Page 28 of Brutal Alpha's Forced Mate

I take off without warning, and the forest blurs around me as I push into a full sprint. The wind tears past my ears, and for the first time in what feels like forever, I feel free. No responsibilities, no threats—just the ground beneath me and the thrill of the chase.

It doesn’t take long for her to follow. Her footfalls are lighter, and her pace is uneven at first, but she picks up speed quickly. I glance back to see her weaving between the trees, and her reddish coat is a blur against the greens and browns of the forest. She’s fast—faster than I expected—and there’s a grace to her movements that surprises me.

Not bad, I tell her, letting her close the distance between us.

I’m just getting started, she replies with a confidence I haven’t heard in years.

She darts past me suddenly, and for a moment, I forget everything else. This is the Jaslyn I remember, the girl who used to take risks, who never backed down from a challenge. Seeing her like this, free and unburdened, stirs something in me that sends my heart soaring.

We run together, and the forest opens up around us. She doesn’t need me to guide her—she knows these woods as well as I do. And as she runs ahead with her head held high and her tailswaying with every stride, I can’t help but admire the strength and determination inside her.

When we finally slow, the moon is high on the horizon. Jaslyn stops in a field, and her ribs heave as she catches her breath. Her ears swivel toward me as I approach, and there’s something in her eyes that makes my chest tighten. With pride, maybe, or something close to it.

You’ve still got it, I tell her, lowering myself onto my haunches.

Of course I do, she replies as her tail gives a single, satisfied flick.You doubted me?

Not for a second.

We shift back at almost the same time, and the transition from wolf to human seems to come much easier for her. But the ease of it doesn’t stop the awkwardness that follows. We’re standing there, both completely naked and trying not to look too closely at each other as we make our way back to the way we came.

“You’re good at that,” I tell her. “Better than I expected after so long.”

“I guess I had a decent coach.”

The words catch me off-guard, and I glance at her, trying to gauge whether she’s being sincere or sarcastic. Her expression gives nothing away, but there’s a lightness in her tone that wasn’t there before.

“Don’t let it go to your head,” she warns, smirking.

“Too late.”

When she peers up at me through her lashes, there’s a flicker there, something unguarded that sends a jolt straightthrough me. Her wolf form was striking, but as a human, with her hair tousled, her cheeks flushed, and the moonlight dancing over her skin, she’s breathtaking.

I should look away. I should move. But I don’t.

Her lips part like she’s about to say something, but no words come out. My gaze dips there—just for a second—and the heat in my chest rages into an inferno. Her breath hitches. I hear it, feel it, like it’s tied to my own. And that small sound is enough to undo the fragile thread of control I’ve been holding onto.

I take a step closer without thinking, and her throat works as she swallows. She doesn’t back away, doesn’t look away. There’s a vulnerability in her expression that twists something deep inside me—a need to protect her, to comfort her, and something else entirely.

I want her.

The realization slams into me, both unrelenting and unwelcome, because I know I shouldn’t. Not now. Not like this. She’s been through hell. She’s still navigating her way out of it, and the last thing she needs is me crossing a line.

I force myself to stop, to pull back before my thoughts betray me. The space between us feels suffocating, but I know I can’t close it. Not now.

“Jaslyn…”

Her name comes out sounding like a plea, and she blinks as she presses her lips together like she’s bracing for something.

I’m an idiot.

I take a long step back, and the air rushes back into my lungs like I’ve been holding it for too long. “We should go,” I say. “Before the pack starts wondering where we are.”

She blinks again, and whatever was lingering between us dissipates like smoke in the breeze. She nods stiffly and brushes past me as she heads for the trail without a word.

I stay where I am for a moment, clenching my fists to ground myself, to shove down the heat that lingers in my chest. The way she looked at me…

No.

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