Page 36 of Forced By the Alpha

“You sound just like him now. I’m changing up your guard duty. It’s going to be Caleb’s turn to watch your door,” Devon said, catching up to walk beside her.

The path widened, weaving through the trees that changed from pines to hemlocks and maples. Here, they began to climb again. Loose rock was scattered over the trail, and they scrambled up a cragged rock together.

“Does Caleb even know how to read?” She asked.

Devon laughed. “Oh, come on, he’s not an airhead. He just has other interests, other talents. Like the gym.”

“And eating.” Beth gripped Devon’s arm and boosted herself up a steep face of rock. He followed, navigating more slowly to counterbalance the pack.

Wildflowers burst from the patches of dirt between the rocks, splashes of purple and yellow with fat, sleepy bees orbiting the blooms. He took care to step around them.

“Wow,” Beth gasped when she reached the top of the climb. Devon followed a moment later, smiling at the look of awe on her face.

It was an impressive view. They’d reached the cliff walk, a stretch of trail that rose above the treetops and wound along a cliff’s edge, giving them a view down over the valley. Up there, the sun laid down an even golden glow and the flowers that had been sporadic down below were a blanket here, perfuming the air with sweetness.

“There’s the river,” Devon said, pointing at a silver twist cutting through the valley. “And there’s the house.”

From there, it was nothing more than a dark rooftop sitting centered in a manicured plot.

“We’re high as the birds,” Beth exclaimed, as a hawk wheeled by of a height with the cliffs, its wings outstretched, effortless in an air current.

He slung his arm around her shoulder. “Worth waking up early for?”

She stood on tiptoes and kissed his jaw. “To be decided. We’re not at this cabin yet, and let me tell you, I’ve seen enough horror movies to know what a cabin in the woods looks like. Dark, creepy, full of spiders.”

“I’ll be there, though,” he said, puffing up his chest. “What else do you need?”

“Oh, I don’t know, hot showers, down blankets, a bathrobe, slippers,” she said, ticking them off on her fingers one by one. “Caviar, wine, a chocolate on my pillow.”

She led the way along the cliff walk, following his directions. The sun warmed his shoulders, and as he looked down at the valley, he imagined what it would be like if he had always felt that way. Sometimes, he wanted to shrug the title of alpha off like an old coat on a warm spring day.

“We’re close,” he said, pointing to a trail that branched off from the main path, which had turned to go back into the woods, away from the cliff. “Just through here.”

He took her hand and they climbed down a steep path.

“Imagine if we did this on four feet instead of two,” Beth said tersely, slipping on the loose shale.

“I’ve got you.” Devon held her, kept her from sliding down the rest of the path. “And like I said, this is part of the adventure. We have to do it like this.”

“Did you come out here with your parents?” She grabbed a tree, and another, using them to guide herself down the steep path. She didn’t like to rely on him, but he wasn’t sure yet if a streak of independence or mistrust kept her from reaching for him. He hoped it was the former, but feared for the latter.

“My mom, yeah. When my dad would go away for work, she’d bring me and Emma out here. We’d fill out little packs with snacks and toys and my mom would do the bulk of the work, carrying all the stuff we actually needed.” He smiled at the memory. “When I got older, I insisted on carrying the big pack even though it meant we had to stop all the time to rest. It made me feel like I was taking care of her. More than Dad ever did.”

“You’re a protector,” she said. “It’s what makes you a good alpha.”

“You think I’m a good alpha?” A burst of pride warmed his chest.

“Your pack doesn’t make it easy. Obviously, you’ve made a lot of mistakes. A lot. But I think you have potential. With the proper teacher.” She gave him a smug look.

“And that’s you, is it?” He rolled his eyes. “We’ve made it. Just through these trees.”

They pushed through a dense line of trees and came out to a cabin set at the edge of a lake. Dragonflies buzzed by, darting from reed to reed. It was a modest log cabin, nothing like the expansive home that house the pack.

“What do you think?” He asked, gesturing to the cabin. Its red roof was blinding, reflecting the sun. The deck jutted out above the water. As a kid, he’d sat at the edge and dangled his feet into the lake, watching the tiny fish come and go.

But he already knew from her face that she loved it. She kicked off her shoes and dipped her toes into the clear water.

“It’s so clear,” she exclaimed. "Can we swim in it?”

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