Page 1 of The Renegade Mate

Chapter one

Mai

The sun had barely risen, its rays only just managing to cast an autumnal pale glow over the motel. I remembered when this place opened. It had been the talk of the area, a shiny new motel for travelers and businesses, on the outskirts of our territory, bringing in new money and jobs to our town. Nowadays, its chipped paint and cracked windows highlighted its age and the broken dreams of the hopeful owners. The once vibrant blue sign had its paint peeling, and you could barely see the words “Three Rivers Inn” in the gloomy light.

It was owned by humans, two brothers, if I recalled correctly. The place had opened and swiftly gone downhill when Oliver was the Pack Alpha, but Jem and Hayley hadn’t been able to turn things around for the humans in our territory yet. I guess now they never would.

After we checked in, I sat on the edge of the stiff, musty bed, my body aching and covered in bruises. Ryan, my mate—and how weird was it to say that?—stood by the window, his tall, muscular frame tense as he kept watch. He was wounded, too, but stood upright and still. It was only through our bond that I felt pain pulsing through him. Our eyes met for a brief moment, and I could see the same emotions swirling in his—grief and anger.

“I can’t believe he’s gone, Mai,” he whispered. My heart clenched at the mention of my brother, Jem, the Alpha who had been killed by the very person he trusted the most—Hayley, his mate.

“Hayley …” I murmured, and with her name came the image of her cold, ruthless gaze. The betrayal still felt like a knife in my gut, twisting and turning as the reality of her actions sank in.

“Hey,” Ryan said gently, walking over and placing a warm hand on my shoulder. His deep blue eyes, usually so full of confidence and strength, now held barely contained rage and determination. “We’ll get through this together, okay? We’ll find a way to make things right.”

“What would ‘right’ even look like? We can’t bring him back.”

“Maybe not,” he admitted, his grip on my shoulder tightening. “But we’ll find a way, Mai. We’ll get justice for Jem.”

I stared into his eyes, seeking solace in their depths, and I knew we were on the same page—we wouldn’t let Hayley’s deed go unpunished. We had a responsibility to Jem, to Ryan’s brothers, to Sofia and Jase, and to the rest of the Pack.

“I’m going to kill her,” I whispered, suddenly feeling calm.

Ryan held me with his gaze. “Whatever you do, we’ll do it together.”

Before I knew what was happening, he pulled me into his arms. I sank against his muscular chest, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat and the scent of pine on his skin soothing me.

“We’ll get through this,” he murmured against my hair.

I looked up at him, our faces just inches apart. The air seemed to crackle between us. Slowly, tentatively, Ryan brought his lips to mine in a gentle kiss. I melted into him, the contact igniting a spark of desire that quickly caught flame.

Ryan maneuvered us down onto the bed without breaking the kiss. My hands roamed across the hard planes of his chest as his lips moved to my neck, nipping and sucking in a way that sent jolts of pleasure through me.

“Ryan …” I moaned, arching into him. I wanted this so badly, something to take away the pain and grief. I wanted to feel Ryan moving inside of me and not have to think about anything else.

He ground his cock against me, the friction delicious even through our clothes. I fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, desperate to feel his bare skin against mine. Sensing my need, he stripped off the shirt and made quick work of my own top and bra.

The lust in Ryan’s hooded eyes matched my own. He kissed me hungrily before trailing kisses down my neck. I arched up, needing to feel his lips on my breasts. His tongue did a swirl over one before capturing my nipple in his mouth. I cried out as he sucked and teased the sensitive peak.

Just as his fingers traced the waistband of my jeans, I froze, hearing the sound of footsteps outside the motel room. My heart leaped in my chest; I’d been running and hiding for so long that the slightest noise set me on edge.

“It’s okay. It’s my brothers,” Ryan growled. “Fuck! They always did have shitty timing.” He kissed me gently, then handed me my top and walked over to open the door. I pulled my shirt on and stood up, ready to face them.

Mason, the twins—Derek and Sam—plus an unfamiliar girl almost fell into the room. They all looked exhausted.

“Are you guys okay?” I said, taking in their battered appearances. Sam’s arm hung uselessly by his side. Mason was limping, and half his face was swollen, with a black eye and a split lip. The girl had a gash across her cheek, and Derek … Derek looked like he’d gone through hell and back. His clothes were torn, there were bruises all over his face, his brown hair was matted with blood, and his gray eyes were haunted and distant.

“Are you two alright?” Sam asked, coming straight to me and gathering me up in a one-armed hug. Sam was the Shaw brother who was quick to hug and offer comfort. The complete opposite of his twin, Derek, who had always been serious and stand-off-ish, even before he joined the military. “We were so worried about you, Mai. We should have been better, been quicker, in hunting down Seth. I—”

“Hush, it’s okay, Sam. It wasn’t your fault,” I interrupted. “Besides, Ryan and I dealt with Seth. He can’t hurt me anymore.”

I felt Sam’s chin nod on my shoulder just as Ryan growled, “You wanna let go of my mate?”

I frowned at Ryan. He was staring at Sam, his jaw tight and his arms crossed.

Sam was staring at Ryan, too, and then he glanced at me. “It’s fine,” he whispered, even though everyone in that room could hear him. “It’s the mate bond. It was always going to hit him hard. I’m lucky he hasn’t thrown me across the room.”

I nodded. I knew that newly mated couples were ridiculously overprotective of their mates, and I knew enough not to get within arm’s reach of anyone who was newly mated in case their mate took offense and attacked me, but this was going to take some getting used to.

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