Page 59 of Alpha's Runaway Mate

She lunged, her claws aimed straight at me in a desperate, furious attack. But I was stronger now, not just physically, but in resolve. My instincts kicked in, and I sidestepped the attack, catching Isolde’s wrists with a steady hand and holding her in place.

“ Enough, Isolde!” I snarled, my voice echoing with a ferocity that made her freeze. “Leave Crescent Valley. Leave the pack. And never return. Because if you do, I promise you, Isolde—I’ll make sure your suffering is a thousand times worse than death.”

I shoved her away, releasing her with a force that sent her staggering back. She hit the ground, glaring up at me with wide, disbelieving eyes. For the first time, I saw fear there, but not the kind that made me feel victorious. It only deepened the ache in my chest, the sharp grief of knowing this was the end of something we once cherished.

For a long moment, we stared at each other, the years of friendship and trust between us lying in ruins. Everything wehad, everything we were, had been reduced to rubble by her choices.

With one last look, I turned away, the weight of grief settling in my chest. I hadn’t just lost a friend—I had lost a sister.

******

The next few weeks were filled with rebuilding the pack, forging new alliances, and strengthening old ones. Despite the tragedy that had struck Ironclaw, a sense of unity blossomed in the town. Things began returning to normal, with a shared resilience born from the tragedy.

One day, I visited Mr. Randolf, who was reconstructing the diner that had been destroyed in the Blackwood raid. To my surprise, he included me in the redesign, saying, “This place could use a touch of modernization.” He asked me to oversee the reconstruction, as his age no longer afforded him the energy he had once had. He told me he trusted my judgment on the matter. The diner, older than I was, had always been a fixture in town, but it took the raid to finally spark a change.

As the builders dismantled the old countertop, nostalgia hit, and my thoughts briefly drifted to Isolde and Dominic—the ones I once trusted. But I quickly shook the thoughts off. Isolde had left as I asked, and Dominic had vanished without a trace. Either way, they were both part of the past now.

Most of my days were spent at the diner, overseeing its reconstruction, which was progressing well. In the evenings, I was with Leo, either taking him to the pack grounds where the children played and listened to moonlight tales from theolder women or staying indoors, talking about the things that fascinated him.

Today was just like that. I sat beside Leo’s bed, watching his chest rise and fall as he drifted off to sleep. We had been laughing over a silly scenario—what if all the food we ate could talk—before he finally dozed off. I kissed his hair gently and then quietly slipped out of the room, closing the door behind me.

As I moved through the living room, I gathered up his scattered toys. My gaze landed on the completed puzzle of Alpha Fenris, and a faint smile tugged at my lips. After tidying up, I took a shower and then headed to bed.

I was already deep asleep when I felt the bed dip under someone’s weight. I didn’t need to open my eyes to know who it was. The familiar scent of cedarwood and a faint trace of smoky sandalwood told me everything.

A kiss pressed to my forehead, and I turned in the bed to rest my head on his chest. “How did the meeting with the Betas go?” I mumbled, my eyes still closed.

“I’m sorry I woke you,” Kaine said, his voice soft. “I thought I was being gentle.”

“You were,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. “I’m just a light sleeper.” I finally opened my eyes, lifting my head to meet his gaze. The moonlight streamed through the window, casting a soft glow over Kaine’s face. He smiled at me, his hair a tousled mess falling over his forehead. He’d been working tirelessly to broker an alliance between the Ironclaw Pack and the Blackwoods.

When a werewolf kills an Alpha, there’s an immediate shift in power. Having killed the Alpha of the Blackwood pack, I inherited his status. It made sense to assume leadership, given my connection to the pack—my real father was a Blackwood and a Beta. But I had no interest in leading a pack that had caused me nothing but pain. That’s where the political meetings came in.

An alliance needed to be formed between the two packs to maintain peace, and with a new leader, that became possible. Of course, there were still many hurdles to overcome—like the resistance within Ironclaw, especially from those who couldn’t stomach an alliance with the pack that had killed some of our own.

Kaine let out a deep sigh. “There was a breakthrough today. The Betas are already planning a formal gathering to celebrate the alliance. But first, I’ll need to address the pack, show them that it’s better to keep the peace than to be at war. Because in war, everybody loses.”

I smiled at him, leaning up to kiss his lips. “You're a great leader, Kaine. And a good man.”

He returned my smile, before pulling me in for a deeper kiss, one that quickly turned into something more, a thing of passion—raw and pure. Our clothes were discarded haphazardly as we lost ourselves in each other for the rest of the night.

Sated, I lay beside him, naked, my head resting on his chest, my fingers tracing circles along his skin. I could sense he was wide awake, his arm resting behind his head. The slow, uneven rise and fall of his breath told me something was making him uneasy.

“What’s on your mind?” I whispered.

His reaction was to climb out of the bed abruptly and take a few paces back and forth before stopping. “I’m tired of waiting,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

I sat up in confusion. “Waiting for what?”

“Waiting for the right moment… I don’t know when that’s going to come. And every day that passes, with this box in my pocket…” He let out a frustrated breath.

My brow furrowed. “What box, Kaine?”

He bent over to reach for his jeans. As he pulled something from his pocket, he hesitated, staring at it for a moment before turning back to me. “I don’t know if this is ideal—doing this at two a.m. in your room with our clothes all over the place.” His hand was holding a small black box. My heart skipped a beat. “But I am tired of waiting.”

Kaine dropped to one knee, but then paused, muttering to himself. “No, it’s the other…” He shifted to his left knee and opened the box, revealing a silver ring.

I gasped quietly, my hands covering my mouth.

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