Page 53 of The Alpha's Runaway Mate
And somehow, despite everything, I can’t help but laugh. At least if I’m walking into the lion’s den, I’m doing it with the bear who’d burn the whole thing down for me. Just like that, the tightness in my chest starts to ease.
He brushes his thumb along my jaw, then grabs his jacket from the hook by the door and tosses me mine. “Come on. If we’re late, Mason will eat everything again.”
The drive winds deep into the forest, sunlight flickering through the canopy as the truck bumps along the dirt road. With each turn toward the heart of Nolan’s world, my nerves creep back in.
By the time the trees open into a wide clearing, my palms are damp against my jeans. A massive log-style building sits in the center of the clearing, rough timber, wide windows glowing with golden light. It looks like a cabin built for giants, sturdy, simple, beautiful. Smoke curls from a stone chimney, laughter drifting on the wind.
There must be at least fifty people here. Maybe more.
Trucks and SUVs line the edge of the clearing. Kids sprint through the grass, shrieking with delight. The air smells like grilled meat, rain-damp pine, and the faint sweetness of something baking inside.
Nolan parks near the treeline and kills the engine. The hum of voices and faint music fill the silence.
“That’s… a lot of people,” I whisper.
He reaches across the console, his hand covering mine. “They’re my people,” he says softly. “And now they’re yours, too.” The words settle deep and steady.
He opens my door and offers his hand. It takes me a beat to move. My boots hit the ground, and I take in the scene, bonfire crackling near the edge of the clearing and the cabin doors thrown open to laughter and light.
“Wow,” I breathe.
“It looks like chaos,” Nolan says, brushing his thumb across the back of my hand, “but it’s home.”
As we walk toward the open doorway, conversations fade, one by one. Heads turn, smiles spreading, voices lowering into an expectant hush. Nolan squeezes my hand once before stepping forward.
“Evening, everyone,” he calls out, his deep voice carrying easily through the cabin. The chatter dies completely. For a second, my heart stops. Nolan’s expression doesn’t waver, calm, sure, proud. “I know most of you have already heard the rumors,” he says, that faint smirk ghosting across his lips. “So let’s make it official.”
He glances at me, his hand warm and steady at my back. “This is Jessica.” The title follows a beat later, strong and certain. “My mate.”
A ripple runs through the crowd, surprise, excitement, approval. Someone whistles. A few women grin, and one older man near the corner claps his hands together, beaming.
“About damn time, Alpha!” someone calls from the back.
Nolan chuckles, shaking his head. “Yeah, yeah. You can stop pretending you’re shocked.”
Laughter spreads, breaking the tension completely. The pack moves again, people rising to greet us, the hum of conversation returning but softer, warmer now. Nolan leans toward me, voice low and teasing. “See? That wasn’t so bad.”
I exhale a shaky laugh. “Speak for yourself.”
He grins, brushing a stray curl off my cheek. “You’re going to fit in just fine.”
Inside, the cabin is even bigger than I imagined. The single long room stretches open, lined with tables and mismatched chairs that somehow work together. A massive stone fireplace burns at one end, and the smell of food wraps around me, smoke, herbs, roasted meat, bread, something sweet and spicy.
The space hums with conversation, laughter, the clatter of dishes, and the squeal of a child darting past with a plate nearly as big as his head.
“Hey, Doyle!” someone calls.
Nolan’s grin widens. “Told you they’d be loud,” he murmurs.
I elbow him lightly. “You didn’t say they’d allstare.”
“They’re just curious,” he says, leaning closer. “You’re new. And beautiful.”
Heat blooms in my cheeks. “You’re impossible.”
“Probably.”
Before I can reply, a woman with light-brown hair streaked with gold barrels toward us, a toddler balanced on her hip. She’s all warmth and bright smiles. “You must be Jessica!”
