Page 51 of Alpha's Runaway Mate

The warning in my eyes seemed to mean nothing anymore, as she let her hand settle on my cheek, caressing with a tenderness that felt all too intimate. I stiffened, my thoughts flashing back to Lyra, and for a second. I imagined her touch—warm, gentle, her smile that always made me feel at ease, the way her hair framed her face when she laughed. I imagined everything that had made me fall in love with her.

Except that the woman in front of me wasn’t her.

My chest tightened, a storm of conflicting emotions brewing inside me. Before I could even react, Isolde’s lips brushed mine, a fleeting kiss that left me frozen in place.

Shock and anger surged through me as my eyes flew open. I gripped her hair, tighter than I intended, and yanked her back, pushing her so forcefully that she stumbled and hit the ground.

“What the hell are you doing, Isolde?” My voice was a low growl, filled with a disbelief and disgust I couldn’t hide.

She picked herself up, her expression twisting into something cold and bitter. “Have you ever stopped to think that maybe…maybe this is a good thing, Kaine?” Her voice was now venomous, her words laced with a biting edge. “With Lyra gone, there are people willing to accept you again. She’s your only flaw—a perfect man like you cannot allow a woman like her to be your weakness, Kaine. And thank the Moon Goddess, she is gone. All she’s done is bring trouble to you and the pack, and now she’s out of the picture. Can’t you see, Kaine? This is what’s best.”

I blinked back, stunned into silence at her words, which hit me like a blow to the chest. I could only stare at her, struggling to understand how this was the same woman who’d once been Lyra’s friend. I remembered how Lyra had always gone out of her way to make sure Isolde never felt left out—always inviting her to our sparring and hunting sessions. She always spoke of her with admiration, a love that was pure and unwavering. I had always kept Isolde at arm’s length, not for any specific reason other than a gut feeling. Now, I finally understood why.

She let out a harsh laugh at my reaction, standing up straighter, her gaze defiant as she moved toward me. She lifted her hand to touch my face again, but this time, I caught her wrist, stopping her cold.

“If you need someone,” she murmured, her voice laced with desperation, “if you need someone to satisfy you, I’m here, Kaine. I’ve always been here, waiting. Six years I have waited for you to see me. Why don’t you?”

“Because I love her,” I said, my voice fierce, unwavering. “With every fiber of my being. And she would never—” I gave her a once over, disgust curling my lip. “She would never stoop this low,”

A flicker of pain crossed her face. “Even in the face of death, you still think about her.”

I released her wrist with a force that made her stumble back. “Oh, I’m not going to die. Not tonight.”

Without another word, I turned around and walked away, my resolve hardening with every step. I’d fight for my position tonight—and I’d fight for Lyra. She was worth every battle, every scar. And I was going to make sure I won so I could bring her and my son home.

The time for the duel had arrived. I stepped onto the sandy center of the pack grounds, where Dominic was already waiting. All around us, the pack had gathered, their eyes filled with tense anticipation, expecting that only one of us would kill the other.

The announcer’s voice hadn’t even faded when Dominic lunged at me, claws bared, his speed a blur. His strike slashed across my shoulder, leaving a sharp, searing line of pain. But it wasn’t the sting in my shoulder that enraged me—it was the look in his eyes. The twisted satisfaction in his smile as blood seeped from the cut. Rage flared within me, a rage ignited by the brutality of his attack, as though he saw me as nothing more than a parasite he wanted to crush.

I sidestepped Dominic’s next attack, dodging his wild swings as he came at me relentlessly, barely pausing for a breath. We moved around in circles, eyes locked on each other, gauging the other’s next move. Dominic lunged again, and I met him head-on, our fists clashing with a brutal collision that shot a wave of pain through me. He drove his knee into my stomach, knocking the breath out of me, and as my grip loosened, he seized theopportunity to wrap an arm around my neck, his claws digging in until he drew blood.

“You fight like a coward,” he growled in my ear, tightening his grip until I could barely draw a breath.

At first, the people surrounding us howled and cheered, their voices rising with each move we made. But as the fight dragged on, their excitement waned—the cheers faltered, the howls faded. Soon, a heavy silence filled the air, settling over them as they began to grasp the sheer brutality of what was unfolding.

With a burst of strength, I ripped free from his hold, shoving him back with my elbow. Dominic staggered, but recovered instantly, launching another attack, which I dodged. His eyes gleamed with a wild predatory glint, turning red as his bones began to crack, muscles contorting as his transformation began. Within seconds, he shifted, his wolf form a hulking mass of anger, his fur dark and bristling with aggression.

His snarl tore through the air, and before I could brace myself, he pounced, his fangs snapping inches away from my throat. I managed to dodge his fangs, but his claws raked across my chest, sending me to the ground as I yelped in pain.

I felt the pull—the instinctive urge of my wolf rising inside of me. Power surged through my veins and my bones began to stretch and reshape until my wolf emerged, standing tall with a fury blazing around me.

I leaped, going in for the attack, and so did he. We crashed onto the ground, our bodies locked in a brutal struggle, each straining against the other’s weight. Dominic dug his claws into my side, reopening the gash I’d barely had time to heal and a fresh wave of pain shot through my nerves. Blood soaked myfur, but despite it, I held my ground, my teeth snapping at his shoulder, forcing him away from me with a power shove. I only had a moment to recuperate as Dominic charged at me again. But this time, I was ready. I ducked low, using his momentum against him, and with a vicious swipe, I sent him sprawling to the ground, his howl of pain cutting through the night.

Dominic hastily scrambled back on all fours, panting heavily. His movements were now growing sloppier with each failed attack. Desperation fueled him, but it only made him reckless. Blood oozed from his wound, his strength fading, yet he refused to relent. He continued to throw all he had at me. But I knew his moves; we’d trained side by side too many times. I was patient, calculated, waiting for that crucial moment of weakness. And when it came, I struck.

I leaped into the air, crashing into him with full force, knocking him off balance. His underbelly and neck were left exposed, and in one ruthless move, I locked my jaw around his neck and tore. Blood trickled down my muzzle, gushing from his neck as Dominic whimpered, thrashing against my hold. But I bit down harder.

With the last of his strength, he jumped away and recoiled, leaving a trail of blood as he backed away, too weak to even stand. I approached him as he retreated. I slashed at his jaw, tearing into his fur and skin. More blood splattered all over the sandy ground. Dominic snarled, managing to parry away my next attack, but the movement barely left him standing, and with a sudden burst, I slammed into him and threw him off his legs. I put my paw around his neck, my claws digging into his already ruptured skin. One wrong move from him and I’d sink into his throat, ending this fight once and for all. He writhed beneath me, the hate in his eyes replaced by fear. I held on, pressingdown harder until his breaths became shallow, and his struggles weakened.

I shifted, keeping my weight firmly on him. Seconds later, his battered wolf form rippled, and he shifted into his human body.

With my knee pressed firmly against his chest, I had Dominic right where he would have wanted me. And looking at him, I knew without a doubt that if the situation were reversed, he would slit my throat in seconds, not minutes. The question wasn’t whether he hated me—it was whether his greed had twisted him so far that he’d sacrifice everything, even my life, to claim something that was never his to take.

It was a duel to the death, and Dominic was already broken—spitting out blood, too weak to even lift a finger. One strike, just one of my claws, and I could end it all. But as I looked at him, fragile and defenseless, the memory of the little boy he once was flashed before me. I couldn’t bring myself to kill him.

I shook my head, lifting my knee from his chest. Dominic gasped, blood spilling from his mouth. With a grimace, he spat out, “Coward.”

I had already begun to walk away, but his words stopped me in my tracks. I turned to find him clutching his stomach, wiping the blood from his lips. “Do it, Kaine!” he sneered. “Grow some fucking balls and finish it! I don’t need your pity.”

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