Page 15 of Forced Alpha Bride

“Is that why you’re here? How did you find out?”

“I’m here for a different reason,” I answer. “I signed up at Porter’s brides for hire.”

“Oh, okay,” she mumbles, wiping her nose. “What does that have to do with anything? I mean—”

“Shh! I need your help.”

“What the actual fuckareyou doing here, Winnie?” Krista asks, her eyes clearing as she realizes this might be a real emergency.

It’s not like I crawl through the window every damn day!

“Damon,” I say simply.

Krista’s face crumples, and it looks like she’s going to cry again. I know Krista can easily get hijacked by emotions, so I grab her hands and give them a tight squeeze.

“Listen—”

“No, Winnie, no,” Krista says, talking over me. “He’s bad news, and he’s our alpha now! He did the challenge—”

“I know that!” I snap, shaking her hands. “I was fucking matched with him!”

Krista’s eyes widen, and her face pales with shock.

“Oh no, Winnie! This is terrible news!”

“I know!”

“Not just for you. He won the alpha challenge, but to keep it, he has to find a mate within two days or give up the position. That must be why he applied at Porter’s. You can’t marry him, Winnie!”

“I know that,” I answer, my brain spinning. “Are you saying all I have to do is stay away from him for two days?”

Krista’s face lights up. “Yes! That’s true. All we have to do is hide you!”

“Where? I know the manor is big, but he’s got guys out front, and—”

“No, not here,” Krista interjects, jumping up. “There’s an old cabin no one knows about. Let me get you some supplies and draw you a map.”

“I’ve got clothes and stuff in my car.”

“No, I mean rations and snow gear. I don’t think your favorite pink heels are going to help you out there.”

“How did you know I packed those?” I ask, despite myself.

Krista snorts. “Because you always do. Let me throw together a bag, then you need to get out of here as quickly as possible.”

I follow Krista to the closet, where she pulls out a small backpack. She leads me to her kitchen nook, complete with a pantry and fridge.

I’ve always been a bit awed by her wealth and the fact that she’s so down-to-earth in spite of it.

“I’ll just pack some granola bars and stuff,” Krista says as she rifles through one of the cupboards. “Light and easy to carry. Enough to keep you alive for a couple of days.”

“Thanks for this, Krista.”

“Don’t thank me. I don’t want Damon to be our alpha.”

She turns around to give me the bag, and I can see her lip trembling as she fights her emotions.

“He killed most of the challengers,” she murmurs. “It wasn’t supposed to go that way; the elders were going to decide on the new alpha without violence. But by ancient pack law, no one could refuse him. No one expected him to win.”