Page 10 of Brutal Alpha's Forced Mate

We’ll talk later. We have to. But first, we need to leave.

The silence in the truck is deafening, broken only by the crunch of gravel under the tires and the occasional internal snort from my wolf, who’s just as agitated as I am. Jaslyn sits stiffly in the passenger seat, staring out the window like the scenery holds the secrets of the universe. Her arms are crossed, and her entire posture is screamingstay away.

We’re not even fifteen minutes into the drive when I notice her shifting in her seat and her eyes darting toward the door. I’ve been an alpha long enough to know when someone’s about to make a move, and we’re coming up on a red light.

“Don’t even think about it,” I warn, not bothering to take my eyes off the road.

She stiffens, and her lips press into a thin line. For a moment, I think she’s going to listen. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see her fingers brush the door handle.

“Jaslyn,” I say, slamming my hand against the lock button. The click echoes in the cab. “You’re not jumping out of a moving truck.”

She glares at me, and those green eyes are blazing. “Watch me.”

Before I can respond, she lunges for the handle again while she pushes the unlock button with the other. This time, Iswerve the truck sharply, and she’s thrown back against the seat with a yelp.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I growl, steering the truck back onto the straight road.

“Let me go!” she spits, twisting in her seat to glare at me. “I don’t want to be here with you. I didn’t ask for your help!”

“No,” I acknowledge as my grip tightens on the wheel. “But you needed it.”

She huffs and turns back toward the window, muttering something under her breath that I’m sure isn’t flattering.

I should’ve known it wouldn’t end there.

The second we stop at a gas station, she tries again. I barely turn my back to the truck when I hear the door creak open. By the time I whirl around, she’s halfway out with her bare feet slapping against the pavement.

“Jaslyn!” I bark, grabbing her arm before she can bolt.

“Let me go!” she shouts, twisting and kicking at me like a feral animal. Her elbow catches me in the ribs, and I grunt, spinning her around to face me.

“Enough!” I thunder in my full-on alpha voice. She freezes, and her chest heaves as she glares up at me with defiance blazing in her eyes. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Getting away from you,” she snarls, jerking her arm out of my grip. “I don’t need your charity, Gray. I never did.”

My patience snaps. “Charity?” I repeat. “You think this is charity? I just got you out of that hellhole, Jaslyn. I just did you a favor.”

“A favor?” She laughs bitterly, and the sound is sharp enough to cut glass. “You think taking me from Malcolm is a favor? At least with him, I knew where I stood. At least with him, I wasn’t being dragged back to a pack that abandoned me.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, and for a moment, all I can do is stare at her. “You’d rather be with Malcolm? After everything he’s done to you?”

Her lips curl into a bitter smile. “What’s the difference, Gray? Malcolm owned me outright. You just bought me under the guise of being my savior.”

“I’m trying to help you,” I counter, but even as I say it, the guilt rises in my chest like a tide I can’t control. “You’re angry because I banished you. I get that. But—”

“Get that?” she cuts in, her voice trembling with rage. “You don’t get anything, Gray. You have no idea what it’s been like, what I’ve had to survive because of you.”

She’s right. I don’t know. I’ve thought about her over the years, but I always imagined she’d landed on her feet. Jaslyn was resourceful, tough, the kind of person who could claw her way out of any mess. That’s what I told myself. That she was fine, that she didn’t need me, that banishing her hadn’t ruined her life. But seeing her now, hearing the raw anger in her voice, it’s clear I was wrong. Painfully, unforgivably wrong.

Seeing her in Malcolm’s hands was bad enough. Knowing I played a part in putting her there? It’s a hard pill to swallow.

I take a slow breath, trying to rein in my emotions. “You’re right,” I say at last. “I don’t know what you’ve been through. But I’m trying to make it right. I’m trying to give you a chance.”

“A chance for what?” she snaps. “To go back to the pack that hated me? To prove myself to the people who treated me like I was nothing? No thanks.”

I square my shoulders, meeting her glare head-on. “You won’t just be going back to the pack,” I tell her. “The truth is, we need your help, and I can promise you things will be different. You’ll be reinstated as a full member of the pack. As a witch. In a position of authority.”

She blinks, caught off-guard for the first time, but it doesn’t last long. Her expression hardens, and she folds her arms across her chest. “Oh, so I’m just supposed to forget everything? Forgive you for throwing me out like garbage?”

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