Page 2 of Brutal Alpha's Forced Mate

“Come on,” he says, breaking the silence. “Let’s get you out of here before someone else decides to make your day worse.”

I follow him without a word, and my heart is pounding for reasons that have nothing to do with magic. Gray walks with the kind of confidence that only an alpha can pull off. Every step radiates authority. He was born for this role, even if it was thrust on him too soon. But there’s a gentleness to him, too, a quiet strength that makes me feel safer than I probably should.

As we head toward the edge of the training grounds, I catch sight of Madison and her group watching us from a distance. Their whispers are like knives darting through the air. I don’t need to hear the words to know what they’re saying.Look at her, following him around like a lost puppy. She doesn’t deserve his attention. She doesn’t deserve anything.

I clench my fists and keep my head down, willing myself not to react. Not now. Not with Gray right here. But then heglances over his shoulder and sees them, too, and something flashes in his eyes. Something dark and dangerous.

“Is there a problem?” he calls out, his voice carrying across the field like a crack of thunder.

Madison freezes, and her smirk falters for the first time all day. “N-no, Alpha,” she stammers as her cheeks flush red. “No problem at all.”

“Good.” Gray’s tone leaves no room for additional commentary. Madison quickly turns away, and her friends scatter like leaves in the wind. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her move so fast.

When Gray turns back to me, there’s a hint of a smile tugging at his lips, and for a split second, I forget how to breathe. “See? Not everyone gets away with treating you like crap.”

I want to thank him, to tell him how much it means to me that he stood up for me. But the words stick in my throat, tangled up with everything else I wish I could say. Instead, I settle for a small, hesitant smile, hoping it’s enough.

“Come on,” he says again. “Let’s go. You’ve had enough excitement for one day.”

As I follow him back toward the packhouse, I can’t stop myself from wondering what it would be like if things were different. If I wasn’t a mess of uncontrollable magic. If I was someone worth standing beside him. But deep down, I know it’s a fantasy. Gray Reed deserves someone strong, someone capable. Someone who isn’t me. And yet, I can’t stop the tiny flicker of hope that sparks to life in my chest every time he looks at me like I’m not a lost cause. Like maybe I’m worth saving.

We don’t even make it halfway to the packhouse before Gray gets intercepted. It’s a patrol guard, panting and waving his arms like the sky is about to fall.

“Alpha, there’s a situation,” the guy states. “It’s the eastern border. We’ve got—well, we think it’s rogue activity, but there’s something weird about—”

Gray raises a hand, cutting him off mid-ramble. “I’m on it,” he declares before he turns to me. “Go on ahead, Jaslyn. We’ll talk later.”

And just like that, he’s gone, striding away with the kind of purpose that makes me feel small in comparison. Not in a bad way, necessarily. It’s just that he’s Gray. Steady, dependable, untouchable. And me? I’m a walking disaster. A problem he’s obligated to deal with because I happened to be born to one of his packmates.

I’m still standing there, watching him go, when I hear the first snicker.

“Well, well. Look who’s still panting after the alpha like a lost puppy.”

I don’t even have to turn around to know it’s Carter, our new beta, who took his position when Gray took over as alpha. His voice is like nails on a chalkboard—grating and smug, with just enough volume to make sure everyone in earshot hears him.

“Buzz off, Carter,” I mutter, quickening my pace. I don’t have the energy for this today. Or any day, really.

But of course, he follows. “Everyone sees it, you know. The way you moon over him like he’s the sun and you’re some pathetic little flower desperate for light.”

Sparks start at my fingertips as my magic hums under my skin on its own accord. I convince myself to keep walking,counting every step like it’s the only thing tethering me to sanity.One step. Two steps. Don’t look back.

“Even if he did notice you, what good would it do? You’re a witch. A broken, half-blood freak with no control. He’d never choose someone like you.”

I stop. I know I shouldn’t, but I do. The words slam into me so hard, I nearly topple forward, cracking through the fragile armor I’ve built around myself. I spin on my heel, glaring at him with all the fury I can muster.

“Say that again,” I challenge. My voice is low and shaking with barely contained magic.

Carter’s mouth curls into a malicious grin, and I realize too late that this is exactly what he wanted. “Oh, did I strike a nerve? Poor little Jaslyn. Always so sensitive. Face it—you don’t belong here. You never have.”

The magic rushes out before I can stop it. It strikes between us like a bolt of lightning, singeing the ground. Carter steps back, just a fraction, but the sneer on his face doesn’t break. If anything, he looks pleased.

“Go ahead,” he taunts. “Show everyone how dangerous you really are. Prove that you’re exactly what they say you are—a threat.”

I want to stop. I want to pull the magic back, to stuff it down where it can’t hurt anyone. But it’s too late. It’s already slipping through my fingers like a vicious, chaotic storm I can’t control. And Carter—stupid, arrogant Carter—doesn’t even flinch. He just stands there, smirking like he’s untouchable.

It happens so fast, I barely register it. A burst of light, white-hot with shades of blue. It snaps out like a whip, curlingaround him and closing like a vice. And then Carter is on the ground, unmoving.

The world seems to stop. For a moment, I think—hope—that he’s just unconscious. That maybe I only stunned him. But then someone screams, and the sound splits the silence.

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