Page 2 of Forced Wolf Bride

Zack looks away, clearly uncomfortable with the turn of conversation. He pauses before continuing. "Look, we all want revenge for Tyler. And no one wants a fatal attack on one of our own to go unpunished. But some of the elders are questioning where this is heading. Is there an end goal, other than a protracted war with Silverstar wolves?"

He turns to me then, his face softened by understanding. "We both know how Tyler got himself into that situation." At that, my wolf bares his teeth in warning, but Zack continues, perhaps the only man around me who'd dare. "Maybe finding someone to share your life with wouldn't be such a bad thing at this point, especially if she could help you manage the pack."

I roll my eyes and scoff but find myself considering his words, mulling them over more carefully than I'd admit to him. It's true that I've found the general duty of managing the pack more arduous since Tyler's death. I'd always assumed he'd be alpha material, too, and so I'd been training him for the role, although he'd never shown much aptitude for leadership. More recently, I've been leaning on Zack in that regard, but would a mate make the burden easier to carry? A woman who can help me lead? Or is Zack just thinking that a woman would distract me from revenge?

I consider my old friend as we slam the meeting hall doors shut and walk in silence toward my imposing cabin across the clearing. He's never been one to back down from a challenge, so why does he think I'd even consider it? Me, the alpha?

"I'll think about it," I reply after a moment of silence. I see Zack smile ever so slightly out of the corner of my eye. "Besides, I don't know where those idiots think they're going to find a steady stream of women to parade in front of me until I find my mate. It didn't work with Tara or any other woman, however good-looking they were."

Zack laughs. "That's the young for you: romantic and optimistic."

I bark out a laugh at that. "So damn true. Were we ever like that, Zack? Before we got old?"

"Speak for yourself, Diego—I'm not old. You're not, either. Perhaps some young mate will make you realize that."

I'm about to tell him to get lost, but as I turn, he's already walking away. My friend's right about one thing, though: he doesn't seem as old as me. Instead of being weighed down with responsibilities, a mate, or pups, he's a lifelong bachelor with an impressive string of conquests, a serious commitment issue, and as few connections as possible. He's also dedicated to having as much fun as possible—though there's little fun for anyone at the moment with our ongoing feud.

Zack’s lack of a mate is obviously keeping him young, I muse as I step inside my house. Ironically, we've both ended up alone. At least his loneliness is by design.

I throw my keys on the sideboard and walk into the dark entrance hall. The automatic lights flicker on low, illuminating the grand staircase and the luxurious hallway beyond. I kick my boots off and pad across the thick carpets to the entertaining room. An old-fashioned portrait of my late grandfather hangs above the grand fireplace, a reminder of days gone by.

Beyond this room is an expansive kitchen with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a dark forest. I pour myself a glass of bourbon and knock it back in one go. My gaze falls on Tyler's photo, perched on the windowsill. He had his mother's eyes, but he definitely got his mean streak from me.

He missed his mother so much as a boy, and I was as hard as nails, so busy running the pack and building my empire, grieving my wife, and overwhelmed by this little pup who looked to me for everything. What would she think of all this? I can barely bring myself to look at her photo. Guilt? I'm not sure.

I certainly passed on enough of my flaws to the boy—namely, his temper and ability to push women away. I'm not blind to how he treated his ex, McKenna. And I will forever regret choosing to mind my own business. Maybe if I had reacted in time, none of the events that followed would’ve happened.

Ultimately, it was his similarities to me that got him killed—reckless, hot-headed, and too powerful for his own good. Mateo's pack took him out because he thought he was invincible. He got my bad points without a dose of my common sense.

I knock back another bourbon, placing the glass on a table as I pull my shirt over my head, slide open the patio doors, and step out into the night.

The shift is already starting as I shrug the clothes off my body—muscles, skin, and bone twisting and breaking, remolding into my wolf's form. Dark, thick fur and amber eyes reflect the moon as I step onto the porch and stare into the night. Keen to forget the feud, my regret over Tyler, and the growing tensions within the pack, I race down the steps, ready to take my frustrations out on the night.

A cold breeze ruffles my fur as I take off through the thick trees bordering my property, and soon, I find myself surrounded by the familiar blanket of wildflowers that are starting to bloom at this time of year—a reminder that life continues no matter what's happening in my world. The smell of fresh grass fills my nostrils as I run faster than ever before, pushing further away from all that was and all that could have been.

I run for hours and hours until exhaustion eventually takes hold. I collapse on top of a boulder just before dawn begins to break through, finally feeling a sort of contentment wash over me. The kind of contentment that can only be achieved through complete physical exhaustion. And if I'm honest, the only way my body can finally find enough peace to actually rest these days.

Chapter 2 - Quinn

As I race through the shadows, the forest soothes me with its cool, moonlit embrace. My paws effortlessly find their rhythm on the solid earth beneath me, and each step feels like a heartbeat of freedom. Moonlight filters through the leaves above, casting a silver glow on the path ahead. It's like a dance with the night, a secret shared between me and the wild.

With every stride, I feel a mix of gratitude and something else—sadness—swirling within me. I’m grateful to be near my friend Gina and her pack, to share in their warmth and laughter. Being with them feels like finding a missing piece of myself, a taste of the belonging I've longed for. The way Gina's eyes light up when she sees me, the camaraderie of her pack, it's all a balm to my soul.

Yet, beneath that gratitude, there's a pang of longing. The ache of not having my own pack always lingers, a reminder of the void that remains. While Gina, Lucca, and her pack have offered me a temporary home while I renovate the fountain destroyed by Diego's pack, and while they have been so welcoming, there's a part of me that yearns for my own place among the trees, my own pack to call family. As I run through the moonlit forest, I wonder if it will ever be possible to bridge the distance between longing and belonging.

I'm a rarity in the shifter world: a lone wolf. Not that there aren't wolves out there who have been cast out of packs for committing crimes or unsuccessfully trying to overthrow the alpha. They surely have their own set of struggles. But a genuine lone wolf—there are not many like me.

Abandoned as a baby and raised by humans, I was lucky to encounter shifters early on to make sense of my developing powers. And even more fortunate to meet Gina at college. If it hadn't been for her distance from her own pack, we'd never have had the chance to become friends. Now she's home with Lucca where she belongs, and as much as she tells me I can stay, too, something is stopping me.

I can't put my finger on it, but it just doesn't feel like home. Whatever that is.

I come to a stop, the unwelcome feelings still lingering in my mind. I take a deep breath and try to savor the crisp night air, relieved as it fills me with new strength. Gina and Lucca are having a BBQ tonight, so I should head back. I already helped Gina prep everything. Part of me doesn't want to leave the forest, though—the peace, the familiarity of being among trees and nature, is something that can't be found anywhere else.

As I turn away from the forest path, I hear something in the trees nearby. A rustling of leaves or maybe another wolf? Suddenly surrounded by shadows and half-expecting danger, I try to understand what's happening, my heart racing.

An enormous stag thunders into the clearing, his majestic antlers reaching toward the sky like hands outstretched in greeting. He stares at me for a moment before raising his back legs and turning into the darkness once more.

For some reason, I feel unnerved by his presence. It feels like he was trying to tell me something.

---