Page 24 of Betrayed Mate

I glanced at the side windows, which were opened only a smidgen. There was no way in hell I would be able to fit through the cracks. Even if I could, I wouldn’t do that…at least, not yet. And if another pack was getting slaughtered, the last thing I wanted to do was hinder us from reaching them in time.

Swallowing my pride, I sat back in the seat with my arms crossed. My skin crawled with the realization that I’d once again left my pack without a proper burial.

My chest ached again as the coldness of the lost pack links amplified, reminding me that, if something happened to my sister, I’d be a rogue wolf. My wolf whimpered in my head. If Ilost her, I wasn’t sure what would become of me. I’d continue on because I'd refuse to let Reid have the illusion of a win out of spite. But the mere thought of Briar not coming home had my heart throbbing.

Gage’s eyes glowed, and he scowled, no doubt pack-linking with the others so I couldn’t overhear. That was fine with me. I wasn’t part of their pack, nor did I want to be. I was better off by myself.

I watched the trees whip by the windows, causing a little bit of dizziness to wash over me. I’d rather take the discomfort than stare out the front and see the four of them. Maybe I was being fickle, but I didn’t give a damn.

The ride was quiet, and I didn’t waste my breath to ask where we were heading. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, trying to center myself. A tornado of anger, pain, and loss ravaged my soul, and an extra bolt of energy that hadn’t been there before ran through my blood. It must be the alpha power transfer from my dad.

The realization made me feel as if I were drowning despite being surrounded by oxygen. All these changes were overwhelming, and I wasn’t sure of what type of person I’d be when everything settled. For now, my entire focus had to be on locating Briar and taking her somewhere safe and sound.

Wind swooshed past the windows, and my body swayed with each curve of the road. I’d hoped that the pressure behind my eyes would ease, but the farther away I got from my pack home, the lonelier I felt as the reality of the situation sank in.

A seat belt unbuckled, and I opened my eyes to find Xander climbing back toward me. He plopped to my left, his body pressing into my side.

I lifted my chin, refusing to cower. There were four of them to my one, but they were already throwing my need for their helpin my face. I would not make the situation even worse, especially since I wasn’t nearly as injured as before.

“Are you okay?” Xander asked. “You seem—”

“You’re actually asking me that?” My voice came out louder than I intended, but damn. What an asinine question. “We just left my slaughtered pack behind unburied, and I’m no closer to locating my sister. Not only that but right now, another pack is going through exactly what happened to me a few nights ago. Do you actually expect me to be okay?”

He grimaced, dissipating a fraction of my anger, then sighed. “That’s fair, and it was a stupid question. We’re just in a hurry to get to Asheville to help the vampires.”

My head jerked back. “Vampires?” Out of all possible scenarios, that hadn’t crossed my mind. Though wolf shifters and vampires didn’t hate one another, we never sought each other’s company. “We left my pack unburied to helpvampires?” Rage returned with a vengeance.

“We?” Ryker glared at me through the mirror once more. “There was noweback there, princess. It was Xander, Kendric, and me.”

“Dammit, Ryker.” Gage smacked the glove box. “Don’t you remember how it was for us? We weren’t able to bury the dead for a week. It’s only been two days for her, and she doesn’t have any of her pack to lean on. You’ve got to stop being such a dick.”

I expected Ryker to snap back, but he remained silent. Somehow that was more uncomfortable than if he’d responded in kind.

Tears pricked my eyes, and I inhaled deeply, trying to hold them back. I couldn’t fall apart, but I hadn’t expected Gage to risk upsetting his alpha for me. His loyalty could change in a second, especially if Ryker used alpha will on him. I’d heard rumors that the Grimstone alphas would use their power againsttheir pack when necessary, making pack members do things against their free will.

Gage arched a brow at Ryker, daring him to do or say something. When nothing happened, Gage turned to me. “I know it doesn’t seem that we should be abandoning your pack, especially with the rain washing away any lingering scent traces, but after the wolves turned their backs on us, the vampires extended an olive branch. They let us stay with them while we got our feet back underneath us.”

My eyes widened. “What do you mean—they took you in?”

“They helped us when your pack and the others wouldn’t,” Ryker cut in. That cold, dark gaze met mine in the rearview mirror. “That’s all you need to know. The attack on them will leave behind fresh scents, which will be stronger than anything we could pick up in your pack territory.”

Xander gestured to the window. “Not necessarily in this rain.”

From the edge around the seat, I noticed Kendric tense. During my short time with them, I’d already determined that he was the least talkative of the group, but he hadn’t said a word at all and seemed even more on edge than the rest of us.

“Do you want us to turn around and head back then?” Ryker spat and lifted a brow in a challenge.

Jaw clenching, Xander rolled his shoulders back. “I didn’t say that. All I was trying to get across was that we shouldn’t get our hopes up. There’s been a ton of rain with the storm. Of course we need to show up. We need to help the nest if we’re able. We owe them.”

Silence filled the air once more, and Xander stayed in the back next to me. Our legs barely touched, but it was enough for me not to feel quite as alone.

Every few minutes, the base of my neck tingled. Each time it happened, I’d look forward and notice Ryker quickly glancing away as if trying to hide that he’d been watching me.

Another fifteen minutes passed, and we pulled into Shadowbrook.

The town was the closest one to where I lived, a mere twenty minutes away. If he could treat his fated mate the way he had, the very person Fate had chosen perfectly for him, then maybe he’s capable of treating all of the supernatural species, including the wolves, the same way. Had Reid stalked the vampires and decided to take them out next? Only wolf shifters had been attacked up to this point.

The houses grew closer together as we approached the city limits. The rain continued to pelt down on us as Ryker turned and drove between the various brick buildings that made up downtown, passing small merchant stores, restaurants, bars, and clubs that would be busy tonight once the rain had passed. They were different sizes but connected to each other block over block.

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