Page 11 of The Alpha’s Bounty (Night Grove Falls: The Alphas #2)

TEN

Mina

The bus rumbles beneath me, steady and low, and my eyelids grow heavier with every mile. I press my forehead to the cold glass, watching the blur of trees and fields slip past, and tell myself I’m doing the right thing.

But it doesn’t feel right. It feels as if my chest is caving in. Every breath hurts. Yet logic insists this is the only way. If I stay, Cyrus will pay for me—literally. If I leave, maybe he’ll see that I was never worth that kind of sacrifice. Maybe he’ll move on.

The weight of that thought presses harder than the glass against my temple, but exhaustion pulls at me, dragging me closer to sleep. My body aches from the tension, from the crying, from holding myself together when all I want to do is fall apart.

The bus jolts violently, brakes screeching, and I’m yanked awake. Gasps and murmurs ripple through the passengers as bags tumble from overhead racks. My heart slams into my throat, panic spiking.

“What happened?” someone calls.

I blink hard, trying to focus, and that’s when I see him.

Cyrus.

Storming down the center of the road like he owns it, his shoulders broad, his eyes blazing, his jaw tight with fury. My stomach drops, the air rushing out of me in one stunned exhale.

No. It can’t be.

But it is.

He’s here.

My pulse stutters, racing and wild. Every cell in my body knows him, recognizes him, screams for me to go to him even as fear and guilt twist inside me. He shouldn’t be here. He should’ve let me go.

The driver curses, already opening the door as Cyrus strides forward. He doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t slow, doesn’t care about the stares of strangers. His eyes lock on me like I’m the only person in the world, and my whole body goes still.

He doesn’t speak. He just comes for me.

And when he reaches my seat, he takes my hand—firm, unyielding, warm—and pulls me up without a word.

“Wait—” I start, but he’s already tugging me down the aisle, past wide-eyed passengers whispering behind their hands.

The moment we step off the bus, the cold air hits me, sharp against my skin. Cyrus doesn’t stop. He leads me straight to the car idling on the shoulder, opens the passenger door, and all but lifts me inside.

The slam of the door echoes in my ears. My heart hammers as he rounds the hood and slides into the driver’s seat, his hands gripping the wheel, his chest rising and falling in hard, furious breaths.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he growls, his voice low and rough, every syllable vibrating through me.

Tears sting my eyes. I try to look away, but his gaze pins me, fierce and relentless.

“I didn’t want to be a burden to you.” My voice cracks, small and thin in the heavy silence.

“I thought if I went back and faced it, maybe you wouldn’t waste everything on me.

I committed the crime. I should do the time. ”

His growl deepens, and his hand slams against the steering wheel hard enough to make me flinch.

“No, Mina. You didn’t do a damn thing wrong.

They were stealing from you. For years. You only ever tried to take back what was yours.

” His eyes burn into mine, sharp and unwavering. “If anything, they owe you .”

My lips part, confusion rushing in with the tears. “But?—”

“I’ve already been working it out with them. The charges are gone. It’s over.” His hand finds mine, gripping it tight, grounding me. “You’re free. You never have to run again.”

Relief hits me so hard that it steals my breath. My chest caves, tears spilling hot and fast down my cheeks. Embarrassed, I try to wipe them away, but Cyrus curses softly and slams on the brakes, pulling us to the side of the road.

Before I can ask what he’s doing, he unbuckles me, drags me into his lap, and holds me like I’m breaking. His arms are iron bands around me, his chest solid and steady beneath my cheek, his lips pressed to my hair as he murmurs, “Shh. I’ve got you. I’ve always got you.”

I sob against him, clinging, my fingers curling in his shirt like he’s the only thing keeping me tethered. Because he is. Has been from the moment we met.

“I’m sorry,” I choke out. “I just—I didn’t want you to regret me.”

His hands frame my face, forcing me to look at him. His eyes are fierce, wet with tears of emotion. “Regret you? Mina, I’d die for you. I love you.”

The words slam into me, breaking me wide open. My tears blur everything, but I see him, see the truth in his eyes. The words rip out of me before I can stop them. “I love you, too.”

His mouth is on mine before the last syllable leaves my lips, desperate and claiming. I kiss him back with everything I have. Every ounce of fear, every scrap of longing, every piece of love I’ve been holding back pours out.

When he finally pulls away, he rests his forehead against mine, his voice rough. “Never leave me again.”

“Never,” I whisper, because now I know I couldn’t even if I tried.

We drive back to Night Grove Falls in silence, but it isn’t heavy. It’s full. His hand never leaves mine on the console, his thumb stroking my skin in slow, steady circles that keep me anchored. My heart feels lighter than it has in years.

By the time we reach the cabin, the exhaustion of the day catches up with me. But when he lifts me into his arms and carries me inside, the world narrows to the heat of his body, the strength of his hold, the love burning in his eyes when he sets me down on the bed.

I pull him down with me, our mouths meeting again, softer now but no less desperate. His weight settles over me, his arms cage me in, and for the first time, I don’t feel trapped. I feel safe.

The rest is a blur of heat and whispers, of love and relief and promises sealed with every touch. And when the world finally fades around me, it isn’t with fear, or guilt, or regret.

It’s with Cyrus.

Always with Cyrus.