Page 39 of Betrayed Mate

For some reason, my gaze landed on Kendric, who was rocking back and forth on his feet. He stared at the moon as if he were in deep thought.

“Imagine those fuckers’ faces when you stroll in.” Gage laughed. “That would be the last thing they expect.”

My attention flew from Kendric to Gage, whose eyes shone with mirth. He did have a point. If I were going to die, at least I’d have the victory of making Reid uncomfortable one last time. That had to count for something. Still, before I agreed, I asked Kendric, “What do you think?”

Of the four, he was the quietest and seemed to have a different perspective. He’d mourned the loss of the vampires like they weren’t the species we got along with least.

Kendric’s brows shot up, and he cleared his throat. “I agree with the others. Showing up makes the most strategic sense.” He cut his eyes to Ryker as they darkened with disapproval.

Not flinching, Ryker either didn’t notice or didn’t care. He lifted both hands. “So it’s up to you, Rebel. You going to be a pain in their ass too, and not just mine?”

I laughed, the sound raking up my throat and startling me. I had to agree, out of all my options, that would be the one everyone would expect least. Maybe they’d make a mistake when rattled. “Fine, but it’s not for two days. I don’t want to pause our search for Briar until then.”

“We can still follow your pack link if you can figure out which direction to take.” Ryker placed a hand on his chest. “I’m all about confronting them and proving those assholes did it sooner rather than later, so if we can do that before the meeting, I’m in.”

For the first time, Ryker and I seemed to be on the same page. My stomach fluttered, though I couldn’t figure out why.

I didn’t want to analyze it. “Then I agree.”

He smirked, and my feet inched a little toward him before I stopped myself.

“We need to get going.” Kendric gestured to the vehicle. “We have to deal with what happened to the vampires. We’ve already wasted too much time.”

The little bit of kindness that had appeared on Ryker’s face vanished. I wondered if it was a figment of my imagination.

“You’re right.” Ryker ran a hand through his hair, and a few pieces fell over his forehead. “Let’s head out.”

The tingle that warned me someone was watching us grew stronger, and I glanced over my shoulder in the direction the sensation was coming from. Just like last time, nothing was there.

“Are you feeling that pull again?” Xander asked, coming to my side and staring in that direction.

I shook my head, realizing that the sensation came after strong emotions. Why was I allowing my mind to mess with me? “It’s nothing.” I dug my fingernails into my palms, determined not to delay us. The guys were ready to leave, which meant we could rest and begin searching for Briar sooner.

Still, the sensation seemed to grow stronger—like it wanted me to listen to it.

“We’ve already wasted enough time here.” Ryker slashed his hand through the air. “There’s no one there.”

I gritted my teeth, my wolf not liking how he’d spoken to us. Still, arguing with him was futile and would only make me lookworse. Like last time, there was no reason to believe someone was there. We would have heard them, smelled them, or sensedsomethingtangible for them to get this close.

With every ounce of self-control I had, I ordered myself to turn my back and walk away.

Gage opened the car door for me, bowing ever so slightly as I climbed in, and this time, he got in the back, switching spots with Kendric.

I climbed into the very back, the strange sensation dissipating. I still couldn’t stop myself from glancing out the side window in the direction it had come from.

Within a minute, everyone was loaded, and Ryker scanned the area one last time.

A flash of light caught my eye, but as soon as I blinked, it had disappeared. “Did anyone see that?” I rasped.

“What?” Xander turned in my direction, worry lining his forehead.

“A flash of light.” I had to be freaking him out, but I couldn’t do a damn thing about it. I was scaring my own damn self too.

“There was nothing out there.” Ryker glanced in the rearview mirror as he turned the vehicle around. “I checked before pulling out.”

What the hell was wrong with me? Was I losing my mind because I was sort of a rogue wolf right now, with Briar being so far away, or was this a phantom sensation from the pain of losing my pack, my wolf wanting to feel a connection to someone?

Gage’s head popped around his headrest, his lips pressed into a line. “Maybe you should get some rest. You’ve had an awful few days, and going through what you just did affected all of us in different ways.”

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