What do you think?
Rate this book
Shifters of the Three Rivers #1
The Runaway Mate
After what he did, I never wanted to see my fated mate again…
Mai
Four years ago, Ryan Shaw broke my heart, tore it into little pieces and then stomped on it. Ryan is my fated mate, but when I saw him with another woman at the regional meet of all the Packs, I’d had enough. I finally told him what he meant to me, and being the jerk that he is, he rejected me in front of everyone.
Heartbroken, I ran, trying to get as far away from him and the memory of that night as possible. Except I’m on a roll with picking jerks. So now I’m on the run again and heading back to the one place I know I’ll be safe. My brilliant plan is to lie low, heal, and then take off someplace new to start again. But Ryan knows I’m here now, and he has very different ideas.
Ryan
Mai is back, and my wolf is going crazy. I’ll do anything to protect her. It won’t be easy with secret plots to take over our Pack, her abusive ex sniffing around, and Mai’s urge to run every time she sees me. But there’s no way I’m letting her go, not again.
Find out if Mai can escape her fated mate.
Mai
Four years ago, Ryan Shaw broke my heart, tore it into little pieces and then stomped on it. Ryan is my fated mate, but when I saw him with another woman at the regional meet of all the Packs, I’d had enough. I finally told him what he meant to me, and being the jerk that he is, he rejected me in front of everyone.
Heartbroken, I ran, trying to get as far away from him and the memory of that night as possible. Except I’m on a roll with picking jerks. So now I’m on the run again and heading back to the one place I know I’ll be safe. My brilliant plan is to lie low, heal, and then take off someplace new to start again. But Ryan knows I’m here now, and he has very different ideas.
Ryan
Mai is back, and my wolf is going crazy. I’ll do anything to protect her. It won’t be easy with secret plots to take over our Pack, her abusive ex sniffing around, and Mai’s urge to run every time she sees me. But there’s no way I’m letting her go, not again.
Find out if Mai can escape her fated mate.
328 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 29, 2024
3994 people are currently reading
3096 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 400 reviews
June 20, 2024
29% in the readers discover that Mai (our FMC) is the victim of DV with lasting physical injuries. When she goes to see the pack doctor, he tells Ryan (our MMC) that he needs to treat her carefully, approach her with dignity and grace and not push her too hard.
What does our author do? Chooses to disregard her own characters advice. Ryan manhandles Mai, treats her like a toy and threatens her with sexual punishment. So yea, really treating a DV victim with care.
____
Completed book - the writing was very YAL, the characters lacked maturity, wisdom, intelligence and strength. Mai and Ryan were a bunch of strung together clichés that didn't work. Ryan bullied Mai all the time even after learning of the abuse she suffered.
What does our author do? Chooses to disregard her own characters advice. Ryan manhandles Mai, treats her like a toy and threatens her with sexual punishment. So yea, really treating a DV victim with care.
____
Completed book - the writing was very YAL, the characters lacked maturity, wisdom, intelligence and strength. Mai and Ryan were a bunch of strung together clichés that didn't work. Ryan bullied Mai all the time even after learning of the abuse she suffered.
May 1, 2024
TikTok got me again.
MMC and the FMC’s brother decide to hide that the MMC and FMC are mates for her “safety”. Rather than tell her this, he publicly rejects her and, with the encouragement of her brother’s mate, she runs away. Her brother and mate have also apparently ignored the fact that she’s been repeatedly bullied and the brother’s mate has been mistreating her.
She returns four years later after being beaten by her ex and escaping. Despite her severe injuries and trauma, her lovely mate repeatedly man handles her and immediately assumes she’ll be with him because he was lying when he rejected her and he looked for her while he was gone (which I highly doubt). To make her feel comfortable, he moves her into his home, hacks into her cell phone, and makes her go on a date with him all like a day after her return.
Also there’s some pack drama I didn’t completely understand
MMC and the FMC’s brother decide to hide that the MMC and FMC are mates for her “safety”. Rather than tell her this, he publicly rejects her and, with the encouragement of her brother’s mate, she runs away. Her brother and mate have also apparently ignored the fact that she’s been repeatedly bullied and the brother’s mate has been mistreating her.
She returns four years later after being beaten by her ex and escaping. Despite her severe injuries and trauma, her lovely mate repeatedly man handles her and immediately assumes she’ll be with him because he was lying when he rejected her and he looked for her while he was gone (which I highly doubt). To make her feel comfortable, he moves her into his home, hacks into her cell phone, and makes her go on a date with him all like a day after her return.
Also there’s some pack drama I didn’t completely understand
April 29, 2024
Istg women are too quick to forgive, MAKE HIM BEG!
Poor Jem
Poor Jem
Read
July 2, 2024The way the cliffhanger ending had my jaw dropping.
Read
June 4, 2024DNF at 30%. Unfortunately, this book has an immaturity that's trying to hard and not working for me. The characters are adults, but aren't acting like it. I'm probably showing my age, but one of the characters is humming Taylor Swift and they're talking about vibrators. Not my thing. 😂 I'm sorry, but this is the first time I'm reading about a vibrator in a shifter book. They usually don't need those 🙈. Sorry. Not for me
May 1, 2024
Came here from TikTok. If you don't think too hard about it, it's entertaining lol.
April 30, 2024
Dnf @ 56%
I really wanted to love this book and everything I saw that promoted it made me more and more excited to read it. What fell flat for me was our FMC forgave our MC way too fast and her thinking she was going to stay away from him after they slept together, KNOWING they are fated mates and that the bond cemented together..... girl if you didn't want him then you shouldn't have slept with him considering you knew how the pull works with mates. I got bored after that part and didn't have a desire to continue reading. Maybe I'll give it another shot in the future.
I really wanted to love this book and everything I saw that promoted it made me more and more excited to read it. What fell flat for me was our FMC forgave our MC way too fast and her thinking she was going to stay away from him after they slept together, KNOWING they are fated mates and that the bond cemented together..... girl if you didn't want him then you shouldn't have slept with him considering you knew how the pull works with mates. I got bored after that part and didn't have a desire to continue reading. Maybe I'll give it another shot in the future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2024
Yet another TikTok let down - Granted I don't usually like or read werewolf/shapeshifter romances but I thought about giving this book a shot and I wish I hadn't. The amount of icks this book gave me gave me whiplash. 1) I don't understand why Hayley was so jealous of Mai, that was basically her SIL, and if all she cared about was power she was literally with the alpha it's not like Mai was going to be with Jem (her brother) 2) The reason Ryan and Mai weren't together for so long was stupid. 3) The fact that oh my goddess was used instead of oh my god just didn't do it for me. I don't care if you're religious or not there is no way you look at that sentence and think "this sounds so much better" 4) you only changed the pack to be better so that your sister would feel more welcome and come back? Really? Not for the better of everyone else in your pack that you're basically ruling - makes no sense. Honestly this entire book made me feel like I was reading some early to mid 2000s Wattpad romance or one of those cringey TikTok ads for a streaming service based off book tropes.
August 25, 2024
r/AITA: AITA for coming back home after running away from my abusive bf, having sex and sealing my bond with my true mate, and then refusing to tell anyone about my abusive ex who's on his way to kill everyone because I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF AND IT'S NO ONES BUSINESS GODDAMMIT
DNF @ 60%
Ngl I am absolutely frustrated with the FMC. I know I'm going to sound so insensitive rn but considering the fact that her very violent abuser was on his way to find her, and would hurt others in the process, I don't get why she still went all "I can take care of myself!!!! I don't need anyone, because I'm really good at taking care of myself!!!" when clearly we see that she can't??? And now there's a really bad guy in the wind, and her mate, who she slept with the night before, is asking for her cooperation so he can come up with a plan to protect the PACK (since she so stubbornly insists she's fine to take care of herself) but na she's pissed that the security ppl and her brother the Alpha know about how she let herself get abused. I know she's got the shame and embarrassment of a DV survivor but this is SO much bigger than her now?
Also I'm so tired of characters finding out about the consequences of their actions. Yes, having s3x with your true fated mate means you're going to seal your bond and will never be able to get rid of him. Yes, you ran away, got into a super abusive relationship, came back home for safety, of course your brother who's the ALPHA will know you're back and won't let you go? She was injured and not thinking rationally there but CMON what did she expect? Well, she has the perception that her brother doesn't care about her so I guess 🤷🏾♀️ she wasn't thinking too clearly but that seems like a thing for her.
Lastly, cheaters are bad. I hate cheaters. If someone cheats, it is a conscious decision that they make. Their significant other is NOT the one who MADE them cheat. When Jem said "Hayley cheated, and I don't blame her because it's my fault" my first thought was "ah yes an alpha who's a pussy, what a first" and my second thought was "why give this conniving woman so much grace when she's also trying to her mate k!lled so she can be queen of her own world without him, all because she has *reads notes* childhood trauma?" (Well aware I sound like an ahole now lol) Bad people are bad people. If Jem posted this sh!t was on r/AITA, I'd say that he's the A. If Ryan posted what he did to Mai after she got back from disappearing, I'd say he's the A. If Mai posted what happened, I'd call her the A too. I guess ESH.
DNF @ 60%
Ngl I am absolutely frustrated with the FMC. I know I'm going to sound so insensitive rn but considering the fact that her very violent abuser was on his way to find her, and would hurt others in the process, I don't get why she still went all "I can take care of myself!!!! I don't need anyone, because I'm really good at taking care of myself!!!" when clearly we see that she can't??? And now there's a really bad guy in the wind, and her mate, who she slept with the night before, is asking for her cooperation so he can come up with a plan to protect the PACK (since she so stubbornly insists she's fine to take care of herself) but na she's pissed that the security ppl and her brother the Alpha know about how she let herself get abused. I know she's got the shame and embarrassment of a DV survivor but this is SO much bigger than her now?
Also I'm so tired of characters finding out about the consequences of their actions. Yes, having s3x with your true fated mate means you're going to seal your bond and will never be able to get rid of him. Yes, you ran away, got into a super abusive relationship, came back home for safety, of course your brother who's the ALPHA will know you're back and won't let you go? She was injured and not thinking rationally there but CMON what did she expect? Well, she has the perception that her brother doesn't care about her so I guess 🤷🏾♀️ she wasn't thinking too clearly but that seems like a thing for her.
Lastly, cheaters are bad. I hate cheaters. If someone cheats, it is a conscious decision that they make. Their significant other is NOT the one who MADE them cheat. When Jem said "Hayley cheated, and I don't blame her because it's my fault" my first thought was "ah yes an alpha who's a pussy, what a first" and my second thought was "why give this conniving woman so much grace when she's also trying to her mate k!lled so she can be queen of her own world without him, all because she has *reads notes* childhood trauma?" (Well aware I sound like an ahole now lol) Bad people are bad people. If Jem posted this sh!t was on r/AITA, I'd say that he's the A. If Ryan posted what he did to Mai after she got back from disappearing, I'd say he's the A. If Mai posted what happened, I'd call her the A too. I guess ESH.
October 27, 2025
So, I did a thing guys. I was on TikTok, doomscrolling like one does when they don't feel well, and found this book. Decided to give a chance because it has been a long time since I've read a rejected mates book. It was honestly an okay book that just happened to have a lot of things that didn't make sense to me.
1. Ryan and Mai, the whole rejecting thing years ago made zero sense to me.
2. Jem and Hayley, I'm just not getting fated mate vibes because why is Hayley jealous over Mai? MAI AND JEM ARE SIBLINGS. THERE SHOULD BE NO JEALOUSY BETWEEN A MATE AND A SISTER.
3. The whole making the pack better for his sister to feel safe and come back home? I mean it's great and all... but what about the rest of the pack?
4. HOW THE HECK WERE THEY NOT ABLE TO FIND MAI IN FOUR FREAKING YEARS?
5. Why did Hayley want her to leave the pack so badly? Again, it just didn't make sense!
6. The cliffhanger... yeah, I don't buy it for one second.
I'm not sure if I will jump into the next book or not.
1. Ryan and Mai, the whole rejecting thing years ago made zero sense to me.
2. Jem and Hayley, I'm just not getting fated mate vibes because why is Hayley jealous over Mai? MAI AND JEM ARE SIBLINGS. THERE SHOULD BE NO JEALOUSY BETWEEN A MATE AND A SISTER.
3. The whole making the pack better for his sister to feel safe and come back home? I mean it's great and all... but what about the rest of the pack?
4. HOW THE HECK WERE THEY NOT ABLE TO FIND MAI IN FOUR FREAKING YEARS?
5. Why did Hayley want her to leave the pack so badly? Again, it just didn't make sense!
6. The cliffhanger... yeah, I don't buy it for one second.
I'm not sure if I will jump into the next book or not.
April 30, 2024
I was not prepared for that cliffhanger
November 21, 2024
Solid 2.5⭐️
This book was far out of my comfort zone and I had to quite literally force myself through it. Initially I expected more angst and some groveling after it was introduced on Tiktok and honestly it didn't deliver. It was just mediocre in my opinion and lost you by chapter 20.
This book was far out of my comfort zone and I had to quite literally force myself through it. Initially I expected more angst and some groveling after it was introduced on Tiktok and honestly it didn't deliver. It was just mediocre in my opinion and lost you by chapter 20.
July 7, 2025
This made my 12 year old self so happy!! Felt good to go back to my wattpad roots lol. Currently trying to decide if I’m going to purchase the second book bc this one ended on a really annoying cliffhanger :(
June 4, 2024
Leuk weerwolf boekje, erg kort, maar eindigd in een Cliff hanger. Voor mij niet direct leuk genoeg om door te lezen. Zegt ook wel veel .l
April 22, 2024
This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I finished this read in less than a full 24 hours. The banter between the FMC and the MMC was absolutely gripping. It kept me wondering who would win each round, causing a few chuckles at the independence of the FMC.
The spice was perfect, I’d give it a 3/5 for me personally.
The story and plot overall are great, it keeps you wondering until the last bit of what’s going to happen in the relationship. I love that Mai is feisty, independent, and strong willed. I’m looking forward to next read and can’t wait!
The spice was perfect, I’d give it a 3/5 for me personally.
The story and plot overall are great, it keeps you wondering until the last bit of what’s going to happen in the relationship. I love that Mai is feisty, independent, and strong willed. I’m looking forward to next read and can’t wait!
April 30, 2024
Okay. She forgave way too quick, should have made him GROVEL HARDER!
But boy did I have fun with this. I wanted a brain break book while I wanted for King of Sloth and boy did this do the trick.
There is like 3 different plot lines going on, but theu are also blending together better than I would have thought.
You can't just end a book like that. (Even though I did see it coming) I will want to finish this series now.
But boy did I have fun with this. I wanted a brain break book while I wanted for King of Sloth and boy did this do the trick.
There is like 3 different plot lines going on, but theu are also blending together better than I would have thought.
You can't just end a book like that. (Even though I did see it coming) I will want to finish this series now.
June 13, 2024
Tags: age-gaaap, brothers-best-friend, hero-hurts-heroine, heroine-leaves, manwhore-philanderer, mean-mean-girls, older-hero-younger-heroine, om_drama, over-the-years, ow-drama, pnr-werewolf, read, rejection-pnr, small-town
May 7, 2024
Disappointing with a Cliffhanger
Mia, the FMC, was neither strong nor smart. Ryan, MMC, was basically a donkey's backside. It was a huge disappointment.
And Jem deserved better.
Will not be reading anymore of this series.
Mia, the FMC, was neither strong nor smart. Ryan, MMC, was basically a donkey's backside. It was a huge disappointment.
And Jem deserved better.
Will not be reading anymore of this series.
December 31, 2024
PopSugar Reading Challenge 2024. Reto #12. Un libro desde el punto de vista de un animal.
Tiktok me llevo a leer esté libro, me enojo que no me avisarán que es más de un libro creí que era único y mi única otra queja es que quería que el rogara más.
Tiktok me llevo a leer esté libro, me enojo que no me avisarán que es más de un libro creí que era único y mi única otra queja es que quería que el rogara más.
April 29, 2024
DNF @60% I just couldn't finish it
July 11, 2024
TikTok recommended it to me. Not a good recommendation.
September 29, 2024
I sped read this book. And truly it was ok then it went downhill for me. Just no
December 23, 2024
Sooo, I'm not sure if I like this book. Some chapters were nice, some didn't keep my attention enought, so I skipped some paragraphs. At the end of the day, I don't really care about Ryan or Mai... and that cliffhanger didn't help at all....
dnf
May 3, 2024Tik tok did a great job advertising this book but it’s just not good. I gave it maybe 50% but I don’t want to waste any more of my time.
I’m going to need groveling and an fmc with a backbone. You have to make the mmc work for it after what he did. Beyond that it’s just not written well imo.
I’m going to need groveling and an fmc with a backbone. You have to make the mmc work for it after what he did. Beyond that it’s just not written well imo.
January 17, 2025
spoilers.
This started out strong with the rejected mates, setting up her back story, and giving a good starting point for not only the pack but then as a couple. Then it quickly lost me....
Let's start with our main character. Strong and independent is one thing Mai honestly annoys me and does not take into consideration how her actions affect anyone but has no issues telling everyone around her how their behavior ruins her life. She doesn't tell her brother that his Mate was the one that told her to runaway? Why? Solely plot movement? She knew how bad moving in Oliver's pack was, and didn't tell anyone how bad people treated her so that more problems weren't caused, but won't get over her brother and Ryan's plans? That she just didn't know about? Or how about knowing for a fact she couldn't beat Seth even if she tried, but putting herself in danger anyway? Then her brother gets killed at the end of the book and maybe wouldn't have if his beta was there and not looking for her stupid ass.
Speaking of her brother dying. Mam. You couldn't have been more obvious with this plot if you said "Hayley was planning on killing her mate" when we get introduced to her. ZERO shock there. I think so much was crammed into this plot that I just wanted to glaze over and get the romance aspects but the romance wasn't strong enough to carry the rest of it. We get names of people and packs that we don't even know, we get random subplots of drug dealers and humans and how it is causing problems and side characters that the sentences written about them make it sound like we should care, yet we have no background to care at all.
Last but not least let's talk about Ryan. Could he have a personality? I mean Mai is stubborn and idiotic, and Ryan is just possessive and makes Mai mad on purpose. The end. We see no other aspects despite him having his own POV. Why have another pov if it doesn't add anything?
This started out strong with the rejected mates, setting up her back story, and giving a good starting point for not only the pack but then as a couple. Then it quickly lost me....
Let's start with our main character. Strong and independent is one thing Mai honestly annoys me and does not take into consideration how her actions affect anyone but has no issues telling everyone around her how their behavior ruins her life. She doesn't tell her brother that his Mate was the one that told her to runaway? Why? Solely plot movement? She knew how bad moving in Oliver's pack was, and didn't tell anyone how bad people treated her so that more problems weren't caused, but won't get over her brother and Ryan's plans? That she just didn't know about? Or how about knowing for a fact she couldn't beat Seth even if she tried, but putting herself in danger anyway? Then her brother gets killed at the end of the book and maybe wouldn't have if his beta was there and not looking for her stupid ass.
Speaking of her brother dying. Mam. You couldn't have been more obvious with this plot if you said "Hayley was planning on killing her mate" when we get introduced to her. ZERO shock there. I think so much was crammed into this plot that I just wanted to glaze over and get the romance aspects but the romance wasn't strong enough to carry the rest of it. We get names of people and packs that we don't even know, we get random subplots of drug dealers and humans and how it is causing problems and side characters that the sentences written about them make it sound like we should care, yet we have no background to care at all.
Last but not least let's talk about Ryan. Could he have a personality? I mean Mai is stubborn and idiotic, and Ryan is just possessive and makes Mai mad on purpose. The end. We see no other aspects despite him having his own POV. Why have another pov if it doesn't add anything?
Read
April 30, 2024I give up on the 🌟 system. Let me just preface this by. Yes, I will be reading book two. The cliffhanger had me.
Pov 1st Dual
Relationship M/F
Triggers
Abuse -on and off page
Shitty parents
Cheating
Murder
Bullying
Tropes
Rejected Mates
Shifter
Second chance
Miscommunication
Best friends, little sister
The storyline hit for the main love interest. I love a rejected mate trope! It's gonna do it every time. Especially if it becomes a second chance.
I think I enjoy the idea of the alpha pair. Where the couple becomes the alpha, not just one of them. But I hate haley, so we'll see how this plays out.
My head tilt moments are not all bad!!!
How they seal the bond is sex.. I'm not mad at it, lol.
I guess for me, after sealing the mate bond cheating and killing your mate is just out of the realm of norm inside a faded mate trope.
The dial tone on a cell phone I giggled at this.
I did feel like some things were just very abrupt.
Wally specifically felt. I'm not sure what the word is. Overt.
SPOILER AF FOLLOWING
I think the biggest for me is how the pack felt her return to the lands, but she didn't feel once solidifying the pack bonds Her brother being killed and neither did the Beta.
Honestly, I think a great alpha or content development editor would smooth these things out because it's a great foundation.
I look forward to book two.
Pov 1st Dual
Relationship M/F
Triggers
Abuse -on and off page
Shitty parents
Cheating
Murder
Bullying
Tropes
Rejected Mates
Shifter
Second chance
Miscommunication
Best friends, little sister
The storyline hit for the main love interest. I love a rejected mate trope! It's gonna do it every time. Especially if it becomes a second chance.
I think I enjoy the idea of the alpha pair. Where the couple becomes the alpha, not just one of them. But I hate haley, so we'll see how this plays out.
My head tilt moments are not all bad!!!
How they seal the bond is sex.. I'm not mad at it, lol.
I guess for me, after sealing the mate bond cheating and killing your mate is just out of the realm of norm inside a faded mate trope.
The dial tone on a cell phone I giggled at this.
I did feel like some things were just very abrupt.
Wally specifically felt. I'm not sure what the word is. Overt.
SPOILER AF FOLLOWING
I think the biggest for me is how the pack felt her return to the lands, but she didn't feel once solidifying the pack bonds Her brother being killed and neither did the Beta.
Honestly, I think a great alpha or content development editor would smooth these things out because it's a great foundation.
I look forward to book two.
May 3, 2024
DNF DNF DNF
Such a shame but I definitely brought into the booktok hype leading up to this release.
Was throughly predictable, couldn’t really get invested in the characters. There were brief, I reiterate BRIEF moments where I could get behind the FMC but not enough to make me want to finish reading it. Those brief moments brought it up to a 1.5 ⭐️
This is one of the only books I haven’t finished reading as I’m a firm believer in getting to the end, but I just couldn’t.
Rating - 1.5 ⭐️
Smut - 1/2🌶️
Such a shame but I definitely brought into the booktok hype leading up to this release.
Was throughly predictable, couldn’t really get invested in the characters. There were brief, I reiterate BRIEF moments where I could get behind the FMC but not enough to make me want to finish reading it. Those brief moments brought it up to a 1.5 ⭐️
This is one of the only books I haven’t finished reading as I’m a firm believer in getting to the end, but I just couldn’t.
Rating - 1.5 ⭐️
Smut - 1/2🌶️
August 9, 2025
i promised myself i wouldn't read the rest of Rayan and Mai's books because for like 70% of the book it's been BORINGGGG but the last 10% and the plot twist with a certain bitch made me wanna finish
safety :
all 3 Mai and Rayan books are safe
no cheating
slight owd : he made her think he wanted ow sarah when he rejected her, to protect her blabblabla
omd : her ex bf
celibacy : he ever did anything with anyone since finding out they were mates and during 4 year seperation he was celibate
she was not celibate she had a boyfriend
safety :
all 3 Mai and Rayan books are safe
no cheating
slight owd : he made her think he wanted ow sarah when he rejected her, to protect her blabblabla
omd : her ex bf
celibacy : he ever did anything with anyone since finding out they were mates and during 4 year seperation he was celibate
she was not celibate she had a boyfriend
May 3, 2024
This should have ticked all the boxes but I think there was just too much happening so you didn’t really get invested in any of the characters or storylines and then none of the characters really developed much.
May 5, 2024
So many unnecessary descriptions and poorly written sex scenes. Flat characters that I didn’t care enough about. I did more skimming than reading. This didn’t need to be 2 books. I probably won’t read the second book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 400 reviews