The Mating Run by Leeka

Truth
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“Ettie,” With a measured but firm voice, I start to say, capturing her attention. “We
both signed up for the Mating Run to find ourselves a mate. You can't just-Jay
claim to me like that.”
Frustration and urgency etch across her face, her brows furrow deeply.
“Alina, you just don’t get it. This isn't about the Run anymore. It's all about staying
alive. Getting back to how things used to be.”
I shake my head, my hands instinctively curl into tight fists, ready to defend
myself.
“We don't have to forget everything we've been through to survive, Ettie. All I
want is to find someone to be with; I don't ask to be treated like your possession.”
Ettie’s narrowed gaze transforms from desperation to a determined resolve.
“This isn’t about... ownership, Alina! We're talking about keeping you safe. If I
mark you, we can leave this madness behind. We don't have to keep running
anymore.”
“But at what cost?” I retort, my words laced with anger as I jab her on the chest. A
hint of hurt flashes across Ettie’s face, but I choose to ignore it. “If you do that to
me, Ettie, there's no turning back. You're not even bothering to ask if I want that;
it's all about you.”
The silence that follows is punctuated by the lingering echoes of our contrasting
perspectives. Ettie’s eyes, once pleading, now glisten with a determined
fierceness.
“Alina, you're missing the point. This is how we'll get out. An opportunity to take
back control of our lives.”
I breathe out a sigh, feeling stuck between two things. Disappointment washes
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“I won't let fear make me do something that I'll regret in the end.”
Ettie’s piercing gaze tells me everything I need to know — her frustration is.
reaching its boiling point. In frustration, she throws her hand up in the air and lets
out a low growl.
“What do you even want, Alina? Wanna keep running, keep fighting until one of
us goes down to this crazy shit?”
“I want to find a mate, Ettie,” I assert, my voice unwavering. “And I won't
compromise on that goal. We can navigate the challenges without you claiming
me.”
Ettie’s fists clench at her sides, a visible struggle within her as the clash of
desires wages war on her resolve. “You're being stubborn, Alina. This is a chance
for us to be free.”
“I won't exchange one form of captivity for another.”
Right now, as I stand, my mind goes crazy, picking apart every little thing about
her expression and where she’s looking.
I know Ettie really well, maybe even better than I know myself. We go through so
much together, face our demons, and come out stronger, connected by the
language of shared struggles.
Ettie’s eyes tell a different story than her words. She’s always an open book to
me; you can see how she feels just by looking at her. But today, today is different.
Her gaze has this sneaky little dance, like she’s hiding something.
I keep playing her proposal in my head, and it just doesn't sound right. She says
it's for my own safety. Claiming me to keep me safe. It seems selfless at first, like
she’s just looking out for me.
But I know better. I think I know what Ettie really means, the things she’s not
saying.
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This frustration drives me crazy. Why is she not telling me the truth? What's the
point of pretending to be selfless when she’s actually up to something? We go
through some rough times together the Hunters, the unforgiving Mating Run —
and now Ettie wants to keep things a secret.
I look back at all the times we go through together, from when we first meet to all
the challenges we face as a team. In the struggle to survive, strong connections
form, bonds that go beyond words.
I close my eyes, trying to block out everything around me and concentrate on
what's going on inside. My stomach all twisted up, it's a clear sign that I'm really
anxious. Ettie's proposal is like a puzzle, each piece put together to make an
image that I just can’t figure out.
Ettie’s eyes remain locked on a distant point, her silence filled with the frustration
of unexpressed thoughts. Her unspoken motivations hang heavy around us,
creating a suffocating atmosphere that makes it hard to decipher her true
intentions.
“Why, Ettie?” I ask, my voice tinged with frustration and a touch of annoyance.
“Why are you so fixated on claiming me? There has to be more to it than just
keeping me safe.”
“Alina,” Finally, she speaks, her voice a soft, deliberate whisper. “Yeah, you're
right, it's not only about safety.”
Confusion and disbelief etch my features as my brows furrow.
“What?”
When Ettie's eyes meet mine, I can see a torrent of emotions churning in their
depths.
“If you're going to be claimed by someone, it might as well be me.”
on
Her statement hangs in the air, heavy and laden with significance, causing an
eerie chill to run down my back. As I take a step back, my mind races to process
the implications of what she just said.
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I shake my head, trying to get rid of the uneasy feeling Ettie's words give me. The
air feels heavy, suffocating, as the weight of unsaid things hangs over us. Ettie’s
proposal, hidden behind the idea of safety, keeps playing in my mind, and it's
getting more and more confusing.
“Ettie... Don’t say that.”
I whisper, my voice barely making a sound in the awkward silence. Her eyes hold
secrets, and I can't figure them out.
She's not saying anything, which shows how much she’s going through. She's
falling apart right in front of me, losing her cool, and I'm just watching my old
friend Ettie crumble.
I'm so fed up, I could scream.
“I can't talk to you when you're like this,” I declare, my words escaping my lips
with a hint of irritation rather than a well-thought-out expression. “This isn’t you,
Ettie. Claiming me? What are you talking about?”
Before I can even react, Ettie’s forceful hold on my arm startles me, causing me
to momentarily lose my train of thought. The air crackles with her desperation,
creating an atmosphere charged with tension.
“Stay,” Her eyes pleaded as she refused to let go, her grip unyielding. I watch in
terror as her eyes transform, shifting from a tranquil blue to an ominous black.
“Don’t walk away from me, Alina. It's the wrong decision. I can’t control myself
right now, and I need you to stay.”
I don't know what to do; I have mixed emotions. Ettie’s desperation is intense,
and I can feel the weight of responsibility on my shoulders. But the fear of
watching someone I thought I knew come undone makes me want to break free.
“Ettie,” I say, my voice trembling with a mix of fear and uncertainty. I make an
effort to loosen her grip on me, but all I receive In return is a fierce growl from
Ettie. “You're freaking me out. I have no idea what's going on. This claim and talk
about safety, it's just not adding up. And holding onto me like this, begging me
not to go because you can't handle yourself? That's not okay.”
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Ettie’s eyes, once filled with desperation, now shimmer with a glimmer of
understanding. It's as though she’s trapped in a battle between opposing worlds,
struggling against forces she cannot tame. The question hangs in the air,
unspoken, like
a distant thunderstorm on the horizon, pondering if I have the strength to guide
us through this tempest or if we will be left to its mercy.
“I need you, Alina,” There is a noticeable vulnerability in her voice as she says it,
a departure from the typically fierce and unyielding Ettie I've known. “I can’t lose
you. I can't let anyone else claim you. It's dangerous out there, and I need to
keep you safe. You're mine, Alina. Just stay. Please.”
The words suspend in the air, a turbulent confession that sends a shiver down
my spine.
Mine.
The possessiveness in that utterance sends shivers down my spine, and I sense
a creeping unease nibbling away at my determination.
“Ettie,” I say, shaking my head in disbelief. “I can't stay if you're not yourself. If
you're gonna keep acting like this desperate, possessive — I can't stay. I won't. I
need the Ettie I know, the one who faces challenges head-on, not someone
who's lost in a storm of confusion.”
The Ettie standing before me is unrecognizable, and a growing sense of unease
settles in my gut.
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A . . .
Ettie’s hair, once gleaming like pure
gold, now has the wild and tousled
appearance of a landscape ravaged
w 5 - :

by a storm. It's as if a whirlwind has
passed by, leaving a trail of disorder
behind. Stray strands of hair stand

: : )
rebelliously, refusing to be tamed. It's
disconcerting to see the disarray, like
stumbling upon a garden that has
lost its former beauty to an
overwhelming infestation of weeds.
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Read the latest chapter there!
And those eyes, those captivating blue eyes, now hold a darkness so deep it
sends shivers down her spine. The spark of familiarity has vanished, replaced by
an unsettling intensity that sends shivers down my spine. It's as though a shroud
has been draped over Ettie’s true self, leaving her emotions and thoughts
concealed.
DI
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The person before me is a stranger wearing Ettie’s skin.
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As I try to make sense of it all, I can't help but notice the strange and unsettling
behavior coming from Ettie.
As she presses my palm against her nose, I can feel her breath warm against my
hand, as if she’s drawing strength from my very presence. It catches me off
guard, the unexpected intimacy of the gesture sending a shiver down my spine.
Ettie’s inhale is desperate, like someone gasping for air before being submerged
underwater.
I watch, frozen, as her chest rises and falls with each deep breath, her eyes.
never leaving my face. The intensity of the moment hangs in the air, suffocating
and disorienting.
Her intense gaze locks onto mine, and in that instant, I feel as if I have become
smaller. Unspoken words hang heavy in the air, and I can’t shake the sense that
Ettie is silently trying to communicate something beyond my grasp. The
oppressive silence envelops us, suffused with the weight of unexpressed
thoughts and unanswered inquiries.
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The tight grip of the hand on my
palm sends a jolt of almost painful
pressure through my body. Ettie
clings to me desperately, her grip
tight as if her life depends on it. My
instincts scream at me to withdraw,
to distance myself from this version
of Ettie that seems like a stranger
disguised in a familiar facade. Yet, a
conflicting emotion holds me in place
a knot of worry, bewilderment, and
unwavering allegiance. The content
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chapter there!
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The fear within me intensifies. I want

=a

to reach out, to grasp Ettie’'s
shoulders and shake her until the
familiar person emerges from the
depths of this strange facade. But a
voice in my mind holds me back—an
apprehension that disturbing the
delicate balance will unravel
something irreparable. The unknown
looms like a specter, and I hesitate
on the precipice of discovery. The
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the latest chapter there!
As her grip on my palm finally loosens, a sense of relief washes over me. The
tension in the air dissipates, but the lingering unease remains. Ettle’s gaze,
though still intense, wavers for a moment, and I glimpse a flicker of vulnerability
beneath
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the darkness. It's a fleeting moment, like a crack in a mask, before Ettie
composes herself once more..
“Just don’t walk away from me, Alina. That's all I'm asking for.”
Ettie smiles at me, her dimples deepening as she tries to hide her guilt. She
smiles, her eyes sparkling with kindness, as if she isn't just shattering the
unspoken
boundary between us. I wonder if she even knows what she’s doing. I wonder if
she
even cares.
It makes me think.
Do I really know Ettie, or is she just some stranger I think I know?
As I look at my hand, the tight grip she has leaves behind the faint beginnings of
a bruise.