Page 5 of Forced Alpha Bride (Wolfshade Brides-for-Hire #3)

I can’t marry him!

The thought beats over and over again in my mind, pounding into my temples with every hard thump of my heart. I can barely keep my cool as I walk slowly around the fountain, desperate not to freak out.

It’s okay. All I have to do is explain to Iris what’s happening, and she’ll dissolve the contract. Maybe she didn’t know about his reputation. It’s not the kind of thing he’d share.

As I get to the other side of the fountain, I realize all the picnic tables are empty. My calm cracks like thin ice on a frozen pond, and I bolt into the trees, looking around wildly.

Where is she?

Pulling out my phone, I send her a quick text, but I know there won’t be a reply. Galen didn’t go into a lot of detail about his experience, but he did tell me Iris just disappeared after the match was made.

The same thing happened to Lexa and Kit. Maybe she’s just a dodgy business.

Even though I’d like to believe that, there are too many success stories rippling through the rumor mill. Images of Galen and Clara dance through my mind, then Lexa and Kit, and my heart hurts.

Maybe she just made a mistake this time. Happens to everybody, I guess.

I check my phone again, but to my increasing frustration, there’s still no reply. I text Krista, but get no answer from her.

It seems like there’s only one thing left to do.

I look towards the fountain, my stomach screwing into a cold, hard knot. I try to settle my nerves with a few deep breaths, but it just makes me dizzy, so I lean on the table for a bit.

Slowly, the realization dawns on me that I can’t walk back over there. I simply cannot face him, go home with him… and marry him.

And then what? Playhouse? Have his babies? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!

Somewhere far beneath my terror, another feeling flickers to life. All my fear falls away as the new sensation grows, spreading warmth through my body. His reputation and bad deeds are forgotten as I relish his image, closing my eyes to immerse myself in it.

His big, dark eyes looking into mine… black eyes, with floating specks of gold catching the light. Night-dark hair falling on a pale-skinned cheek… that grin. Oh my fucking God, that grin on his curved red mouth! Kiss me, pretty boy, kiss me…

I let out a little yelp and rip myself free of my fantasy. I angrily check my phone, then stand there trembling for a second before I do the only thing I can do.

Bolt for my car.

I seem to cross the distance in a flash, running so hard, I slam into the car in my attempt to stop. Fumbling with the keys, I end up dropping them and scratching around on the ground to find them again.

My chest heaves with relief as well as exertion as I finally throw myself into the front seat. My hands are shaking so much, I can barely handle the key, but I don’t let myself drop it this time. I crank the ignition.

Go! Go now!

I thump my foot down on the accelerator, screeching out of the parking lot. I have no idea where I’m going. I’m so panicked, I can barely see the road.

Krista! I’ll go to her place. If she won’t answer my texts, I’ll just go straight to her place. I’ll call Galen from there, and he can help me.

The familiar streets look strange to me, being so empty. It’s as if a thick cloak of melancholy is hanging over the town, a whisper of doom that leaves no hope for the future.

With Damon as their alpha, that is surely the truth. Fate has let us all down today.

When I reach the manor, there are a few cars parked out front, where tough-looking guys hang out around the door. I don’t want to run into any of them, so I leave my car behind some bushes and sneak through the grounds until I find Krista’s window.

The manor is gigantic, bigger than Kit’s estate. I’ve heard rumors that there is an ancient dungeon underneath, but I don’t know if it’s true. I do know that the entire extended family lives here, and I’m very lucky that Krista has a ground-floor suite.

I really don’t fancy climbing a stone balcony today.

When I pull the bushes away from the window, I’m relieved to see Krista sitting on the couch inside. I tap lightly with one finger, not wanting to alert anyone else to my presence. She jumps, looks up at me with wide eyes, then rushes towards me.

I’ve always been close with Krista. Being the exact same age, we often found each other at any official events for inter-pack business.

My first memories of those stuffy, boring affairs were hanging out with a little girl my own age who was equally full of mischief.

The two of us would sneak away to play in the gardens and ruin our good clothes.

Or that time we broke into the kitchen and ate the celebration cake. Both our fathers yelled at us for hours! Good times.

“Winnie?” Krista asks tearfully, opening the window.

I reach up to her, and she grabs my hands, giving me enough leverage to get my feet on the wall and shove myself over the stone ledge.

We fall down into a heap on the softly carpeted floor and immediately wrap our arms around each other, squeezing tight and sobbing tearfully. When we pull apart, I feel a familiar shock when I look into her eyes.

Because they are so much like mine, just a slightly darker shade of blue. Her hair is even the exact same red, but straight instead of curly. We could be sisters.

The other difference between us is one I don’t care to note. Krista is tall, willowy, and slender. I’ve always felt just slightly inadequate in her shadow.

I know I’m not ugly, but I still feel fat and short standing next to her.

“Oh, Winnie,” Krista whispers. “Daddy died!”

“I know,” I whisper back.

“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 fuck are you 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.”

“Maybe with his reputation, it shouldn’t have been a surprise.”

Krista looks up at me with wide, frightened eyes. “I think you’re right, Winnie. Nobody really thought this through. Still, the council couldn’t refuse the challenge, no matter how much of a criminal he is.”

That word sends chills down my spine, and all the rumors I’ve ever heard about Damon crowd into my mind again.

“Did you know he burned down a school building?” Krista says. “A whole block. Apparently, he did it because a teacher gave him a bad grade.”

I shake my head. “No. I heard about the robberies, though.”

Krista’s mouth twists, and anger flares in her eyes.

“Yes, he was very good at that. First, just small items that he could carry, then eventually moving on to stealing literal truckloads from businesses and factories. He and his thugs would show up at the warehouses at the quietest times and subdue the workers to take half the stock.”

“How was he never arrested?”

“He was, a few times. But they couldn’t make the charges stick, and he always got out.”

“And what about…” My voice fails me as I try to get the next words through my tight throat. “What about… the fights?”

Krista nods slowly. “Constant fights. At school, at bars, and on the street. He’s just an extremely violent person.”

“I can’t marry him!” I blurt.

“I know.”

A sudden, sharp banging sounds through the halls. It’s still distant, but I know who it has to be.

“Damon,” Krista whispers. “You have to go, Winnie!”

“Okay,” I gasp, tying the straps of the bag into a knot so I can easily loop it across my chest when I’m in my wolf shape. “Help me get out the window.”

My hands are trembling so badly, I can’t grip the sill. Tears are running down my face, and my lungs feel like they’re about to burst.

“He’s coming,” Krista whispers fearfully. “Just get to the cabin as quickly as you can, and I’ll call Galen. He can help.”

“Yes,” I agree, sliding across the ledge out the open window. “Call Galen. Tell him where I am.”

Before we can have a tearful goodbye, Krista shoves me out and slams the window behind me. Even though I fall face-first into the snow, I don’t mind. I heard footsteps in the hall, and if Krista hadn’t shoved me, I might not have jumped.

Jogging through the trees, I angle through the grounds, slipping between huge hedges and following the courtyards towards the woods that lead up to the mountain. I know these gardens well. I’ve played in them my whole life.

It’s the woods I don’t know.

The neat bushes and fences fall away as the tall, dark trees of the forest begin to close around me. My heart leaps into my throat, and I realize my fear of the forest is almost as great as my fear of Damon.

Almost, but not quite.

I pause at the edge of the trees, reaching out to touch the cold, rough bark. There’s been a recent snowfall, and a light covering of snow dusts the ground, thinning the further I get into the trees.

I have to keep moving. They’ll be less likely to see my footprints if I get into the underbrush.

The trees close around me, and fear makes me shiver. I’ve never spent much time as my wolf, and I’ve never gone into the wilderness alone. The wildest thing I’ve ever done is go for an occasional full-moon run, but accompanied by a great big pack on a well-known trail.

On those nights, there was no way I could get lost, and I wasn’t scared in a group. I also knew we were running home to roaring fires and huge mugs of hot chocolate.

Taking a deep breath, I try to settle my nerves. The only other choice here is to turn around and marry Damon—and I’m not going to do that.

I strip, hooking my pack across my chest as I shift so the bag falls lightly on my shoulder. Immediately, I start to run through the forest, angling upward to head towards the peak.

The cabin is in the next valley. Halfway up the mountain, I’ll find a trail leading to the other side. All I have to do is stay ahead of him!

Only Krista’s close family members know about the cabin, and it is almost impossible to find without a map. I need to find a creek to cross to hide my scent, but other than that, there should be no other way for Damon to track me.

I haven’t made it very far before I have to stop. Even as my wolf, I’m not used to this kind of exercise, and my muscles have knotted up. Pain streaks through my limbs, and I gasp for air as I try to keep moving.

At least I know one thing. This can’t possibly get any worse.

Then, below me, I hear howls. It’s definitely wolves searching for me, but it’s not Galen or Krista. There is a distinct note of threat in the wails below, and one wolf in particular is extremely pissed off.

Damon.

I hurl myself forward, floundering through the snow until I find the track. It’s nothing more than a tiny trail, almost fully covered by snow. As I trot along it, the path gets narrower and harder to see.

A horrible wail erupts around the peak, making me jump. The huge gust of wind screams through the rocks like a thousand tortured souls. With it comes a massive, thick cloud of snow and ice that slams into me and knocks me right off the path.

I slip and roll through my own private avalanche, getting slammed by rocks and almost buried in snow. When I finally come to a stop, I realize I’ve lost my pack, my map, and I have no idea where I am.

The wind wails again, and behind its mournful voice, I can still hear the wolves howling as they search for me. Looking around, I can’t see anything except shifting white curtains of snow and the dark smudges of trees marking the edge of the forest.

I’m lost!

Struggling to get up and run into the forest again, I remind myself that no matter how bad a situation is, it can always get worse.