Page 11 of The Renegade Mate

The words hung in the air like a heavy curtain. Alpha leaders. The thought was absurd. Me, an Alpha?

Sam caught my eye, giving me a reassuring smile. “You and Ryan are it. You’re the best shot we have, Mai. You’re strong, both of you.”

“And it’s not just about strength,” Derek added. “You two have the loyalty of our new renegade Pack. That’s a powerful thing. I have no doubt that when you make it known that you are challenging Brock and Hayley, there will be plenty of others from the Three Rivers who will support you.”

Ryan looked at me, the question clear in his gaze. Would I consider this?

The room seemed to tilt on its axis at their words. I blinked, my heart pounding against my rib cage. I was no leader. I was just Mai Parker, a girl still grappling with the loss of her brother and the unraveling world around her.

“But us? As an Alpha Pair? We’ve only just got together. We’ve had no time to bond properly. I was taken by Seth and then Jem … With everything that’s happened, you can’t honestly think we’d do any good?” I could hardly swallow the lump forming in my throat. This was so much more than I felt capable of handling.

“Look, I get it,” Derek started. “This is … overwhelming, to say the least.” I had the feeling he was using his military training to keep his composure, but I could see a flicker of worry in his gray eyes.

“But,” he continued, “you need to understand why we're saying this, Mai. I don’t know how much Ryan told you about our father or how much you remember, but he was a dickhead supreme. After Mom died, he lost it. Lost himself in the bottle. Didn’t work, didn’t really eat, didn’t give a fuck about the four boys he still had left. Ryan didn’t have a choice; his childhood ended when our mom died. He stepped up, not just because he had to, but because he loved us. Ryan raised us. You have no idea the sacrifices he made to keep us alive, to keep us safe. Yes, it turned him into an Alpha asshole, but he was born to be an Alpha. You and Ryan, you were always meant to be, and together, you’re the strongest pair I know, stronger than you give yourselves credit for.”

Sam chimed in next, his usually jovial demeanor replaced by a serious, almost pleading expression. “We know you can do this. You’re not just strong, you’re smart, you’re fair, you’re … you’re what this Pack needs, especially now.”

Mason, normally the silent observer, added his voice, his words measured and calculated. “We wouldn’t be here, pushing this on you, if we didn’t believe you two could pull it off. And, if you’re worried about screwing up … Well, we’re here. We won’t let you fall.”

They threw their words at me like lifelines, desperate for me to grab hold and believe. They believed in something bigger, a hope for a better future for our Pack. But it was hard to see past the storm of fear and doubt that was raging within me.

“Think about it, Mai,” Sam pleaded, his eyes reflecting a strange mix of desperation and faith as he stood up to leave. Mason and Derek had matching expressions. “You and Ryan are the only hope for the Three Rivers Pack.”

The room felt heavier, emptier once Derek, Sam, and Mason left. I sat beside Ryan, my thoughts a whirlpool of doubt and fear.

“The only hope? That was very Star Warsy, even for Sam.” Sam had always been a big Star Wars fan, but he was laying it on thick, even for him. “How long do you think he’s been waiting for an opportunity to say that?” I asked.

Ryan laughed. “Years, probably. He’s not wrong, though. You’d be amazing, Mai.” He took my hands in his; they were warm and comforting. “We can do this.”

The words hung in the air between us. A promise. A challenge. A beacon of hope. I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe in us.

But could I? Could I ever trust Ryan the way I’d need to for us to be the Alpha pair? I’d seen what a lack of trust did to Jem and Hayley. It affected the whole Pack, even before she’d allied with Brock and murdered my brother. I couldn’t do that to them. The Pack needed a pair who were in sync, who each other inside and out, who trusted each other, and who worked as a team to make things better for everyone.

“I …” I started, my voice faltering.

My phone buzzed on the table beside me. I grabbed it; anything for a distraction from this conversation. The display read “Jem,” and my heart froze.

Oh, my God! Was he…? Could he have survived?

“Jem?” My voice was a whisper, full of hope and need.

I heard crying at the other end. “Mai, I’m so sorry.”

Hayley.

Rage blossomed. Ryan was by my side in an instant and gestured for me to give him the phone. I shook my head; I needed to be the one who talked to her.

I growled, “How could you? He loved you. How could you do this?” Suddenly, I had to know, had to understand.

“Mai, I … You can’t understand what it was like. Brock, he promised me it would be different, that what I felt meant Jem couldn’t be my fated mate, but I didn’t know … I’m so sorry. I need him to come back, Mai. I need him. I don’t know what to do, Mai!”

She was rambling. Was it regret? Was it the death of her mate and the effects that had on the mate bond? She had to have felt his death, had to have suffered horrendously when the bond was shattered.

“Hayley, he’s not coming back. You killed him. Stabbed a knife into his heart, remember?”

She started sobbing again. “Mai …you can’t come back here. He’ll kill you.”

Trying to protect me? Or trying to keep me from challenging her for the Alpha spot? “I’m not scared of Brock.”

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