Page 59 of The Renegade Mate

I’d seen Hayley and Brock getting into one black SUV. And then I caught sight of Sofia. She had been bound just like me and thrown into the back of a third car. She was alive. I didn’t know what they had in store for her, but if she was coming to the Meet as well, it probably wasn’t a good sign.

It was just me and the driver in my car. I squinted, trying to make out his silhouette. He was unfamiliar—I couldn’t place his face or his scent. He looked to be in his late thirties, with light-brown hair in a buzz cut, broad shoulders, and a bright red birthmark on the back of his neck. Maybe one of Brock’s new recruits? Something told me he was no rookie, though, but someone used to doing tasks like this.

“Hey! Driver Guy! You got a name?”

Silence. He didn’t even twitch.

“Hey! Dude, I’m talking to you.”

Great. With nothing to distract me, this journey was going to suck.

“Look, Driver Guy—and unless you tell me your name, I’m going to have to keep calling you Driver Guy—I’m pretty sure you’re driving me to my death, no? So, why don’t you cut a girl a break? A little chitchat isn’t going to cause problems.”

Nope. Nothing.

Fabulous.

I pulled against my restraints for the hundredth time, but there was still no give in them. My mind wandered as I kept it up, yanking and twisting, trying to loosen the ropes. Was Ryan safe? Was he at the Meet already? Were we going to pull this off, or was I really driving to my death? I had so many questions, the butterflies in my stomach were doing loop-the-loops. What about Shya and the Bridgetown Pack? Were they under attack right now? Would they be able to defeat Tristan, knowing that he was coming? Were Henry and Tucker safe? I hoped they kicked Tristan’s ass. The thought of losing more friends, more Pack members, hit me with the force of a bowling ball to the stomach.

I felt it when we left the Three Rivers territory. A flash of awareness ran along my Pack bonds. Huh. That was new.

The sensation was almost electric, like an invisible tether had snapped taut, pulling at the very core of my being. It was disorienting and comforting at the same time. Was it my bond with Ryan that gave me this awareness, or the fact that I was challenging for the Alpha pair of this territory? Did all Alphas feel this way when they left their territory?

I closed my eyes, concentrating on the lingering sensation. It was as if a part of me, an essential fragment of my soul, was being left behind. I wondered if Ryan felt it too, this sudden stretching of our Pack bond, like a rubber band stretched to its limits but not breaking.

For a moment, my mind filled with images of him—the laser focus in his eyes when he looked at me like I was the only thing in the world; the strength in his arms when he lifted me up like I weighed nothing; the feel of his lips against my skin.

I shook my head, snapping back to reality. Now wasn’t the time to get lost in thought. I had to get out of this mess.

Regional Meets to announce a new Alpha pair were always on neutral territory, so no one Pack held the advantage. Each Pack would send a team a couple of days ahead of the Meet to secure the area and make sure that no other Packs were planning something nefarious. Derek had let us know that this Meet was due to be held in Knowlton. The Packs had hired an old camping ground there, giving us seclusion from the human world but plenty of modern facilities.

My thoughts shattered when the car veered off sharply to the left and headed down a side road. I twisted around, looking back to see the rest of the convoy continuing straight on. Panic spiked. What the hell was going on?

“Hey! Driver Guy! You missed the road!” I yelled.

Still no answer. Okay, then. I drew my bound legs up to my chest, then slammed them into the back of the driver’s seat. “Where are you taking me? Answer me, you dickhead!”

The dickhead remained silent, his eyes fixed on the road. I kicked again, and again, and again, watching with some satisfaction as his body jumped forward with every strike.

Outside, the woods were growing denser, and the road narrowed. A thousand thoughts raced through my mind, each one more terrifying than the last. Was this part of the plan? Was this a betrayal? Was I being taken somewhere to be killed or rescued? Surely, if it was a rescue, he’d have talked to me by now?

I continued to kick and yell, trying to distract him or get him to talk. “Tell me.” Kick. “Where.” Kick. “We’re going!” Kick. “You owe me that much!”

The driver’s silence was a wall I wasn’t breaking through. The sense of desperation grew, clawing at my throat, choking me. I knew I had to keep it together, had to find a way out of this. But the uncertainty, the fear, suddenly felt overwhelming. I could only hope that Ryan was safe, that the others were okay. Would Ryan’s mate bond tell him where I’d gone? Would he be able to track me here? I couldn’t rely on that. I had to trust that they would handle things on their end, trust that I could get myself out of this. Because one thing was clear to me. I was on my own.

The car’s sudden stop jolted me forward. I scanned out the window to see an old, secluded cabin surrounded by gnarled trees. The driver turned in his seat to look at me. He was handsome in a classic sense, with a strong jaw and a straight nose, but his eyes were cold and calculating.

“My name is not Driver Guy,” he said, his voice calm and low.

“Hallelujah, Driver Guy speaks!”

“I’m Carl. I’m your executioner for today.”

Okay. The way he said it left me in no doubt that he meant it and sent spikes of fear along my spine.

“Brock asked me to pass on a message.”

“Yeah?”

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