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22. Lose Control For Me
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The Alpha's Bounty: His Runaway Luna 23. A Picture Is Worth…
AellaI wake up, stretching and rubbing my eyes, still half in that fuzzy dream state. The sun’s creeping through the curtains, laying warm stripes across the bed. I roll over, feeling strangely content; the kind of happiness that leaves you suspicious because life has taught you that too much of a good thing is often followed by a crash … that’s when I realize something.Jay’s not here. The pillows are still dented from his head, and it hits me like a small punch to the gut; he’s gone.I sit up in bed with a frown on my face, then I grab my cellphone to see if he’s left a message. The relief that floods through me makes me feel uneasy, because there’s a message from him.[“Ella, something came up, and emergency. I’ll explain later. I didn’t want to wake you, you looked peaceful. — Jay"]Emergency? My gut clenches, the word heavy with a thousand what-ifs. What kind of emergency pulls a guy away at dawn without so much as a whispered goodbye? I shake my head, clearing away the unease.
The Alpha's Bounty: His Runaway Luna 24. It's Not Supposed To Be Like This
AellaI open the door and there he is, standing in the corridor with that signature grin of his. In his hands, a box of sushi from that expensive place downtown. The one I mentioned I liked, just in passing, ages ago. For a second, I forget about the photo, the ominous note, the feeling of being watched. All I see is Jay and the way he’s looking at me.“ I thought you might be hungry,” he says, stepping inside as I take the box from him.A wave of conflicting emotions hits me. His presence instantly melts away some of the anxiety I’ve been feeling. But then I remember the photo, the warning, the lurking doubts. I push them aside, at least for now.“Thank you, Jay,” I reply, momentarily pushed back into the comfortable groove of our relationship, or whatever it is we have.We sit on the couch, the coffee table between us now a makeshift dinner setting. “Something on your mind?” he asks, peering into my eyes. “You seem a little distant.”I hesitate, my eyes flicking to the phone and th
The Alpha's Bounty: His Runaway Luna 25. No Matter What I Choose, I Lose
RomanThe door slams shut behind me, the sound echoing in the emptiness of my apartment, mirroring the noise inside my head. The place is dark, matching my mood, but I don’t bother to turn on the lights. Instead, I kick off my shoes and throw my jacket onto a chair. It lands in a heap—disheveled, forgotten, much like my well-laid plans at the moment.“Goddamn it,” I mutter to myself, my voice tinged with a bitterness that surprises even me.Last night, I’d been a different man. As Jay, I’d allowed myself to lower my guard, to indulge in the intoxicating feeling of Aella’s arms wrapped around me. For a brief moment, I was just a man, not an Alpha with a plan, not Roman with a mission, but Jay, a man lost in the allure of a remarkable woman.That’s what eats at me. It wasn’t Roman who held her last night; it was Jay, a figment of my imagination, a man free from the shackles of duty and deadly realities. And she had given herself to him—a man I can never be.I pour myself a glass of whi
The Alpha's Bounty: His Runaway Luna 26. Running Away Again
AellaThe café hasn’t felt the same lately. Not since Jay stopped showing up. No fresh rose tucked between my coffee mugs, no texts lighting up my phone with casual flirtation. It’s as if he vanished into thin air. A part of me wants to reach out, to find out what happened, but another part keeps my fingers hovering over the phone, paralyzed.He had given me warmth, laughter, a tantalizing glimpse into what could be—then he pulled it all away as if scared of what he’d created. I feel like a fool for letting my guard down, but more than that, I feel the ache of his absence like a phantom limb. Each day that passes with no word from him piles another layer of cold, gritty reality atop my dreams.It’s my turn to take a break, and I find myself sitting alone, nibbling on a sandwich without really tasting it.“Girl, you’re miles away again. A penny for your thoughts?” Sam says, snapping me back to reality during our break. He’s got that worried pinch between his eyebrows. “What’s eating
The Alpha's Bounty: His Runaway Luna 27. Farewell
AellaToday is a weird day, an emotional shitshow really. I tug at the ends of my apron, feeling the soft, worn fabric, as I prepare for my last shift at the café. I’m not Ella anymore, just a ghost of her, lingering in a place that will soon no longer be mine. It’s been more than a place to clock in hours for a paycheck; it’s been my escape, a slice of ‘normal’ in a life that’s anything but.The moment I walk in, memories flood back—afternoon lulls, morning rushes, and whispered conversations with Jay. Oh God, Jay. Just the thought of him sends this aching pulse through my chest.I look around the café, taking in the faces of the people I didn’t even know would come to be my second family. Sam’s already setting up for the farewell party they’ve insisted on throwing for me, and my heart sinks a little at the thought of saying goodbye.The morning rushes by in a haze. I’m mechanically foaming milk, pulling shots of espresso, and scribbling names on cups. Each swipe of the cleaning clo
The Alpha's Bounty: His Runaway Luna 28. Bitter Truths, Lavish Lies
RomanI stand by the door, my eyes tracing the contours of her face as she lies there, enveloped by the sheets. She’s been out cold for two days, two agonizing days of wondering whether the wolfsbane would claim her. I never thought I’d find solace in the rhythmic sound of someone else’s breathing, but here I am, hanging on to each rise and fall of her chest like it’s a lifeline.I want her to wake up, and yet, I dread it.I was on my way to her workplace for the last time when I saw the attack. Sam, or Esteban, the rat, had her cornered. It took every ounce of restraint not to tear him limb from limb right then and there. Instead, he’s being held at my pack house, awaiting a fate I’m all too eager to hand-deliver.The male scent that had been on her was his, as if he marked her with his scent warning others to stay away. I also found the same scent in her apartment after searching it two nights ago. Seems like the fucker has been silently breaking into her safe space at night.The th
The Alpha's Bounty: His Runaway Luna 29. Willfully Blinded
AellaAs the door clicks shut behind him, the weight of Roman’s words still hangs in the air like a heavy fog. Lying on the bed, the cotton sheets suddenly feel like shards of ice against my skin. I can’t wrap my head around it. Roman. Jay. They’re the same person and I’m the idiot who never saw it coming.For the last three months, I thought I was falling for a guy who understood me, someone different from the macho Alphas I’d been running from. I let my guard down, allowed myself to believe in this lie because I so badly wanted it to be true. I was delusional to think someone like him could love someone like me.I feel nauseous, like I’ve been turned inside out. Was any of it real? Was any part of ‘Jay’—his smiles, his touch, the warmth in his eyes, was any of that him? Or was it all just another facet of his calculated betrayal?My mind races, retracing conversations, touches, promises—all the intimate moments we shared. They flicker through my mind like snippets of a film, each sc
The Alpha's Bounty: His Runaway Luna 30. A Pretty Little Prison
AellaThe jet is like a floating glass cage at 30,000 feet. We’re in the same space, but worlds apart. Roman is across from me, typing something into his laptop. He doesn’t even look up when the flight attendant serves us. His apathy is a stark contrast to the fire I feel inside, burning and consuming me. While he is physically here, it seems like he's in a different reality, one where emotions and accountability are not significant.The tension is palpable, but he seems determined to pretend everything is fine, like he didn’t drag me here under duress. The audacity he has to act as if he’s the one wronged here is infuriating.I keep my gaze fixed on the window, watching the clouds go by. They’re free, floating wherever the wind takes them. I’d kill to be that unanchored right now. To be anywhere but here, with the one man who has become the epitome of all the cautionary tales I’d ever been told.Thinking back on it now, I don’t know how I was so dumb. He has the tattoos of a Russian
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