Page 2 of The Alpha's Forced Bride

My fingers traveled the page, line by line, looking for all the recorded incidents we had experienced since our recent relocation. “I suppose leaving those cursed lands did nothing.”

“Winchester, Virginia was home for us.”

“This is our new home, Clancy. We need to get used to it.”

He bowed his head, hummed, and squinted at the page. “The symptoms are just overlapping now.”

“They’ve gotten worse.”

“We could always move again.”

I shrugged, even though I wanted to chuckle. What a bleak thing to say in our darkest hour. It was the kind of humor I would have appreciated if I wasn’t responsible for finding a way to lead my people out of the drab existence that tortured us.

That was my job, and I was failing at it.

I nodded. “Right you are, Clancy.”

“What should we do, Harv?”

“We don’t have a lot of options left without a proper witch.”

His nostrils flared as he trudged toward a chair on the right side of my desk. The wood creaked under his weight as he sat down and propped his feet up on my desk. I grunted, the sound inspiring him to migrate his dirty boots to the ground where they belonged.

I raised my eyebrows at him. “Any ideas?”

“I can always consult my demon.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Not a great one, but an idea by definition.”

“I could always give in to him, too.”

“I wish you wouldn’t say things like that.”

His demeanor remained serious, unflinching. “It’s an option—by definition.”

I focused on the tome in front of me, running my hands over the fine parchment and focusing on the coarse yet flat texture of the paper. He wasn’t wrong, and I hated that it was an option at all. Although, if I were being honest with myself, I’d already considered whether doing the same would make me a better alpha or not.

Wouldn’t the alpha of a demonic wolf pack need to be a fully realized demon to keep them safe?

Yes.

I sniffed indignantly at the voice that appeared too easily in the back of my mind. That was my demon. I wouldn’t pay him any heed while having this discussion with my right-hand man.

You could give in to me, my demon whispered. It is the path of least resistance.

I clenched my fist over my knee, trying to fight through the waves of pain that came with his demon influence. Because the more I fought against the bastard, the more pain I experienced in my body. It was just another manipulation tactic he could use to convince me that my life would be better in his arms.

And in some ways, it was true. My fight with him would be over. Our consciousness would melt together, and we would no longer be two separate beings warring over the same body. Demon wolves were faster, stronger, and far more perceptive. They were ruthless and persistent beings.

With such power, I could secure shelter for my pack. I could accomplish every one of my goals. My desires would be fulfilled—especially my desire for companionship. It wouldn’t be difficult to mate with a demon wolf woman and make her my queen, my left hand. No more nights would be spent tossing and turning in my cot-like bed with cold sweats and nightmares.

My demon would let me sleep in peace because I would become him.

I tightened my arms over my chest, doubling down on my resistance. “Yes, it’s an option, Clancy.”

“We could face our hunters.”

“No one is hunting us. That’s your paranoia speaking.”

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