Page 20 of Forced By the Alpha

Beth dipped her sandwich into her tomato soup and took a bite, chewing to give herself time to think. A desperate move. Why was Devon desperate? They could have spent their time finding a woman that wanted to join their pack. Sure, it would’ve taken a while, especially given their reputation, but it was doable. What was the rush, anyway?

“Why did he need a luna so badly? I don’t understand it. You guys aren’t like a regular pack, no offense,” she stumbled over the words.

Not like a regular pack was an understatement. The crimes they’d committed, the violence they’d reveled in, they were nothing but a band of monsters. She took another bite of food to stop herself from saying more.

“Right, but that’s the thing,” Jonah said, sitting beside her with his own plate. “Devon didn’t want it to be like that anymore. He and Em, the two of them, cobbled us all together. We were all rejects from other packs, and he gave us a place to go.”

Caleb nodded and picked up from where Jonah left off. “It wasn’t easy. We didn’t make it easy. We lost some along the way, but we’ve got a good group now, a core group, and Devon wants to make us something more.”

It was hard to imagine the notorious Alpha of the White Winter pack longing for anything more than blood and money. But then, looking at Devon and seeing just the alpha, not the man behind it, was hard. There was depth there, something softer beneath the exterior that he wasn’t allowed to show. Something that made her want to know more.

“So he decided to start off this new life by kidnapping someone and forcing them to be his mate?” Beth couldn’t keep the sarcasm from her tone, but Caleb and Jonah just laughed.

“Yeah, it’s fucked up. But he was desperate.” Caleb leaned in closer and dropped his voice low. “Don’t tell anyone I said this, but Emma was gunning for alpha. She was nearly there, too, but once Devon got a luna, that was it, people settled down and it took the wind right out of her sales.”

“If Emma was alpha,” Jonah broke off with a shudder. “White Winter under Devon’s rule would look like a daycare compared to what they’d do under Emma. She’s a sociopath, I swear.”

“But you’d fuck her.” Caleb countered, pointing at Jonah with a cookie.

“Well, yeah, look at her.”

Beth made a noise of disgust. “Men.”

That only made the two boys laugh harder. Sitting there with them, Beth could almost imagine they were her pack. She couldn’t fight her own laughter, bubbling up and surprising her, but her mind was heavier than ever. Caleb and Jonah had given her a glimpse into what drove Devon. He wanted more for his pack. Wanted more for himself. Everyone had a past. She knew that. But could she forgive him and help turn the White Winters into something more than they had been? Could she teach them what a pack should be?

Chapter 8 - Devon

“What the hell is going on?” Devon shoved his office door open and stuck his head out into the hallway.

He could hear raised voices and the thud of something hitting a wall. His pack was nowhere to be seen. Following the sound to its source, he made his way down the stairs to the living room.

“Dev and Jonah, not enough for you?” Emma was screaming in Beth’s face. “Now you’re all over Caleb, too?”

But his luna wasn’t cowering. She was toe-to-toe with his sister, spine straight, anger pulsing off of her. Emma’s words landed in his brain a second later. What was this about Jonah and Caleb? His jaw clenched. He knew she was friends with Jonah, and he had encouraged that friendship. She needed someone in the pack to talk to, and he knew Jo was easier to open up to than he was, especially given that it was Dev’s fault she was here at all. But if something was going on between them, if he’d laid one finger on her, Dev would tear him apart.

“You’re delusional. We had lunch together. Unlike you, I don’t need to spread my legs for every man I talk to,” Beth snarled back. Her fists were clenched at her sides.

Gone was the woman who had cowered each time Emma looked her way. She was luna now, and powerful in her position. Caleb and Jonah ran into the room a minute behind him.

“What the hell—“

“What is going on?”

Their eyes widened as they took in the scene. There was a painting on the floor beside Beth, glass shattered when it’d fallen. Her bare feet were inches from the shards. That was probably the thump he’d heard, Emma shoving Beth into the wall so hard she’d knocked the art down.

His sister was sharp with her words. They could lash like whips, cut someone down, but she was a damned good fighter too. She had to be. Keeping up with the White Winter pack meant fighting her own battles. Beth didn’t see it coming, but Devon did. Emma shifted her weight onto her back hip and brought her arm back. It would’ve hit Beth across the cheek, knocked her back into that wall, and downed her like that painting.

If it had landed. Instead, Devi was there, catching her fist and pushing Beth back behind him to safety. His hand ached, taking the full force of Emma’s punch.

“Get out of my way!” Emma yelled, bristling. She didn’t back off. She sank deeper into her fighting stance, ready to throw another punch. “Let me show her who’s really in charge here. Unless you’re afraid, your luna can’t take it.”

Beth pushed Dev, but he didn’t budge. Truth was, he knew Beth couldn’t take Emma in a fight. Not many people could. He’d trained with her since they were children, and if it wasn’t for his size and strength, she’d still whoop him.

“God, she’s pathetic,” Emma spat. “Can’t even fight her own battles. You think a little mewling pup can lead us, Dev? That’s your grand idea for saving the pack?”

Dev caught Caleb’s eye, jerked his head toward Emma. He came up behind her, far enough away to not take an elbow if she spun, but close enough to set his hand on her shoulder.

“Come on, Em, it’s not the time for this.”

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