Page 23 of Betrayed Mate

“Where’s your room? We need to hurry. This is going to piss Ryker off. He didn’t want you brought here.”

In fairness, I didn’t think I could handle being inside for long.

He set me down, and I took off toward my room. I headed straight to my closet and removed a duffel bag then filled it with clothes, essentials, and everything else I could fit. Then I swiped my cell phone and charger from my nightstand, knowing I had enough pictures and voicemails on there to last until I could come back for everything else.

I marched across the hall to Briar’s room and grabbed similar stuff for her. She’d need it when we located her. I had to hold on to the belief that we would find her and make it back home.

Gage watched from the hallway. When I exited Briar’s room, he asked, “Are you ready to go?”

I nodded. Being here was painful. I kept expecting my parents to walk into the house and check on me any minute.

“When we go out the back door, look at the car, nothing else. They cleared the area in case we needed to rush back to the vehicle, so you shouldn’t see anything if you don’t search for it. The door’s unlocked—we’re just going down the road to wait until they’re done.” He took Briar’s teal bag and my maroon one from me.

I grimaced. Even though I didn’t want to see the bodies, I couldn’t justleavethem. “I need to bury my pack. They deserve a place to rest.”

“Ryker is taking care of that. He and the others are already digging a hole. Wait here, and I’ll go help them. We’ll leave a marker so you’ll know where they’re buried.”

I hated that, but at least my pack and family would be returned to the earth. We weren’t sure if we were safe, and the fact that Ryker was taking the time to bury them without me asking meant a lot to me.

I was surprised that Ryker had led that effort.

“Don’t worry. I don’t have any desire to see anything else.” Rosa’s body would forever haunt me, her skin pale and dark,congealed blood coating her neck and the grass beneath her. Nausea curdled in my stomach once again, so I thought through the recipe of an Oreo pound cake I’d wanted to try to make.

When we hit my backyard, I homed in on the Suburban, not even blinking in case I accidentally looked away from it.

The two of us hurried to the vehicle, and I opened the back door and slid into the far back seat, ducking out of the rain. The trunk opened, and I glanced back as Gage threw in the two duffel bags.

Ryker slid into the driver’s seat, and both back doors opened, Kendric and Xander climbing in as well. Mud covered Ryker’s clothes and hands, and dabs of it dotted his face from digging the huge grave. Gage jogged to the front like he was in a hurry.

There was no way he’d taken care of all one hundred members of my pack so soon. “I thought you were going to bury them—”

Ryker’s dark gaze flickered to the rearview mirror, catching my eye. “We were, but there’s been another attack.”

CHAPTER NINE

My mouth dried out, and I forgot how to breathe. “Another attack?” There had been three attacks in the past few months, so a fourth happening this soon startled me. Had I misunderstood?

Ryker exhaled as he threw the vehicle into reverse and punched the gas. The tires squealed against the wet asphalt, and the stench of burned rubber filled my nose, upsetting my stomach once again.

I swallowed, desperate to not vomit again.

“Did she fall down and hit her head?” Ryker grumbled loud enough for me to hear but then spoke clearer. “Yes, that’s what I said. There’s been another attack.”

My gut clenched. “What pack? If another pack assisted Briar, then she could be in danger.” Would Reid have hunted my sister down to kill her when I was still alive and walking around? If he knew she’d survived, then he should’ve figured out I had as well. “We need to hurry and get there before they harm her.”

He shifted the Suburban into Drive, spun around in the grass, and took off. “I doubt that’s what happened. That wouldn’t make any sense.”

The way he completely disregarded my concerns had my hands balling into fists. “Because all the other attacks have.” I didn’t like being talked down to, and I didn’t give a damn if he was the alpha of the Grimstone pack. He could kiss my ass. “Thanks for clearing that up for me.”

Kendric and Xander glanced at each other uncomfortably as Gage turned his head back and gave me a slight nod.

“We’re the oneshelpingyou,” Ryker seethed. “Don’t forget that.”

“Don’t worry, I’m completely aware, and besides, I’d doubt you’d ever risk letting me.” I knew better than to trust this pack.

His hands clenched on the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles turned white enough for me to notice from back here. I hated that he’d thrown my dependency on them in my face. However, the decision had been made, and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it now.

I needed to find a way out of here. I didn’t want to be with a group of people who would consistently make sure I knew I was the outsider and act like my questions and concerns weren’t valid. A lot of other packs operated like that, but mine didn’t, and now that it had only two members, both female, I wouldn’t stand for that sort of treatment.

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