Page 50 of The Alpha's Runaway Mate
“Damn right it is.”
The smirk fades as quickly as it came. “Be careful, Nolan.”
I nod once, climb in, and start the engine. The truck rumbles to life, headlights cutting through the mist.
As I pull onto the gravel road, lightning flashes somewhere beyond the ridge, lighting up the world in harsh silver for half a heartbeat. In that brief flicker, the trees seem to shift, taller, wrong, like they’re bending toward something unseen.
Then the light’s gone, leaving only darkness and rain.
The wipers squeak across the windshield, steady as a heartbeat. I tighten my grip on the wheel, the echo of Declan’s words replaying in my head.
The veil is thinning.
I don’t know what’s waiting on the other side, but one thing’s clear. Whatever it is, it’s coming.
And this time, it’s not just Declan’s darkness we’ll have to face.
It’s everything trying to crawl through with it.
By the time I get home, my mind’s still reeling.
Declan’s story keeps looping in my head. His voice and the look in his eyes when he said the Fae were gone, when he showed us that black mark crawling under his skin. If he’s right, if the veil really is thinning, that darkness isn’t done. And I don’t know what that means for the pack, for Evermore Hollow… or for her. The thought of Jessica anywhere near it makes my chest tight.
Thunder cracks low over the ridge, rain whispering through the trees like a warning. Her truck’s not in the drive, but I tell myselfnot to overreact, she said she’d be working today, but my bear doesn’t care. He’s pacing under my skin, restless, teeth bared at the thought of her out there without me. She’s fine. I know she’s fine. She has to be, but the emptiness of the cabin hits like a punch to the chest. Her scent still lingers, warm, sweet, familiar, but it’s not enough.
I move from window to window, restless, every sound outside dragging my attention. The storm. The trees. The steady roll of thunder. My senses stretch toward the road, waiting for the familiar rumble of her truck. When I finally hear it, my body moves before my brain catches up.
Headlights cut through the rain as she pulls in, wipers still beating against the windshield. She parks, and before she can even open the door, I’m already outside. The downpour doesn’t slow me down. Water runs down my neck, cold wind colliding with the heat clawing through my chest. The second her door opens, I’m there. Her eyes go wide in surprise before I grab her waist and lift her out of the seat. Her boots hit the ground, barely finding traction before I back her up against the side of the truck.
Her breath catches as my mouth finds hers. The kiss is rough, hungry, all the tension I’ve been choking on since I walked into that cursed house earlier. She tastes like rain and coffee and something sweet. “I need you,” I growl against her lips.
She nods, breathless, fingers fisting in the back of my shirt. “Then take me, Alpha.”
That’s all it takes to snap the last thread of control I’ve been clinging to. I lift her up, her legs wrapping around my waist, and the world narrows to the heat of her body, the rain hammeringagainst metal, the low rumble vibrating through my chest as I carry her toward the cabin.
The door slams open hard enough to dent the wall. Rain lashes through the entryway, wind howling like something alive. I barely feel any of it. All I know is her. The warmth of her body pressed against mine. The way she fits perfectly in my arms even as I half-carry, half-stumble us both inside.
My mouth finds hers before the door even swings shut. The kiss is desperate, claiming, edged with panic that’s been tearing at me since I came home to an empty cabin. Her lips are cold from the rain, but they warm fast under mine, parting with a soft gasp that sends lightning straight through me. All I can feel is her fingers digging into my shoulders, holding on like I’m the only solid thing in a world gone sideways.
My hands slide under her shirt, palms flat against her rain-chilled skin. I trace the curve of her waist, the line of her spine, the dip of her hip. Every touch confirms what my bear already knows, she’s here, whole, and mine. The relief hits me so hard my knees nearly buckle. Inside me, my bear, wild and half-crazed from the fear of losing her, finally settles. The pacing stops. The roar fades to a low, steady thrum. She’s in my arms where she belongs, but settled doesn’t mean calm.
My fingers are clumsy with urgency and she’s tugging at my belt, kissing me between half-muttered curses. The sound grounds me, pulling me back from the edge of something feral. I pull her wet shirt over her head and it hits the floor. My jacket follows. I fumble with the button of her jeans, and she groans, pushing my hand away to pull it free. Then I’m shoving her jeans down her legs. She helps me by stepping out of them. We’re a mess of clothes and kisses, touches and glances, trying to get to the only thing that matters, each other.
Once we’re finally skin to skin, I press her back against the wall. My forehead rests against hers. We’re both breathing hard. “I thought I could wait,” I manage, voice low, rough, scraped raw. “But the second I realized you weren’t home…” The words choke off. There’s no explaining the terror. The way my bear went wild when her scent faded. The way I was sure the darkness that took Declan had come for her too.
She silences me with a kiss, softer this time but certain. “You don’t have to explain,” she whispers against my mouth. “I get it.”
And somehow, I think she does. I can see it in her eyes when I pull back just far enough to look at her, the understanding, the acceptance of what I am, what we are. No fear. No hesitation. Just certainty.
I hold her there for a moment, memorizing the look in her eyes, the warmth in her touch. The wildness inside me eases just enough for the truth to break through, she’s become the one thing I can’t live without.
Her hands slide up, cool against my face. Her thumbs brush the stubble along my jaw, so tender it hurts. “You’re home,” she whispers. The words undo me and something inside me breaks open. Fear, restraint, everything I’ve been holding back. I pull her close and kiss her again, slower now but no less desperate. My hands cradle her face, tilting her head to deepen the kiss, to pour everything I can’t say into her mouth.
The storm builds outside, wind rattling windows, rain drumming hard enough to shake the roof, but all I feel is her. The slide of her skin under my hands, the way she melts into me like she was made to. My hard cock presses against her stomach, the nipples of her large tits press against my chest. I slide myhands up massaging one as I lean down to take the other into my mouth. Her hands go to my hair, holding me there as she writhes against me.
I can smell her pussy, dripping with need. I’ll give her whatever she needs I promise myself as I press two fingers past her pussy lips and into her hot core. Fuck she’s soaked. My cock twitches, wanting to be where my fingers are, knowing home is only inches away. Using my thumb, I rub her swollen clit with slow circles that has her arching into me.
I pull back to look at my mate. Her lips are swollen, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes are bright with heat and something that feels dangerously close to love. “Nolan, please. Stop teasing me and fuck me,” she moans in a husky tone.
