Page 20 of Alpha's Runaway Mate

“Am I? You're a wise man, Kaine—I know you thought about it.”

I didn’t just think about it, I felt it. Yet, hearing it now struck me like a blow. Lyra couldn’t have kept my child from me for six years… could she?

“You can’t trust her, Kaine. Your entire pack is at stake if you do.” With that final warning, she retreated into the shadows, leaving me standing in the darkness, reeling from the shock of her revelation.

Chapter Eight — Lyra’s POV

“You seem to be enjoying this,” Mr. Randolf commented cheerfully, watching as I maneuvered through the diner, arms full of used dishes and empty coffee mugs.

“I am enjoying this,” I replied to him with a smile. “It feels normal. And easy.”Unlike life.

Mr. Randolf chuckled. “Well, keep it up. I’m heading inside now—got a bit of a headache, but I just need to sleep it off. I trust you can handle things?”

I shook my head in affirmation.

“And if you need help with anything, Isolde’s right over there,” he added.

I glanced over my shoulder, toward the counter where Isolde stood, glaring at me with that cold expression I’d now gotten used to. I still couldn’t figure out why she was so mad at me. Six years ago, she was the one who helped me run away. How did she go from that to this icy, hostile version of herself?

“Go ahead, Mr. Randolf,” I said, turning back to him. “I’ll call you when it’s time to close, though it doesn’t look like that will be anytime soon.” A group of men trooped in, adding to the already packed diner.

Evenings at the diner were always the busiest. Around this time, there were a lot of people either coming off work or just meeting friends. That hadn’t changed, though I hoped the fighting and quarreling had lessened. Usually, crowds like this stirred up trouble. Mr. Randolf always tried his best to keep the peace,banning anyone who caused a fight. It never quite stopped it, but it did reduce the fighting significantly, but not so much the quarreling.

Mr. Randolf headed inside, and I went over to get the orders of the men who just walked in. Something about the way one of them nudged the others as I approached made my skin crawl. But I’d been a waiter for years, and I’d dealt with men like these before. If I could handle Rogers and Matt, I could handle these guys.

“Welcome to the Moonlit Grill. What can I get you?” I said with a tight smile, gesturing to the menu on the table, before handing them a copy of our daily specials. They all seemed disinterested in the menu, except for one who immediately grabbed it, flipping through it like a starved man.

“I know you from somewhere,” one of them said, the tallest, eyes roaming over me with unsettling interest. “You new in town?”

“Eh—sort of,” I replied, pointing to the menu to steer the conversation back to business. “What would you like to order?”

“Ah! That’s right!” Recognition flashed in his eyes. “It’s you! You’re the Rejected Mate!”

How great. My reputation now precedes me, no thanks to Kaine.

He leaned in, far too close, a wolfish grin on his scarred face. “Why don’t you sit with us for a bit? I’m sure your colleague over there can handle things. After all, she’s the only one here most nights.” He jutted his chin toward the counter, and I turned to see Isolde staring at us. She seemed to have caught onto what was happening.

“I’m sorry, but I've got work to do,” I said it like a recitation, having gotten used to men hitting on me. “If you’re not going to order, I’ll have to move on to other customers.”

“Come on now, don’t be like that. We just want to talk…see where the night takes us,” he smirked, and his goons chuckled. “We promise, we don’t bite…unless you want us, too.” Tall guy winked, and a wave of irritation passed through me.

I was seconds away from smashing a mug against his head. But instead, I kept my tone polite. “Thanks, but I’ve got work to do.”

As I turned to leave, his hand shot out to grab my wrist. Startled, I flinched, trying to shake off his grip, but he held onto me tightly. My teeth gritted, my heart pounding with the need to shove him across the room.

“Get your hands off me,” I demanded, trying to keep my voice low in order not to attract the attention of the other patrons in the diner. It was a futile effort, as heads had already begun to swing in our direction.

Still, the man didn’t let up. “You let the Alpha bang you and then reject you. I’d say you’re a pretty used commodity, woman. Now stop playing hard to get and sit your ass down.”

That was it. I was going to break this idiot’s nose. But someone beat me to it. Before I could react, tall guy was clutching his bleeding nose, staring in horror at the person responsible.

“Didn’t you hear the lady? She said back off,” Dominic growled between tight lips, glaring at the others with a dangerous edge.

Tall guy jumped to his feet, fuming with rage as he prepared to retaliate. Quickly, I inserted myself between him and Dominic, trying to prevent an all-out brawl.

“Okay, let’s try to calm down—”

I didn’t get to complete the statement. Tall guy shoved me aside, muttering something along the lines of “out of my way bitch”, and lunged at Dominic by slamming his fists into his face. Dominic’s eyes flashed, his wolf barely restrained. Fists flew, and before I knew it, tables were getting knocked over. The diner erupted in chaos. Tall guy and his goons attacked Dominic all at once, but there were too many for him to handle alone. I jumped in, catching the arm of one of the men swinging his fists Dominic’s way, and landed a punch on his face.

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