Page 26 of The Alpha’s Runaway Mate (Evermore Hollow #1)

And right now, all I can think is that we got careless. I got careless. We thought we were protected out here, hidden behind trees and distance, surrounded by our own. But humans can be just as dangerous as anything else.

I take another slow breath, tasting the air again. The scent trails faintly toward the porch. Close. Too close.

“Stay behind me,” I tell her quietly.

Jessica doesn’t argue, but she doesn’t back down either. “Is it him?”

“I don’t know,” I admit, scanning the shadows. “But I’m not taking chances.”

I step forward and grip the door handle. The metal is cold under my palm. I push it open slowly, the hinges creaking in the kind of silence that feels too deep, too deliberate.

The air inside hits me like a wall, cool, still, familiar, and yet wrong. It smells like us: her shampoo, the faint smoke from the fireplace, the mix of pine and vanilla that clings to her skin. But buried under all of that is something else. Male. Metallic. Human.

I take a step inside, senses flaring. Every muscle in my body is coiled tight. The lights are off. Nothing looks disturbed. But I can feel it, someone was here.

Jessica stays close, one hand hovering just at my back. “Anything?” she whispers.

“Not yet,” I murmur, eyes moving over every inch of the room.

I check the windows, they’re latched. The back door, still locked. Nothing broken. Nothing missing. But as I glance down toward the rug, something dark catches my eye.

A footprint. Muddy. Heavy. Male.

“Someone was definitely here,” I say quietly.

Jessica steps closer, her voice tight with worry. “Why would anyone come all the way out here?”

I stare at the print, jaw clenched, my pulse beating hard in my ears. “Because they were looking for something,” I say slowly, “or someone.”

The silence that follows is heavy, and I know we’re thinking the same thing. Ethan.

I drag a hand down my face, trying to steady the storm brewing under my skin. My bear’s pacing now, claws scraping just beneath the surface.

I reach through the bond in my mind and send out a pulse, sharp, direct, all Alpha. Mason. Xander. Kolt. Declan. The connection flares open instantly.

Someone broke into my place, I send through the link, my thoughts crisp and controlled even as adrenaline hums through me. Human male. Unfamiliar scent. I need extra patrols near the cabin around the clock until further notice.

Replies come fast, layered over each other in a blur of voices only I can hear.

On it, Mason’s voice rumbles first, solid as always.

I’ll send Kolt and two others your way, Xander adds. You sure it’s human?

Positive, I answer. Not one of ours. Trail’s faint, but it’s fresh.

There’s a pause, and then Mason again, lower this time. Could it be him?

My jaw tightens. My eyes flick toward Jessica, who’s watching me, confusion and fear twisting together on her face. It’s possible.

The link goes quiet for a beat before Xander’s voice comes through again, firm and steady. We’ll lock the ridge down. No one gets near without us knowing.

Appreciate it, I send back, closing the connection with a snap.

Jessica’s still standing by the door, arms wrapped around herself, her shoulders tense. “What did you just do?”

“Let my inner circle know someone was here,” I tell her. “They’ll keep eyes on the ridge tonight.”

She hesitates, worry flickering in her eyes. “You really think it could be Ethan?”

“I think we got comfortable,” I admit, my tone softer now but edged with guilt. “We thought we were safe here. I thought I could protect you from everything. But I forgot that sometimes the monsters we should be worried about aren’t the kind that shift.”

She swallows hard, stepping closer until she’s right in front of me. “And if it is him?”

My voice drops low, the promise in it absolute. “Then he made the biggest mistake of his life.”

Jessica nods once, but the fear in her eyes is replaced by something fiercer, determination. The kind that matches my own.

I stay where I am for a long moment, staring down at that single muddy print near the door. The scent still lingers in the air, taunting me, daring me to follow.

The peace we built here, the safety I promised her, it feels fragile now. Breakable.

Outside, the trees sway in the wind, their branches whispering across each other in the dark. The ridge is quiet, but it’s not a peaceful quiet anymore. It feels like the mountain’s holding its breath, waiting to see what happens next.

Jessica heads upstairs first. I can tell she’s trying to keep calm, but the tension in her shoulders gives her away.

I stay downstairs a while longer, doing one more sweep through the cabin, double, then triple-checking every lock, every window latch. The back door. The side door. Even the cellar hatch. Everything’s sealed tight, but it doesn’t stop the uneasy feeling crawling down my spine.

The scent’s fading, almost gone now, but my instincts won’t shut up. I make another round anyway. Just in case.

I blow out a slow breath and mutter under my breath, “I need a damn dog.” A big one. Something with teeth that’s always here, especially when I’m not. The thought sticks as I head upstairs.

The bedroom’s dark except for the soft wash of moonlight spilling through the curtains. Jessica’s already in bed, curled on her side, facing away from me. Her breathing’s steady, but I can tell she’s not asleep.

I strip down quietly and climb in behind her. The mattress dips, and I slide an arm around her waist, pulling her close until her back is pressed against my chest.

She doesn’t say anything at first, just tucks her hand over mine. Her skin’s warm, but there’s a tension in the way she breathes that makes my chest ache.

“You okay?” I ask, my voice rough against her hair.

She gives a small shrug. “This is what I was afraid of,” she says softly. “That he’d find me.”

My grip tightens instinctively. “I won’t let him hurt you.”

“I know,” she whispers. “But it’s not just me I’m worried about.”

I huff out a low sound, half laugh, half growl. “Did you forget I turn into a fucking bear?”

That earns a quiet, breathy laugh from her, the kind that sounds more like relief than amusement. She rolls over in my arms to face me, her forehead brushing against my jaw.

“Yeah, but you can’t be everywhere,” she says. “And if he’s out there…”

“He won’t get far,” I interrupt, my tone firm but calm. “He came close once. That’s on me. But next time, I’ll be waiting.”

She searches my face in the dim light, eyes soft but worried. “You mean that.”

“I don’t say things I don’t mean.”

Her fingers find mine under the blanket, threading them together. “I hate that he can still scare me.”

“He’s not the one with power anymore, Jess,” I murmur, brushing a strand of hair off her cheek. “You are. You’ve got me. You’ve got a whole pack at your back. He’s nothing compared to that.”

She nods slowly, her tension easing just a little.

I lean down and press a kiss to her temple, lingering there until her breathing evens out.

After a while, her hand goes slack in mine, and I know she’s finally asleep. But I lie awake long after, listening to the wind move through the trees outside, every sense still tuned for the faintest hint of danger.