Page 41 of Forced By the Alpha

Jonah frowned. “I know he meant it. He wants you as his partner. His luna.”

“Yeah? Then why did he shut me out of a meeting with Emma the second we got back? Practically slammed the door in my face. I can’t be his luna if he doesn’t let me in.”

“I wonder,” Jonah began, then stopped, seeming to think better of it.

Beth finally stopped her assault on the bag. Sweat ran down her body. “What is it?”

“Well, I’m guessing they were talking about the latest Rosewood attack. I bet he still isn’t sure quite where your loyalties lie, you know? Like, are you a Rosewood, or are you a White Winter?”

It was a question she’d been wrestling with herself, and she knew she couldn’t really blame Devon for having the same doubts that she was, but it stung nonetheless. After they’d mated, after their talks, she’d assumed he could no longer question her loyalties. And how dare he to begin with? He’d wrenched her away from her family. Did he want her to drop them without a second thought?

“I’m a White Winter now, and he should know that. If he can’t trust me, I can’t do this, Jonah. I won’t do this.”

She made up her mind then. Either Devon let her share in the leadership, or she would leave. Not back to the Rosewoods, where her presence would create a constant tension with the White Winters, but somewhere on her own.

The irony of becoming a rogue wolf, like the formation of the White Winters, was not lost on her.

“Give him some time for it to sink in. He has trust issues,” Jonah said, eyes pleading.

Beth unwrapped her hands and tossed the damp wraps into the laundry basket.

“We all have issues. It’s not an excuse for treating people badly. He can face this with me, or he’ll be facing it without me. I won’t be here halfway.”

“Beth—“ Jonah said, reaching out to catch her arm as she walked by.

She dodged his hand and trotted up the stairs. Halfway up, guilt crept in. It wasn’t Jonah’s fault that Devon had hurt her. It wasn’t his fault that Devon didn’t trust her. And she knew it would take more than a weekend, But he was running out of time to prove himself, and she hoped he knew it.

Chapter 16 - Devon

“I told Beth I’d try diplomacy, and that’s what I’m going to do.” Devon said, raising his voice now, trying to penetrate Emma’s thick skull.

“God, when the rest of the pack hears about this Dev, they’re going to lose their minds. We get chased out like dogs with our tails between our legs, and you’re going to, what, walk over there with a bouquet of flowers and an apology? They’ll rip you apart.” Emma poured herself a drink from his bar cart, not botching to offer him one, though he could use the sharp burn of scotch right then.

“It’s not how it’s going to be anymore. I’ll drag this pack kicking and screaming, if I have to, into the future. Either get on board or get out.” Devon felt the joy of the weekend slipping away from him already. He wished he could have stayed in the bubble he’d entered with Beth forever. It was easier there, simpler. In it, he could believe that anything was possible.

He had to fight for every step of that future in the real world. And he could still feel the hurt in Beth when he'd shut her out of this meeting. It had been a mistake, he’d realized just after he’d done it, a moment of distrust when he wasn’t certain what he’d hear from Emma.

He’d been afraid that Emma would tell him the pack had attacked a Rosewood while they were gone, or worse, killed one. He imagined Beth hearing that, just after they’d mated and shared their fears and dreams to each other, he couldn’t stand the idea. So he’d decided to protect her.

The wrong choice. She was his partner. Hadn’t they just agreed on that? He had to trust her to handle even the worst of times with him and be there to support her through them, as she would support him. But damn, if it wasn’t hard to remember that in moments of strife.

Far easier to push her away for her own protection and take it on himself. Except he’d hurt her, broken their newly formed, delicate bridge of trust. Emma was still talking, but her words were floating in one ear and out the other—all of his thoughts were on Beth. He needed to patch things up with her.

Once he explained the situation, maybe she would forgive him. She probably had an idea of what to do about the recent ordeal. He had to let her in.

“Enough, Emma. I need to talk to Beth, and then we’ll call a meeting.” He slapped his hand down on his desk. The conversation was over.

Emma’s lips thinned, a mutinous look on her face. She couldn’t stop herself from getting in one more jab. “You’re really going to tell a Rosewood about this?”

He pointed at the door. She stared him down and a heavy silence filled the room. Finally, she turned, flicking her ponytail over her shoulder as she stormed out of the room. Despite what he’d told Emma, he did not immediately go find Beth. Part of it was guilt, and the rest, something that shamed him even deeper, a seed of doubt.

Was Emma right, in her own misguided way? Beth was a Rosewood, she always would be in some way. Turning to her, this was asking her to betray her pack. Devon didn’t know if he could rely on her for advice that took the White Winter, rather than the Rosewood’s, best interests to heart.

Maybe she wouldn’t even be aware of her bias, but it would pervade her counsel. It would be the undercurrent to all of her guidance, a lean that would benefit and protect the Rosewoods above all else. After all, she had advised him to seek a peaceful treaty with the Rosewoods, rather than a battle that might win the White Winters the entirety of the territory.

Thoughts heavy, he carried the backpack to his bedroom and set it down in the corner. It wasn’t as easy to put away the memories of the weekend they’d shared. Beth had come to him eagerly, willingly, in a way that had surprised him. He hadn’t thought twice of it in the moment, too elated to hold her, to have her the way he had dreamed of having her. Now, in the light of day, he wondered if it hadn’t been part of a plan.

She was sharp. Intelligent. And faithful. She might use her guile to burrow into his heart and lead him down the path she wanted, which made sure the Rosewoods came out on top. He didn’t want to believe it, but he had to consider it, for the good of his pack.

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