Page 72 of Brutal Alpha's Forced Mate

Theo knows better than to argue. His footsteps fade down the hall, and Jaslyn crosses her arms, leaning back against the wall. “Are you really going to make me sit through one of these meetings right now?”

“I wish we didn’t have to,” I acknowledge.

Once we’re dried off and changed, she follows me to the main hall without another word. The room is already full when we arrive—alphas from neighboring packs, their betas, and the witches who’ve been assisting with the demon threat. The air hums with tension as voices overlap, some loud and accusatory, others quieter but no less intense. Everyone’s arguing, but no one’s solving anything.

Damien, alpha of Starfire Hollow, stands at the center of the room with his arms flailing in the air as he speaks. “We need to know how many of those things came through before the portal was closed. If even one slipped past us into the wider territory—”

“We’d know,” Alec, the East Hills alpha, interrupts. He leans against the back of his chair, scowling. “The energy they bring is impossible to miss. If there were more, our witches would’ve felt it.”

Jade, standing beside him with her hands clasped, shakes her head. “It’s not that simple. Closing the portal cut off their access, but it didn’t erase the magic already here. That lingering energy could mask any weaker demons that might’ve gotten through. We have to be vigilant.”

Isadora nods in agreement, her expression grim. “The pull from that portal was enormous. I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that something slipped past while we were focused on the big ones.”

The room buzzes with uneasy murmurs. Theo, standing to my left, leans in to whisper, “You’re going to let them talk us in circles all night?”

I glance at him, considering, but I’m too restless to focus. My eyes shift to Jaslyn, who’s standing beside me with her arms crossed. Her expression is calm, almost bored, but I can feel the tension radiating from her—the same tension I’ve carried since pulling her from the lake. She’s exhausted, but she’s here. She wouldn’t let herself be anywhere else.

Damien’s voice rises above the chatter, drawing my attention. “The question isn’t just whether more demons got through. It’s how to make sure they don’t come back.”

“Sealing the portal was the best we could do,” Jade responds. “But those rifts are like cracks in a dam. If the magic that created them is strong enough, it could reopen. Or create another somewhere else.”

“And what do we do then?” Damien demands. “We can’t keep reacting to this after the fact. We need a way to prevent it.”

“That’s easier said than done,” Isadora replies, her tone measured but firm. “The kind of magic needed to stabilize an area this size—”

“Would take more power than we have access to,” Jade finishes. “Even with every witch in the region working together, we wouldn’t be able to maintain it indefinitely.”

“So what’s the plan, then?” Alec asks, his gaze sweeping over the room. “Do we just wait for the next portal to open and hope we’re ready?”

The question hangs heavy in the air. No one wants to say it, but the answer is obvious: we don’t know. We can prepare. We can train. But the truth is, no one here can guarantee it won’t happen again.

Jaslyn speaks up, her voice cutting through the noise. “We don’t have to guarantee it won’t happen. We have to make sure we’re ready if it does.”

All eyes turn to her, and she steps forward, her shoulders squared despite the weariness in her movements. “We closed the portal tonight. That’s a win. But this isn’t over, and pretending we can control every possibility is a waste of time. We need to focus on what we can control—training, resources, communication between the packs. If another portal opens, we’ll face it. Together.”

Alec tilts his head, studying her. “Practical. I like it.”

Damien doesn’t look as convinced. “That’s easy to say now, while we’re all in one place. What happens when everyone goes back to their territories? Coordination isn’t exactly a strong suit between the packs.”

“We’ll make it one,” I interject, my voice sharper than I intend. “This isn’t a single-pack issue. We’ve all seen what happens when we’re not prepared for something like this. If we don’t stay unified, we’re as good as inviting another disaster.”

Damien’s eyes narrow, but he doesn’t argue. Instead, he shifts his gaze to Theo. “What about your warriors? How quickly could they mobilize if another portal opened nearby?”

Theo straightens, his expression all business. “Quickly enough. We’ve already started refining our response times after the first attack. And with the witches’ help, we’ve learned how to contain demon energy more efficiently.”

The discussion continues, moving from strategies to logistics, and the restlessness in my chest only grows. They’re saying all the right things, making all the right plans, but it’s not enough. Not tonight.

“Gray,” Theo says quietly, leaning in again, “you good?”

“No,” I mutter, stepping back. I’ve heard enough. It’s not that I don’t care—I care too much—but every instinct in me is pulling me toward something else. Someone else.

I catch Jaslyn’s eye, and she arches a brow. “You’re usually the one lecturing people about responsibility,” she murmurs.

“Not tonight.” My voice is low, but there’s no mistaking the edge in it. “I’m done.”

I turn to the room, clearing my throat loud enough to draw their attention. “You’ve got this handled,” I say to Theo, ignoring the startled looks from the others. “Jaslyn and I are leaving.”

Before anyone can argue, I grab Jaslyn’s hand and lead her out of the room. She follows without protest, though I can feel her gaze burning into the side of my face.

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