Page 44 of Alpha's Runaway Mate

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Dominic’s words reverberated in my mind throughout the evening, relentless and unyielding.Duty. Personal gratification.Even my attempt to clear my head by going for a run proved futile. I had moved past the shock that someone I trusted could hurt me like this. My reality had altered, leaving me to question everything I knew about Dominic Wilder—my cousin.

Panting, I leaned against a tree to catch my breath. Disbelief had transcended into anger, but beneath it all was that all-consuming ache in my chest—a deep, raw wound that would never heal. It was a familiar pain, one I had felt when I lost my father. It was also grief, because in a way, I’d lost my cousin.

Although I was lost in thoughts of grief and disbelief, the unmistakable snap of a twig caught my attention, drawing me back to a stark reality: I wasn’t alone. Another crack echoed from my right, and my muscles tensed as I whirled my head in the direction of the sound. Whoever it was did well to mask its presence under the thick bushes and the darkness of the night.I rose slowly, moving cautiously, each of my senses heightened as I scanned the forest for the faintest hint of movement. My gaze pierced through the shadows of the night, but even with my impeccable vision, I saw nothing.This person was clever.

My sharp hearing kicked in as I heard another twig snapping to my left, this time quieter, like whoever was closing on didn’t want to be detected. I crouched lower, in an attempt to mask myself as well. Eyes narrowed, my gaze cut through the darkness with trained precision and I finally spotted it—a flash of dark fur moved through the bushes stealthily. It was a wolf, midnight black, nearly matching my size. Its scent reached me before its eyes did, along with an unmistakable wave of aggression, an intense ferocity it no doubt clearly targeted at me.

In a split second, the wolf lunged at me from the shadows, slamming into me and knocking me flat. I caught its jaw just as its sharp fangs came within a breath of my throat. Hot saliva splattered across my cheeks as I exerted my strength to hold it down. Its eyes were filled with nothing but an intent to kill me, glowing a deep red, accentuated by unnatural streaks of black. This was no ordinary wolf. It had a vicious strength, something twisted and powerful, and that gleam in its eyes left no doubt—it was driven by something. I had seen this before with Jared.Dark magic.

Desperately, he snapped his jaw violently with a violence that shook me, thrashing as he tried to get out of my grip. His fangs raked my hand, slicing deep, but I remained steady, summoning every ounce of strength in me to shove him off. He landed only a few inches away, and was on his feet almost immediately, charging at me with renewed fury. This time, I sidestepped, though not enough, as his claws scratched down my side. Pain seared down my ribs, but I ignored it, clenching my fists. As hecame at me again, I landed a blow to his jaw, enough to send him stumbling, but the wolf didn’t back down. He snarled, a guttural sound that shook the trees. And then he lunged, this time faster, his jaws snapping toward my throat with a force that brought us both to the ground.

I barely dodged, but it was clear now—if I kept fighting like this, I wouldn’t survive. I needed more, I needed my wolf.

Without hesitation, I let the shift take me, feeling my muscles stretch and my bones cracked, as my human form gave way. My midnight black fur bristled to life, and my claws extended, digging into the soil. The moment my paws hit the ground, a surge of power roared through me, and everything became sharper.

The wolf’s eyes flashed with surprise but he didn’t falter. I was even larger, faster, and smarter than him. I anticipated his next move before he made it, catching him midair as leaped, and hurling him against a tree. The impact made him shriek and crash to the ground. Unlike previous times, when he sprang back into action without hesitation, this time he remained down.

I seized the opportunity to attack, kicking his jaw as he fell on its back. He was on his feet again in an instant, launching himself at me once more. We collided as I threw my weight against him. My next move was to lock my jaws around his neck, sinking my fangs into his skin. The wolf yelped, thrashing violently, as he tried to break from my grip. In an attempt to get me off it, he scratched at my sides, his claws tearing my flesh. Blood gushed out, but I didn’t relent despite the searing pain. Its struggles began to weaken, and with a final surge, I flung him to the ground and drove my claws into his belly. The wolf’s movement ceased, his chest heaving as his form shifted back to a humanone. I stepped back as the man lay breathing slowly, blood pooling around him. He was a stranger, someone I’d never seen before.

I shifted back to human form, my breath ragged from exhaustion. “Who are you?” I demanded, positioning my claws at his neck, ready to deliver my final strike by ripping out his jugular.

The man spluttered up some blood, but he smiled—a dark, twisted grin, his red eyes gleaming with a smug satisfaction that confused me.

“Too late, Alpha,” he rasped, the words coming out as a guttural whisper. “They’re already here.”

My brow furrowed deeply, knitting together in a tight line. “Who? Who’s here?”

He smirked, a gleam of triumph in his eyes as he forced out his final words. “The Blackwoods.”

Chapter Twenty — Lyra’s POV

One quiet evening, that’s all I wanted. An evening where the patrons of the diner weren’t shooting me cold glares, one where I didn’t have to deal with my best friend resenting me, one with no tangled emotions to do with Kaine, and one without wrestling with the reality of being a hybrid mother to a hybrid child. This evening had been just that—calm and undisturbed.

Leo and I were having a dinner of burgers and fries. He worked on the puzzle, his small face scrunched in concentration. It was an assignment Kaine had given him, while my own nose was buried in one of my father’s old journals I’d recently found. My father didn’t write often, and his entries were scattered, but I knew he liked to capture the good moments. According to him, it helped him hold on to the good memories when things turned dark.

A shrill cry cut through the evening, distant, yet still eerily close, and my head snapped up. It wasn’t like the usual sounds of children playing in the moonlight. This was different. It was a high-pitched scream that tore through the air, raw and trembling, carrying a primal terror that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. The scream was followed by a chaotic clamor, which amplified the dread rising inside of me.

l could see the terror mirrored in Leo’s wide-eyed stare. His eyes searched mine, as if I might have the answers.

“Stay here,” I whispered, brushing a hand over his head, hoping to reassure us both. But my cold touch likely did nothing.

I headed to the door, glancing over my shoulder to see Leo watching me, his eyes wide with expectation. I offered him a small, reassuring smile before swinging the door open and quickly shutting it again.

I was hurrying down the steps of the porch when I spotted Maddy sprinting toward her house a few blocks away. She looked terrified, clutching the hem of her floral dress as if it were her lifeline. She had mentioned she had a date earlier but something had clearly gone wrong.

“Maddy!” I called out, rushing toward her as she came to an abrupt halt.

When she turned, her eyes wide with fear met mine before darting around in search of something or someone—I couldn’t tell. Her face was ghostly pale, as though all the blood had drained away. Her breathing came in panicked, frantic bursts, her chest heaving with each gasp. The worry I was feeling tripled instantly.

“Maddy, what’s going on?” I asked, my voice low, as if dreading her reply.

The dread was justified when she answered. “There’s been an invasion,” she said in a broken, breathless gasp. “The Blackwoods.”

The name hit me like a bolt, paralyzing me as I felt all the blood drain away from my own face. A cold, creeping dread settled in my bones, and a single relentless thought pounded in my head:They’ve found me.

Maddy didn’t waste another second. She gathered her dress in her hand and took to her heels. Without hesitation myself, Idashed back to the house, bursting through the front door with a panic that had Leo springing to his feet.

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