The Mating Run by Leeka

Zeke’s POV

“Alina!”

In His Eyes: Dreams

The words come out in a choked scream, the syllables stretched and strained.

But there’s no response. Her empty gaze seems to pierce through the darkness, detached and unfazed by the struggle beneath her hands. My chest tightens with fear, as if sharp claws are digging into my ribs, demanding to be set free from the crushing grip that looms over me. Desperation and confusion mingled in my eyes as I wrestled against her tight grip.

“Alina, please!” Struggling to speak, I managed to rasp out my words, my plea echoing in the void that separated us. “Let me go!”

And then, as if jolted awake from a dream, her eyes widen with recognition. In an instant, the vacant look on her face is replaced by a surge of realization, as she comprehends the magnitude of what she is doing. The tightness around my throat loosens, allowing me to take a gasping breath and feel the immediate relief of fresh oxygen entering my lungs.

“Zeke?”

As she speaks, her voice wavers, conveying a sense of confusion and deep remorse. Clutching my throat, I could still feel the lingering sensation of her hands, like a ghostly touch.

“What… What happened, Alina?”

Horror and guilt immediately wash over her face, causing her to recoil. Her hands tremble uncontrollably as she gazes at them, her entire body filled with a sense of unease.

“I don’t… I don’t know. I just… I thought I was dreaming.”

As I sit up, the bed feels even colder than it did moments ago.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she says, her voice a fragile apology in the quiet darkness. “I’m sorry.”

“Alina, it’s okay,” I murmur, my voice an attempt at reassurance. “It was… just a bad dream, right?”

As she looks at me, her eyes, clouded with remnants of the night’s confusion, well up with tears, revealing a blend of fear and sorrow on her face.

“I’m sorry, Zeke,” she whispers, her voice trembling, eyes never wavering from my neck. “I’m so sorry, sorry, so sorry…”

My hand reaches out, delicately cupping her cheek, feeling the softness of her skin.

fell.

“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t cry, come on.’

But her tears kept streaming down her face, leaving gentle pathways as they

I guide her to sit beside me on the bed, the cold reality of the night enveloping us in its presence. “Alina, you can’t blame yourself. We’re both trying to figure this out, and sometimes things get a little messy. It doesn’t change how I feel about

you.”

nod, her face, streaked with tears, remains a poignant display of sorrow. As I pull her into a comforting embrace, I can

through this, Alina.

don’t want to

audible, revealing the fragile admission of the

“We can’t predict what’ll happen, but we can face it together. And I’m not giving up on

She looks up, her gaze meeting mine with a mix of gratitude and longing. “I don’t think I deserve someone

cheek. “You’re worth every bit of patience and understanding. We’ll find a

my skin, a grimace forms on my face. I can then feel

“Zeke, you’re bleeding!”

mark on my neck, a tiny wound left behind by the strength of her grip during the nightmare. Alina’s eyes welled up with tears at the sight

reach for the first aid kit, I notice the glistening tears streaking down her

calmed down, okay?”

speak softly, my voice a calming murmur. With a bandage in hand, I carefully unravel it, feeling the soft

flickering between the bandage and my face, as if searching for

on my neck, I am relieved to feel the coolness providing some

okay, Alina. Don’t

at her, I could see a complex blend of gratitude and guilt reflecting in her eyes. As she tries to maintain her composure, there’s a lingering sense of

voice barely audible over

her hair away from her face. “Besides, it’s just

her focus never wavers from the bandage, her fingertips gently caressing the fabric as if trying to unravel the secrets hidden within the plain white surface. “I could have really hurt you, Zeke. What if it happens

first aid kit aside, taking a moment to listen to the birds chirping in the distance. “We’ll find a way to manage it, Alina. And I won’t let you push

spoken with a quiet determination, act as an anchor, keeping us grounded

hesitation. “Maybe it’s better if

about not allowing her to bear the guilt

alone.

anything, I should be the one staying

mine, a mixture of surprise and frustration flickering within. “Why aren’t you

my grasp. “Alina, I can’t be angry at you. We’re navigating

to lie back. This time, there’s no distance between us. Instead, I pull her close, my arms enveloping her in a protective embrace. The warmth

okay to feel overwhelmed, Alina,” I say, my fingers gently running through her hair. “We’ll figure this out, step by

weight of the night’s events still pressing on her. “I don’t want to hurt

of the room. “You won’t, Alina. We’ll find a

of fear persist in her eyes, and I feel the need to lighten the atmosphere. “You know what we need? A distraction.

small scoff, a

be funny, even if

when I was younger, I tried to cook dinner for the pack. Let’s just say, it ended up being more of a bonfire than a meal. The Alpha was so mad at me, he told me to run around the pack’s perimeter for

the story, Alina’s laughter grows more genuine, erasing the lines of worry etched on her face. Her beautiful laugh fills the room, momentarily drowning out all

“Thank