Page 25 of Alpha's Runaway Mate

“Were you ever going to tell me?” His voice was hoarse, laced with disbelief and pain.

I remained silent.

“Were you ever going to tell me, Lyra?” He shouted furiously, a deep growl emanating from his chest.

I flinched at the force of his voice. I wanted to lie, to give him some hope that I would have—that I planned to. But the truth was, the thought of telling him had never once crossed my mind. Sure, I imagined what it would be like for Leo to know his father, and for us to live like a family, but I’d never really envisioned the moment when I would confess to Kaine that I’d had kept his son from him for six years because I had no intention of ever telling him. Guilt washed over me as my gaze dropped to the ground. I whispered, the words so small yet heavy. “No.”

“No?” His sharp inhale cut through the air like a blade. “You were just going to let me live the rest of my life without knowing I have a son?!”

Tears clouded my vision. “Y–you don’t un—understand—”

“Understand what?” he roared. “What is there to understand, Lyra?”

The harshness in his voice sent a shiver down my spine, but it was the heartbreak beneath it that cut me the deepest. “Kaine, please…keep your voice down. I don’t want Leo to find out like this.”

He scoffed incredulously. “You didn’t tell him? You didn’t even tell our son that his father is still alive?”

“I—I…” Words failed me.

“His first words, his first step, birthdays, scraped knees, laughter—you stole that from me.” His voice cracked, and tears shimmered in his eyes. “How could you? How could you let me miss everything?”

The hurt in his voice was unmistakable, and in that moment, I felt like the worst person in the world for hearing him state the obvious. “I didn’t have a choice, Kaine.”

“There’s always a choice, Lyra,” he said bitterly. “And you took that choice from Leo. From both of us.”

“What was I supposed to do?” I whisper-yelled in frustration, the tears now flowing freely from my eyes. “I found out I was pregnant on the worst night of my life. You had just rejected me. Do you think I was thrilled about being a mother? I was alone, heartbroken, and terrified. It was a necessary choice, Kaine,” I whimpered. “I wasn’t thinking about how it would affect you or even myself. All I knew was I wanted to keep my child. You’d made it clear that you didn’t want me, and the last thing I wanted was to tie you to me through our baby.”

My chest heaved with the weight of everything I’d carried for so long as the words rushed out. I didn’t like to think about that night, much less talk about it, because that was the beginning of the most horrific year of my life. The memories hit me like a tidal wave. I ended up recounting how shattered I’d felt that night, how I’d wanted to escape my pain only to receive the biggest shock of my life—I was pregnant with his child. I explained how I had no choice but to flee. I couldn’t bear the thought of terminating my child because that was the reality I was faced with. Though I left out the part of my capture. That was a pain I wasn’t yet ready to relive. Not now. Not ever.

Kaine had kept his head down during my emotional outburst, but when I finally finished, he lifted it and I noticed his gaze had shifted. The fury that had darkened his eyes moments before had faded, replaced by something softer—pity, and perhaps regret.

I shook my head vigorously, biting my lips to suppress a sob. “No, no, Kaine. Don’t look at me like that. I don’t want your pity.” I wanted him to see my strength, not my vulnerability. His sympathy felt suffocating, so I averted my gaze. “I’m not asking for your remorse. I just need you to understand.”

“I did this to you, Lyra.” His voice was wracked with emotion. In all the years I’d known him, I’d never seen him this vulnerable. “How could I…” he trailed off, and in an instant, he was holding my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. “God, I’m sorry, Lyra. I’m sorry for betraying you, I’m sorry for making you feel like you didn’t have a choice. I’m sorry for all the things you went through and for never being there for you… for our son. The last thing I ever wanted was to hurt you.”

“Then why did you?” I asked the question that had haunted me since the day he rejected me. “Why did you reject me, Kaine?”

The air between us cackled with emotions we had buried for too long, but before he could answer the question, the door flew open and Maddy rushed outside frantically as she said in a panic. “Leo!” she gasped, her face pale. “He’s—something’s happening around him!”

Fear surged through me. Without any words, Kaine and I bolted into the house, heading for Leo’s room. When we got to the room, Leo was thrashing in bed, his little body convulsing violently as though unseen forces were tearing him apart from within. His eyes flickered open, glowing faintly gold with a strange and otherworldly glow. Panic seized my heart as I rushed to his side, kneeling beside him, stroking his hair, whispering soothing words that barely masked my fear. As soon as I touched him, the thrashing stopped, and his body stilled. I had longed for the day Leo would show his first signs of wolf, but this…this was something else. Confusion clouded my mind, and fear swelled within me as I struggled to make sense of it. It wasn’t until Leo’s erratic breathing stopped that I felt Kaine’s hand on my shoulder, his other hand resting gently on Leo’s forehead. He tried to comfort me with a reassuring smile, but I could see the concern in his eyes. He felt the same fear that gripped me.

*****

I sat in the living room in a fog from the emotional exhaustion and turmoil I’d felt tonight. My hands trembled as I reached for the glass of water on the coffee table—Kaine had brought it for me after the long hour we spent by Leo’s side. I had alreadysent Maddy home with her pay. I was so fixated on the flickering candlelight in the living room that I didn’t even notice when the electricity returned. It wasn’t until he gently tapped my shoulder that I realized the living room was bright with light.

“Are you okay, Lyra?” Kaine asked softly, worry in his voice.

I blinked back into awareness and shook my head. “Thank you for fixing the lights,” I muttered. I thought I would have to call the town’s electrician, but Kaine had handled it, sparing me the trouble and expense.

I completely forgot the glass of water was on my lap, and as I stood up absentmindedly, it slipped from my grasp, crashing to the floor and shattering into sharp pieces. The sound jolted me out of my haze, but it also sent my already fragile emotions spiraling. Avoiding Kaine’s gaze, I knelt down to gather the broken pieces.

“What are you doing, Lyra? You’ll cut yourself,” Kaine said, reaching to pull me away, but I stayed stubbornly in place.

“It’s fine. I can handle—ow!” A shard of glass sliced my finger and I flinched as pain shot through me.

“I told you not to worry about the glass, Lyra,” Kaine said, a hint of frustration in his voice. “Come on.” He gently guided me to the kitchen, turned on the tap and held my hand under the cool water.

We stood in silence as the water washed away the blood.

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