Chapter 31.

Rune.

When I opened my eyes to rays of sunlight slipping into the room, I wasn’t surprised to find it empty, but I couldn’t help the sadness and worry that overwhelmed me.

I had stayed back like Alpha Kane requested, not because he ordered me to do so, but because he had done the opposite. It was a cry for help, which I noticed–after five minutes of readjusting our position to how it had been before I woke up–was made unconsciously. He was still fast asleep, but he held onto me tightly as though my presence was the only thing he needed to survive or to sleep peacefully. I tried to convince myself that I stayed back because it would benefit me and my plan, but it didn’t work. I could lie to the world, but I couldn’t lie to myself.

The pain in his voice had tugged at my heartstrings. Alpha Kane always sounded angry; even when he wasn’t, it was hard to tell. It was the first time I heard him sound so sad, so dejected, so unlike him, and it made me curious. I wanted to know everything: wh