Leah took a step back, ripping her wrist from Alric's touch as if burned. The lingering heat of his fingers seared her skin, but she refused to acknowledge it.
Her breathing was uneven, her heart pounding too fast. The mate bond hummed between them, stronger than ever, an invisible thread that refused to be severed no matter how much she wanted to.
Alric watched her, his expression unreadable, though there was something dark lurking behind his molten gaze—something knowing.
She hated that.
Hated him.
Hated herself even more.
"I don't want this," Leah muttered, voice sharp with defiance. "I never asked for a mate. I don't need one."
Alric tilted his head slightly. "And yet, you came to me."
Leah scowled. "I was running."
His lips curled. "Toward me."
Her fingers twitched at her sides, nails biting into her palms. Every instinct screamed at her to lash out, to push him away, to put as much space between them as possible.
Because he was right.
He was always right.
And that scared her more than anything.
Leah swallowed the lump in her throat and took another step back, creating more distance. "I don't belong to anyone. Not to you, not to the bond, no one."
Alric regarded her quietly, but there was no anger in his gaze. Only patience. Understanding.
Like he had already accepted something she was still trying to deny.
Leah hated that too.
She turned sharply on her heel, forcing her feet to move, forcing herself to walk away.
She wouldn't run.
Running would mean she was scared.
And she refused to let him see how much power he already had over her.
But as she stepped deeper into the trees, she heard his voice behind her, low and certain.
"You will come back to me, Leah."
She didn't answer.
Didn't look back.
But the way her stomach twisted told her he was right.
---
By the time Leah made it home, the sun had fully risen, casting warm light through the windows of the Clearwater house.
Seth was already awake, sitting at the kitchen table with a bowl of cereal, flipping through a comic book. He glanced up when she entered, his brow furrowing at the sight of her.
"You look like hell," he said around a mouthful of food.
Leah scoffed, rolling her eyes as she grabbed a glass of water from the sink. "Gee, thanks."
Seth narrowed his eyes, studying her more closely. "You were out all night, weren't you?"
She stiffened but kept her expression neutral. "I was running."
Seth leaned back in his chair, still watching her like he didn't quite believe that. "Alone?"
Leah didn't flinch, but it took effort. "Yes."
It wasn't technically a lie.
She had run alone.
She just hadn't stayed alone.
Seth seemed to consider pressing further but eventually shrugged, turning his attention back to his comic.
Leah exhaled silently, relieved.
She wasn't ready to explain any of this.
Hell, she didn't even know how.
The bond. Alric. The way she couldn't stop thinking about him no matter how hard she tried.
It was all too much.
Too fast.
Too real.
And she wasn't ready for any of it.
---
The pack meeting that afternoon was tense.
Sam had called them all together, something about increased vampire activity near the border. Normally, Leah would have focused on the briefing, on preparing herself for another hunt.
But today, she was distracted.
She felt off.
Like her body wasn't completely her own.
And she knew exactly why.
Alric.
Even now, his presence lingered, pulling at her, reminding her that no matter how far she tried to run, he was still there.
Still waiting.
Still hers.
"Leah."
Sam's voice snapped her back to the present. She blinked, realizing the entire pack was staring at her.
Her stomach tightened.
"What?" she snapped, crossing her arms.
Sam's expression was unreadable, but there was something sharp in his gaze. "I asked if you're up for patrol tonight."
Leah straightened, pushing down everything else.
This was what she needed.
A fight. A hunt. A distraction.
"Yeah," she said, voice firm. "I'm in."
Sam nodded and continued with the briefing.
Leah exhaled slowly, trying to ignore the way her skin still burned.
Trying to ignore the fact that deep down—
She wasn't sure if she was fighting for control.
Or if she was already losing it.
---
That night, the forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
Leah prowled through the trees in her wolf form, ears perked, senses sharp, searching for any trace of vampire scent.
But all she could feel was him.
Alric.
The mate bond hummed louder in the silence, more demanding now that she wasn't surrounded by the pack.
She growled under her breath, shaking herself, forcing her focus back to the patrol.
She needed to stop.
Needed to push him out of her head.
Because if she didn't—
She was afraid of what would happen when she saw him again.