Page 14 of Alpha's Runaway Mate

Kaine’s jaw clenched, his eyes darkening in frustration. “It’s not like that, Lyra. You don’t know the full story.”

“The full story?” I snapped. “What other story is there other than the one everyone in the pack knows? Kaine rejected his mate, and if you thought he couldn’t get any more cruel than that, he found her, saved her, then bound her to a territory to watch him get married to another woman. Did I miss anything? Huh?” My voice was venomous, trembling with rage.

His nostrils flared, but he didn’t back down. “I had to bind you to the pack. If not, you were going to leave. Again.”

“And why do you care if I leave?” I barked angrily, feeling all the bottled-up rage spill over. “When have you ever cared about anybody but yourself?”

“Can you just stop?” Kaine barked in return, and I recoiled as if he had struck me, my breath catching in my throat. “You had no fucking idea what I went through, too, Lyra. You disappeared! You left me wondering for years, not knowing if you were dead or alive. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep a wink. I scoured the woods and beyond, day and night, searching for you, hopingand praying that you would come back so I could explain why. But you didn’t, Lyra. You turned your back on me like I meant nothing to you.”

“You rejected me, Kaine!” I shouted, my voice shaking with the force of my anger. “You made me feel worthless, like I wasn’t enough for you! And then you moved on, and found someone else while I…” My voice cracked, and I tried to blink back the tears that were threatening to spill but it only unleashed them. “While I was trapped in hell, trying to survive.”

For a moment, Kaine was silent, his chest rising and falling heavily as he stared at me, his light blue eyes dark with emotions. Then he stepped forward, his voice low as he spoke, “I didn’t want any of this. I didn’t want to move on. Hell, I couldn’t. Because not a single day went by in the last six years where I didn’t think of you.”

I stared at him, my heart aching as his words cut through me like a knife. I wanted to believe him, I wanted to think that he had suffered as much as I had. But how could I, when he’d stood there, ready to marry another woman?

“How do you expect me to believe that?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “How do you expect me to believe that you ever cared for me?”

Kaine’s expression softened, his frustration melting away into something more…something deeper. He took another step toward me, right into my personal space, and I found myself unable to move. My head was screaming at me to take to my heels, run away from him, and never look back. But I did nothing of that sort. Even when he reached out, gently brushing against my cheek, caressing it softly, I remained fixed to one spot. My wolf stirred, a low growl rumbling deep within me. Her instinctswere protective and wary, a twinge of fear reminding her of the pain he’d caused us.

“I care about you, Lyra. I never stopped caring about you. Not for a single second. I still think about you every night. I still want you. More than anything.”

His words washed over me, causing my breath to hitch and making my heart pound wildly in my chest. Kaine’s second hand reached out and slid around my waist. My body betrayed me by responding to his touch despite the turmoil inside of me.

“Kaine…” I whispered, my voice trembling with a mix of longing and fear. His face was so close to mine now, and for a moment, I forgot all about it—the mating ceremony, Juniper, the rejection, the last six years. There was only Kaine, me, and the undeniable pull between us.

I felt the entire world fade behind me as he leaned down, our foreheads touching. His eyes searched mine as though he was seeking permission to go further. And dare I say, he found the answers he wanted. Just as his lips were about to touch mine, a voice cut through the moment like a blade.

“Kaine.”

We jumped apart immediately, our eyes darting to the source of the interruption.

“What do you want, Dominic?” Kaine said, his voice sharp with evident irritation at the intrusion.

“The elders want to speak to you,” Dominic said, a brow lifted at the compromising situation he had just found us in.

I met Dominic’s eyes for a brief moment, and something flickered in it. Judgment, maybe? He didn’t look surprised. He was probably expecting something like this since Kaine had just left Juniper at the altar. Now that I think about it, Kaine might be making a hobby out of humiliating women.

His gaze turned to me again, his eyes locking with mine for a final second. His eyes said what he didn’t: this wasn’t over.

And I knew as he walked away, that it wasn’t.

Chapter Six — Lyra’s POV

I had come to terms with my fate now—I was trapped in Crescent Valley by the cloaking spell. The fact that the Blackwoods hadn't already stormed the town with their army meant that they didn’t know where I was. And thanks to the spell, they never would. I never imagined I would find myself back here after all these years. But here I was, back where it all began, trying to piece together a life I thought I’d left behind, starting over in the place I’d once called home.

I was still pissed at Kaine. First, for pushing Salome to bind me to this place, and then for attempting to kiss me at his own wedding. Ironic, considering I wasn’t the bride. I kept relaying the moment in my mind. The moment his eyes locked onto mine, the feel of his hand around my waist, and the way his lips hovered just inches above mine. I know it is never wise to fall back into bed with a man who made you feel worthless, but I found that I had no control of my body or my emotions when he was around me. He infuriated me beyond words. I’d never felt rage like I did when I was with him. And yet, with just his touch, I melted into a puddle of longing, every ounce of resistance in me crumbling. I couldn’t help but feel like this place was swallowing me whole, forcing me to confront everything I’d tried so hard to leave behind.

I let out a deep sigh, shaking my head.I’ve got to stay away from Kaine.Just because I was bound to Crescent Valley didn’t mean I had to speak with him. In fact, since I’d now moved to my house—the place where I grew up—which was on the far side of town, I had no reason to see him again. Unless we happened to cross paths at the market, the grocery store, or any othercommon ground. But I was determined to avoid him. At all costs.

“Mommy?” Leo’s small voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Blinking, I shifted my gaze from the window I’d been staring at.

“Hey, baby.” My face broke into a grin as I enveloped him in a hug. Leo was the one thing keeping me sane since Kaine had reentered my life, driving me all kinds of crazy.

“Are you okay, Mommy? You’ve been standing by the window for a long time.”

I glanced at my father’s old wristwatch on my wrist and I mentally recoiled. “A long time” was an understatement. I’d completely lost track of time.

Shaking off the fog, I gave Leo a reassuring smile. “I’m fine, baby.”

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