Page 3 of Forced Alpha Bride (Wolfshade Brides-for-Hire #3)

Clear dawn light is breaking across the Range as I come to the turnoff for Gryphon Eyrie. Seeing the mountain peaks graced by the early morning light makes a flare of hope bloom in my chest.

Today looks like a perfect day. Warm sun, clean air, a cold hint in the wind. I’m taking this sunrise as a good omen!

It feels like a day where good things can happen. One of those days where you wake up and can just feel it’s full of promise. My anxiety flickers deep inside my belly, and with it, a hint of excitement.

What does my new husband look like? Am I really going to just marry some random guy?

The jagged edges of the pass block the sun as I follow the twisting road down into Eyrie. I remind myself it’s not a random guy. It’s someone hand-picked by Iris Porter.

And so far, she can do no wrong.

Even though Galen and Kit are the most recent alphas who engaged with her service, her name has been appearing on everyone’s lips lately. It seems everyone has a distant cousin or friend of a friend who has been involved with her, and her name holds considerable weight back in the human world.

Nerves bubble up in my guts again, and I grip the steering wheel tightly as I leave the mountains behind and drive into the town.

Gryphon Eyrie is a bit bigger than Quartz Key, as it sits in a wide-open section of the valley.

It gets a lot of sunlight and is well-known for its parks and decorative buildings.

On my way towards the center of town, I don’t see a single person, and the anxiety hidden beneath my excitement rises sharply. I tried to contact Krista several times on the way here, and so far, she hasn’t answered a single message.

What’s going on here? It’s like a ghost town.

Even though it’s very early, I’d still expect to see the odd person out and about, gardening, jogging, playing with their kids.

Where is everyone?

When I finally reach the main part of town, my nerves explode into full-on terror. The shops are closed, the streets are empty, and it looks like Gryphon Eyrie has been completely abandoned.

What the fuck is going on?

I park near the main fountain, where Iris said to meet her. Frantically, I message Krista, but there is still no reply.

Maybe I should just take off, go straight back home. Something is really wrong here, and I need help.

Before I can start becoming truly unhinged, I see a person sitting at one of the picnic tables under the trees. They’re in a shadow, so I have no idea who it is, but I’m so relieved to see another human being that I almost cry.

I didn’t even see them until they moved. Are they hiding there? What should I do?

My phone buzzes, making me jump so hard, I almost hit my head on the roof.

Winnie, is that you? I’m sitting at the picnic table.

I read Iris’s message, wondering how she can be so calm when it looks like Gryphon Eyrie just got hit by the Rapture. I struggle with my fear for another minute or two before I finally get out of the car and hurry across the park to join her.

I run the whole way, glancing up to check the sky as I go.

Should I be out in the open? What the hell happened here?

I rush into the wooded area where Iris is waiting, collapsing on the bench opposite her. She looks up and smiles warmly, extending her hand across the table to me.

“Hello,” she says. “I’m Iris. Nice to meet you, Winnie!”

“Iris,” I almost choke on my response as I give her hand a quick shake. All my fear-induced questions have dissipated in my mind in the face of how normal she looks. I’ve never seen a woman so neatly put together, one who radiates such calm and confidence.

She smiles warmly, tilting her head a little.

Every single perfect blond hair stays neatly swept up behind her head, as if her style would remain fixed in place through the toughest blizzard.

Her pale blue suit is an expensive cut, with thick, luxurious fabric designed to hug her curves and keep her warm as well.

“How are you, dear?” Iris asks. “Normally, I’d bring coffee and a snack, but as you can see, the shops are all closed.”

“Yeah,” I cough lightly, trying to get my breath back. “What the hell is going on here? Where is everyone?”

Iris’s face falls, the smile fading as she turns somber. “Roderick died. Yesterday, in fact.”

“Oh no!” I exclaim. “Poor Krista—no wonder she didn’t answer my messages.”

Iris nods. “Indeed. She’s at the manor with her mother, grieving. But the whole town is in mourning now.”

“Over Roderick?” I ask, confused. If this is a tradition, it’s one I’ve never heard before.

“No.” Iris shakes her head. “Well, partly. But the alpha’s challenge was initiated.

There was a circle of thirteen for the council to consider, and they hoped to appoint the new alpha peacefully.

A new challenger came, and they could not refuse him.

Because he won and killed most of the others, the entire pack is now in mourning. ”

I stare at Iris in disbelief, my shocked brain finally starting to put the threads together.

“You mean… I’m here for Roderick’s successor?”

“Correct.”

“I’m supposed to marry the guy who just killed thirteen fucking wolves?”

“Well, to be fair, he didn’t kill them all,” Iris answers, shuffling her papers around. “Only some of them.”

“That makes me feel so much better,” I say caustically. “And it doesn’t answer my question.”

Iris looks up at me, and her formerly warm blue eyes have a hard edge to them. “You are here to be the luna of Gryphon Eyrie, yes. Your match is the winner of the alpha’s challenge. He needs your family connections to hold his position, and the two of you are extremely well-matched.”

“It doesn’t sound like it!” I protest. “It sounds like you brought me here without even knowing who my match would be. Just that I was destined for the alpha!”

Iris laces her fingers together and props her chin on her hands. The smile she gives me is friendly, maybe even somewhat intimate.

“I know of your troubles, Winnie.”

Her words stab right through me, and I feel a warm tingle deep inside as my skin flushes with mild shocks. My cheeks burn bright red as I fight the urge to run.

“What do you mean?”

“Winnie,” Iris smiles again, reaching out to pat my hand.

“Don’t worry. Your confidence has never been betrayed.

I just know what I know—it comes to me when I’m making a match.

I can see what both people need and how to bring them together.

I promise you, Winnie, this man is everything you dream of. ”

I look into her eyes, wanting to challenge her and demand she explain herself to me. Her grin turns slightly mischievous, and I grin back without thinking.

“Okay,” I say. “I’m still not sure how you know what I dream of, but I’m convinced. Enough to meet the guy, anyway. When is he getting here?”

“Any minute now,” Iris says, checking her phone. “I’ll just get you to sign, then I can put the paperwork in.”

“Doesn’t he have to sign, too?”

“He signed already, on a digital form. He’s fully committed to the marriage.”

“Without even meeting me?”

“Yes, dear,” Iris says, sliding the papers over to me along with a pen. “He’s very serious about this.”

“And what happens if I don’t sign?” I ask, my hand hovering above the page.

“I’ll have to attempt another match. But in all likelihood, there won’t be another one. That’s how these things work out, I’m afraid.”

I want to ask more questions, but her tone has taken on an ominous edge, and I decide I don’t want to hear anything else scary today. I press the pen to the page and sign.

If he’s the new alpha, he can’t be that bad. He’ll have to take good care of me if he wants to stay on good terms with the other alphas in the Range. I just have to pray we don’t completely hate each other.

“Wonderful!” Iris says, putting the papers back in her briefcase. “He should be here by now. Would you like to take a walk to the other side of the fountain to meet him?”

“Okay,” I answer, even though I really don’t want to go back out there alone. The silence of the town has started spooking me again, and the fact that people are mourning dead or injured sons, friends, and brothers doesn’t help.

“Good luck, dear,” Iris says, waving as I walk away.

I turn my back on her and stride across the cobbled path, heading for the other side of the fountain. It comforts me to put a bit of distance between us.

She’s pretty, smart, and professional… but something about her isn’t quite right.

I push the thought away and sit down on the low stone edge of the fountain, looking at the coins shimmering under the flowing water.

So many wishes. I’d add my own if I had a spare coin, but what would I wish for?

I close my eyes, letting the low throb of excitement rise in my body. My wordless desire seems to become real in that moment, and I know the only thing I wish for is a man who can make me feel this way and satisfy me.

I hear a faint step crunch on the gravel and open my eyes quickly. A man is emerging from the shaded walk across the park. For a moment, I panic, wondering if I should run.

It’s got to be him. No one but the alpha would be permitted to walk around today.

As he gets closer, I feel a threatening aura emanating from him. The urge to run gets stronger, but my curiosity is greater than my fear, so I stay seated.

When he comes out from the shadows, I can’t hold in a gasp. His face is gorgeous—all sharp, slanted cheeks, a noble chin, and a hard-cut jaw. His skin is pale—a shocking contrast to his jet-black hair—and his eyes are so dark that from a distance, they look black, too.

He’s wearing a tight, shiny black t-shirt that shows off every single bulging muscle, and black jeans so snug that I can see the lines of his thick thighs and sculpted calves.

He must have an incredibly tight butt. Turn around, honey.

Bruises smudge his perfect white skin, from his arms to one across his cheek. I know this has to be my alpha, fresh from the challenge fight last night.

My eyes follow him as he gets closer, until he’s in front of me and I’m forced to look up. I realize my mouth is hanging open, and I shut it with a snap. He grins, and his full, deep red lips curve in a slow, satisfied smile.

He’s checking me out, and as he does, his smile gets wider. I can feel an unbelievable heat building between my legs as well as ripples of excitement flooding across my skin.

He’s looking at me as if I’m a plate of something delicious he can’t wait to eat… and I’ve never been so turned on in my whole life.

I’m tempted to leap up and throw myself into his arms, but far-off alarm bells are starting to ring in the back of my mind.

His black clothes, dark demeanor, and sharp features are familiar to me somehow, even though I’m sure I’ve never seen him before.

I narrow my eyes a little as I try to figure it out.

Always wears tight black clothes… eyes dark as the abyss, and hair even darker. Tall and lean… big muscles…

The words all come together at once, triggering a clear memory of sitting on Krista’s bed, gossiping while she described this man.

“He’s nothing but trouble! The little gang he runs with is constantly stealing things and starting fights. Father is trying to drive him out of town. I mean, I’m sorry for him, I guess, but I won’t miss him at school. I hope he goes far away and stays there!”

A shudder of terror runs through me, banishing my lust. My hands grip the stone bench hard enough to crack my nails.

I know who he is… no, this can’t be!

“Hi,” he says, extending a hand as he flashes me a cocky smile. “I’m—”

“I know who you are!” I snap, fear manifesting in my voice as rage. “You’re Damon Mackay!”