The Mating Run by Leeka

Fake
My eyes flutter open, and I am met with the comforting sensation of being held.
by Zeke.
In any other circumstance, being held in such an embrace upon waking up offers
a sense of comfort, a quiet reminder of our strong connection. As my
consciousness fully returns, a disconcerting truth settles heavily on my
shoulders.
Zeke's arms, which were once a comforting embrace, now feel constricting and
suffocating. It isn’t the gentle embrace I expect upon waking; it's a hold that
leaves. me feeling confined.
I shift, feeling increasingly uncomfortable as my senses pick up on the presence
of another camera. The camera's unblinking lens is fixed on us, as if freezing the
vulnerability of the moment in time. It's as if a punch to the gut, the realization
washes over me — we are being watched again, our every intimate moment
exposed to unseen eyes.
And I just know that it is Zeke’s idea, as the sound of his voice echoes in my
mind.
Anger and betrayal surge through me, overwhelming my emotions.
I carefully untangle myself from Zeke’s embrace, the once gentle motion now
filled with a hint of desperation. The weight of my emotions threatens to spill over,
creating a heavy atmosphere around me. I crave distance, a breath of air to bring
clarity to my thoughts.
I feel manipulated, like a pawn on a chessboard with every move carefully
plotted.
The sound of something shifting beside me causes me to tense up, and I let out
a quiet curse.
“Alina, what's wrong?”
Through the silence, Zeke’s voice rings out, carrying a palpable sense of worry.
Standing there, I can feel his gaze on me, his eyes filled with confusion. With a
tired sigh, he rubs his eye and lets out a quick yawn. Although I despise it, a
surge of concern for him floods my being.
At first, I remain silent, not answering. As he continues to stare at me, I let out a
frustrated sigh. I mumble under my breath, the words barely escaping my lips.
“I just need to get out and get some air.”
As I speak, my voice trembles with the same intensity as the brewing storm
within.
Zeke's voice echoes through the air once more, tinged with both anxiety and
perplexity.
“Alina, please. Tell me what's wrong.”
In that fleeting moment, the weight of my emotions makes me contemplate
opening up to him, as if the words are begging to be released. I want to ask the
question that lingers in my mind — what are we? And what does this mean for us?
I fall silent, that we are still being watched, and that someone or something is
aware
observing our every move.
And the fact that he probably orchestrates all this, making himself appear like a
concerned potential mate, fills me with anger.
“I need a moment to myself,” I mutter, unable to tear my eyes away from the
rain—soaked ground. “Just, you know, think about things, alright?”
Zeke lets out a sigh, his tone filled with a frustrating and helpless blend of
emotions.
“Alina, we're already in this together, so let's stick together. If things aren't right,
we should face them together.”
I can hear the authenticity in his words, and in any other situation, I would
welcome the sentiment. However, things are anything but normal, and judging by
11:42 Sun, 10 Mar
Fake
his appearance, he seems far from sincere.
I turn to him, our eyes locking in an intense gaze.
“Can you just please give me some space, Zeke?”
Reluctantly, he nods, his face etched with a frown. The unspoken tension hangs
in the air, and with each step I take away from him, it feels as though an invisible
barrier is forming, separating us both physically and emotionally.
I find a hidden nook, shielded from the intrusive gaze of the cameras, and allow
the rain to drench me. As the rain pours down, my tears blend with the raindrops,
silently releasing the emotions that have been suffocating me. Like a bitter
aftertaste, the feeling of being used as a pawn in an uncontrollable game lingers
within me.
As I stand there, thinking to myself, I can’t help but wonder — is there anything
real about our connection? Even when Zeke and I have tender moments, it feels
wrong because we are just part of a messed—up drama.
I return to the camp, soaked to the bone and feeling exposed, and Zeke’s worried
eyes lock with mine.
He stands there, his figure casting a striking silhouette against the backdrop of
the shelter, his eyes mirroring a mix of worry and tenderness. I can feel the stark
difference between the comforting warmth of the shelter and the biting cold of the
rain—soaked world outside, intensifying the emotional storm brewing within me.
With a sense of urgency, Zeke swiftly covers me with a warm towel, likely
sourced from another sponsor.
The gesture, so small yet so powerful, surrounds me with a soothing sense of
security. I hug myself tightly, feeling the dampness seep through my clothes.
“Alina, what happened?” Zeke’s voice, dripping with genuine concern, pierces
through the heavy silence of the rain. With a gentle touch, he reaches out and
brushes away my tears, his thumb leaving a comforting warmth on my cheek.
“What's the problem? What's making you cry?”
Under my breath, I whisper, careful not to disturb our surroundings.
My voice falls on deaf ears.
“What?”
I take a deep breath, the weight of the unspoken truths pressing on my chest.
“Zeke,” I begin, my voice a fragile whisper. “What are we?”
His eyes, once filled with warmth, stiffen. There is a brief flicker of uncertainty on
his face as he opens and closes his mouth, unable to find the right words. The
heavy weight settling between us is palpable in the silence that follows.
Frustration surges through me, the intensity of my emotions becoming
palpable.
“Zeke, we can't keep running away from this. I can’t keep ignoring this or I'll lose
my mind. Give it to me straight. Tell me, what exactly are we?”
As the rain falls like a cascade, I feel the dampness seeping into my bones,
mirroring the storm inside me. Facing Zeke, my emotions boil over with anger,
frustration, and the acrid taste of betrayal.
Emotions surge through me like an unstoppable flood, and I can no longer keep
them in check.
Each blow I land on Zeke's chest carries the weight of my frustration, confusion,
and anger as I unleash my pent-up emotions. As raindrops fall, they mingle with
my tears, distorting my view of the person who has become both my comfort and
my
torment.
“Is any of this actually real?” Each word I ask him is accompanied by the impact
of my punch to his chest. “Stop doing all this stuff to me if you can’t even learn to
like me in return!”
Zeke stands there, stoic and silent, taking in every blow without uttering a single
word. The combination of understanding and regret etched on his face makes the
silence all the moré infuriating. As if in sync with our emotions, the rain
intensifies, pounding on the ground and drowning out any other sound.
“Answer me!” Tears stream down my face as my voice cracks with a blend of
frustration and hopelessness. “Is anything between us even real?”
#
Zeke's lips part, but all that fills the silence is the sound of his shallow breaths.
Instead, he just takes all my punches, silently watching as all my hidden
emotions come pouring out. I feel lost, realizing that the answers I want are as
hard to find as the raindrops falling around us.
“Say something!” I plead, my fists pounding against his chest. “Tell me this is
real. That you're not acting!”
As our eyes meet, I can see a whirlwind of emotions brewing within Zeke’s
intense stare.
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. ,

In the midst of chaos, Zeke's arms
encircle me, creating a moment of
calm. The sudden embrace takes me
by surprise, causing me to
momentarily stop in my tracks. As he
holds me close, I can feel the
comforting warmth of his touch,
providing solace from the cold
deluge around us. Instantly, my
senses are greeted by the calming
pheromones he emits. The content is
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“Calm down, Alina,” Zeke's whispered words flow like a soothing melody,
harmonizing with the sound of the rain. “We'll figure this out.”
But my anger, the frustration that has fueled my outburst, refuses to be tamed by
the call for calm. I push against him, desperation creeping into my strained voice,
burdened with unspoken questions.
I let out a forced chuckle, the sound strained and unnatural, while shooting him a
piercing glare. “Tell me, Zeke. Is this real, or are you just acting again?”
Zeke pulls away, and I can't escape the intensity of his gaze.
Instead of answering, he cups my face in his hands, his thumbs delicately
brushing away the tears that mix with the rain on my cheeks. Even with the
tender gesture, doubts continue to haunt me, refusing to fade away.
“I care about you, Alina,” Zeke finally speaks, his voice a soft murmur that barely
reaches above the rain’s steady drumming. “I do.”
I want to tell him that his response doesn’t address my question.
But then his gaze flickers to my lips, and I feel a sudden tension in the air, unsure
of what his unspoken invitation means.
In an instant, Zeke closes the distance between us, leaving me startled. His lips
gently brush against mine, creating a tender, cautious kiss. His lips unexpectedly
brush against mine, sending a jolt of electricity through my body.
I stand frozen, completely caught off guard.
I never see it coming, the kiss that comes out of nowhere.
When Zeke's lips meet mine, they feel warm, but instead of bringing me comfort,
a wave of discomfort and confusion floods my senses. I feel the impulse to pull
away, my mind racing with questions about the boundaries that have been
crossed.
But right as I am about to pull away from the surprise kiss, something changes.
inside me. It is like something inside me wakes up, a strong desire that doesn’t
make sense. In that moment, my initial instinct to pull away vanishes as my arms.
embrace Zeke’s neck, his hair entwined with my fingers.
The kiss deepens, and in that moment, we share an unspoken understanding.
It goes from awkward to a rollercoaster of feelings I can’t even describe.
Zeke's lips collide with mine, conveying a desperate longing and a hunger that
consumes us both. As our kisses become hungrier and more intense, the air
seems to crackle with electricity. His mouth parts, and our tongues entwine in a
passionate struggle.
A stifled cry claws its way up my throat as he unleashes a low growl, hungrily
nipping at my lips.
With a bold move, Zeke effortlessly lifts me off the ground, and I instinctively
wrap my legs around his hips, feeling the intimate connection between us. Zeke’s
hands end up on my lower back, pulling me closer like he wants to get rid of any
doubts. I grip his hair with my fingers.
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The kiss goes wild, his hands tangle
in my hair, pulling me closer as our
mouths meld together. I am curious
about what this means, and I want to
see if there are any cameras
watching us. However, there is a part
of me that is unbothered. That part is
desperate to cling tightly to Zeke, as
if it never wants to let go. The
content is on Novelxo.org! Read
the latest chapter there!
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)
Zeke's head lowers, and I can feel the
touch of his lips on my shoulder as
he moves away. I can feel the
warmth and dryness of his lips as
they travel up my throat, leaving a
trail of delicate kisses in their wake. I
feel the slight pressure of his canines
grazing against the side of my neck,
reminiscent of a mating bite. The
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I throw my head back, pulling him further against the crook of my neck, feeling
the tingle of electricity jolts coursing through my body.
It dawns on me.
I want more.
I need more.