Page 38 of The Alpha's Runaway Mate
We fall into an easy rhythm, him rinsing, me washing, shoulders bumping now and then. Every small brush of contact sends warmth darting through my chest. A low country song hums from his phone. The whole thing feels almost too normal. Too perfect.
When the last dish is set to dry, Nolan grabs two fresh beers and nods toward the door. “Come on. I want some air.”
Evening is cool, the kind of mountain night that smells like pine and rain. The porch wraps around the cabin, wide and sturdy, with an old swing tucked in the corner. I curl up on one end while he settles beside me, arm draped along the back rail. Fireflies blink over the yard; somewhere in the trees, an owl calls.
We sit, listening to the night breathe.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” he says.
The air shifts and I turn. “Okay.”
He takes a slow sip, sets the bottle on the railing. “You remember Kolt and Xander?”
“Your brothers,” I say, nodding. “Of course.”
“They got back last night. They’d been gone a few weeks looking for someone, Declan. He’s our cousin, we actually grew upwith him.” He hesitates, jaw tight. “We’re not sure about him anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
He looks toward the treeline. “Declan was family. Something happened to him while he was gone, old magic, ugly. It twisted him. My brothers found him, but he slipped away before they could bring him home. This morning, one of my men was attacked near the boundary line. Same scent. Same energy. Whatever did it was Declan, or tied to whatever’s controlling him.”
The words land heavy. “So that’s what you were doing today,” I whisper.
He nods. “We’re hunting something that used to be ours. If it’s still him…” His voice roughens. “If it’s still him, I’ll bring him home. If it’s not, I’ll end it before it hurts anyone else.”
I don’t know what to say, so I slide my hand over his. His fingers tighten around mine, like the contact steadies him. “I’m sorry,” I say softly.
He shakes his head. “Don’t be. Just… you needed to know what’s out there. If anything feels off, if you smell something strange, hear something, anything, you call me. Promise.”
“I promise.”
He nods once, tension still humming under his skin. “I’ll be right back.”
He disappears inside. A minute later, the door opens again. He steps out with something small in his hand and holds it out. A phone. “I got this for you today.”
I blink. “A phone?”
“Yeah.” He sits beside me, turns the screen so it glows. “My number’s saved, along with Kolt’s, Xander’s, and a few pack members I trust with your life.”
“Nolan…” My heart tightens. “I can’t take that. It’s too much.”
“It’s not.” His brow knits, like the idea doesn’t compute.
“It is.” I fold my arms lightly, trying not to sound ungrateful. “You’ve already done so much, place to stay, food, safety. I don’t want to take advantage, ”
He takes my hand, firm but gentle, and sets the phone in it, fingers closing over mine until I meet his gaze.
“You can,” he says quietly. “And you will. I need to reach you, especially with all this fucked-up shit going on. If I can’t get to you immediately, I need to know you’re okay.”
Something raw in his voice scrapes right against my chest. He isn’t asking, he’s protecting.
I swallow. “You really thought of everything.”
He gives a small, almost sheepish shrug. “Trying to.”
I run my thumb along the case, the screen lights up again. “If I hit call, who answers first, Alpha or Nolan?”
A ghost of a smile. “Same guy. One’s just rougher around the edges.”
