The Mating Run by Leeka

Chapter 31

Root

The air hangs heavy with the acrid scent of vomit.

I’m hunched over by the side, retching violently as my body rebels against the weight of guilt and fear that clings to my insides. Each convulsion sends waves of nausea through me, a physical manifestation of the turmoil within.

Ettie’s voice, a distant murmur, penetrates the fog of my anguish.

“Alina, you need to stop. It’s done.”

Her words, meant as reassurance, fall on deaf ears. I can’t shake the images that replay in my mind–the brutality, the blood, the makeshift grave. The forest seems to close in around me, its ancient trees bearing silent witness to the chaos that has unfolded in their domain.

As I retch, Ettie continues to stand near the makeshift grave, her gaze fixed on the rocky ground. “We did what we had to do, Alina.”

Her words cut through the fog, a stark reminder of the unforgiving reality that governs the Mating Run. Survival leaves no room for hesitation or remorse.

I wipe my mouth, trembling, and attempt to rise.

The forest floor feels unsteady beneath me, each step a struggle against the lingering shadows of guilt. Ettie turns toward me, her eyes holding a mixture of concern and frustration.

“Alina-”

“Ettie… We… We can’t afford to stay here. We shouldn’t. The cameras are watching. We need to go somewhere they can’t see us..”

I stumble towards Ettie, my legs weak beneath me.

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Ettie’s gaze softens

and we made ours.”

“Alina, survival comes with a price. Elijah made his choice,

“We?” I mutter to myself, my entire body shaking. “What do you mean we?”

Anger pulses through me

mel that still linger in my chest.

like a wildfire, fueled by the charred remains of guilt

The echoes of Elijah’s demise reverberate in my mind, a haunting melody that refuses to be silenced. Yet, as I turn my gaze toward Ettie, a different kind of fury

takes root within me.

“Ettie, it was all you! You did that! It’s not something we both decided on! Why did you kill him?”

The words burst forth, sharp and accusing. My voice, usually soft, carries the weight of betrayal.

Ettie meets my gaze, her eyes defiant. “Alina, he touched you. He was going to hurt you. What choice did I have?”

The forest, with its silent trees and hidden cameras, bears witness to our confrontation. The air crackles with tension, charged with the unspoken truth that now stands between us.

“You had a choice, Ettie! You didn’t have to kill him like that!” My fists clench at my sides, the anger boiling within me. “We could have found another way, stopped him without resorting to… to this.”

Mating Run. There are no rules, no mercy. You think he would

doesn’t give you the right to play

a storm brewing within

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me? He had

you.”

torrent of frustration. “But you didn’t let me decide, Ettie! You took that

against the accusations

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If you can’t understand that,

cut out for

act like you know what’s best

her eyes ablaze. “I won’t let anyone harm you, Alina. If

just like they are.” I say the words, instantly regretting it

your own? You’re naïve, Alina. In this forest, trust is

reality of her words hangs in the air. Trust, once a fragile bond between us, now shatters like glass. I clench my

compromise who

you are? In this forest, that’s

but I refuse to let it break me. “I won’t lose

cold. “Sometimes, Alina, you have to become a

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to defeat one.”

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truth in her words, though chilling, ignites a defiant spark within me. “I won’t let fear

on my own.”

our unraveling camaraderie. Ettie’s gaze, a mixture of frustration and

can’t survive this alone. You

“Trust is earned, Ettie. And right now, I don’t know if

reaches my ears, and I stiffen immediately,

on Ettie.

weight of emotions, a vulnerability I hadn’t anticipated. In that moment, my heart softens, a realization dawning upon me –

sorry. I… I didn’t mean those words. I just…

stained with tears, and for a moment,

Ettie whispers, her voice fragile like delicate glass on the verge of shattering. “How can we go on if you

with the weight of my own insecurities. “Ettie, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I’m just… I’m scared

a tear, her gaze searching mine for sincerity. “I thought we could rely on each other, Alina. That’s what kept us going. If we lose that, what do we have left?”

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becomes a mirror reflecting my own fears. The realization hits me – I’m not alone in this struggle, and the

scared of losing you,” I admit, the words hanging in the air like an unspoken plea. “That’s

gaze softens, a flicker of understanding bridging the gap between us. “Alina, you mean everything to me. I did what I did to protect you, to keep you safe. If that means sacrificing a

gravity of her choices. We’re not just navigating a forest filled with perilous beasts; we’re navigating the complexities of

care about you. But I can’t blindly accept everything. We need to find a balance, a way to survive without losing

silent acknowledgment of the truth we both recognize. “I never wanted to make you doubt me, Alina. I just… I can’t lose you in

survival, each step fraught with uncertainty. “We need each other, Ettie. But we also need to trust in

choices.”

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