Page 65 of The Alpha's Runaway Mate
“Good. That’s what she’s built for.”
Inside, Daisy maps the house like a pro. Window. Door. Stairs. She ends up on the floor beside my side of the bed, chin on paws, eyes half open.
“She’s guarding me,” I whisper.
“Damn right she is.” Nolan leans on the doorframe, softer now. “That’s her job. And mine.”
I sit and rub Daisy’s ears. Warmth and quiet breathing fill the room.
“Thank you,” I say.
Nolan steps close and kisses my temple. His voice is a low heat against my skin. “Sleep, Jess. You’re safe. No one touches what’s mine.”
TWENTY-ONE
NOLAN
Jessica sleeps on my chest,her breath soft and warm against my skin. The cabin’s dark, quiet except for the faint hum of crickets outside and the slow rhythm of her breathing. I should feel peace. I should be able to close my eyes and rest with her. But I can’t.
My bear’s restless beneath the surface. He wants out. He wants blood. He wants the man who hurt our mate. And the more I lie here, the more I feel it too, that crawling tension that builds under my skin until I can almost taste the violence waiting for release.
I brush a hand down her back, slow and careful, tracing the curve of her spine. She stirs a little but doesn’t wake. There’s a tiny frown between her brows, even in her sleep, and it kills me. She shouldn’t have to live like this, watching shadows, jumping at every sound, waiting for the past to catch up.
I press my lips to her forehead, breathing her in. Vanilla, honey, a hint of pine from my sheets. She smells like home. My home. My reason. My fury.
I make a promise right there in the dark, one she’ll never have to hear to know I’ll keep. I’m going to hunt that motherfucker down. I’m going to find him and put him through every ounce of fear and pain he ever gave her. He’s going to learn what it feels like to be hunted by something that doesn’t stop.
I ease her off my chest and tuck the blanket around her shoulders. Daisy lifts her head from her spot beside the bed, those sharp eyes already tracking my movements. “Watch over her, girl,” I whisper. “You don’t let anything touch her.” Daisy’s tail thumps once, and that’s all the confirmation I need.
Before I go, I check every door and window. Lock. Bolt. Ward. I double the barrier line along the porch and send a message through the bond to let the pack know I’m moving. “Meet me at Snarl,” I send through the link to Mason, Xander, Declan, and Kolt. The answering growls echo back through the connection, confirmation, loyalty, readiness.
Outside, the night is cool and still, but I can feel the tension in the air like static. Two of my pack members are already posted near the house, their eyes glowing faintly in the dark. They don’t speak when I pass, they just nod once in silent understanding. I return the nod and head for my truck.
When I slide behind the wheel, the engine rumbles to life, low and rough. I glance back at the cabin, at the faint outline of Jessica sleeping in our bed, Daisy curled protectively at her side, and my chest tightens with something fierce and unyielding. She’s mine. My mate. My reason for breathing. And he threatened her.
My knuckles whiten on the steering wheel. The beast inside me paces hard, scraping against the walls of my control. “You’ll get your turn,” I mutter under my breath. “We both will.”
By the time I hit the main road, my focus sharpens to a single point. Snarl. The bar where my pack waits. The place we start our hunt. The neon lights glow in the distance like blood on black water, and my bear growls low in approval.
This ends tonight. He came for her, but he won’t get the chance to try again.
I pull into the lot and cut the engine. It is the middle of the night and Snarl is closed. When I step inside, the bar smells like old smoke and cleaner. The room is half-lit and quiet, like a church for men who move at night.
My guys are at the bar. Kolt has a beer, bottle sweating in his hand. Xander has a short glass of something dark that looks like it will bury the night's taste. Mason rubs the rail with the same slow patience he has when he thinks. Declan is a shadow at the far end, shoulders loose until he moves. They nod when they see me. No fanfare. No questions asked.
I keep my voice even. “He did this on purpose.” No one argues.
Mason’s jaw ticks. “You sure?”
“Yeah,” I growl. “He wanted to be seen. Wanted her scared.”
Xander’s voice is low, tight. “Then we make him regret it.”
Declan stands, cracking his knuckles. “Say the word, Alpha.”
“This ends now,” I say. My words are iron. The decision’s already made.
The air shifts. The link snaps tighter. I feel the bear in all of them waking, the pulse, the growl, the need. Mason steps forward, voice steady in my head.We hunt.
