Page 77 of The Renegade Mate

He must have seen the panic on my face as the idea of actually being an Alpha, of running the Three Rivers Pack and being responsible for over four hundred Shifters, hit me. Wally laughed. “That’s a challenge for another day, Mai.”

Sofia leaned in for another hug. Wally was right. I’d face that challenge tomorrow. Today was for celebrating and recuperating.

I felt Sofia sob quietly on my shoulder. I was so happy that she was alive I didn’t want to let go. She smelled of blood and exhaustion but also of elation and relief.

“You okay?” I whispered. “I was so scared for you.”

She nodded. “Me? I thought for sure that Brock had killed you. And then you had to go through that challenge. Fucking hell, Mai! Having to watch and not help in any way, it was worse than when Tristan took me.”

I squeezed her tight. “I saw you fighting. You and Derek moved like you were one person. You guys did amazing!”

I felt Sofia shrug as she stepped back. “I’m guess I’m not just your friendly barista anymore; I’ve picked up a few things. Besides, I’d fight back to back with daemons if it meant getting you free.”

I looked at her and grinned. “Comparing Derek to a daemon?”

“No. That would be unkind to daemons.”

I guess them fighting together hadn’t thawed Sofia’s heart. I opened my mouth to tell her that she’d been wrong all this time and there was nothing between Derek and Shya, when Wally said, “We’ve sent out a call. The whole Pack is coming here. We’re going to have a cookout and celebrate properly.”

“In that case,” Ryan said, as he grabbed me from behind and lifted me up into his arms. “I want some alone time with my Alpha before the hordes arrive.”

I giggled as Ryan set off towards the forest. “What are you doing?”

“Taking you somewhere where it will just be us.” He growled, holding me so close that I could feel his heart pounding against my chest.

A bolt of desire shot right to my core.

“Ryan,” I whispered, my voice husky.

“Nearly there.”

He stopped in a small clearing at exactly the point where I judged no one would be able to hear us. He put me down on a bed of soft moss, but I was determined to have control this time.

His expression changed as I unbuttoned his pants and pushed them down his thighs until they fell away to the ground. He wasn’t wearing underwear, and his huge cock sprang free. My fingers traced the length of him, from root to tip. He felt solid in my hand, warmth seeping into my palm as I worked him, teasing him with my touch. I lowered my mouth onto him then—savoring the heady flavor of him as the flared crown pushed past my lips and onto my tongue. One hand palmed the thick base, while my tongue worked the top that was just as hard and hot. The saltiness heightened the sweetness of his skin and left a burning trail on my tongue as he pulsed against my lips and tongue.

Ryan moaned when I took another inch of him between my lips, sucking lightly at the rigid flesh throbbing against the back of my throat.

His hips bucked beneath me, meeting every flick of my tongue with a groan.

I lost myself in his pleasure, basking in his panting moans.

“Mai,” he warned, his voice low and gruff, as I took more of him into my mouth and sucked. “Fuck!”

That was it. He hauled me up and dropped us both to the ground, his arms snaking around me to protect me from the fall.

I grinned up at Ryan. “Feeling impatient, are we?”

He thrust my legs apart, settling between them. The hard length of him pressed against me, eliciting a throaty moan.

One hand slid under my panties, teasing me with swirls of his finger. His fingers brushed my core, circling but never entering.

“Ryan!” I cried out in frustration.

Laughter rumbled in his chest.

I fisted his shirt, glaring at him. “Now.”

He kissed me, and then finally gave me what I craved. Three fingers thrust deep inside me. I broke the kiss, throwing my head back in a strangled gasp. He pumped into me, curling his fingers with each stroke.

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