Running From My Mate
Cleopatra’s POV
The room was dark, the moonlight barely casting a sliver of light on the floor as I eased out of the bed, the heat from Williams’ body still lingering on my skin.
I pressed my fingers to the fresh mark on my neck—the crescent moon-shaped scar that now bound me to him forever. The bite had sealed our fate, but it didn’t feel like the victory I had imagined if all things were as they should be.
My heart ached with guilt, knowing he had marked me only because of his child growing inside me.
I slipped on my clothes quietly, biting my lip as memories of that moment flooded my mind. I had foolishly tried to mark him back, my wolves yearning to claim him just as he had claimed us, but he'd gently pushed me away, a look in his eyes that said it all. Betrayer.
That’s what I am in his eyes. No matter how much he wanted me, no matter the bond, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was still tainted in his mind. The hurt had twisted in my chest when he didn’t let me seal the bond completely.
I needed air. I needed space. Most of all, I needed to leave before this guilt consumed me entirely.
The hallway was empty, the sounds of the pack drifting from other rooms. I moved silently, my footsteps light as I made my way toward Rob and Lucien. They had to be somewhere nearby, and I couldn’t afford to stay a second longer in this suffocating place.
I found them in the courtyard, sitting by the fountain. Their heads turned towards me as soon as I approached, and I knew instantly they saw it—the mark on my neck.
Lucien’s eyes widened, his jaw clenching in silent understanding. Rob let out a low whistle, his gaze flickering between me and the mark.
“Well, it seems things escalated quickly,” Rob muttered, his voice laced with sarcasm. “Didn’t expect you to be back so soon—marked and all.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I said, my voice steady but my insides churning. “We need to leave. Now.”
Lucien’s eyes softened with concern. “Shadow, are you sure? leaving right after…all this?” He gestured vaguely towards my neck, the unspoken words hanging heavy in the air.
I nodded, my resolve firm. “I can’t stay here. Not right now. He marked me because of the baby, Lucien. Not because he forgave me. I need time to breathe. To think.”
Lucien’s smile faded, replaced by a rare seriousness. “You think running off is going to help? I don’t think he’s the kind of man to let you go easily.”
I swallowed hard, refusing to let their words shake me. “I don’t care. I just need to be away for a while. Let him cool off. Let me cool off.” My heart ached with every word, but I pushed the pain aside.
Lucien exchanged a look with Rob before they nodded slowly. “Alright. If that’s what you want, we’ll leave.”
We moved quickly, no time for hesitation. I couldn’t say goodbye to Alex. I couldn’t afford to stay longer—not with Williams’ scent still clinging to my skin, the bond pulling at me with every step I took away from him.
As we left the territory and headed for the road, I couldn’t help but replay the events in my mind. The way Williams had held me after marking me, his lips brushing against the fresh wound. My fingers grazed the mark as the memories hit me. He had stopped me when I tried to mark him, as if rejecting the very idea of being claimed by me.
It stung more than I cared to admit. What was I to him now? A possession? A burden?
I shook the thoughts away as the trees closed in around us, the moon high in the sky. I wasn’t running from him—I just needed time to figure out what I wanted, and what he truly felt. As much as the bond had sealed our fate, the wound of betrayal still ran deep, and no mark could heal that overnight.
As the cold night air filled my lungs, I prayed to the moon goddess that when the time came, I couldn face him again—without the guilt.
The ride was quiet, tension thickening as we sped through the dense forest, the path ahead lit only by the glow of the moon. By now, he must have noticed I was gone. My mind raced with a thousand thoughts—what could he possibly be feeling or thinking right now?
As we neared the fork in the road, the one that led to the safety of our territory, I knew I couldn’t go back. Not yet.
“Stop the car,” I said abruptly.
Rob glanced at me through the rearview mirror, his brow furrowing in confusion. “Cleopatra, we’re almost home now. You’ll be safe there.”
“I’m not going back with you,” I said firmly. My hand was already on the door handle, heart pounding as the car came to a halt. “I need to be somewhere else.”
Williams could find me here easily with the barrier down. Lucien twisted in his seat to face me, eyes narrowing in disbelief. “Somewhere else? Are you kidding me? Shadow, we’re your family, we are responsible for you. With the Night wolf Alpha still on the loose, we can’t just let you wander off.”
I stepped out of the car, the cool night air biting against my skin as I faced them both. Rob was out of the car in a heartbeat, standing in front of me. “No way. At least let me go with you. You’re marked now and if Williams finds out we let you off on your own, it could mean war.”
“Then you don’t tell him,” I snapped, frustration bubbling beneath my skin. “I don’t need anyone watching over me. I’m not a fragile little girl. I’m an Alpha, and I need to figure things out on my own!”
Rob’s expression hardened as he turned to me. “So you think the Night wolves and Kane will just let you be all because you’re in a mood?”
I narrowed my eyes at him, feeling the stir of power deep within me. They didn’t understand—no one did. The bond with Williams was suffocating, twisting everything inside me. I can’t let him find me. Not yet.
“I’m not asking you,” I said, my voice dropping low, carrying the weight of my Alpha command for the first time. “I need to be alone.”
Rob’s eyes widened, his body stiffening as the force of my voice took hold. Lucien nodded and pulled Rob back. “Let her be,” he muttered.
“I’ll come back when I’m ready. And if either of you follows me…if you dare track me down…you’re no longer my family. Do you understand?”
Silence fell between them but I knew they understood perfectly well what I meant.
“You know I can find you no matter where you are right? My soul can find yours. You know that’s what it means to be your mate in this sense right?” Rob asked quietly and I nodded.
I turned away, my heart pounding as I took the first steps towards the opposite direction, the path leading me deeper into the woods.
There’s only one place to be right now.
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