Page 24 of Alpha's Runaway Mate

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I woke up with a splitting headache, as if my brain was being pulled apart from my skull. Groaning, I sat up, using my elbow to support the weight of my body as my eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room. Panic surged through me and my eyes snapped open when I realized I was in an unfamiliar environment. Just before I sprang to my feet, a strange woman entered the room, carrying a bowl of water and a towel.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” she said, taking the seat beside me. “You should lie back down. You need proper rest.”

I eyed her with suspicion, but exhaustion weighed down on me, so I fell back in bed.

“What were you thinking, shifting in your condition?” She scolded, eyes narrowing on me in disapproval.

“My…condition?” I croaked, confused, and too tired to think straight.

I glanced at her. The surprise on her face was unmistakable. “You don’t know, do you?”

A groan escaped my lips. “Know what?”

A pitiful smile crossed the woman's face as she placed a hand on my stomach, gently pressing against it. “You’re pregnant, child.”

All traces of exhaustion evaporated as I shot up, the words echoing in my mind. No. No way. I couldn’t be pregnant. Ishouldn’tbe pregnant. Kaine had promised me he was being careful. Then it dawned on me. I was pregnant with Kaine’s child.

“No, no,” I whimpered, jumping out of the bed and throwing on the fresh clothes she had laid out for me.

“Where are you going? It’s the middle of the night,” the woman called after me.

Without responding, or even sparing her a second glance, I dashed out of the house and ran until I reached the familiar path that led to my home. I needed to get out of here before this strange woman spread word of my pregnancy. The Ironclaw laws were clear—any child born without the Alpha’s claim would be deemed unlawful, an abomination, a threat to the future ofthe pack’s leadership. They would cast me out, and force me to terminate the child. I couldn’t let that happen.

I stumbled into my house in a daze, every instinct screaming at me to run before it was too late. Heading straight for my closet, I grabbed a small bag and began shoving clothes inside when a voice startled me from behind.

I turned around to see Isolde standing in the doorway, her face pale as she watched me frantically gather my things. “What are you doing?”

I swallowed, tears blurring my vision. “I can’t stay here, Isolde. They’ll force me to kill my baby. I—I just can’t.”

For a moment, she looked confused. Then her expression softened in realization, and she stepped forward. “Let me help you.”

Together, we packed what little I could carry. Before I fled, I hugged her as tightly as I could, promising I’d find a way to communicate with her. She pointed out a path, assuring me it was safe and would lead to another town where I would find shelter.

I followed her instructions, fleeing into the woods on the path she mentioned. But I quickly realized that I wasn’t alone. Dark figures moved through the trees, their eyes glowing red in the moonlight. Shifters. I recognized their scent.

Fear surged through me as I pushed harder, dodging trees and ducking branches, in an attempt to evade them. I burst into a clearing near the river, thinking I’d managed to lose them. Thirsty, I dashed to the water to drink, but I’d barely gotten a sip when I felt the sharp sting in my neck. I looked down to find adart lodged in my skin, and when my head came back up, I saw a group of shifters emerge from the trees.

My legs gave out, and I collapsed to the ground, feeling the sedative spread through my veins. But just before I blacked out, I saw a woman kneel beside me. She touched my belly and smiled, whispering, “She’s the one.”

Chapter Ten — Lyra’s POV

My whole body locked instinctively the second the words left his mouth. The first thought that slammed into me was,how did he find out?Only two people knew—Isolde and the witch, Salome. Isolde had six years to tell Kaine that I carried his child in me when I fled the pack, six years to betray me, but she didn’t. That left only Salome. Her dislike for me was unmistakable from the moment we first met, and without a shred of doubt, I knew she was the one who must have told him.

But right now, it didn’t matter who divulged my secret. Kaine had found out, and the fragile silver of doubt I saw in his eyes disappeared as my reaction confirmed everything.

He released my arm, staggering backward as if my reaction had physically knocked him off balance. The shock on his face was raw, a mixture of disbelief and hurt.

“You—you lied to me,” his voice cracked, as though the words were too heavy, too painful to utter. “You lied to me about my son, Lyra.”

“Kaine…” I stepped forward, reaching out for him, but he jerked away, wedging a hand between us like he needed distance to process what I had just confirmed. His fists clenched and unclenched, as if he was trying to contain his rage.

“I—I’m sorry,” I stammered, my throat dry. My heart raced like it wanted to tear free from my chest, but he didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Just stared.

He sucked in a shaky breath. “Six years…” The words were quiet, almost like a whisper, but the fury brewing beneath them was unmistakable. “You’ve had my son for six years and didn’t say a thing?”

I opened my mouth to speak, trying to say something, anything that could probably ease his brewing rage, but words wouldn’t come out. I could barely think, barely even breathe properly. Tears clouded my eyes. The enormity of my silence just hung in the air between us.

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