Page 18 of Forced By the Alpha

She shot a wary glance over her shoulder, leading the way down the hall. He pretended he hadn’t been staring at her ass in those tight little shorts. Didn’t think he fooled her, though.

“Where is everyone?” She asked, trotting down the stairs. She was getting excited now, a looseness in her stride that hadn’t been there before.

“Off on a hunt.” He shut the door behind them and sucked in a deep breath of fresh air, the sun warming his bare arms. “We’ll go the other way so we can be alone.”

She flicked him a look then, dark and suspicious. “Hunting what, exactly?”

“Deer, probably. An elk? Nothing more nefarious than that, I promise. That’s all in the past.”

Beth didn’t believe him, but he could see that clearly on her face. But she turned away, giving her head a little shake.

“If you say so.”

“I do. Ready?”

Her face split into a grin for the barest second, and he got a glimpse of the fun she must have had when she was among her friends. It was a devilish look.

“Try and keep up!” She called back to him, leaping off the deck and shifting into her wolf form in midair. It was an athletic feat that made his appreciation for her grow. She was strong, fast, capable, and hot as hell. He couldn’t have picked a better luna.

She was off across the grass already, tongue lolling out. He hopped off the steps and shifted to follow, catching up in a few strides. In wolf form, their size difference was even more dramatic. His fur was the deep brown of pine bark, threaded with strands of gold and black for a mottled coat that blended well in the forest. Like Emma, his eyes were golden, and they were glued to his luna running by his side.

They raced down to the tree line, Devon steering them east, away from where the pack had gone. Their scent still lingered, strong enough to direct him, but Beth’s sweet scent filled his nose, and her form filled his thoughts.

He chased her, nipping at her heels, and she put on a burst of speed. Darting between the trees, he felt a swell of childlike joy at their game of chase, a loosening in his chest he hadn’t felt since becoming Alpha. She was good for him. For the pack. She dipped sideways, dropping into the dense part of the forest where his height worked against him. Shorter, she slipped under branches that he had to duck, and he found himself struggling to catch her.

She pulled ahead, taunting him, glancing back to check how far behind he’d fallen. She vanished into the brush. Devon growled, not willing to be undone by his luna. He was stronger, faster, and he’d show her that.

He put on a burst of speed, snapping branches, but she was gone. He couldn’t spot her in any direction. The bushes were still, not revealing anything. Dev breathed in deeply, searching for her scent. She could never hide that from him. He wanted to believe it was just another game. Hide and seek instead of chase. But he knew, deep down, in that niggling part of him, that she was trying to lose him. Trying to escape.

He snarled, catching her scent. She wasn’t far. Head down, he sprinted after her. She was heading back toward Rosewood territory. The underbrush was less dense here, the trees farther apart, and his superior strength gave him the advantage. A flash of fur between two pines, and he was on her.

They tumbled together, their combined speed skidding them across the forest floor through the leaves and over the roots, until they came to a stop beneath a pine bough. He was breathing hard, but before she could rise, he pinned her. Snarling, snout to snout, he bared his teeth. So close to her neck, she could not help but feel the threat for what it was.

Her lips pulled back in a snarl, and he braced himself for the fight. He didn’t want to hurt her. She was his luna. But he would fight for her, if he had to, even if it meant fighting her.

Then, she softened. A low whine came from her as she submitted, ears lowering, tail curling. Slowly, he backed off and let her rise. Every bit of her showed submission, from the lowered tail to the narrowed eyes, her stance crouched and low beneath him. He could have taken her right there if he had wanted to, and she would not have fought him.

He snapped at her, once, to get her moving back toward the compound. She slinked off, slow enough for Dev to stay close to her flank, but he could tell the fight had left her. Her hope of escape had fled, and Beth, his luna, was finally broken.

Chapter 7 - Beth

She could spend only so many days in listless despair before she grew tired of herself. Beth had reached that point. The day was dark, dismal, with rain lashing at the windows of her bedroom while the trees bent in the wind. She was trapped inside. She’d already read the books on the shelf and, though she could ask for more, she was tired of sitting around. She hadn’t gone out since that day with Devon.

The memory of it still burned her with embarrassment. She’d thought she was strong enough to outrun him, smart enough to outmaneuver him. She had lost him for a moment and felt the chance of freedom stretch out in front of her.

It had been snatched away before she could savor it when Devon’s body collided with hers. He hadn’t hurt her, physically at least, but her ego was still bruised. She’d been avoiding him since then. Worse, there was a part of her that was… ashamed? It was an odd feeling. He’d seemed genuine that day when he’d come to her room like a friend dragging another out to a party they knew they’d enjoy. He’d wanted to let her run.

She had used that. Used his trust and his kindness to try and escape. It pained her to think of his face when he’d brought her back to her room, the sadness etched in the corners of his eyes, the way he’d pushed at his hair, and the grey streaks shining in the sunlight. But that was ridiculous. He’d kidnapped her. Of course, she would try to escape. She owed him nothing, and owed the White Winters even less.

That complicated desire she felt in his presence only made things worse. She’d thought of that moment every night since it had happened, his hands on her thigh, then higher. His mouth on her skin, her neck, her lips. It had kept awake, tossing and turning with an unmet need for her alpha. How could her body betray her like that?

Frustrated with herself, Beth got up and yanked open the door. She couldn’t stand one minute more with only her thoughts for company—even the White Winter wolves were better entertainment than that.

“Woah, hey there.” Jonah looked up from his book, a pulpy detective novel with a yellowing cover from a time long before he was born.

He gave them to her as he finished, but she didn’t get the appeal. The women were always helpless damsels, and the men were on the borderline of asshole, even when they were supposed to be the good guys.

She could hear the other pack members moving around the house and wondered where Emma was. The only bright side of staying in her room all the time was that it meant she never had to deal with her. Despite Beth’s new position as luna, Emma still treated her like something she’d found on the bottom of her shoe. Then again, Beth had yet to see Emma treat anyone with anything resembling kindness, even the people she was clearly having sex with.

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