The Runaway 2

Chapter 2 

On any other day, I might have believed Kael really was overwhelmed with Pack duties. 

But with all these so-called coincidences stacking up, the doubt was unbearable. 

Once suspicion seeps into a mate bond, it spreads fast, choking everything else out. 

I lay awake until nearly dawn, only collapsing into shallow sleep when exhaustion finally dragged me under. 

Not long after, Kael’s voice on the balcony stirred me. 

He spoke in a clipped, commanding tone, clearly assuming I was still asleep: 

“Take those posts off HowlNet before daylight. Don’t let her see them.” 

I didn’t need to ask who “her” was. 

My stomach turned as I pulled the blanket closer-only to notice it wasn’t mine. 

The cloak draped over me smelled of cedar and woodsmoke, a heavy scent I’d never worn. 

It wasn’t Kael’s scent either. 

I already knew where it had come from. 

When I checked HowlNet again, every post about Claire had disappeared, the comments gone without a 

trace. 

Kael returned inside and, spotting me awake, drew me into his arms without hesitation, his face buried in 

the crook of my neck. 

“Don’t move. Just stay here.” 

His skin was cold from the early morning air, his arms tight, as though he feared I might slip away. 

For a fleeting moment, I almost convinced myself I was imagining things. Maybe he was only helping a Pack 

member settle back in. They had fought together on the border once, after all. 

My hand moved on instinct, tracing slow circles along his back as though calming a restless wolf. 

But when he pressed against my cheek, I caught sight of it- 

A smear of bright red on the collar of his undershirt. 

That same shade. 

The identical red lipstick Claire had worn at the last Council gathering. 

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The doubts I had tried so hard to bury came roaring back, along with the words she’d once sneered at me: 

“He only marked you because he had to. His eyes have always been mine.” 

Back then, I could bare my teeth and fight back. 

Now, the words died in my throat. 

After a long pause, I shoved him away, my voice breaking: 

“Sorry… I just… I miss my mother. 

>> 

Kael’s expression eased instantly. He cupped my face with both hands, his eyes soft with relief. 

“Then we’ll see her today. I already cleared the morning.” 

But before I could respond, his phone lit up on the nightstand- 

Claire Ramos flashing across the screen like a blade to the chest. 

Kael pressed a kiss to my forehead, grabbed the phone, and stepped back outside. 

I couldn’t hear his words, but his expression-brow tight, voice urgent—was enough. 

When he came back, guilt lingered in his eyes. 

“Sorry, Athena. Something urgent came up. I need to get back to the Pack lands.” 

I bit down hard, forcing back tears I refused to show. 

“Kael, we need to—” 

End the mate bond. 

But the words never came out. 

“We’ll visit her next time.” 

Kael pulled me close again, his voice low, coaxing: 

“Just wait for me, alright?” 

Then he kissed me, slow and deep, exactly the way he always had, as if nothing between us had changed. 

For a second, I almost let myself believe him. 

But that afternoon, Claire posted on HowlNet. 

A picture of her ankle wrapped in white cloth, captioned: 

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[Someone’s been looking after me-such a sweetheart.] 

The comments erupted: 

“That ‘someone’ has to be Alpha Kael. Of course he’d take care of her.” 

“She once saved his life-now he’s paying her back. That’s what real bonds look like.” 

“That so-called Luna should wake up. This is the bond that actually matters.’ 

A few voices tried to push back: 

>> 

“Even if they’re Alpha and Beta, isn’t this out of line? Didn’t the mate bond already get sealed?” 

“If that’s true, it’s against Pack law. Shouldn’t the Council get involved?” 

But before the debate spread, the post disappeared-deleted, erased like it never existed. 

My fingers shook as I stared at the screen. 

Kael had done it again. He was still protecting Claire, even if it tore me apart. 

Then a private message appeared-sent from a burner account with Claire’s silhouette as the avatar. 

The first image made my stomach drop: 

Kael, sitting beside her bed in the Healers’ ward, holding a dryer to her hair, his expression unbearably 

gentle. 

The caption beneath it: 

[Heard he sealed a bond with you? So what? You think an arranged Luna can compete with years of blood 

and sweat in the field?] 

Another message followed: 

[One call from me and he’s here instantly. What about you? You can’t even keep your Alpha’s heart. 

Pathetic.] 

This time, I didn’t argue. 

I just stared at the image until my vision blurred, tears falling onto the screen. 

The wolf I had cherished for years? 

For her, he was always only one call away. 

I glanced at our last thread, still frozen on that missed call. 

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Too stubborn to reach out, I had thought my silence might make him notice something was wrong. 

But I was only tearing myself apart. 

Days slipped by with no word from him. 

Until this morning, when my screen lit up again. 

I had already typed out a long message, ready to send. 

But Kael’s text came first: 

[Claire and I shared a bed. We’re finished.] 

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