Page 17 of Forced By the Alpha

“I need to check on something. I’ll be back later,” I told her tersely.

I didn’t bother explaining further, even though I sensed uneasiness in her. The change in my demeanor had caught her off-guard, but I had bigger issues than Sienna’s feelings right now.

I took off immediately, jogging in the direction Dylan had said the disturbance had originated. I shifted into wolf form, allowing Blizzard to enjoy the run while I let my mind wander.

Ever since I had captured Sienna, I had managed to keep my bloodlust at bay through sheer willpower. But after my conversation with Dylan, my resolve was fading. The Crescent Shield pack had already attacked us once today. If they were spoiling for a fight, I was happy to give it to them. It would help relieve the tension I was feeling.

The scent of blood reached my nostrils, and I felt the bloodlust rise up within me. All thoughts of moderation and restraint left me. The last thing I remembered was a pair of eyes looking out at me through a large bush before everything went dark.

***

I came to with my face pressed into the dirt and vegetation below me. The air smelled cold and sweet, and I saw that night had fallen. A feeling of unease settled in my bones as I realized I had no memory of what had transpired over the past few hours.

I pressed my hands into the ground and raised myself to look at my surroundings. No one was around, but there was a pit in my stomach. I had done something. I knew it.

My hands were covered in dirt from the ground, so I brushed them against my pants to clean them, only to find that there was a sticky substance under the dirt and grass.

Blood.

Not only were my hands coated in the drying red liquid, but my arms and clothing were as well.

What did I kill? Or who…

I struggled to maintain my composure as I ventured out into the grass, looking for signs of life—or death. It wasn’t the first time I had killed without remembering it, but I prayed it would be the last.

After a few minutes of searching, I found the pile of carcasses I had left behind from my murder spree. Luckily, none of them were human. The bodies of four coyotes, a mule deer, a fox, and two beavers had been deposited close together. The sheer number of lives I had taken in a single day overwhelmed me. Shaken, I knelt to the ground next to them.

Forgive me.

But there was no forgiveness for someone like me, and no excuse for what I had become.

The light of the full moon guided me home as I walked slowly, ashamed of myself. I expected Sienna to be fast asleep, but she was sitting on the front step, waiting for my return.

“Where have you been?” she demanded. “You’re covered in blood. Is this going to be a daily occurrence?”

“I don’t owe you an explanation,” I answered tiredly.

“At least let me heal you,” she insisted.

“I’m not injured. Just back off, okay?”

I walked past her into the cabin and headed for the bathroom. All I wanted to do was clean myself up and sleep. It had been a long, emotional day. But it seemed Sienna had other ideas.

“You’re lying,” she said, pushing into the room behind me as I began to undress.

“You don’t need to heal me,” I sighed. “I’m a werewolf. I’ll be fine by morning.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” she snapped.

I wasn’t sure why she was pushing it so hard, but I was too tired to care. Everything was too much right now. If it helped me get to sleep sooner, I would let her check me for injuries.

“I don’t have the energy to fight,” I admitted. “Do what you need to do.”

Chapter 9 - Sienna

While Franco removed his shirt, I turned on the faucet in the bathtub, filling it to the brim with warm water. Even if he was as unhurt as he claimed, he needed to be cleaned. The blood that had dried on his skin would need scrubbing.

“I can stand in the shower,” Franco objected.

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