Page 12 of The Alpha's Runaway Mate
She doesn’t. “Nolan…”
The sound of my name unravels what little control I have left. My hand finds the back of her neck, and I step into her space. She leans toward me like gravity itself is pulling her in. The bond snaps tight, heat, energy, breath, all of it colliding until we’re chest to chest, skin to skin.
I lower my head and kiss her. It starts slow, cautious, but the moment she lets out a soft, helpless sound, I lose the battle. The kiss deepens, dark and claiming. My thumb traces the curve of her jaw as she melts against me like she was made to fit there. Her hands clutch at my bare arms, fingers digging in just enough to draw a growl from deep in my chest.
The bond ignites. Every heartbeat, every breath, becomes shared. Her pulse drums through me, her warmth presses against me, and the line between us blurs.
I taste her, sweet, human, perfect, and it’s the most dangerous thing I’ve ever tasted. My hands find her waist, drawing her in until soft curves meet hard muscle. She trembles, but it’s not fear anymore. It’s the bond. It’s us.
When I finally pull back, it’s only far enough to rest my forehead against hers. We’re both breathing hard, the air between us hot and charged. “That,” I murmur, my thumb brushing her lower lip, “is the bond. That’s what it feels like.”
Her voice is barely a whisper. “I’ve never felt anything like that.”
I look down at her. “Neither have I.” My voice comes out rough, scraped raw. “You’re mine, Jessica. Even if you don’t understand it yet, even if you don’t want to believe it. You’re mine.”
Her breath shudders. “Then don’t stop.”
For a heartbeat, I almost don’t. But I force myself to, resting my forehead against hers again. She deserves to know what this means before she gets lost in it. “Soon,” I promise. “But right now, I need you to trust me.”
Her fingers tighten around my arms, her pulse racing under my hand. She nods, small, uncertain, but enough.
I brush my nose against hers, breathing her in like she’s the first clean breath I’ve taken in years. Her scent fills me, grounding me. My voice drops low. “You know what I am now,” I murmur. “And you need to understand something else.” My thumb traces her jaw, and the tremor that runs through her sinks straightinto my chest. “You’re not just anyone to me, Jessica. You’re my mate.”
Her eyes go wide. I can see her pulse jump at her throat, her breath catch. She doesn’t speak, but her body reacts, heart pounding, heat rolling off her in waves. I lower my head, my lips brushing her ear. “That's why I can’t stay away,” I whisper. “Why being this close feels like I’m losing my mind.” My control’s frayed to nothing, every instinct begging to claim her, to mark her, to make her mine in every way that counts.
Her breath stutters. “I’m your… what?”
“My mate,” I say again, the word vibrating through me, half man, half bear. “It’s more than attraction. More than choice. It’s fate. It’s nature choosing for us.”
She frowns faintly. “You’re saying we’re… what? Soulmates?”
I almost smile. “Something like that. Except this bond isn’t built on poetry or luck. It’s built into who we are. You were made for me, and I was made for you. When shifters find their mate, it’s permanent. There’s no undoing it. No one else will ever feel right again.”
Her lips part, but she doesn’t speak. The wind moves through the trees, carrying her scent across my tongue, warm skin, faint fear, and something new that makes my pulse spike. My body reacts on instinct, every muscle drawn tight with the effort to keep control.
Her gaze flickers to my mouth, then back to my eyes. “And if I don’t want that?”
The question cuts deep, but I force myself to breathe. “Then I’ll wait,” I tell her honestly. “As long as it takes. But the bonddoesn’t fade. It’ll keep pulling us back together until we stop fighting it.”
She shakes her head slightly, like she’s trying to fight it, but I can see it working through her, her pulse syncing with mine, her pupils dilating, her breath catching every time I move. The connection’s already there, deep as bone. “I can feel it,” she says softly. “When you’re close, it’s like… it’s hard to think.”
“Because your body knows before your mind does.” My voice drops to a rough whisper. “It knows you’re mine.”
Her eyes search mine, confusion and want tangled together. “And what does that make you?”
I lean in just enough that our lips almost touch. “Yours.”
The bond surges between us, pulsing hot and alive. She sways toward me, and I catch her, my hand sliding up her back to steady her. Her heartbeat thunders against my palm, syncing with mine until there’s no telling where one ends and the other begins.
“This is insane,” she whispers.
“Maybe,” I say quietly. “But it’s real.”
The world fades around us until there’s nothing left but her. When I finally speak again, my voice is steady but low, thick with everything I can’t say yet. “You don’t have to understand it right now. Just know I’ll never hurt you. Not in this form, not in any form. You’re mine to protect.”
She hesitates, then whispers, “Then what happens now?”
I brush a strand of hair from her face, my hand lingering at her temple. “Now?” I murmur. “You breathe. You let it sink in. And when you’re ready, I’ll tell you everything.”
