter thirty-seven

Mai

Istepped out of The Nouveau Table, my eyes going immediately to Wally’s car. Darkness cloaked the interior, making it impossible to see inside. Good, I didn’t want Brock to have noticed Wally when he left.

“Mai, fancy seeing you here.”

I turned to see Brock leaning against the restaurant wall.

“This place is a bit upmarket for you, no?” he said as he straightened himself and walked toward me.

“Brock,” I returned evenly. “I see you’ve crawled out from under your rock to bless us with your presence tonight.”

“Ah, the little bitch still has some claws.” His gaze was unsettling, but I refused to look away. “Seen anyone interesting tonight?”

I frowned. Was he fishing to see if I’d seen him with the Bridgetown wolves?

“I’m not really interested in who’s who these days, Brock. I’ve got better things to do than check out what people are wearing and what skank is dating which dickhead.”

He shrugged. “Just making conversation. You know how it is.”

“Do I?” I raised an eyebrow. “Well, don’t let me keep you from your nocturnal activities.”

A flash of irritation crossed his face, but he masked it quickly. “Give my regards to your brother.”

I stared at him with a bored expression on my face, then flicked my fingers in a “you’re dismissed” gesture.

He clenched his jaw but managed to keep his cool. “See you around, Mai.”

“Count on it,” I murmured, watching as he walked away, his figure retreating into the darkness.

Once he was out of sight, I made my way to Wally’s car and slipped inside, tension still vibrating through my veins.

“Are you sure about this?” Wally asked. He had turned off the engine and the headlights, and we were bathed in a quiet sort of gloom. After my little chat with Brock, Wally and I had texted Sofia to see how she was getting on. She’d sent one reply:

I’m busy. Will be in touch when I have something.

She’d then turned her phone to “do not disturb”—I knew this because not only did my new super-duper phone tell me, but she ignored all my texts and calls. We’d spent the next couple of hours driving around all the places where we thought she might have gone. Finally, I’d called time and said we needed to go back to Jem’s.

“He needs to know, Wally,” I replied, unfastening my seatbelt and turning to face him.

“We don’t have any proof. You said yourself, you didn’t hear Brock even talking to them. Only saw he sat with them, and then what they said after he left. And we haven’t heard back from Sofia yet and what she might have found.” His voice was laced with concern.

“I know, but this is bigger than we thought. If Brock is trying to form an alliance with Michael and Camile to push Jem out, or worse, kill him so Hayley can take over, then we need to prepare. Now.”

Wally nodded, but his face was unhappy. “Okay, just be careful. Sofia said she was shot down when she tried to bring this up. You don’t know how he’s going to react to the news that members of his own Pack are plotting to oust him.”

I put my hand on his and squeezed. “It’ll be okay. Just find Sofia and see what she knows. We need to work out how big this is and who else is involved.”

I got out of the car and walked toward the Alpha house. After a moment, I heard Wally start the engine and drive off.

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