Page 37 of Alpha's Runaway Mate

Lyra’s sobs were soft, but they cut deep. She pulled away from my chest, wiping the tears from her swollen face. Her eyes were red. Still, she managed a smile—a small bittersweet smile thattwisted the knife in my chest. It was as if she was saying,don’t feel sorry for me.

“I hate to think about it, much less talk about it,” she said, her voice cracking as she sniffed. “I wished every night that the pain would numb—the pain of being alone, the thought that no one would come for me, and the agony they put me through. Even now, I wish I could just forget. I want it erased from my memory forever.”

A single tear slipped from her eyes, and I brushed it away with my thumb. “I hate that I wasn’t there, Lyra,” I whispered, my throat tight with the weight of guilt. “I hate that I let this happen to you. That you felt abandoned.”

I crouched in front of her, taking her hands in mine. “I am so sorry,” I rasped, my voice breaking under the weight of everything I felt. “If I could take it all away, I would. I’d feel every bit of it if it meant you didn’t have to. I swore I would protect you, but I—” My head fell. “I failed. I’m sorry…for betraying you. For everything.”

Her hand trembled in mine, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she held on, as if trying to find something in my words. Something to hold on to—something she could trust.

Everything became painfully clear. I understood why she would hate me, why she had every right to blame me. I had put her through the unimaginable, and the enormity of that truth crushed me. I couldn’t even stand to be in her presence right now. I didn’t deserve anything—her forgiveness or the care she showed to me.

I lowered my head, my gaze fixed on the ground as I turned to leave. But before I could take a step, her hand closed around my arm.

“Where are you going?” she asked, rising.

“Anywhere but here.”

“Hey,” she stepped in front of me, and her hands cupped my cheeks, gently turning my head to hers. “I know what you must be thinking, Kaine. And I’m thinking it, too. After everything that has happened, I shouldn’t be here with you. I should probably hate you—but I don’t. Believe me, I wanted to. You’ve made me second-guess everything. You’ve made me feel like I need to change, to be more, just to be enough for you. And I hate that. I hate how you make me feel sometimes. But despite all of that, I can’t stay away from you.”

“Lyra—” I started, but she cut me off.

“I can’t tell you how to feel about this. But if there’s a positive to take from all of it, it’s that I pulled through. And not just me. Leo, too.”

She stood on her tiptoes, and even then she wasn’t tall enough. With a determined tug, she hooked an arm around my neck, pulling me down until our lips met. “Stay the night, Kaine,” she whispered against my mouth.

“I don’t want it to seem like I’m taking advantage of the situation,” I said, my voice strained. “You’ve just bared your vulnerability to me.”

“And now I want to forget.” She bit my ear lobe, sending a jolt of sensation straight to my shaft as she whispered, “Make meforget, Kaine. About Salome, about the Blackwoods, about being a hybrid—about everything. Even if it’s just for tonight.”

Every part of me wanted to wrap my arms around her waist, press my lips to hers, and kiss her until all she could think about was the desperate need to have me inside of her. But something felt off, and I held back.

Lyra rose onto her toes again, pressing a brief kiss to my lips before pulling back and taking my hands. Silently, she led me to her bedroom. The moment we stepped inside, she kissed me again, this time fiercely. One hand cupped my cheek while the other slipped under my shirt, her fingers tracing over my skin.

But then she broke the kiss, stepping back. Frustration flickered in her eyes, and her breath uneven.

“Why aren’t you doing anything?” she asked.

“I’m giving you time to decide if this is what you really want,” I answered softly.

She threw her hands up in frustration, pulling her hair back as a heavy sigh escaped her lips, filled with irritation. “I didn’t share my ordeal with you just for you to look at me like I’m some fragile thing, ready to shatter at any moment.”

“I promise you, that’s not what I’m doing.”

“Then what are you doing?” she demanded, her voice trembling between a whisper and a shout.

I let out a loud rush of air. “After everything….I can’t help but think…maybe I don’t deserve you.”

She drew back, her brows furrowing in disbelief. “You don’t mean that.”

It was my turn to whisper and yell. “Of course, I don’t mean that. But that’s the thing, Lyra—sometimes we say things we don’t mean, things we don’t want to say. We think it’s for the best, so we say them anyway.”

Confusion flashed across her face, but it quickly faded as she closed the distance between us. “Kaine…” she whispered, guiding my arms around her waist. “Let’s not think about the past right now. Just focus on me…” Her fingers wove through my hair, her breath soft against my ear. “. . .and us.”

I dragged my hand through my hair, feeling the weight of her temptation. Lord knows I couldn’t resist her, even if she were standing in the diner fully clothed, lost in thoughts of work. But now, in a silk night dress so thin I could see her hardened nipples beneath, my control was faltering. But I needed to tread carefully, to make sure this was not another moment she would come to regret.

“Did you regret it the last time?” I asked, my voice thick.

“No, I enjoyed the last time,” she replied quickly, like she didn’t have to think about it.

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