Page 10 of The Alpha’s Bounty (Night Grove Falls: The Alphas #2)

NINE

Cyrus

The smell of pizza fills the cab of my truck, warm and rich, and my bear practically purrs with approval.

It’s ridiculous how happy I feel about something so simple, but I can already picture Mina’s smile when I walk through the door with her favorite pizza.

She’ll tease me about spoiling her, and I’ll kiss her until she forgets the words.

It’s strange, this sense of peace. For years, my life has been little more than duty and responsibility. Patrols. Court orders. Endless meetings with the other Alphas. But now… now there’s her.

My mate.

Every time I think the word, something inside me settles. My bear sighs, satisfied and proud, stretching in lazy contentment. He’s never been quiet before, but since marking her, he’s calmer. Grounded. Ours, he rumbles, pleased. Safe. Home.

I can’t stop smiling as I turn down the familiar road.

The sun is low in the sky, painting the trees gold, and for the first time in years, I’m not restless.

I feel… full. I think about the way Mina looked this morning, hair tangled from my hands, cheeks flushed, eyes soft when she curled against me.

How she whispered my name like it was a prayer and trembled when I kissed her.

My plan is already set: walk in, call her name, find her curled up in bed.

Then wake her the way I’ve been dreaming about all afternoon—with a kiss between her thighs, watching her come apart in my hands.

I know she’s probably asleep after how thoroughly I wore her out, and the thought makes me grin, heat sparking low in my stomach.

The cabin is quiet when I push the door open, the scent of woodsmoke and pine wrapping around me. I kick off my boots, balancing the pizza box in one hand.

“Mina!” I call, heading toward the stairs. “Got dinner. Hope you’re hungry, little mate.”

Silence.

I shake my head, amused. She must be out cold. She’s still not used to my appetite for her, and the thought makes me laugh softly to myself. “Wore you out, didn’t I?” I murmur, climbing the steps two at a time.

But when I reach our room, the bed is empty. The sheets are smoothed, the quilt folded back neatly. My frown deepens.

Maybe she went into town. Maybe she thought she’d surprise me. The idea makes sense, but a thread of unease worms its way into my chest anyway.

I head back downstairs and set the pizza on the table.

That’s when I see it.

A folded piece of paper pinned beneath the salt shaker.

Relief hits me first. A note. She must’ve gone out to get something she needed.

But when I unfold the paper and read the words, the ground drops out from under me.

Cyrus,

I can’t let you do this for me. You deserve someone who doesn’t drag you down with old mistakes. Someone who doesn’t cost you everything. I’m grateful to you, more than I can ever say, but I can’t stay. This is something I need to face on my own. Please don’t follow me.

—Mina

For a moment, I can’t breathe. The words blur, my vision tunneling as if the cabin’s walls are closing in. My heart slams once, twice, then plummets into my stomach.

My bear erupts in a roar so loud that it rattles my bones. No! Ours. She’s ours. Get her. Now.

The paper crumples in my fist, my hand shaking with fury and fear. My mate has left me. She thinks I’ll let her walk out and face this alone. She doesn’t understand. Doesn’t see that she’s not a burden, not a mistake. She’s mine. My other half. My everything.

And she’s gone.

The thought tears through me like claws. My chest aches with it, raw and jagged, my bear thrashing inside me, desperate to break free and tear through the woods until we find her.

I don’t waste another second.

I’m out the door before the note hits the table again, running for the truck. The engine roars to life, and I slam my foot on the gas, gravel spitting behind me as I tear down the road toward town.

The drive is a blur, my hands white-knuckled on the wheel, my mind filled with nothing but her face. Every mile feels like it’s pulling her further from me, and I growl low in my chest, urging the truck faster.

When I reach the bus station, I park crookedly and leap out, my heart pounding. The platform is crowded, the air thick with exhaust and chatter, but I don’t see her.

I shove through people, scanning every face, calling her name. “Mina!”

A few heads turn, but none of them is hers.

The woman at the counter looks up as I stalk toward her, my bear’s fury radiating off me in waves. “The bus to Columbus,” I snap. “When did it leave?”

“Five minutes ago,” she says, unconcerned.

Too late.

I stagger back a step, my stomach hollowing out. Five minutes. I missed her by five damn minutes. My bear snarls, slamming against my chest, howling with grief and rage. Go. Get her. Bring her back. Ours.

I clench my fists, fighting for breath. No. This isn’t over. She thinks she can leave, but she doesn’t know me. She doesn’t know the kind of man she’s mated to. I don’t give up. I don’t let go.

I head straight for Camden’s, my truck barely making it down the street without flying apart. He opens the door before I can knock, frowning at the sight of me.

“What the hell happened?”

“I need your car,” I growl. “Now.”

He studies me for a beat, then tosses me the keys without a word.

The engine roars as I hit the road again, my foot heavy on the gas. The car surges forward, the trees blurring past. My jaw is tight, my chest burning, my bear a constant thunder inside me.

Ours. Don’t stop. Never let her go again.

I grip the wheel tighter, my knuckles aching. She’s out there, scared and alone, thinking she’s doing the right thing by leaving me. But she’s wrong. The only right thing is us. Together. Always.

I slam my foot down harder, the car growling as it eats the miles.

I’m going to get my mate back. And this time, I’ll make damn sure she never leaves my side again.