Page 42 of The Reluctant Mate (Shifters of the Three Rivers #5)

Chapter forty-two

Sofia

T he meeting point was an old fishing dock, fifteen minutes from where Waylen thought Kane was amassing his troops. The dock was long abandoned and slowly being reclaimed by nature. Wooden planks were warped from years of rain and neglect, while a handful of crooked shacks sat further back from the river, their peeling paint blending into the marshland like forgotten ghosts. The river itself stretched out in front of us, dark and steady, its surface smooth as glass.

It felt like the kind of place where things disappeared.

I cracked open my window, and a cold wind rolled off the water, carrying the scent of mud and reeds.

“They’re late.”

Sam had texted the coordinates and let us know that my brother was coming with him. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. No matter how quickly Jase climbed the enforcer ranks, I would always worry about him.

“I’m sure they’re fine. Sam’s with Jase, along with twenty of our best enforcers.”

I looked at him out of the side of my eye. Did he know what I was thinking because he felt my worry along the mate bond?

“No, I just know you.”

Derek saw my expression and grinned. “I don’t need the mate bond to know you love your brother and will always be looking out for him.”

Okay, point taken.

Waiting wasn’t my strong suit. I paced along the dock, eyes constantly scanning the access road. My muscles ached, my body still running high on adrenaline, but exhaustion was creeping in at the edges.

“Here.” Derek pulled out a slim black phone from his back pocket and handed it to me. “Something to distract you.”

I blinked at it before taking it, turning it over in my hands. “What’s this?”

“Replacement for the one I got rid of.”

I unlocked the screen. The basics were already set up—contacts loaded, settings adjusted. Just like my old phone. I swallowed past the sudden tightness in my throat and tapped Mai’s name. The line barely rang once before her voice came through, exasperated and sharp.

“Where the hell have you been? I need my pickled jalapenos! Ryan is refusing to buy them; some bullshit about spicy foods being bad for acid reflux in pregnancy. I need them, Sofia!”

Despite everything, I grinned. “Ah-ha! I knew you kept me around for something.”

“Sofia, seriously, where the hell have you been? I’m going insane stuck in this bed, and Ryan won’t tell me anything.”

“Ryan’s just trying to keep you from stressing out,” I hedged, twirling a loose thread in my sleeve. “Things got a little complicated, but I’m okay.”

There was a long, tired sigh. “Yeah, you not telling me anything either doesn’t make me feel any better.”

I bit back a laugh. “I promise I’m fine.”

“Are you at least gonna come over with my jalapenos?”

I hesitated, my eyes flicking to Derek.

“Not yet,” I admitted. “I have to handle something first.”

Mai made an irritated sound. “That’s vague and incredibly unhelpful.”

I sighed, wishing I could give her more. “Just focus on resting, okay? You’ve got two little pups to think about.”

“If I don’t give birth soon, I’m murdering someone. Probably Ryan.” She groaned. “Do you know how ridiculous he’s being?”

“Oh, I can imagine.”

“No, Sofia. You can’t. He tried to stop me from going to the bathroom by myself yesterday. Said it was too risky.”

I snorted. “Well, you did faint mid—”

“Do not finish that sentence!”

Laughter bubbled up in me, warm and easy. “That kind of trauma sticks with a man, chickie. At least you’ve got Wally keeping you sane.”

As if summoned, Wally’s voice came through the phone. “If by keeping her sane, you mean providing endless entertainment with my superior gossiping abilities, then yes, I am an absolute delight.”

“Between him, Thomas, and Ryan, they’ve basically turned my bedrest into a three-man babysitting operation.”

“That’s because you don’t listen, darling,” Wally drawled. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep someone in bed when they’ve got the attention span of a caffeinated squirrel?”

“I do not have the attention span of a squirrel!”

“Mm-hmm,” Thomas’ deep voice finally chimed in, full of quiet amusement. “That’s why you tried to sneak out the window yesterday?”

I nearly choked on my laugh. “Mai, you didn’t!”

“It wasn’t that high up!” she insisted.

I could sense the waves of amusement rolling off Derek at our conversation.

“Mai, you’re pregnant!”

“As I keep telling everyone, that doesn’t make me an invalid all of a sudden. I’m a werewolf. The babies are werewolves. Besides, I needed out of here to get some jalapenos and peanut butter, and Ryan has enforcers stationed at every door in the house.”

“Ryan is going to lose his mind,” I muttered.

“Oh, he already has,” Wally said cheerfully. “Thomas spent two full hours last night talking him down from locking Mai in the safe room. He even wanted her to deliver in there!”

“And I’m still not convinced it isn’t a fucking awesome idea!” Ryan shouted from somewhere in the background.

I shook my head, warmth and longing tangling together in my chest. This was home. This chaos, this family we’d built in Three Rivers.

“I really do miss you, Sof,” Mai’s voice whispered.

“I miss you too,” I admitted, gripping the phone a little tighter.

“Promise you’ll be back soon?”

“I’ll try,” I said, and we both knew it wasn’t the same as a promise.

I hit end on the call as Derek’s warm arms pulled me close.

“I’ll get you back before the pups are born,” his voice rumbled against my cheek.

I nodded against his chest and let myself sink into him. He smelled of home, of safety, of Derek.

“You hungry?” I asked.

“I could eat.”

I walked to the SUV and opened the passenger door, rummaging through supplies we’d picked up earlier. My fingers brushed against something small and plastic, and I pulled it out.

A Darth Vader USB.

I turned slowly, raising an eyebrow at Derek, who was watching me with a carefully neutral expression. “Is this the same one you stole from Sam? I thought it was back in Three Rivers?”

Derek crossed his arms. “Waylen commandeered the one I borrowed. He’s still working on it. Figured I’d get Sam a replacement.”

I smirked, turning the USB over in my fingers. “My new phone. Now this. You do realize this is an apology gift, right?”

Derek frowned. “It’s a replacement.”

“For the one you stole.”

“The one I borrowed.”

I arched an eyebrow again. “Oh, this is rich. Derek Shaw, international man of mystery, combat expert, Pack spy master… incapable of just saying sorry.”

His scowl deepened, but there was the slightest twitch at the corner of his mouth. “He doesn’t need an apology. He needs a working USB.”

“You even got him the same one. That’s basically the werewolf equivalent of flowers and a hug.”

Derek exhaled sharply, staring out at the water as if willing the conversation to end. “It’s his favorite. Ever since we were seventeen, whenever he’s bought a USB, it’s always had to be a Darth Vader one. I figured… I don’t know. Whatever.”

I tilted my head. “You really miss him, don’t you?”

Derek didn’t answer.

Something in my chest tightened. “I know you haven’t been getting on, but he’s still your twin, still your brother.”

Derek let out a soft scoff.

I nudged his arm with my elbow. “Maybe you two should just sit down and talk. Use your words. You remember words, right?”

He glared at me. “You’re enjoying this.”

“A little.” I grinned. “But only because it’s adorable watching you struggle with emotional vulnerability when I’m not on the other end of it.”

“I should’ve left you locked in the car,” Derek muttered, rubbing a hand over his face.

I smirked, popping the USB into his hand before stepping back toward the SUV. I grabbed a protein bar for Derek and an apple for me, then hopped up onto the hood of the car, stretching my legs out as I bit into the crisp fruit.

Derek’s phone buzzed, and he pulled it out, glancing at the screen. He answered and put it on speaker, even though he knew I could hear the conversation perfectly well without it.

“You’re late.”

“No shit,” Sam’s voice crackled over the line, frustration laced in his tone. “We hit a snag. We’re about an hour out.”

“Cuts it close, but we should still have time to stop Kane before he moves.”

Derek’s phone buzzed again, and he sighed. “Hold on.” He pressed a few buttons, merging the calls. “Waylen, you’re on speaker with me and Sam.”

“Wow, look at that. Shaw’s finally picking up my calls. Must be a special occasion.”

“Waylen.” Derek’s voice held a hint of exasperation.

“Yeah, yeah, get to it, I know.” I could hear Waylen tapping on his keyboard. “Kane’s people just moved up their departure. New ETD is twenty minutes.”

Derek swore under his breath. I stiffened, my grip tightening around the apple in my hand.

Sam exhaled sharply on the other end. “Shit. We’re still an hour out.”

“Yeah, well, Kane didn’t get the memo. And it gets better.” Waylen’s voice carried that particular edge it got when he was delivering bad news with a side of sarcasm. “They’re splitting up. Sending squads in different directions, hitting Three Rivers from multiple angles.”

“How many squads?” Derek asked.

“Latest intel suggests at least six.”

“Can you track them?”

“Of course I can track them.” Waylen said it the same way an Olympic butterfly gold medalist would say, ‘Of course I can swim.’ “That’s not the point. The point, gentlemen, is that Sam does not have enough people with him to set up six different roadblocks and hit them all before they reach us. You have to stop them before they leave.”

“We’re too far out. Derek, you’ll need to stall them.”

Derek turned to me, his eyes sharp with calculations. I knew he was going to ask me to hide, to wait for Sam while he went in there. Alone.

“Don’t,” I warned him.

“Sofia,” Sam cut in, knowing in that eerie twin way exactly what was going on with his brother. “You’re a barista.”

“Yeah, and?”

“You make coffee.” His tone wasn’t condescending, but it was firm. “I know you fought during the battle with Brock’s army. I know you held your own. But this? This is different. All of them are military-trained, and they’ll have weapons. This isn’t the place for you. Let Derek handle this so he can concentrate on what needs to be done and not on protecting you.”

I took a slow breath, then pushed it out.

“These people are coming to attack my Pack, my home. Mai is there, Mrs. Patterson is there, Julie and Brian are there. From what I’ve seen, they will do anything to stop the information on the USB from getting out. And if they do, then what? They want the world to think we’re dangerous animals. We will be killed, caged, or kept as pets. They’re dividing our communities, destroying our homes, and turning our neighbors against us. They’re coming for us. It may not be open warfare yet, but it’s warfare, all the same.”

I stared at Derek as I continued, needing him to hear me on this. “We let this happen when we stand by and do nothing. I’m done feeling helpless. I’m done feeling like I have no power, that I have no control over the events that shape my life, my Pack. I will not stand by and watch them tear apart everything I believe in. I fight.”

Sam was silent on the phone. Derek reached out with one hand, hooked his fingers around my neck, and pulled me to him. He placed a kiss on my temple, and I knew I’d won this one. Sam knew it too.

He exhaled sharply. “Goddess, you’re a pain in the ass.”

I grinned. “That’s the spirit.”

“Alright, then. I’ve got plans to make.”

Waylen sighed. “Don’t die, be careful, all that crap. I’ll keep monitoring their comms and send you updates. Just… don’t get yourselves killed. I like Sofia. The Shaw twins? You guys are growing on me. Kinda.”

The line clicked as Waylen disconnected.

“We’ll be coming in hot,” Sam said. “Stall them. Don’t die, or I’ll be extremely pissed off.”

“I’ll do my best,” Derek replied.

He hung up and looked at me, a muscle in his jaw twitching.

“We go together,” I said, my voice firm. I knew he wasn’t done trying to persuade me. He didn’t have to like it, but if this was going to work, he couldn’t tie me up and leave me behind anymore.

“Sofia—”

“We go together,” I repeated.

“Fuck!”

I grinned. I knew I’d won.

“I don’t know what you’re smiling about. We’re probably both gonna die.”

The smile slid off my face. Oh. Right.