Page 23 of Alpha's Runaway Mate

I didn’t know what had gotten into her today. She’d barely even said two words to me all day. Normally, we’d be whispering and giggling about tonight’s ceremony, imagining what my future as Luna would look like. But today, there was something different. There was a coldness in her eyes, a distance I hadn’t seen before.

“Isolde, are you okay?” I asked, walking over to her.

“Yeah. Just…tired,” she said, her voice flat and unconvincing.

I wanted to press her further, but before I could, the bell above the door chimed, and more customers streamed into the diner. Isolde quickly grabbed the menu and turned away, busying herself with taking orders. Something about her behavior felt off, but I let it go, deciding to take her word for it.

My shift ended early, thanks to Mr. Randolf, who let me go home to prepare for the ceremony. As I skipped along the path home, I felt my wolf buzzing inside me, her excitement a mirror of mine—like a live wire ready to spark. She’d been restless all day, pacing at the edges of my mind, her anticipation building with each passing hour.

Mate.She whispered through the bond, her voice clear in my head.

A smile tugged at my lips, my heart swelling at the word.Mate. That’s what Kaine would be, not just in name, but in every senseof the word. She practically danced with me as I hurried home to freshen up and change into the new dress I’d saved specially for this occasion.

Standing in front of the mirror, I bit my lips, debating on what to do with my hair. My fingers fidgeted with a strand, unsure whether to leave it down like I always did, or try something different. My wolf stirred impatiently, pushing me with an opinion of her own.

Up,she urged, her voice playful but insistent.Do something different for him.

I glanced at the ivory satin dress that flowed effortlessly down my body, clinging to my curves just enough for me to feel elegant. Smiling, I grabbed a few hairpins, deciding to wear my hair up. Tonight was going to be a new beginning for me, after all.

*****

By the time I arrived at the pack headquarters, the place was already swirling with people. It was difficult to spot Kaine in the sea of faces and my height was doing me no favors. I managed to squeeze through the crowd, weaving my way to the front of the quarters where I finally caught sight of Kaine.

A smile touched my lips as I took in the breathtaking sight of him. He stood tall, exuding authority in his intricately woven tunic, made of midnight black fabric and accentuated with silver embroidery that traced the ancient symbols of the pack. The high collar framed his strong jawline, while a thick leather belt clinched his waist, bearing the Ironclaw crest at its center.Draped over his broad shoulders was a wolf pelt, a mark of his lineage and strength. His brown hair, normally a wavy mess, was slicked back today, glistening under the light of the full moon.

The smile on my lips slowly faded when Kaine’s eyes landed on me. Those piercing blue eyes which always held tenderness and warmth when they looked at me, now reflected nothing but emptiness. It was like staring into an endless void—hollow, stripped of warmth, as if whatever connection we’d once shared faded, leaving only a cold, unreachable emptiness.

My stomach twisted in knots. Something was wrong. I could feel it.

Suddenly, the whole gathering quieted. I glanced around and realized everyone was watching Kaine expectantly, waiting for his next move.

I would never have seen his next move coming, not in a million years.

Kaine stepped forward, stopping only a few inches away from me. “I cannot be with you,” he said, the words sharp as daggers.

“Wh—what?” I blinked back in confusion, wondering what had changed since last night to this moment.

“You’re not good enough for me, Lyra,” Kaine continued with a straight face. “You’re not worth the love of an Alpha. Lyra, you’re not worth my love.”

I reeled at his words which felt like a hard slap to the face. “Did I do something wrong?” My eyes watered. “I’m sorry, Kaine. I—I’m sorry if I…please, Kaine, don’t do this to me.”

He remained silent, offering no attempt to refute any of the words he had just said.

Refusing to believe everything, I shook my head, saying, “You can’t do that…you’re my mate. We’re supposed to be together, Kaine. It’s our fate.”

“I do not wish for my fate to be tied to yours anymore. I’m rejecting you as my mate, Lyra Winters.”

The moment those words left his mouth, my chest tightened and my wolf howled in agony. I could feel her presence growing weaker, as if his rejection wasn’t just breaking my heart, but crushing her spirit, too. I stumbled back, clutching my chest as if I could somehow hold my heart together. It felt as though a part of me was ripped away, the part that was supposed to complete me…make me feel whole.

My heart trembled in an agony foreign to me. I had experienced grief before, when my father died, and I thought that was the worst feeling in the world. But this—this pain surpassed it. It was a grief unlike any other, threatening to swallow me whole. It felt as if a part of my soul had been shattered with the very enunciation of those words, leaving behind a raw, pulsating hurt.

At first, the gathering was eerily silent. Then murmurs began to ripple through the crowd, accompanied by looks of pity cast my way. The air became thick with humiliation and the overwhelming sense of despair that engulfed me. I wanted nothing more than for the earth to open and consume me. Tears flowed freely from my eyes, but even the sight of me breaking apart didn’t move Kaine. He just stood there…staring at me.

I couldn’t bear to be here any longer. I couldn’t bear to be anywhere around him. I whirled around and took to my heels, feeling my breath slip away with every stride. I allowed the anguish to take over as I raced down the empty streets, the world blurring into a haze of sorrow. As I reached the edge of the woods, I felt my wolf rise to the surface, tugging at me to let her free. And in one fluid movement, I shifted and howled into the night— a sound of both pain and anger—before dashing into the woods with great speed. I didn’t know where I was going, only that I needed to run, to escape this unbearable pain.

But my escape was quickly overshadowed by a wave of nausea and dizziness that struck me. I pushed myself to continue running but with each step, my legs weakened. This feeling eating through me was akin to death. I didn’t know the feeling of death but I imagined that it could not be worse than this.

My eyes began to flutter close and I slowed down, just enough to catch my breath. But darkness closed in around me. And before I realized what was happening, I collapsed to the ground and the darkness enveloped me.

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