Page 51 of The Renegade Mate

“My Alphas trust him.”

“Your Alphas? You mean Brock and Hayley? And you say that with a straight face?”

“You weren’t here, Ryan. You’d disappeared, Jem was dead, and Hayley was saying that Brock was the true Alpha, the pure one. I did what I had to so I could protect my family.”

I stared at him, my anger curling around the room. Paulo’s face paled. I’d get nowhere if I scared Paulo too much. I pulled my anger back before asking, “What did Tristan say about Sofia being here?”

Paulo hesitated before continuing, “He knew Brock had called Thomas to the compound. He saw it as an opportunity to order a raid to see who else might be hanging around here.”

“You thought you’d find Sofia’s pals? Her book club?” I challenged.

“We knew Sofia would be helping you. It’s no secret she’s Mai’s best friend. We thought we could round up anyone else who was here, try to find out what they knew. We had no idea you or Mai would be here, I swear to the Goddess,” he stammered. “Our sources had you both pegged for being in Bridgetown. If we’d known, we’d have sent a fuckload more people.”

I gritted my teeth at the thought of how close we’d come to disaster.

“Look, man. There’s stuff going on in the Pack. New rules, people getting roughed up if they don’t fall into line. I gotta protect my family, Ryan.”

I nodded. We weren’t going to get anything else out of him. I slammed my fist into his head, knocking him out.

The door groaned on its hinges as I closed it behind me. My gaze slid across the living room before it anchored on Mai.

“They were looking for Sofia. They don’t know about us being here. Not yet, anyway. But this place is compromised,” I said, forcing the words out through gritted teeth. “You’re right; we’ve got to get out of here.”

Mai was up on her feet immediately, her dark eyes wide with a mix of fear and determination. “We can’t move Sam without Thomas …”

I gave a curt nod. “We’ll secure this place as best we can and wait for Thomas. Sofia should be back any moment.”

Mai glanced at the clock on the counter. “Anyone heard from Sofia? She should have been back a while ago.” Mai’s gaze darted between Mason and me, her concern clear.

The shake of our heads was answer enough. Mai’s hand flew to her phone. I watched as she dialed, then waited for a response … nothing.

“Something isn’t right,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

A noise had me spinning for the door, but I backed off when I scented who it was. Thomas and Wally stumbled in, shock lining their faces as they took in the wrecked living room. But it was Thomas’s grim expression that had me narrowing my eyes.

“They’ve got Sofia,” he managed to get out. “Tristan tracked her down. She fought him but …” Thomas trailed off.

I saw Jase freeze, his muscles bunched up in rage and fear for his sister. Sofia didn’t stand a chance against Tristan, and we all knew it. She was a barista not a fighter.

“Where is she now?” I asked.

“Tristan took her up to the compound. I was there when she was brought in. I managed to stabilize her, she’s not in any immediate danger from her wounds.”

Then Thomas looked straight at Mai. “There’s more,” he began. “They don’t know you’re here yet, but Brock knows I can get in contact with you. He gave me an ultimatum to pass on. Ten hours to hand you over, Mai, or Sofia dies.”

Chapter thirty

Mai

“Get it out of your head right now, Mai. It’s not gonna happen,” Ryan growled. His eyes were on me, their possessive stare practically a physical touch, a green sheen flaring in them.

“You need to deal with Derek first,” I told him, my voice firm but my insides churning. “Then we’ll talk.”

Ryan’s jaw tensed. He knew I was right.

He pulled out his phone, his movements slow and deliberate.

I turned away, but my acute hearing picked up every word.

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