Page 35 of Forced By the Alpha

He grabbed her hip to keep her still, eyes dark as the coffee. “Behave yourself, we don’t have time for that now.”

Beth pouted, knowing he loved the way it made her bottom lip heavier. His eyes were glued to it.

“Would you really rather be hiking right now?” She asked, leaning forward to nibble on his ear.

He groaned and put his coffee down so he could lift her off of his lap. He set her down on the bed and got to his feet, pants tented. “You’re a brat when you want to be, aren’t you? You wanted to get out of here, but we’re getting out of here. But it’s on my terms.”

Beth rolled her eyes, staring hungrily at his body. “You’ve got authority issues, you know that? A real power trip for you.”

“I am the alpha, after all. It’s not an authority issue, I am the authority.” He puffed up his chest.

“Uh-huh, whatever you want to tell yourself, sir.” She gave him a mock salute and finished her coffee. It hadn’t made a dent in the fog in her mind. She still felt half asleep.

He raised an eyebrow at her. “I could get used to that. Come on, up out of bed, and get dressed. I’ve already packed everything we need for the trip.”

“God, you’re like a kid on Christmas morning. Alright, alright. I’m getting up.” Beth sighed dramatically and climbed out of bed. There wasn’t much point in staying in it without pillows or blankets. Still, she groaned when her feet hit the ground. It was cold, and early, and she hadn’t had enough coffee to deal with any of it.

“Now run off and get dressed,” he said, kissing her cheek, “and I’ll bring you another coffee.”

“Now you’re speaking my love language,” she poked his side, opened the door, and froze in the doorway. She glanced up and down the hallway.

Devon came up behind her, moving her hair to the side and bending to kiss her neck. “He’s gone, Beth. There’s nothing to fear.”

Gone. Beth wondered if she shouldn’t inquire too deeply into that, but she couldn’t help herself.

“Gone?”

“Exiled,” he replied. “That’s all. But you’ll never have to see him again. He knows that it will be something far worse than a banishment if he comes back.”

Beth swallowed and breathed out the tension she’d been holding. “Thank you, Devon.”

“Anything for you. Anything.”

Chapter 14 - Devon

“How much farther?” Beth asked, swiping at the cloud of bugs circling her head.

They were deep in the forest now. Pine trees lined the narrow path, and a stream snaked beside them, rushing along at a pace they couldn’t hope to match. The sun was high overhead, lending a pleasant warmth through the pine needle canopy, and Devon felt at ease. Beth walked a few steps ahead.

“We’re a little over halfway now, I’d wager.” He peered up the trail, searching for a marker.

He carried the supplies on his back, though Beth had insisted she could manage half of them. Devon wanted her to enjoy the views and the journey without worrying about lugging their stuff along.

“We could’ve gone to a hotel, you know,” she said, flicking him a look over her shoulder. Her cheeks were pink with the effort of their last climb, and she looked radiant in the sunshine, her hair a little wild.

Devon held his arms out wide to encompass the entirety of the forest around them. “And miss all of this? Besides, you said you wanted to be alone, just the two of us, remember? We couldn’t do that if we were in a hotel. There’d be people everywhere. Humans, no less.”

Beth twisted her hair up and secured it with a clip, revealing a delicate strip of neck. Devon was quite enjoying hiking behind her. She’d worn a pair of shorts that hugged her curves in just the right way, and he'd tripped more than once when his eyes had lingered too long on her, rather than the trail in front of him.

“I mostly meant away from the White Winters,” she muttered. “People, in general, are okay. They don’t all want me dead.”

He couldn’t fault her for that. His pack had exactly made her feel welcome. Emma had done her best to make her feel the opposite. And then one of his own had assaulted her or attempted to. Mixed in with the rage and indignation he felt at that, was a deep shame.

It was his pack. His responsibility. If they acted out, it was a reflection of him. Small as his pack was, he’d had no hesitation in exiling one. He’d get rid of every last one if he had to and start from the bottom up, start over again.

“Jonah doesn’t want you dead,” Devon protested. “He’s fond of you. Probably because you’ll read the same trash books that he does. Anyone who shares his tragic taste of literature is in his good graces.”

“They’re not trash,” she argued, “they’re pulp. It’s like tasteful trash. Curated trash. Really, you’re showing your lack of culture with this.”

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