Page 17 of The Alpha’s Forced Omega (Alaska Alpha Wolves #1)

Hours Earlier

Something must have shifted within me last night, because I’m suddenly hopeful that being a witch isn’t my downfall, but where my power lies.

I know…I know.

Being part witch already means I have mystical powers, but after last night, I feel brave enough to use them, explore them, and learn how to utilize them more intentionally.

Somehow, I was able to open up to the Alpha a little more last night, even opening myself up to the idea that I may be able to trust him.

He’d been kind enough to speak words of encouragement that stuck with me throughout my day. Though I haven’t seen him since last night, having woken up to an empty pillow on his side of the bed, his encouragement lingers, along with his vote of confidence and reassurance that he’s on my side.

For the first time I can remember, I don’t feel like a misfit, an outcast who has no place in the pack.

My lips tug into a warm smile as I stare out of the kitchen window, seeing the surrounding landscape covered in snow and not feeling its coldness anymore.

Sipping on my warm cocoa, all I can do is wonder where Elias is without overthinking a million possibilities and doubting him.

Sure, the doubt still creeps up sometimes, especially when I let my mind drift to what else happened last night.

The mating ritual wasn’t exactly complete without the consummation, but we’d already taken care of that some time back. Slightly disappointed because it only means Elias isn’t attracted to me, I really wonder what he wants.

If Elias was using me, surely he would have shown his true colors by now.

He valiantly declared to the elders and his subordinates that I was his mate, and boldly stood before his pack members in the ceremony to join us in the union of a mate bond.

All I’ve seen is his kindness and his support of my being a witch. Is that all he’s after?

My powers?

It’s not like I have the full capacity of those powers yet, so what does it matter?

Nodding my head slowly with recognition of the time I have on my hands, I open one palm and stare at it, trying to make sense of how my hidden gifts manifest in my palms. The last time it happened, I wasn’t just faced with danger, but I’d experienced the first onset of my heat in the forest.

The culmination of both those vices caused power to seep into my palms, allowing me to wield them even if it wasn’t fully conscious or contained. Perhaps, with some practice, I’ll be able to wield that power with more awareness and use it at will.

Maybe that’s how I’ll get the hang of utilizing my wolf at will, too.

Looking up, I see the sun setting deep in the sky, only fragments of yellow tinsel littering the sky on its descent.

I’m not sure what Elias is doing out there, but I guess that he’s taking care of his responsibilities in the pack—something I’m aware of since it’s not the first time he isn’t home at this hour.

That gives me time to practice. Though he’s the one who encouraged it, I’m too self-conscious to let him see me make a complete fool of myself. I might have just decided to practice, but it doesn’t mean I’m fully confident in my skills. If only Grandmother were around…

No.

I’m not going to let that dampen my spirit or dishearten me in my quest. Lifting my chin and puckering one hand into a determined fist as I chug down the rest of my hot cocoa, I set out to the living room, where there’s enough open space to test out my powers.

I would have gone outside, but Elias begged me to remain indoors in case the demon tracked me down to Girdwood.

The house arrest serves as fuel to my fire of determination, even if it’s just a tiny spark for now.

I need to find it within me, so I close my eyes and focus my concentration on seeking the flicker of the flame that may ignite my powers.

It takes me some time to empty my mind, and until I become void of thoughts, I’m able to find stillness through deep, conscious breaths.

Inhale and exhale—it was a breathing exercise Grandmother taught me while I was growing up.

She claimed the benefits were good health, but I have reason to believe that there was hidden wisdom in her lessons.

Within the black abyss behind my eyelids, I notice a tiny speck of amethyst in the center, recalling what my grandmother used to call the third eye. I gasped when I realized she’d sprinkled little clues along the way throughout the years she spent raising me before she died.

It’s that small speck of violet light that grows wider when I concentrate on it, taking deep breaths to maintain the stillness I’ve found. The circle of light grows large and crystalline, the amethyst mist translucent and allowing faint traces of powerful gold to shine through.

When the two colors begin a dance at the center of my head like gears turning to ignite an engine, I feel the power surging through my spine from the base to my third eye, and when it shoots through my vision with a jolting current, my eyes snap open.

I lift my tingling palms to see the veins pulsing with amethyst light from my mind’s eye, a pompous smirk growing on my lips.

I’ve never felt more powerful than I do now, so sure of myself, so confident.

I turn my attention to my surroundings, noticing the fresh firewood stacked in the fireplace, and grin.

Using the wood as my target, I turn my palms over and direct my focus on the square fireplace, feeling the power build up in my core before spreading out to my fingertips. A flicker of lilac light emanates from my palms, but before it can reach the fireplace, it dies out and dissipates in the air.

Puffing out my irritation, the lilac light in my palms dies out too.

“What—” I grumble testily, losing all my concentration in a split second.

So, getting upset with myself isn’t going to do the trick.

I’ll have to be more careful and more centered as I attempt that again, going through the motions of becoming still all over again.

This time, I remind myself that this is my first time practicing, and it’s not the end of the world if I can’t yield the results I’m looking for. I open my eyes again, confidence flooding my being while remaining calm as I direct my palms to the fireplace.

A gust of power rocks my body as it filters through my palms, flashing out like two lightning bolts of amethyst that meet in the center of the living room before exploding through the stack of wood and igniting purple licks of fire in the fireplace.

“Woah!” I exclaim, pride swelling my chest and shaping a wide smile of satisfaction on my face. I turn my palms inward, staring at them with wonder.

I can’t believe I just did that.

Mimicking the way I just shot out bolts of energy from my palms, I face them toward the fire again, but an uncontrollable surge of power shudders through me, so forceful that it knocks me down.

Flashes of energy burst out from my palms, the curtains in the living room catching fire before I burn a hole in the ceiling.

“No!” I exclaim, scrambling onto my knees as I close my fists over my palms. “Oh, my Goddess! No!”

The fire that rages in front of me turns rabid, consuming its surroundings faster than any ordinary fire can spread. When the unplanned flames reach out to the fireplace, a shockwave echoes through the room, knocking me back down with a force that shudders through the air.

The fire spreads out all over the room, and my eyes widen as panic sets in.

How am I going to put this out?

I lift my palms to my face, regret washing over me in waves that bring tears to my eyes as a sob lodges in my throat. I can’t undo what I’ve done. With this power that I have yet to control or understand comes destruction as wood cracks and glass shatters all around the room.

Taking a disturbed look around the room, I spot a framed photograph perched on the ledge just above the fireplace, about to be swallowed by the thick purple and red flames.

There’s a familiar face pictured there, but his hazel eyes are fresh and innocent, untouched by the responsibilities he bears as the leader of this pack.

Elias’s father stands on one side while his mother leans over him, about to press a kiss to the top of his head.

I’d barely noticed the photograph before, having been determined to remain as neutral as I could to the alpha. But now that I’ve set fire to his house just when I was beginning to warm up to his encouragement, a heavy sense of regret spurs me to my feet.

I need to save the photograph, my eyes fixed on Elias’s younger face, giving me the courage and reassurance that I might be able to fix this and undo the mess I’ve made.

If I can save the picture, I can stop the fire. I’m sure of it. All I need to do is get closer and harness the powers resting inside me.

When I’m on my feet, I will myself to brave the scorching flames.

I’m about to take a bold step forward when out of nowhere, a pair of large, strong hands grab my shoulders and reel me back.

A frightful shriek leaves my lips, the forceful motion quick and effortless as I’m pulled off my feet and into warm, protective arms. Through the gray smoke that billows out with rage all around me, I land against a solid chest of immaculately constructed muscle, my breath catching when I realize I’m in Elias’s embrace.

His face is stern, expression compressed as he keeps his eyes forward, lips pressed into a firm line. My heart skips a beat, terror lurking as close as the next beat, when I notice his anger.

I feel it pulsing off him as he carries me out of the burning house, his nostrils flaring the moment he steps out, and a flurry of pack members rush inside to deal with the fire.

He doesn’t stop until we’re in the open garden behind his house, at a safe distance away from the fire that’s consuming most of the house now.

I stare dubiously over his shoulder, too afraid to gauge his anger, but even more frightened by the destruction I just left behind. I brace myself for the impact of his anger when I’m set onto my feet on the snowy ground outside.

Flinching against the terse silence that follows, my face drops, shoulders drooping penitently.

I don’t even know how to begin to explain myself or apologize sincerely for what I’ve done.

The only sounds that can be heard are the raging flames and the shouts of the pack members who fight to put out the fire, some yelling out instructions and calling for refills of the buckets of water and snow they’re using to get control.

“What the hell, Aurora?!” Elias suddenly snaps, the fury in his voice compelling me to look up with furrowed brows.

“I could have stopped it!” I yell out, my defense mechanisms kicking in when it’s all I have against his anger.

“If you hadn’t pulled me out, I would have stopped that fire!

” My venomous words come just as a thunderous bang rings out, and I look up to see the entire house crumbling to the ground.

It’s too late. Nothing I do now will save the house.

Gasping, I’m even more startled when Elias grabs my arm and yanks me closer, glaring into my eyes with a ferocity that has me biting my tongue.

“Are you crazy?!” he roars, shaking my shoulders as if to knock sense into me. “You could have gotten hurt!”

“The house…” I whimper apologetically, eyes hazy with tears as I blink fervently at the house burning to the ground. “Your house…”

“Fuck the house!” Elias bellows, shaking me and forcing me to look at him with a frown. “Your life is invaluable to me, Aurora. I don’t care about the house! All I care about is that you’re safe!”

Unable to believe what I’m hearing, especially when it comes in the heat of a life-changing moment for the alpha, I’m knocked with the striking realization that he really cares for me.

He inspects me from head to toe, then straightens up to check my face with both hands cradling my cheeks, eyes full of the deepest concern I’ve ever seen him show.

I find myself staring at him, seeing him cast beneath a different light that has me dropping all the walls I’ve been holding up to keep myself protected. But as soon as those walls come crumbling down the way the burning house did, my pulse slows down, and my knees weaken.

I didn’t even realize it before, but just as the crisp, clear air outside fills my lungs, I’d been consuming all the suffocating smoke inside. Dizzy, I press a hand to my forehead just as my vision blurs.

“Elias…” I whisper faintly.

He lifts his eyes to mine and notices my disorientation as his brows furrow. My knees give in as a whimpered gasp leaves my lips, but just as I’m about to fall over, Elias nimbly catches me to him.

With one arm around my shoulders and one hand on my belly, he steadies me and drops to his knees to allow my limp frame to crash on his lap instead of the cold, wet ground.

Still woozy, I can only faintly make out Elias’s face, softened now with concern as he holds me close to his chest. Overcome with emotion, I lift a flailing arm to touch his hand on my midriff when a jolting spark of awareness wraps its tendrils around my wrist, keeping me restrained long enough for realization to set in.

There’s no doubting the tiny pitter-patter of a racing heartbeat in my belly.

Elias gasps and lifts disbelieving eyes at me, then whispers, “The prophecy was true…” he murmurs. “You’re pregnant...”