Page 4 of Forced By the Alpha

Dev didn’t give him a chance to get back to his feet. He pressed his forearm to Eli’s throat, leaning his weight on it until fear chased the outrage off of Eli’s face. His hands scrabbled on the couch cushions.

Jo was beside him. Three others watched from the couches. No one interrupted. No one helped.

“Question me again, and I won’t stop.” Devon snarled in Eli’s face. He leaned harder against Eli’s throat before releasing him. “Understand me?”

Eli doubled over, coughing.

"I didn’t hear you. Do you understand me?” He grabbed Eli by the hair, forced him to look up at his face.

Eyes watering, Eli nodded. “Got it.”

His voice was a wheeze. Satisfied, Dev stepped back. He scanned the room but the others kept their heads down, too afraid to meet his eyes. Everyone was silent.

“Come on, Jo. We need to talk.”

He took the stairs two at a time, hopped up on adrenaline and rage.

“The balls on that guy,” Dev said, tossing his gym back onto the floor of his office.

It was the best room in the house, easily. Fireplace on one wall, dark wood, plush carpet. He hadn’t changed much since taking it over from his father. Added a couch, swapped some of the art, just enough to make it feel like his. Like he wasn’t just a kid playing dress up in his father’s room.

“Yeah.” Jo scratched the back of his neck, looking anywhere but at Devon. He plopped down onto the couch, still looking past Dev, out at the mountains on the other side of the windows. “Bit much, maybe?”

“His balls? Not anymore. Not after he nearly wet himself in front of the rest of the pack.”

“Erm, no. I meant more your reaction.” Finally, Jo dragged his gaze over to Devon.

Dev didn’t like what he saw there on his oldest friend’s face. Something like fear. Hits different, seeing it on someone he’s known since he was six.

“What the fuck am I supposed to do? This whole pack is held together by brute force, and, news flash, Jo, I’m the brute.” Dev pushed his hair back off his face. Even here, with just Jonah, it was hard to say. “Take the assholes from every pack, the castoffs, and shove them into one pack, and what do you think is going to happen?”

“I get it. Really, I do. But like, I don’t know. Isn’t there a better way than just beating down anyone who questions anything you do? Eventually, they’re going to get sick of getting smacked around.”

“Then maybe they’ll stop, I don’t know, questioning me?”

Jonah pulled a face. “Right. Remember what you just said about the assholes and castoffs? They’re stubborn. You’ve got to have a better plan than that, or you might as well walk away now before they eat you alive.”

It was tempting. That was the worst part. How tempting it was to shrug off the mantle of alpha and walk away, to leave his ragtag band of misfits behind to fend for themselves.

“I can’t walk away, you know that.”

He paced in front of the long line of windows.

“Because of your dad? Dude, maybe it’s time to let that go. He’s far, far away from here.”

“Yeah, and even from across the pond, I can feel his disappointment. Can hear him thinking what a screw-up I am. He wanted Em to go with them. Did you know that?”

His friend sat up straighter, head cocked to the side. Some people looked like their wolf forms, even as humans. Jo was one of those. All shaggy brown hair and a way of tilting his head perfectly mimicked how he’d turn one ear to listen as a wolf.

“I didn’t know. Why?”

“She’s the favorite. Obviously. And he wanted her to have his company. Wanted her as his second in command.

“But she didn’t go.”

Dev shrugged. “Not yet, anyway.”

Jonah blew out a breath. “What are you going to do, Dev?”

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