Page 35 of The Alpha's Runaway Mate
“Not the Declan we knew,” Kolt says. “But if something’s steering him, we can’t rule out anything.”
I drag a hand down my face. “We find him. Bring him home. Whatever happened, we end it before anyone else gets hurt.”
Kolt nods. “If he’s still in there.”
“There is,” I say, though I don’t know if I believe it. “We owe him that much.”
Xander lifts his glass in a quiet toast. “To finding him before something worse does.”
We drink. The whiskey burns a trail through my chest, anchoring me to the moment. I reach through the pack link, steady heartbeats humming across the Hollow. Grayson’s pulse is strong and sure on the east line. Kellen’s calm at the clinic. The low hum of my people is grounding. It’s also a reminder that every single one of them depends on me to keep this place standing.
I ease back from the link and glance at my brothers. Xander’s watching me with that look that says he knows exactly where my thoughts have gone. “You’re thinking about her,” he says.
“Jessica?” I ask, even though we both know he means her.
He nods. “You haven’t marked her yet, have you?”
I shake my head. “No.”
Kolt tilts his head, voice quieter now. “Does she know what that means? That the bite ties her into the pack’s protection, our magic, and extends her life?”
“She doesn’t,” I admit. “We haven’t had time to talk about it.”
“Then make time,” Kolt says simply. “You can’t leave her blind, not with what’s circling the territory. If something’s using Declan, it’s not going to stop at the border. She needs to understand what being your mate really means.”
Xander’s expression hardens. “Unmarked mates are vulnerable, Nolan. If something comes for you, it’ll come for her too. You mark her, she’s under our wards, under our protection.”
My jaw flexes. “I know. But she’s running from something human, a man. I can smell the fear on her when she thinks I’m not looking. Until I know what that is, I’m not putting apermanent mark on her. Not when she doesn’t even know what she’s agreeing to.”
Kolt exhales slowly. “Then talk to her. Tell her about the bond, the magic, all of it. She deserves the truth.”
“I plan to,” I say. “Tonight.”
Xander leans forward, resting his forearms on the counter. “And if she says no?”
“Then she says no,” I answer. “I’ll respect it. But she deserves the choice.”
Kolt gives me a look that’s half respect, half warning. “Choice is good. But don’t wait too long. You know how fast an enemy can find a weakness.”
“She’s not a weakness,” I say sharply.
“I didn’t say she was,” he answers evenly. “But the world will see her that way until you make sure it can’t touch her.”
I sit back, staring into my half-empty glass. “Once she knows what the bite means, I’ll explain everything. The bond. The wards. The protection. The fact that the pack will feel her presence like they feel mine. She needs to know that before I take that step.”
Kolt nods slowly. “And about Declan?”
“She’ll hear that too,” I say. “She deserves to know what she’s walking into, what we’re up against. She’s already in it whether she realizes it or not.”
Xander huffs a quiet laugh. “You sure she’s going to sit still for all that? You’re not exactly a small talk guy.”
“I’ll figure it out.” I down the rest of my drink and set the glass aside. “I owe her honesty.”
Kolt smirks faintly. “Maybe start with that part first. Then work your way to the whole ‘bite that lasts forever’ thing.”
“Noted,” I mutter.
Xander pushes away from the counter. “She’s strong. She won’t break.”
