Chapter 10 Rune
TEN
RUNE
The warm glow of Electra’s cabin should have been welcoming, but Rune felt like he was walking into an interrogation room.
His pulse hammered against his throat as he followed her inside, every instinct urging him to turn around and retreat to the safety of distance he’d maintained for the past four torturous days.
You shouldn’t have revealed yourself. The thought circled his mind like a vulture. Should have let her wonder about the wolves and gone home.
But when he’d seen her standing there in the moonlight, vulnerable and alone while his pack patrolled nearby, every protective instinct had overridden logic. The sight of her so close to potential danger had sent his wolf into overdrive, demanding action regardless of consequences.
Now he was trapped in the intimate space of her home, surrounded by her scent—that intoxicating blend that had been driving him to distraction for over a week.
The four days of deliberate avoidance had been torture, but necessary.
His wolf had been growing hungrier for her after their tour, and he’d thought distance might cool the relentless pull of the mate bond.
Foolish.
Distance had only sharpened the craving.
She moved to the stone fireplace, the flames casting dancing shadows across her face as she turned to face him. The sight of her in the flickering light—hair loose around her shoulders, green eyes bright with curiosity rather than fear—made his chest tighten with want.
He forced himself to remain near the door, maintaining what little control he had left.
“Start talking,” she said, crossing her arms. Her tone should have made his wolf bristle but instead it made his wolf hungry all over again. “And don’t you dare give me another lecture about wildlife safety.”
She’s too intelligent and insistent to deceive any longer.
The realization settled over him like armor. Electra had been watching, analyzing, and connecting dots with the sharp mind that had made her a bestselling author. She deserved the truth, even if it changed everything.
“Wolf shifters run Blackpine,” he said, his voice steady despite the chaos in his chest. “Two packs maintain order in this territory—the Hale Pack and the Fen Pack. We govern according to pack law, with the human residents’ knowledge and cooperation.”
Her eyebrows shot up, and he watched understanding dawn across her features.
“Hale,” she repeated slowly. “As in Rune Hale. So you’re not just the sheriff.”
“I’m also Alpha of the Hale Pack.” The words came out flat, matter-of-fact. No point in softening the blow. “I’ve held both positions for over twenty years.”
Watch her run now.
His wolf braced for rejection, for the fear that would send her fleeing back to the safety of her old life. Instead, she tilted her head with the same analytical expression she’d worn when questioning his repeated visits.
“That explains so much about your behavior,” she said, a note of satisfaction creeping into her voice. “The way you move, the authority everyone defers to, that protective streak that borders on overbearing.”
Relief flooded through him so suddenly his knees nearly buckled. She’s not running. Yet.
“I write about shifters and mate bonds all the time,” she continued, her tone growing thoughtful. “Always assumed it was purely fictional. Just another plot device to create romantic tension.”
The mention of her books sparked a memory, and before he could stop himself, the words tumbled out.
“I know. I read one of your novels this week. Moon Claimed. Quite enlightening, though you got some details about shifter hierarchy wrong.”
Her laugh was rich and genuine, transforming her face into something luminous. “You read my work? You don’t exactly strike me as the type to read fantasy fiction, Sheriff.”
Heat crept up his neck, and he found himself fighting a smile. “It was research. I wanted to understand you better.”
The moment the words left his mouth, he knew he’d revealed too much too fast. Her expression shifted, curiosity sharpening into something more intense.
“Understand me better?” She took a step closer, and his wolf perked up at the decreased distance. “Why would you need to research me unless—“
Careful.
He held up a hand, needing to pace this revelation before he overwhelmed her completely.
“Mate bonds are very real, Electra.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “And you’ve unknowingly stepped into a situation that mirrors your novels more closely than you could have imagined.”
The fire crackled in the silence that followed, and Rune watched her process the implications of his words. Her sharp mind was already working, fitting pieces together with the same precision that had made her stories so compelling.
She’s going to figure it out soon enough. The thought terrified and thrilled him in equal measure. I might as well tell her now.
The silence stretched between them like a taut wire, and Rune felt the weight of twenty years of careful control balanced on the edge of this moment.
She deserves to hear it from me. Not piece it together like some puzzle.
He closed the distance between them with deliberate steps, each movement calculated to project calm authority rather than predatory intent. The firelight caught the concern flickering across her features, and when he stopped mere inches away, her scent enveloped him completely.
“Electra.” Her name felt like a prayer on his lips. “You’re my fated mate.”
His words hung in the air, stark and irrevocable. His chest tightened as he braced for the inevitable reaction—laughter, denial, or the sharp sting of rejection that would send her running back to her safe, predictable life.
Instead, she went perfectly still, her green eyes widening with something that looked like recognition rather than shock.
“What?” The question came out breathless, but not dismissive. “Fated mates are... I mean, that’s just a romance trope. Something I use to create sexual tension and emotional stakes in my novels.”
“They’re very real.” He kept his voice steady despite the storm raging in his body. “The bond between us exists whether we acknowledge it or not. But the choice to accept it—to accept me—is entirely yours.”
Her lips parted slightly, and he watched understanding dawn across her face like sunrise breaking over the mountains.
“That’s why...” She trailed off, one hand rising unconsciously to touch her throat. “The attraction I felt the moment you pulled me over. The way my pulse races whenever you’re near. I thought I was just sexually frustrated after two years of celibacy.”
A laugh escaped him before he could stop it—rich and genuine and tinged with relief that she felt the bond too, even without the instinctive recognition his wolf possessed.
“It’s definitely more than just sexual frustration.” His voice dropped to a rumble that made her breath catch. “It goes much deeper than physical desire.”
The admission hung between them, loaded with promise and possibility. His wolf howled with joy at her confession, but Rune forced himself to maintain distance, to give her space to process.
“I won’t force anything,” he said, the words coming out rougher than intended. “I won’t touch you unless you choose me willingly. The bond doesn’t override free will, Electra. It simply... makes the choice more complicated.”
She stared at him for a long moment, then moved to the couch with unsteady steps, sinking onto the cushions like her knees had given out.
Her hands trembled slightly as she pressed them to her temples, and Rune fought every instinct screaming at him to comfort her, to gather her close and soothe the turmoil he’d just unleashed.
“This is a lot,” she whispered, her voice small in the firelit room. “First I discover wolf shifters are real, then that you’re an Alpha, and now you’re telling me I’m your fated mate? It’s like I’ve just stepped into one of my own novels.”
The irony wasn’t lost on either of them, and despite the gravity of the moment, Rune felt his lips twitch with amusement.
“I don’t trust things easily,” she continued, her voice growing stronger with each word. “And this—you—will take time. I can’t just rush into anything, especially not something this monumental. I need to focus on my book, on rebuilding my career after months of writer’s block.”
There it is.
The careful independence that had drawn him to her from the beginning, even as it frustrated his protective instincts.
“I’ve almost jeopardized my career for a man before,” she said, her tone hardening with resolve. “I won’t let a powerful man take over my life, even if he’s incredibly attractive and my fated mate. I worked too hard for my agency to give it up now.”
The words hit him like a dagger to the heart, but beneath the sting, he recognized the truth in them.
She’d built her success through self-reliance, through refusing to compromise her dreams for anyone else’s expectations.
It was part of what made her worthy of being his mate—that fierce independence that matched his own stubborn strength.
“You see, my parents died when I was twelve,” she continued, her voice barely a whisper. “And my aunt took me in, and she was wonderful, but I learned early that relying on anyone but yourself is dangerous. Love makes you vulnerable. Distracted. And I can’t afford either.”
The confession pierced through his careful composure, striking at his own wounds. His own loss echoed in her words—the devastating realization that caring for someone meant opening yourself to unimaginable pain.
“I understand,” he said quietly, moving closer but still maintaining respectful distance. “My mother was killed when I was eighteen. For twenty years, I’ve believed that wanting something—someone—for myself would weaken my ability to protect others. That personal desire and duty couldn’t coexist.”
Her eyes met his, and for a moment, the carefully constructed walls between them cracked, revealing the shared understanding of souls who’d learned too young that love came with a price.
“But the mate bond doesn’t care about our heartbreak,” he continued, his voice rough with emotion. “Destiny has a way of forcing choices we’re not ready to make. I understand if you can’t accept it. If you can’t accept me.”
The admission cost him, but he forced himself to turn toward the door, every step away from her a small death. His wolf raged against the retreat, demanding he stay, claim, protect—but his human side recognized that patience was the only path forward.
“Take all the time you need,” he said without turning back. “When you’re ready to talk again, you know where to find me.”
The cool night air hit his face as he stepped onto her porch, but it did nothing to cool the fire burning in his chest. Behind him, the cabin glowed with warmth and possibility, charged with the electric tension of words spoken and choices yet to be made.
She may decide she can’t have me. The thought followed him into the darkness, a cold whisper of doubt that made his wolf whimper with loss. After twenty years of avoiding this moment, I’m finally ready to accept the mate bond—and she might walk away.