Page 66 of Brutal Alpha's Forced Mate

“What did he say, then?”

“That it’s what’s best for me. That I deserve to live my life how I want.” I laugh bitterly, wiping at my face. “But he didn’t even ask what I want. He just decided for me.”

Isadora hums, and her fingers drum lightly against her knee. “Let me ask you something, Jaslyn. Have you ever seen Gray look at anyone the way he looks at you?”

“What?” I blink at her, caught off-guard.

“We’ve both known him for a long time, haven’t we? I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen that man go toe-to-toe with demons and alphas twice his size without flinching. But when it comes to you? He’s different. Every time you’re near, it’s like you’re the only thing he sees.”

My heart stutters, but I shake my head. “That doesn’t mean anything. He let me go, Isadora.”

“Because he’s trying to protect you. Not because he doesn’t care. He thinks letting you go is the right thing to do. That it’s what you need.”

I want to argue, but her words settle deep in my chest, cracking open something I’ve been too angry to face. Gray isn’t pushing me away because he doesn’t want me. He’s doing it because he thinks it’s what’s best for me.

“He’s an idiot,” I mutter.

Isadora chuckles. “Well, yeah. He’s a man.”

A wry smile tugs at my lips, but it fades quickly as the weight of realization sinks in. Gray thinks he’s doing the right thing, but he’s wrong. He doesn’t get to decide for me. If he’s too stubborn to fight for us, then I’ll do it myself.

“I have to go back,” I say suddenly, standing and brushing off my pants.

Isadora raises a brow. “You sure about that?”

“Absolutely,” I reply. “He’s not getting rid of me that easily.”

She grins, rising to her feet. “Now that’s the Jaslyn I know.”

Before I can take another step, a low, croaky growl rips through the air. Every hair on the back of my neck stands onend. Isadora freezes beside me, and her hand snaps to the small dagger at her hip.

“Tell me that was your stomach,” I whisper.

“Not even close,” she replies as he scans the shadows around us.

The growl comes again, louder this time, and the undergrowth ahead of us moves. My magic comes alive in an instant, crackling at my fingertips. Isadora tightens her grip on her dagger.

A hulking shape emerges from the darkness with sickly, glowing yellow eyes. My breath catches as recognition slams into me.

“Demon,” Isadora hisses.

It charges, and there’s no time to think—only react.

Chapter 23 - Gray

The first thing I notice when I step into the packhouse is the silence. Not a single shifter is up and about. It isn’t right. It isn’t normal. And my wolf knows it.

“Jaslyn?” My voice echoes through the empty space. No response.

I make my way through the house, and the knot in my stomach tightens with every room I check. Her things are still here, but she isn’t. My wolf paces beneath my skin, restless and uneasy. This isn’t like her. If she wanted space, she could’ve stayed here and made me suffer through the tension.

But she’s gone.

I’m halfway out the door to track her down when the alarm bell shatters the quiet night, its sharp clang reverberating through the pack lands. My blood goes cold, and my wolf snarls, clawing for control.

Not again.

I sprint toward the sound, every nightmare scenario driving me forward. The first thing I see when I reach the edge of the training grounds is chaos—a group of shifters, most of them young, struggling to take down a demon. The creature thrashes wildly as its sickly, blackened skin gleams in the firelight as it swipes at its attackers.

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