Page 25 of The Renegade Mate

Noreen was openly crying now. “Arabella, please!”

I turned and grabbed Noreen, pulling her out of the room and back to the living room. She didn’t need to see this. “It’s the drugs talking. It’s not her; it’s not what she really thinks.”

Noreen sobbed in my arms. I felt so helpless.

Michael appeared a few moments later, carrying Arabella in his arms. She was quiet and still, staring dully ahead. The Alpha of a Pack could quiet even the loudest demons inside us. I had to learn how to do that if Ryan and I wanted to be effective Alphas.

“I’ll take her to the car and will wait for you there,” Michael said, then carried Arabella out.

Ryan walked back into the living room. “Danni’s getting clothes for Arabella to take. Noreen, do you want to help pick some things out?”

Noreen straightened up. “Yes, of course,” she whispered.

Ryan waited until she disappeared down the hallway before asking, “You okay?”

“What the hell is this drug? Shifters are not supposed to react like this. If this takes a hold in the north, it’ll devastate our Packs.”

“I’ve got Derek and Mason on it. They’re trying to track the suppliers. We need to get the Three Rivers back, and then we’ll shut this thing down.”

“If this is the damage it can cause in two weeks, we don’t have much time.”

“No,” Ryan agreed, “we don’t.”

Chapter fourteen

Ryan

My brothers and I sat under the dappled shade of a large oak tree, the town green stretching out before us. On it, Shya and some of the other Bridgetown Pack members were training in the open. Some had brought weights out and were doing sets. Michael had a group off to the side and was drilling them hard. I wasn’t sure if this was usual or a reaction to Tristan’s attempted takeover.

Tucker was trying his best to keep up with Michael’s group, but only seemed to be getting in their way. I’d already seen Ivan trip over the boy and curse him out. Tucker had taken it, eyes downcast, looking remorseful, then jumped up and continued doing exactly what he was doing before Ivan had told him off.

The Alpha House, the symbolic heart of the Pack, loomed as a reassuring presence in the background. A cool breeze was trying to whisk away the late-summer heat, but it couldn’t soothe the unease bubbling within me.

Arabella hadn’t said a word on the way back here, just stared out of the window. Michael had taken her straight to their medical wing. He’d assured us the staff there had all experienced humans detoxing before, so they knew what to expect. I wasn’t convinced a Shifter detox would follow the same pattern as a human’s would, but I didn’t have any experience of either. Arabella wouldn’t be able to get out or take another hit of ripple; that was the main thing. We had no idea how long it would take for her to detox, but I was pretty sure that she and her carers were in for a rough time.

Michael was not happy about this new development of ripple in his territory. After he got back from the medical wing, he’d ordered Danni to find out who was supplying it and put them out of business. It wasn’t going to be easy. There was too much of it down south and in the conclave cities. The dealers were established in those places and searching for ways to expand north. It looked like they’d found some. We needed to get back to Three Rivers; we needed to see if this drug had already spread there. But first, we had to take care of Brock and Hayley.

“As Alpha, I …” I began, my voice trailing off. It was a title I was still getting used to. My brothers knew me too well.

“You’ll get used to it, bro,” Sam teased.

I wasn’t so sure. “Look, we can’t make plans blindly. We need information on what’s happening in our Pack.”

Derek, his brow furrowed, nodded in agreement. “I’ve already activated my network, and I’ve been in touch with some of our enforcers who managed to evade Brock’s men. They’re in hiding, but they’re going to put out feelers. We should know soon who we can rely on and just how many of our people Brock and Hayley have locked up.”

Mason and Sam exchanged a glance.

“Our PI agency could be of some use here, too,” Mason said. “We’ve had to relocate everyone out of the territory—they were too much of a target for Brock and Hayley. But they’re getting set up, and then we can pull some strings, dig deeper into Brock and Hayley’s connections and alliances. See what the wider implications might be.”

I nodded, smelling Mai before she came into view. Mai, her dark hair catching the rays of the setting sun, making her glow like a beacon, walked toward us, a fierceness in her stride. I felt a pang of pride. My mate, so strong and resilient, ready to face whatever the world threw at her.

As Mai sat down next to me, I noticed Mason’s eyes were on Shya, tracking her every movement. I was going to have to talk to him, and soon. If she was his fated mate, I didn’t know how Shya felt about it, how Michael and Camille would react, or how this might complicate our stay here. A part of me liked the thought, though. That even amidst our current situation, Mason could find his mate. He deserved it. He’d spent too many years having all of our backs. It was time something good happened for him.

Mai took a seat next to me, her eyes glancing between Shya and Mason, and I knew she’d picked up on it, too. Her gaze shifted to me, and I smiled. She was so fucking beautiful, and I was going to make sure she knew that when I fucked her later.

“Mai,” I began, brushing my leg against hers. My wolf needed to touch her. “We’ve been talking about getting more information. Do you think you could contact Sofia? See what she can find out?”

At my words, Mai stiffened, her eyes narrowing as she stared at me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Derek do the same.

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