Page 46 of The Renegade Mate

I didn’t see him come in, but Thomas was suddenly there, standing in front of me.

“Mason lost a lot of blood, but I sewed the wound closed and gave him a transfusion. He’ll be okay in a few hours. Sam is worse off. I’ve had to put him in a coma. It’ll give his body a chance to heal. He should pull through, but it’s going to be a couple of days before I can bring him out of the coma.”

A weight lifted off me. They were both alive. They were going to be okay.

“What the hell happened?” Thomas’s voice cut through my thoughts.

“Korrin attacked us,” I explained. “He had friends with him.”

“Tell us,” Jase said.

So I did. I told them about the Bridgetown Pack, about Tristan being seen here, about Ronnie and what he knew, and finally about Korrin’s attack.

“What?” Wally screeched after I was done. “You left me out of all the fun! I’m not missing any more. I want in. I want revenge. I’m part of this and not you,” he pointed at Thomas, “and not you,” he pointed at me, “and not even you, Ryan Shaw, are going to stop me!”

Thomas sighed and put his hand over his eyes. He looked tired, and I wondered how long he’d been working on Sam and Mason. “You are all mad,” he said, sweeping his hand over his face.

"Mad? More like totally badass!" Wally retorted, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Come on, Thomas, you can't expect me to sit on the sidelines while everyone else gets to be a hero."

Thomas groaned, shaking his head. "Wally, this isn't a game. People are getting hurt. It's dangerous."

"You think I don't know that? That's why they need me. I'm the tiny, gay werewolf that's married to the Pack doctor. I'm their secret weapon. Those assholes will never see me coming!"

As crazy as it sounded, Wally had a point, they wouldn't expect it from him. But I couldn't face putting anyone else in danger. Before I could dash his dreams, though, Sofia beamed at me. “Well, I’m just so glad you’re back.”

I smiled back at her. We were in enemy territory, Brock and Hayley were hunting us, Tristan was plotting to kill Shya’s family, and Korrin was still out there, thirsting for revenge. Only Sofia would be happy that we’d just put a massive target on her back.

Chapter twenty-seven

Ryan

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when I found myself sitting at Thomas and Wally’s weathered wooden table, sipping on a cup of coffee that had lost its heat some time ago. Across from me, Mai was lost in her thoughts, her brown eyes a pool of emotions I couldn’t quite decipher. She’d had a deep cut on her hip from the broken glass when the car crashed, but Thomas had stitched her up last night, and it was mostly healed this morning.

Sam was still comatose. Mason was on the mend but far from fully recovered. I knew our position was dangerous, but I couldn’t help but feel a sense of peace that we were back in the heart of Three Rivers. Back home where we belonged.

The clatter of cutlery and plates filled the quaint kitchen, breaking the silence. I looked up, my gaze meeting Mai’s. Her dark hair was tousled, framing her face perfectly.

“We’ll leave after breakfast. Can Sam and Mason stay until they've recovered?”

“Don’t be silly. You’re all staying here. I won’t hear of any of you leaving,” Thomas replied.

“Look, we appreciate the offer,” I began, “really we do, but we can’t stay here.”

Wally rolled his eyes. “Yes, you can. It's easy-peasy. You just don't move your feet out the door.”

“If we stay here, we’re putting you in a lot of danger," Mai said, her tone serious. "Brock and Hayley want us dead. They’ll stop at nothing to achieve that.”

Wally got up then, his usual bubbly demeanor replaced by a hard look. “Enough, both of you.” He leveled his gaze at us, his hands on his hips, the intensity in his eyes matching our own. “We’re not going into this blind; we know the risks.”

“But—” Mai started, only to be cut off again.

“But nothing, girlie. This is our Pack. We know who we're loyal to. We know who we support as our Alpha pair. We’ve got your back, whether you like it or not. This is our fight too.”

I tried again. “We don’t want to bring trouble to your doorstep—”

“And we don’t want you out there, exposed and vulnerable,” Thomas countered. “Wally and I have talked about it, and, although certain threats were made," Thomas raised one eyebrow at Wally, "he didn't need to remind me of where we've come from or what we're fighting for here. Wally's right; this isn't just about you. We are all fighting for this Pack. Our home is yours for as long as you need it, end of discussion.”

I looked over at Mai, searching her face for her thoughts. She looked back at me, her eyes reflecting the same concern I felt. But through our bond, I got a ping of relief.

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