My Runaway Mate

The morning sunlight filtered through the kitchen window, casting a warm glow across the room. I hadn’t expected Alecia to be up so early, let alone cooking. The smell of sizzling bacon and eggs filled the air, but it did nothing to ease the knot tightening in my chest. Now, as I walked into the kitchen, I found Alecia humming softly, wearing one of my dresses—the pale blue one with the delicate lace trim that Rowen always said he loved on me.

The sight of her in my clothes made something snap inside me.

“That’s my dress,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm even though Darlene was already growling low in my mind. The wolf was furious, her claws raking against my control, demanding to be let loose.

Alecia turned to me with an innocent smile, as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d mind,” she said, her tone light and airy, but her eyes glinted with something far more sinister. “I didn’t bring many clothes, and Rowen said it was fine.”

Of course, Rowen had said it was fine. Why wouldn’t he? After all, Alecia could do no wrong in his eyes. But the sight of her wearing my dress and moving around my kitchen was like watching a stranger lay claim to my life. I crossed my arms, my heart thudding painfully in my chest.

“You should have asked,” I said, my voice was sharper than I intended. “It’s one thing to borrow clothes, but that dress… it’s personal.”

Alecia shrugged, turning back to the cutting board where she was slicing tomatoes. “Relax, Eliana. It’s just a dress. It’s not like I’m stealing your whole closet.”

But it wasn’t just the dress. It was everything. The way she had wormed her way into Rowen’s life, into our life, and made herself at home. The way Rowen looked at her and talked to her like she was the only person in the room, was getting on my nerves.

I stepped closer, the tension between us crackling like static. “You’ve been overstepping since you got here, Alecia. First, it’s my clothes, then my space. What’s next?”

Alecia’s smile faltered, and she turned to face me fully, her expression shifting from playful to something far darker. “Maybe Rowen’s next. Isn’t that what you’re really afraid of?”

I stiffened, my breath catching in my throat. Darlene snarled, and I felt her anger surge, hot and wild. Alecia’s words hit their mark, cutting deep. She was right—no matter how much I wanted to deny it, I was terrified of losing Rowen. Terrified that everything we’d built was slipping through my fingers, and Alecia was just waiting to take my place.

Before I could respond, Alecia flinched, dropping the knife she’d been holding. It clattered to the floor, and she yelped, clutching her hand. Blood welled up, bright red against her pale skin, and she glanced up at me, eyes wide with a mix of pain and malicious glint.

“Eliana!” she cried, stumbling back as if I had lunged at her. “I—I didn’t mean to—”

I stepped forward, more out of instinct than concern. “Alecia, I didn’t—”

But before I could finish, Rowen burst into the kitchen, his eyes darting between us. His expression darkened when he saw Alecia’s bleeding hand. “What the hell happened?” he demanded, his voice sharp and angry.

Alecia, ever the actress, turned to him with tears brimming in her eyes. “It's my fault... Eliana was angry because of the dress and accidentally pushed me. I—If I knew she would be this mad, I wouldn't have borrowed it.”

My mouth fell open in shock. “What? That’s not true! I never touched you!”

But Alecia’s tears had already done their work. Rowen’s face twisted with fury, his gaze flicking to me like I was the enemy. “What the hell is wrong with you, Eliana? I've never thought that you're so vain you can’t even let someone borrow a stupid dress!”

Darlene roared in my head, and I felt the sting of his words like a slap across the face. “Rowen, you don’t understand—”

“No, I think I understand perfectly,” he snapped, stepping between Alecia and me like he was protecting her. “You’re jealous. You’ve been jealous from the start, and now you’re taking it out on her. Well, I’m done with it.”

Before I could defend myself, Rowen’s hands shot out, shoving me back with a force that caught me off guard. I stumbled, my feet tangling beneath me as I tried to regain my balance, but it was too late. The corner of the table loomed up, and I felt a sharp pain as my head collided with the edge.

Everything went white for a second—a blinding, searing pain that shot through my skull and sent me sprawling onto the cold, hard floor. I lay there, dazed, my vision blurring as the room spun around me. I could hear Rowen’s frantic voice and could see the outline of Alecia leaning into him, her head buried in his chest like she was the one who had been hurt.

My heart twisted, and in a moment of desperate defiance, I let myself go limp, feigning unconsciousness. I thought maybe, just maybe, it would make Rowen realize what he’d done, that he’d crossed a line. I thought he’d rush to my side, that he’d see how wrong he was to believe Alecia’s lies.

But instead, all I heard was his panicked voice, his hands fumbling to steady Alecia. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry—I should’ve never let it get this far.”

I lay there, my head pounding, my heart aching even more. Rowen’s attention was all on her, his voice filled with concern that I had once believed was only reserved for me. He didn’t even look at me, didn’t check if I was hurt. I was nothing more than a background noise in Alecia’s carefully orchestrated drama.

Darlene’s fury simmered inside me, her presence coiling tighter and tighter. I wanted to scream, to lash out, to tear down the fragile façade that Alecia had built with her lies. But I couldn’t move. I couldn’t bring myself to do anything but lie there, feeling the cold tile against my back, the bitter sting of betrayal cutting deeper than any wound.

Rowen’s voice faded, his words a dull hum as he guided Alecia away, fussing over her like she was the one who had been wronged. Tears stung my eyes, but I forced them back, refusing to let them fall.

I had never felt so alone.

Slowly, I sat up, wincing at the sharp pain in my head. I pressed a hand to the back of my head, feeling the wet warmth of blood against my fingers. It hurt, but not as much as the sight of Rowen’s retreating figure, his arm wrapped protectively around the woman who had taken everything from me.