Page 41 of The Alpha's Runaway Mate
Her fingers find mine, our hands weaving together like vines. “You wouldn’t,” she says, the words a promise that tugs at my soul.
“I’d die before I tried,” I murmur, flashing her a small, vulnerable smile. “But you need to know every detail before you decide. Once I mark you, you belong to this world, our world, the magic, the danger, all of it.”
She holds my gaze steadily, her eyes reflecting every flicker of starlight. For a moment, neither of us moves. Then she reaches up, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Her voice is soft, certain. “And if I said yes?”
My pulse hammers against my ribs. The question is everything. The answer I give carries the weight of a thousand lifetimes. “Then I’d spend the rest of my life making sure you never regretted it.”
She inches closer, pressing her lips to my chest, right over the spot where my heart beats for her alone. “I already feel like I’m yours,” she whispers, her breath warm against my skin.
Her words strike me sharp and sweet, and I close my eyes, letting them sink in. I slide my hand up her back, drawing her even closer, as though I could imprint every fiber of her being into mine. “You have no idea how much that means,” I murmur against her hair.
We lie there in silence, the promise of everything laid bare between us. She fits into my arms like the missing piece I never knew I was searching for, her warmth seeping deep into my bones, her heartbeat echoing my own. The cicadas’ song threads through the night air, a lullaby for our suspended moment of peace.
In the hush, I swear to myself that no matter how many battles waiting in the dark, no matter how fierce the storms we’ll face, I’ll keep her safe. She’s not just the one I protect, she’s my home. And in the glow of that truth, as the night stretches on around us, I vow to spend every day proving it.
FIFTEEN
NOLAN
The first weekfeels almost normal. Jessica’s been here, sleeping in my bed,our bed, cooking breakfast and dinner, moving through the house like she’s always belonged. For the first time in years, the cabin doesn’t echo when I walk in.
But she’s starting to get restless. She’s not built for stillness, she needs movement, something to do with her hands, her mind, that relentless energy that keeps her sharp.
“I don’t see why I can’t go back to work,” she says, standing at the counter, arms crossed, chin lifted.
I set my coffee down, already bracing. “Because it’s not safe.”
She laughs once, no humor in it. “You’ve said that every day for a week. Safe from what, Nolan? The same drunk who tips too much?”
“From what’s moving out there,” I say evenly. “You think I’d keep you here if I didn’t have a reason?”
Her jaw tightens. “You don’t get it. I can’t just sit here doing nothing. I’m not used to, ” she waves a hand around the cabin “being kept.”
I push off the counter, closing the distance. “You’re not being kept. You’re being protected.”
Her voice catches. “It feels like the same thing.”
The sound of it scrapes right down to the bone. I exhale, trying to keep my temper on a leash. “You don’t have to work right now. I’ll happily take care of you. Hell, you never have to work again.”
Her expression hardens. “That’s what Ethan used to say.”
The name hits like a punch to the ribs. “Jess, that’s not what this is.”
But she’s already reaching for her keys.
“You’re not leaving,” I say, voice low.
Her hand stills on the doorknob. “Watch me.”
Something in me snaps. My bear surges forward and my Alpha power rides my words before I can stop it. “Jessica.Stay.”
The air hums with command. The kind of tone that makes grown men drop to their knees. But she doesn’t even flinch. She turns, calm and blazing, eyes sharp as flint. “Try that on someone else,” she says coldly. “Doesn’t work on me.”
“Goddammit, Jess.” I slam my hand down on the counter. “You walk out that door without protection, you’re asking for trouble.”
She spins to face me, chin up. “You mean trouble like theliteral monstersthat crawl out of Snarl after midnight? Or the ones lurking in Evermore Holler?” Her eyes narrow. “Because newsflash, I’ve been living with those nightmares around me since before I met you. I know what’s out there.”
“I don’t think you do,” I snap. “You might’ve seen them from a distance, but you haven’t seen what happens when they decide to feed. You’re human, Jess.”
