Page 15 of Forced By the Alpha

“How many siblings do you have?”

“Four—two older brothers and two younger sisters. Our house was always loud and full of laughter when I was a kid,” I said with a sleepy smile.

“I can imagine. What about your mom?” he asked.

“My mom was a hedge witch. She knew more about herbs than anyone else in the coven, and she taught me. We were really close.”

“Were?”

“Mm-hmm,” I mumbled. I knew it wouldn’t be long now before I fell asleep.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Franco said quietly. His hand grasped mine and gave it a gentle squeeze. I felt a single teardrop leak through my closed eyelids as I thought of my mother.

“Her hair was red, like mine, but wild and curly,” I said. “When I was little, I asked her why it was different. She said it used to be straight, but she spent so much time making potions in her cauldron that the steam made it frizzy.”

“She sounds like a wonderful mother,” Franco said.

“I miss her,” I admitted. “I miss home, the way it used to be. My brothers left Sparkle Hollow when they graduated, and my sisters moved out to get a place together at the same time I left home. I’ve barely even seen my dad since my mom died.”

“Why not?”

“He changed after she died. He loved her so much that I think he lost parts of himself when she was gone.”

“The parts that would stop him from cursing a group of rogue werewolves, perhaps?” Franco asked.

I wrenched my eyelids open to glare at him, but the intent must have been lost in my exhaustion because all he did was chuckle.

“I already explained he wouldn’t do that,” I said. “He never used magic for evil.”

“Just because you didn’t see it happen doesn’t mean it didn’t,” Franco countered brusquely.

I allowed my eyes to close again as he began stroking my arm. I sighed contentedly as I began slipping toward unconsciousness. Franco shifted me onto his chest, and I allowed the sound of his steadily beating heart to lull me further into sleep.

He might believe that my dad had cursed them, but I refused to believe his claim. When I woke up, I would have to remember to tell him that.

Chapter 8 - Franco

My eyes snapped open. I hadn’t intended on falling asleep. I hadn’t even realized I was feeling drowsy before drifting off. The sun was still shining outside, so it hadn’t been long. It had been afternoon when Sienna had finished healing the pack’s wounds.

Sienna.

She was still sleeping peacefully in my arms. Her magic had exhausted her to the point of collapse, but I wasn’t sure what my excuse was. Something about the soft weight of her head resting on me and the warmth of her body must have comforted me. Lying here with her felt safe. It wasn’t a feeling I was accustomed to. The serenity was completely at odds with the war that constantly raged in my mind.

I began to feel self-conscious being so close to her. When she woke up, I feared that she would be uncomfortable finding herself lying on my chest, my arms wrapped around her, but there wasn’t a good way of extricating myself from our embrace.

I shifted slightly and attempted to transfer her onto the bed so that I could sneak out of the room. It wasn’t very chivalrous of me, but my options were limited. In spite of our mate bond, we weren’t exactly friends, let alone lovers. No, it was better for both of us if I left before she woke up.

“Franco?” Sienna mumbled, eyes opening.

“Hey,” I replied uncertainly. She didn’t sound upset, but what did I know of women?

She blinked and wiped sleep from her eyes as she arched her back in a stretch. Her chest pushed into my ribs, and I was suddenly aware of the fact that we had never been this closebefore. I wasn’t sure what I should do now that she was awake, and I got the impression that she didn’t know, either.

“Sorry for trapping you here,” she said.

“No worries.”

Really? “No worries”? What a stupid thing to say,Blizzard scoffed.

---