Page 57 of The Runaway Mate

As I opened the door, I noticed Hayley’s scent was conspicuously absent, but Jem’s lingered in the air, a marker of his presence. That scent guided me, and I followed it, letting my instincts lead the way through the quiet house.

The muffled echo of my footsteps was the only sound as I padded down the corridor, heading toward Jem’s study.

I found him at his desk, bathed in the warm glow of a desk lamp. He was leaning back in his leather chair, lost in a sea of paperwork, his brow creased in thought.

“Jem,” I began, hesitating at the doorframe.

He glanced up from his papers, eyebrows furrowed, but his gaze softened when he saw me.

“Mai! Sorry, I was lost in these papers. I didn’t even realize you were home.”

I frowned, stepping into the study. Jem was a werewolf; he should have heard the door, heard my footsteps, smelled me long before I came into the room. He was a Pack Alpha. I shouldn’t have been able to surprise him.

“We need to talk.”

Jem nodded, putting the papers down. “Of course. Is this about you moving in with Ryan? I noticed all your stuff is gone. I’ve got to say, Mai, I’m glad you decided to stay a while and over the moon that you’re giving Ryan a chance.”

My foot faltered from one step to the next, but Jem didn’t seem to notice.

“No, this isn’t about that. I need to talk to you about some things I’ve heard. About a plot against the Pack.” I looked at Jem, my gaze steady, even as my heart pounded.

He paused, pen held in mid-air, and locked eyes with me. “Mai,” he began, his voice almost a sigh, “you know better than to pay attention to Pack gossip.”

“This isn’t gossip, Jem. This is about you.” I swallowed hard, gathering my courage. “There are members of the Pack who are trying to oust you.”

His brow furrowed, eyes narrowing. “You’ve got your wires crossed, Mai. You must have heard wrong,” he said, his voice firm yet controlled.

Jem’s dismissal didn’t surprise me. But the blatant denial, the refusal to even consider the possibility, stung.

I took a deep breath, determined to make him listen to me. “Jem,” I began again, “I’m not wrong. I followed Brock tonight. He met with three werewolves from the Bridgetown Pack at a restaurant downtown. They were talking about brokering an alliance.”

Jem looked at me, taken aback. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure. I wouldn’t have come to you with this if I wasn’t sure, Jem,” I stated.

Jem stood up and came to sit on the front of the desk. “Okay, I’m listening. Tell me what you know.”

I told him about Sofia’s rumors, about us deciding to follow Brock, about the two-hour meeting with the Bridgetown Pack members, and what they said afterward.

“So, you never heard Brock mention an alliance?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No. I know what you’re thinking—this could be a ruse by the Bridgetown Pack to make you think that Brock is betraying you. Hoping to sow doubt in your mind, make the Alpha bond even weaker. But how did they know I would be there? That I would overhear what they said?”

Jem shrugged. “I’m sure news of your return has reached the Bridgetown Pack by now. I’m also sure they would recognize you—we’ve had your photo on flyers and websites all over the state for the last four years. Maybe they weren’t even there with Brock, but he stopped to see what they were doing in our territory. Then they saw you in the booth next to them and decided to take advantage of that.”

“You know that’s unlikely,” I replied.

“Unlikely, maybe, but possible. You don’t know anything, Mai. You have no evidence, no hard facts, just speculation and guesses. I can’t accuse Brock of trying to get rid of me with this. Besides, Brock isn’t a threat. He doesn’t have a mate, and only an Alpha pair can challenge for the Alpha spots of a Pack.”

I started pacing across the study floor. “Okay, so we get evidence. We talk to Brock. Find out why he was there. There is something going on, Jem. Brock doesn’t need to challenge you; he only has to oust you so Hayley can rule alone. The Pack is not healthy, it’s not happy. People are talking, whether you like it or not, and you need to get your head out of your ass and see what is happening right in front of you.”

Before he could respond, the front door opened and shut quietly, and familiar voices echoed down the hall. Ryan and Derek were here.

The comforting scents of Ryan and Derek washed over me as I watched Jem’s gaze shift toward the study door.

Ryan appeared first, his tall frame outlined by the low light. His ice-blue eyes swept the room, landing on me. His gaze softened for a moment, a silent question if I was okay. I gave a slight nod, assuring him I was. His relief was clear, even as he moved to stand protectively near me. Derek followed, his expression grave.

“We tracked down the witness,” Ryan began without preamble, his gaze never straying far from me. “He didn’t see Carson leave the scene.”

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