Page 59 of The Alpha's Runaway Mate
“Stay behind me,” I tell her quietly.
Jessica doesn’t argue, but she doesn’t back down either. “Is it him?”
“I don’t know,” I admit, scanning the shadows. “But I’m not taking chances.”
I step forward and grip the door handle. The metal is cold under my palm. I push it open slowly, the hinges creaking in the kind of silence that feels too deep, too deliberate.
The air inside hits me like a wall, cool, still, familiar, and yet wrong. It smells like us: her shampoo, the faint smoke from the fireplace, the mix of pine and vanilla that clings to her skin. But buried under all of that is something else. Male. Metallic. Human.
I take a step inside, senses flaring. Every muscle in my body is coiled tight. The lights are off. Nothing looks disturbed. But I canfeelit, someone was here.
Jessica stays close, one hand hovering just at my back. “Anything?” she whispers.
“Not yet,” I murmur, eyes moving over every inch of the room.
I check the windows, they’re latched. The back door, still locked. Nothing broken. Nothing missing. But as I glance down toward the rug, something dark catches my eye.
A footprint. Muddy. Heavy. Male.
“Someone was definitely here,” I say quietly.
Jessica steps closer, her voice tight with worry. “Why would anyone come all the way out here?”
I stare at the print, jaw clenched, my pulse beating hard in my ears. “Because they were looking for something,” I say slowly, “or someone.”
The silence that follows is heavy, and I know we’re thinking the same thing. Ethan.
I drag a hand down my face, trying to steady the storm brewing under my skin. My bear’s pacing now, claws scraping just beneath the surface.
I reach through the bond in my mind and send out a pulse, sharp, direct, all Alpha.Mason. Xander. Kolt. Declan.The connection flares open instantly.
Someone broke into my place,I send through the link, my thoughts crisp and controlled even as adrenaline hums through me.Human male. Unfamiliar scent. I need extra patrols near the cabin around the clock until further notice.
Replies come fast, layered over each other in a blur of voices only I can hear.
On it,Mason’s voice rumbles first, solid as always.
I’ll send Kolt and two others your way,Xander adds.You sure it’s human?
Positive,I answer.Not one of ours. Trail’s faint, but it’s fresh.
There’s a pause, and then Mason again, lower this time.Could it be him?
My jaw tightens. My eyes flick toward Jessica, who’s watching me, confusion and fear twisting together on her face.It’s possible.
The link goes quiet for a beat before Xander’s voice comes through again, firm and steady.We’ll lock the ridge down. No one gets near without us knowing.
Appreciate it,I send back, closing the connection with a snap.
Jessica’s still standing by the door, arms wrapped around herself, her shoulders tense. “What did you just do?”
“Let my inner circle know someone was here,” I tell her. “They’ll keep eyes on the ridge tonight.”
She hesitates, worry flickering in her eyes. “You really think it could be Ethan?”
“I think we got comfortable,” I admit, my tone softer now but edged with guilt. “We thought we were safe here. I thought I could protect you from everything. But I forgot that sometimes the monsters we should be worried about aren’t the kind that shift.”
She swallows hard, stepping closer until she’s right in front of me. “And if itishim?”
