Page 17 of Betrayed Mate

“What are you doing?” Ryker’s voice had turned cold.

Holding me firmly against him, Gage responded, “Helping her. She’s been through hell and isn’t well.”

Ryker huffed. “Then I’ll carry her.” Footsteps thudded toward us, and before I could tell them I was fine, I was removed from Gage’s arms and tossed over Ryker’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The food and water I’d eaten sloshed heavily in my stomach, and I swallowed, hoping to keep it down.

The worst part of it was that the shirt rode up right to the bottom of my butt cheeks. Anyone standing beside him or in front of him could get a muddy mooning at any second.

As if he could read my thoughts, Ryker placed his hand on the bottom of the shirt, anchoring it to my cheeks. When his palm touched my bare skin, heat zinged between us.

My breath caught, and I tensed. The sensation wasn’t unsettling, but nothing about him should be comforting. I still didn’t know why he’d changed his mind about me joining them. Something didn’t add up.

The three of them seemed like decent guys, but I’d thought the same thing about Reid, and look where that landed me.

“What the hell, man?” Gage scoffed from the rear.

I didn’t like the idea of wolves I didn’t know or trust being behind me, but I refused to flop up and down like a fish and try to look.

Ryker didn’t break pace, his stride graceful and smooth. The strength of his wolf brimmed from under his skin, and I couldn’t ignore it.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to admire—er—I meant to be forced to watch his hard ass flex with each step. Even if he was sexy, his reputation had grown worse since the first attack. He’d beaten up a few people.

The group fell into silence as we continued our walk. I lifted my head, taking note of our surroundings. The trees were thinning, so I hoped that our destination was close.

“You sense something?” Xander asked. “Because I don’t hear anything.”

He’d asked out loud, so I assumed the question was directed at me. Great. I’d tried to be inconspicuous, but clearly, moving my head had made the other three notice me.

“No, sorry. Just trying to figure out where we are.” I winced, hating being called out like that, though I understood the concern. I had just told them my pack had been wiped out, and we weren’t… My breath caught. Where the hell were we?

All of a sudden, we were walking by a green picnic table, and then a door opened. Ryker carried me through the door and turned to the right. Then I was sliding down his front and being seated on a wooden chair at a circular table with three other seats.

The blood rushed from my head, and I placed my hands on the table to remain upright as he continued into the kitchen. He strolled past a small stove and opened the white refrigerator then drew out a Coke and placed it in front of me.

The other three guys entered, and Gage and Xander took a seat on a black couch across from me as Kendric stood in front of the door with crossed arms.

“We’re outside of Asheville.” Kendric’s jaw clenched.

It was a good thing I had my hands on the table, or I would’ve fallen over.

Ryker handed me the drink while saying, “About sixty miles from Shadowbrook.”

“I traveledsixty milesfrom my pack lands in the river?” That was hard to believe. True, the current had been stronger than I’d remembered in years. But that meant there was a whole lot of space where Briar could be. Hell, she’d been ahead of me—she could be even farther down the river.

My eyes prickled, and my vision blurred as tears sprang up once again. Everywhere I turned, things seemed to become morehopeless. Just when I thought things were as bad as they could get, Fate gave me her middle finger all over again.

“Drink the Coke,” Ryker said more gently. Some of the golden color returned to his irises, warming his eyes. “The sugar will help you feel better.”

Lifting the cool can, I took a big gulp, the carbonation burning the back of my throat as the sweetness filled my mouth. Sweet drinks were one of my favorites… Well, really, anything sweet or any type of meat, but right now, this hit a spot I didn’t know was there.

After guzzling about half the can, I set it down and took in my surroundings. The cabin appeared old, with paneled walls and laminate floors. It had a bathroom to the left of the kitchen and two doors across from each other that I assumed hid bedrooms. This place was small but safe and dry. The last two things were the most important.

“I’ll find her something to sleep in.” Gage jumped to his feet and hurried to the room on the left.

Ryker scowled at his back but remained at the table, examining my face, searching for something. I was tired of feeling like a science specimen, so I drank the rest of the Coke and then slowly climbed to my feet.

Gage reentered the room, holding a white shirt and a thin white towel. “This is all we have for you now. Write down your sizes, and one of us will run out and get you some things.”

I gritted my teeth. “You don’t have to do—”

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