Page 69 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate

She cut her eyes away from me, crossed her arms, and stomped toward the round window on the other side of the room. “Stubborn.”

“You said that one yesterday.”

“Thick.”

I bit the inside of my cheek. “You handle it just fine.”

“Clifton, not now.”

“Uh oh, that means trouble.”

She stretched her arms over her head, wiggling her fingers at the ceiling. “I’ll give you—”

Light winked from the ground next to her tennis shoe. “Look down.”

“What?”

“There.” I pointed and charged toward what I saw, not once looking away. “It’s under the board, Robyn.Look.”

She snatched her foot up as though to stomp on a bug. But when she spotted what I spotted, she dropped to her knees and pulled on the board. It creaked as it peeled back inch by inch, snapping once my mate got it loose.

She squeaked with triumph as she tossed aside the board and procured the shiny object I had seen—a leather journal with a brass clip holding the cover closed. She traced the design—a simple star—with the tip of her almond-shaped nail. “Looks like something that has been around for a while.”

Curiosity got the best of me as I reached for the journal. “Let me have it.”

“She’s my best friend,” Robyn argued while holding the book out of reach. “I should be the one to read her private thoughts, okay?”

“I concede to your argument.”

She nodded curtly. “Thank you.”

Quietly and with great care, she opened the journal and sat with her back to me, scooting so I couldn’t peek over her shoulder even if I wanted to read Jillian’s thoughts. I wasn’t sure how interesting they would be. My earliest impression of her didn’t feel spectacular. She was just a regular girl.

“My Gods and Goddesses,” Robyn gasped. She dragged her nail along a string of sentences scribbled in black ink. “Jilly has been possessed for a month or longer. She’s been…” She leaned forward. “…put up fordecimation.”

I rubbed my forehead. “That’s not a good word.”

“This is all just…” She held up the book and thumbed the pages. “…justcrap.”

“Let me see the book, Princess.”

Robyn limply handed off the journal, staring out the round window that overlooked the front yard. Children cackled down the street somewhere. Since Jillian’s house was closest to the cul-de-sac, it was much quieter than anywhere else. Each member of the pack seemed keen on avoiding the old Alpha’s home.

I didn’t blame them.

Countless pages chronicling the demon’s day were written in rather neat script. I expected the same madness as Moe, yet Jillian—or whoever was inside of Jillian—had a strong grasp on reality.

I touched the page. “It says here she uses a pouch spell to hide any signs of possession in bodies.”

Robyn sighed. “Makes sense.”

I kept reading. “She writes a lot about you.” I coughed once. “Robby loves her trivia and debates. I’m not partial to them, but I’m enjoying the way our words dance.”

“Sounds like she’s in love with me.”

“Sounds like Jillian has been trying to break through.”

Robyn spun around to face me. “What?”

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