Page 54 of Forced By the Alpha

“Patience,” he said, working her to the edge. Before she could reach it, he pulled his fingers away and slid inside of her, burying himself to the hilt in a single thrust.

She grabbed his hand and muffled her cry into it. His fingertips sank into the skin at her waist, pulling her back against him. With one hand, she clutched him and another the edge of the hammock, steadying herself as he moved against her.

It didn’t take long for him to push her over the edge, this time with her clenching hard around the width of him. He was not far behind, thrusting harder as her orgasm shook her and biting down into her shoulder to strangle his moan when his own came a moment later.

Sweaty and satisfied, she angled her head back for a kiss. He stayed inside of her until he grew soft, the mess they’d made stick on her upper thighs. She loved the feel of it, the reminder of what they’d done.

They dozed together, his hand on her stomach, until the sun slanted in at an angle to wake them. She stirred first and kissed him awake, rewarded with his bleary eyes and smile.

“Must we go in?” He groaned.

“We must,” she said, with another kiss to soothe him. “We have plans to make.”

The house was cold after the heat of the sunny afternoon. A clamor of voices rose from the gym, where the pack had gone after the hunt. Beth was grateful not to face any of them then, not to see Emma’s simmering rage. They settled into Devon’s office, Beth at the desk.

“I say we write to Adria directly,” she argued, pulling a sheet of paper in front of her. “She’ll give the message to Spencer and she’ll know how to couch it so he doesn’t just fly off the handle.”

Devon rubbed his chin, sitting on the edge of the desk. “I think it’d be disrespectful not to write directly to their alpha. It makes it seem underhanded, like we’re going behind his back. I don’t want to start strife in another pack.”

They argued back and forth for a while, Beth adamant that she knew the Rosewoods best and Devon equally certain that he knew what an alpha would respond to. In the end, they compromised.

“One letter to each of them. My letter to Adria will just catch her up on everything that happened to me and a very subtle plea for her to encourage Spencer to listen to your letter. She’ll want the meeting to happen, I know it. Even though she thinks terribly of the White Winter pack, I think she’ll come around.” Beth hoped she would. Her friend had faced so much hardship and violence that it might be difficult for her to look past it, even at Beth’s behest.

“And you want to leave these, where exactly?”

"At the tree,” Beth replied with more certainty than she felt. “That way, they’ll know I had a hand in their writing.”

“Isn’t it risky? What if they catch us there?” Devon looked up from the letter he was penning. “I can’t imagine they’d take that trespass lightly.”

Beth’s stomach clenched. “They wouldn’t. We’ll have to be careful, that’s all. I think it’s worth the risk.”

Devon frowned but didn’t argue. Beth finished her letter, feeling thrilled as she signed her name at the bottom. She was making decisions now, a leader in her own right. It spoke to a part of herself she had long buried when part of the Rosewood pack. There had been no room for advancement there. She’d forever be just one of the pack.

As a White Winter, she coulddosomething. She could make changes and plans and create something worthwhile. It was a heady thing.

“Done?” Devon asked, folding his letter and sliding it into a cream-colored envelope. He took hers and added it next to his.

Across the desk, Beth smiled. “We’ve done it. The second step toward our goal.”

Devon took her in, eyes darting around her face. “I’ve never seen this look in your eye. This suits you, doesn’t it?”

“It does, Devon. I never realized how badly I needed to feel like I was making a difference. I never would have imagined it coming from a place like this. Kidnapped, pregnant, but now I feel alive?” She chuckled and touched her forehead. “Maybe there’s something wrong with me.”

He looked her in the eye, startling her with his seriousness. “There’s nothing wrong with you, Beth. You were made for this, made to lead. Embrace it.”

She intended to.

Chapter 20 - Devon

“Remember how when she first got here, you were all, ‘Oh my god, she’s way too young’ and ‘she can’t handle this, I’m a monster; she’s practically a teenager,” Jonah said, elbowing Devon in the side as they made their way down the stairs. “And now look at her, your equal. Busting your balls, too, I bet.”

“She’s still too young for me,” Devon grumbled, moving out of elbow range.

“Does she think that, or do you?” Jonah asked. “Seems to me she can’t keep her hands off of you. Maybe she doesn’t know about your daily prune habit.”

Devon cracked his knuckles. “Should we take a detour to the gym and find out which one of us is the old man?”

Jonah held up his hands in surrender. “Hey man, I’m just trying to lighten the mood. We’ve got a serious mission to do and you look stressed as hell. Have some faith in Beth’s plan. We’ll be in and out before anyone spots us, and the plan will finally kick-off.”

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