Addicted To Her The Alpha'S Irresistible Contract Mate novel Chapter 44

44 Chapter 44 Running from the engagement

I slipped through the bustling halls of the lodge, my apron pockets heavy with pilfered herbs from the kitchen–lavender for calming, chamomile for sleep, anything to steady my nerves.

My confrontation with Elias this morning had echoing in my ears: “Stay out of it, or you’ll create problems for yourself.”

But I couldn’t. Lucy’s tearful confession in her room had ignited something fierce. If I could help her escape this forced union, maybe it would chip away at the pack’s rigid traditions. And maybe, it would force Elias to confront his own hypocrisy.

My steps faltered as I approached his quarters. The bond tugged at me, an insistent pull toward him, but caution made me pause. Peering through the crack, my heart clenched when I saw the sight inside.

“Elias, I… I wanted to say how grateful I am that you’re considering this. Grandpa’s proposal caught us all off guard, but it could mean so much for our packs.” Jessy stepped closer to him and rested her hand on his arm, and then she hugged him affectionately, her cheek pressing against his chest in a gesture that screamed intimacy.

The sight pierced me like a claw, ripping through my chest with jealous fire. The mate bond ignited, a blazing inferno that made my blood boil and my vision tunnel. How dare she? Touch him like that, as if he were hers?

My hands fisted at my sides, nails digging into my palms until they drew blood. Despite my denials, the possessiveness surged, the bond screaming that he was mine.

But why? I hated him, didn’t I? For caging me, for his cruelty, for hiding me like a shameful secret. Yet seeing her in his arms, even platonically, twisted something deep inside.

Upset, tears pricking my eyes, I retreated silently, backing away before they noticed. My footsteps were muffled on the rug, but my heart pounded like a war drum.

As I fled down the hall, the realization crashed over me like a tidal wave: this was more than the bond’s compulsion. I loved Elias. I loved him, perhaps I’d never stopped, even after three years of running from the bond, hiding in that bar, surviving on scraps of freedom.

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44 Chapter 44 Running from the engagement

The thought brought waves of angst, a churning sea of confusion and pain. Loving the alpha who caged me, whose family my father had destroyed? It felt like a curse from the moon goddess herself, fated mates bound by blood and betrayal. How could I love the man who’d mocked me as his enemy, who’d taken me roughly on his own bed, his words a blade: “Trembling like this… it’s thrilling to make my enemy tremble“?

The memories flooded back–his hands on my skin, breaths mingling hot and fast, touches that ignited sparks despite the hate. But he controlled me, blamed me for sins not my own. This love was poison, buried under resentment, blooming in the dark like a forbidden flower. And now, with Jessy in the picture, it shattered me further.

Yet, as I paused in a quiet alcove, leaning against the cool stone wall to catch my breath, a colder clarity emerged. This could be my escape. If Elias married her, the bond might weaken, traditions allowing him to set aside a “flawed” mate like me. He might release me, let me flee with my secrets intact—no more cage, no more pull.

The idea should have brought relief, a spark of hope. Instead, it deepened the angst, tears welling anew. Why did freedom taste like ashes? The bond’s unbreakable pull mocked me–souls intertwined, fated despite the pain. Loving him meant eternal torment, but losing him? Unthinkable.

I wiped my eyes, resolve hardening. If I couldn’t save myself, I’d save Lucy.

Driven by that heartache, I returned to Lucy’s room, knocking softly before entering. She sat on the bed, still in her nightgown, eyes red–rimmed from crying.

“Naomi,” she whispered, looking up with desperate hope. “What did he say?! Will he talk to grandpa?!”

I closed the door, locking it, and sat beside her, taking her hands in mine. “No, but don’t worry I’ll get out of this arrangement. We can get you out. I’ll disguise it as a brief absence. Run to the neutral territories, just for a few days. It’ll force them to reevaluate, buy time to argue your case. I know paths through the woods–hidden trails from when I… well, from my own escapes.”

Lucy’s eyes widened, hesitation flickering. “But… Grandpa’s guards are everywhere. And if they catch me? The punishment-”

“I know It’s risky,” I admitted, my voice steady despite the fear knotting my gut. “But staying means a lifetime of regret. Dress in servant clothes, slip out during the pre–ceremony chaos. I’ll create a distraction, spill something in the kitchens, draw attention. Head east to the river ford; there’s a safe house in the neutral zone. From

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44 Chapter 44 Running from the engagement

there you can go to Elias’s mansion in the city.”

She bit her lip, tears welling again. “Why are you helping me? This could get you in

trouble.”

I squeezed her hands and smiled weakly. “Because I know what it’s like to be trapped. To have choices stolen. You deserve better a love that’s real, not arranged.”

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