Page 40 of Alpha's Runaway Mate

I dismissed it, shaking my head harder. “Isolde loves hunting. We used to hunt all the time with Kaine. Why would she need to beg him to take her along?”

Dominic chuckled, shaking his head as he leaned back. “You’re cute when you’re clueless.”

The sound of a mug shattering pulled my attention away from the conversation, and I whirled my head in the direction of the sound to see Mr. Mason push himself away from the table, collapsing onto the floor as he wheezed and clutched his chest.

I hurried away from the counter, toward him, but as soon as I touched his shoulders, he flinched. “Get your hands off of me, you outcast!”

The harshness of his tone startled me.I really needed to start getting used to people talking to me like this.I ignored his tone, determined to help him back into his chair. By now, patrons in the diner were turning to watch the scene unfold.

I reached for Mr. Mason again, and this time, he shot me a glare with reddened eyes and snapped, “Do you want to kill me?”

“What—no! Let me help you, Mr. Mason,” I said softly, extending my hands once more but he swatted it away.

“Y—you put almond milk in my coffee?” he said, his voice a mix of disbelief and accusation.

I was confused. He has always loved almond milk. He never took his coffee with regular milk. It always had to be almond milk. Mr. Mason continued to clutch his chest and wheeze, refusing any help from me. Just then, Dominic swooped in, assisting him back into his chair.

His skin had reddened, and a rash began to develop. I had seen this before—when Leo ate pumpkin pie. He was allergic to pumpkin and it affected him similarly.

I was about to dash behind the counter to grab the emergency shifter first-aid kit when I saw Mr. Randolf rushing towards us, already holding a small vial. He helped Mr. Mason down the liquid, explaining, ‘It’s a concentrated antihistamine—it works faster than human meds.’ Moments after finishing it, Mr. Mason’s coughing and wheezing subsided, though he was still panting heavily.

He shot me a cold glare when he was feeling better. “Do you want to kill me?” he asked again, bellowing, and I was startled by the sudden intensity of his voice.

“Mr. Mason, I’m so sorry. I had no idea—”

“How could you know when you abandoned the pack all those years ago?” he spat, then turned to Mr. Randolf. “I don’t know why you hired her. My brother has stopped eating here, and so have several people from my neighborhood. She’s meant to be an outcast, exiled, or even dead—just like Jared.”

Mr. Mason sneered, pushing away from the chair and attempting to stand.

“You should sit back down, Mason,” Mr. Randolf urged, but he removed his hand from his grip.

“No! As long as this traitor,” he pointed his fingers to me, “is working here, I’m not going to be coming back.”

Mr. Mason grabbed his coat and wallet, limping out of the diner with the aid of his cane. When he was gone, I turned to Mr. Randolf whose gaze reflected both disappointment, and as usual, pity. Without him needing to say a word, I knew what was coming. He gestured for me to follow him to his office. As I turned, I found Dominic mouthing some soothing words tome. I forced a smile in his direction and continued toward Mr. Randolf’s office.

Once inside, he motioned for me to sit. A few moments of silence passed between us, and I wondered why he was making me go through this.He should just rip off the Band-Aid,I thought.

“Lyra,” he finally said, breaking the silence. “Today was…unacceptable. Something worse could have happened to Mason, then it would have been my fault because it's my dinner.”

I remained quiet, fiddling with my apron as I contemplated my already known fate.

“I don’t blame you, though,” he continued. “You could never have known. Mason used to love almond milk. But what happened tonight wasn’t just about an unintentional mistake; it’s about your presence here upsetting my customers and driving away my regulars. After what happened with his nephew Jared, Mason hasn’t been the same. He’s an influential man in this town and everything he says matters, including his calls for justice to be served to you as it was to his nephew.”

Realization dawned on me. Jared was Mr. Mason’s nephew, which explained why he had been cold toward me since my return, despite our good relationship back in the day. He was always happy, always smiling, spreading joy and encouraging others to do the same. But now, that man seemed like a distant memory.

“Look, Lyra, I know you have a son…”

I met Mr. Randolf’s gaze, which was filled with pity. I hated this. I hated being pitied.

I managed a half smile and said, “It’s all right, Mr. Randolf, you don’t have to say it. I understand.”

“I’m so sorry, Lyra,” he said earnestly. “Believe me, I don’t want this—”

“I know, I know,” I said softly, still smiling. “I understand, Mr. Randolf. Thank you for everything you’ve done.”

I left his office, feeling the weight of his eyes on me. As I passed through the kitchen, I caught a glimpse of Dominic waiting by the counter through the glass in the door. Not in the mood for a conversation, I took off my apron and exited through the back door.

The cold night air bit at my skin, but I hardly felt it, though my body shivered. I’d left my jacket in the diner by the counter because I was avoiding Dominic. My mind was lost in thought as I walked home, and my vision blurred as I tried to make sense of everything happening in my life right now.

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