The Mating Run

Chapter 66

In His Eyes: Answer Zeke’s POV As the morning light streams through the windows, it bathes the cabin in a gentle, golden hue while Alina stirs in my arms.

Shifting slightly to the side, | make sure to give her some room and respond with a smile as | look at her. When | see the look on her face, the smile immediately vanishes. Her gaze is unfocused, her expression confused, as if the events of yesterday are still lingering in the depths of her memory.

“Why are we... naked?”

Her voice is barely audible, a combination of uncertainty and a hint of nervousness.

“You... you don’t remember? What about me? Do you... remember me?”

With a deep breath, | steady myself, mentally and physically, readying myself for the upcoming conversation that lies ahead. Her attention turns towards me, her eyes locked onto my face, searching for something. For a moment, a wave of fear washes over me, doubting if she will even recognize me. However, a flicker of recognition passes through her eyes, causing her to quickly look away and blink.

“|... | know you. Y—You’re...” Alina’s face contorted into a frown, a mix of frustration and bewilderment evident in her expression. “Ze...ke.”

With a smile on my face, | reach out and wrap an arm around her waist, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You're right.” Once again, a frown appears on her face as she instinctively reaches for her neck.

“Why does my neck hurt?”

In His Eyes: Answer

Apang of guilt tightens my chest as | delicately run my fingers over the faint marks on her neck. Her body trembles at my touch, and | catch her covertly peering at me through her lowered lashes. With a sigh escaping my lips, | lean in and place a tender kiss on the side of her head, causing her eyes to flutter.

“| marked you,” | confessed, my voice so faint that it almost disappeared into the silence. Alina’s eyes widen in surprise at the admission, and she instinctively slaps a hand to her neck, wincing in pain. “I’m sorry, Alina. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.”

“Marked?” “Yeah,” | reply, my gaze fixed on her. “It’s a... mating mark. It means you’re mine.” Pulling away, frustration and confusion are evident on her face.

“Oh, | know exactly what a mating mark is, no need to explain! Just... just, | don’t understand. You were- Were we even anything? Seriously, how did this happen? | just... don’t get it, my thoughts are all tangled and | can’t make sense of anything.”

With a heavy sigh escaping my lips, | found solace in the rhythmic motion of combing my fingers through her hair. Alina remains close to me, but her body language reveals tension, as if she is uneasy in my presence. Although her actions hurt my heart, | know that they may be an unfortunate side effect of the Hupnos injected into her.

“| know,” | say, remorse tainting my words. “And if it makes you feel any better | wanted it to mean something more, something special. But in the heat of the moment, I... | lost control, and now you're marked.”

| had the urge to smack my forehead, but | couldn’t come up with a different. expression to convey my exasperation. Having a mate is completely new to me as well, and it’s an entirely different experience. | never once imagined that | would have someone like her in my life, let alone someone as incredible as her.

“It doesn’t make me feel better.” Alina’s expression shifts, a subtle mix of emotions playing on hér features. “I can’t believe this happened. | feel like I’m in

u

In the Egos Answer

some kind of dream”

| reach for her hand, feeling the warmth and softness as | give it a gentle

squeeze.

“I'm sorry, Alina. | never wanted to make you uncomfortable or do something you weren't ready for. | just=". {A

| wanted to tell her that before, there were moments when it seemed like she was inviting me to leave my mark on her. But just as | start my other sentence, Alina abruptly pulls her hand away from mine, leaving my words unfinished.

“So, what now? What does this mean for us?”

| shift uncomfortably, feeling the urge to wrap my arms around her and pull her onto my lap. However, she avoids eye contact, making it clear that she doesn’t share the same desire as | do.

“Well,” As | begin, my fingers instinctively find their way into my hair, the familiar texture providing a sense of grounding. “We can leave-”

“No.”

The sudden answer catches me off guard, causing me to flinch. When | look at her again, | notice that she’s frowning, her eyebrows furrowed and her lips downturned.

“Alina?”

The air in the cabin feels heavy with tension, as if every word spoken by Alina has settled and hangs in the atmosphere. | had thought, hoped, that after the intensity of our connection, she might be willing to leave the Mating Run with me.

But her face is an enigma, and | can’t discern the thoughts behind those unreadable eyes.

Wanting to bridge the gap that had formed between us, | mustered the courage. to reach out to her, hoping for reconciliation. With a subtle retreat, she moves away,

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In His Eyes: Answer

and | can’t help but feel a pang of hurt in my chest. 78%

“I'm not sure about leaving with you, Zeke,” Her steady voice betrays no hint of emotion as she confesses, but her face remains unreadable. Standing up, she hastily grabs the nearest hoodie — my hoodie — from the makeshift bed and wraps it around herself. She even shields her body away from me, as though | haven't spent countless nights tracing its contours with my fingertips. “I need time to think.”

My heart sinks, and | fight to keep my expression neutral. “Huh?”

| notice a hint of vulnerability in her eyes as our gazes intertwine, something I’ve never witnessed until now. Frustrated, she lets out a sigh and absentmindedly tucks loose strands of her hair behind her ear, her pacing on the floor becoming

more restless. “| don’t know if you’re a good guy or the bad guy, Zeke. And it scares me. | can’t just leave with you without knowing.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. Filled with offense and hurt, | forcefully rise from the bed, immediately making my way towards her. As she looks in my direction, her gaze falls upon my naked body, causing her to gasp and quickly look away. That hurts me too, much more than | would like, causing a deep ache in my heart. As | reach out and grab her forearm gently, she immediately recoils and forcefully shoves my touch away.

“After everything... you question whether I’m good to you?” | watch as Alina ran her hand over her face, her expression filled with annoyance.

“Listen, | have no idea what went down. In my mind, it feels like the Mating Run just started a few days ago. | have no idea, my brain’s a total mess. | thought you were trying to kill me. My bad if everything’s too fucking strange for me.”

“It's what-” With a click of my tongue, | walk towards her and position myself in demanding front of her. Placing my hands on her cheeks, | tilt her head towards me,

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her attention. “Alina, that happened ages ago. We patched things up, remember? | made sure everything was okay between us. Looking back, | wish | hadn’t done what | did. | saved you and you saved me and-”

| can’t even complete my sentence before Alina bursts into tears, ending our conversation abruptly. Her tears glisten on her cheeks as | gently brush them away, but when | lean in for a kiss, she flinches, her closed eyes betraying her wounded heart. When she pushes against my chest, | release my grip on her.

“|... | don’t know anything you're saying,” Crying into her hands, she whispered her words to me, making sure not to let out a single sound. “In my brain, it’s only been a couple of days. A long time ago? Seriously, how did that happen? That doesn’t make any sense! | remember... hiding in a cave, and then you trying to kill me and then... Anything beyond that... Nothing!”

| struggle to contain the hurt, feeling as if I'm being devoured by the overwhelming sense of rejection. “You think I’m still the bad guy here, don’t you?”

“It's not that simple,” Her voice filled the air as she replied, and her eyes locked with mine once more. With her eyes bloodshot from crying, she glares at me and throws her hands up in the air in frustration. “I just need time to understand everything. This is all so overwhelming, and | can’t make a decision in haste.”

As the silence settles, it feels suffocating, and | can’t help but run a hand through my hair in frustration.

“Alina, | care about you. Why can’t you trust that?”

“You tried to kill me!” She lets out a piercing scream, her hand shooting up in my direction. “Seriously, after you tried to kill me, why would I even consider mating with you?! Have | lost my mind?!”

Her words cut through me like a knife, leaving a bitter taste of disappointment in my mouth.

“You loved me.”

In His Eyes Answer

“| might have Stockholm Syndrome.”

“Alina-”

“What if this is a mistake-”

“You're treating me like the bad guy, like I’m some threat to you. After everything | did for you, you can’t see that I’m not here to hurt you?”

Her expression softens, but the lingering uncertainty is still evident in her eyes.

She lets out a sigh, the sound echoing with a profound sense of longing and sorrow. “I’m sorry, Zeke. I’m drawing a complete blank. | don’t think I'm the person you wanted as a mate. | don’t think | could bring that woman back, even if | wantedConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

to.”

The impact of the words was like a tidal wave, relentlessly crashing against the walls of hope | had fortified. | am caught off guard by the tears that form in my eyes, only noticing them when Alina’s voice interrupts the quiet. Alina’s voice, soft and gentle, acts as a calming melody that pierces through the storm raging within me.

“H-hey... Look, there’s no need to cry-”

As the tears flow down my face, the weight of the ache in my chest becomes undeniable. How could she forget something so important? How could those moments be reduced to mere fragments, fleeting and forgotten in the recesses of

her mind?

Alina takes a step closer, her eyes brimming with compassion, as she gently reaches out to wipe away my tears. “Look... | think we'll figure this out. | just...”

Just before she could touch my skin, my knees buckle beneath me and | collapse to the ground, shattered and rejected. | had no idea the pain would be so intense, but | had heard stories of mates being rejected before. They use the term “drop” to describe this. Never in my wildest dreams did | imagine | could have such an experience.

| sit there on the cold floor, a broken man in the wake of Alina’s confession. The

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In His Eyes: Answer

rejection hangs heavy in the air, a bitter taste on my tongue. My tears, once silent, now echo in the empty spaces between us.

Alina sighs, a sound that seems to carry the weight of our shared pain. She crouches down in front of me, her eyes filled with a mix of sympathy and regret. With a gentle touch, she wipes away my tears, her fingers tracing the lines of heartache etched on my face:

“Zeke,” she whispers, her voice a soft murmur in the cavern of our shared vulnerability, “I’m sorry. | didn’t mean to hurt you.” | look into her eyes, searching for something, anything, that might look like the Alina that loves me.

| don’t find anything.