Page 15 of The Alpha's Forced Pregnant Mate

Whitney’s gaze shot up to mine, and she drew in a shuddering breath. I could smell her scent, candied lemons, and the slightest hint of copper from her wound—it made me want to taste her from head to toe. For one brilliant moment, I thought she might agree, but then she shook her head, blond hair flying.

“No. Never.” She stepped back and I released her wrist. “Good night, Julian.”

“I enjoyed our first date!” I called after her. She flipped me off over her shoulder.

Oh, she could be mad tonight. But tomorrow, she was leaving town with me, and I’d be one step closer to having my mate totally alone. We’d see how prickly she was after I put the mate bite on her.

Chapter 7 - Whitney

One week later

I didn’t expect much out of Julian’s pack ‘territory’, but I was infinitely relieved that my car did so well off-road when we reached the last portion of the directions he had given me. My Outback bumped happily over the dirt road, but my passenger wasn’t handling the ride quite as well.

“Does he live in the middle of the fucking woods? What sort of Red Riding Hood shit is this?”

I suppressed a laugh, looking over at Laura, who was holding on to the grab bar to keep her steady. She looked a little green around the gills, but sick or not, I was happy to have her with me. Hector and Danny hadn’t wanted me to come at all, but after some heated arguing, they’d agreed. Having my friend with me helped settle my nerves, and I knew that Laura was an incredible fighter, too.

“He told me his cabin was pretty remote,” I said. “It’s just a little further down this way.”

Laura sighed. “I can’t believe we’re here doing this shit. This is going to be a waste of time. He’s just on your case because of the mate match thing.”

I thinned my lips. I’d thought the same thing multiple times, but Julian had kept up his part of the deal so far when five members of his pack showed up to guard the Silverfang Creek perimeter. “Maybe, maybe not. But if he’s being even half truthful, it’s worth a shot.”

Laura sighed again. “Well, I’m just here for moral support.”

“And demon punching.”

She laughed. “And demon punching.”

We’d been fighting demons together since we were teenagers. We had different roles, but we both knew what needed to be done. Laura was a strategist, a thinker. She would see the bigger picture and how it fit into the puzzle. I was a doer. I saw the smaller details that sometimes made the difference in a fight. Together, we were unstoppable.

The dirt road ended at a small clearing where two pickup trucks and a Jeep were already parked. A little further out was a crescent of cabins dotted about—the Reckless Stalker’s homes. Julian stepped out of the largest one as we parked, and came forward.

He was dressed casually today in a white t-shirt and a pair of faded jeans, but his eyes were on me as soon as I got out of the car. “I’m glad you came.”

“Yeah, well, I can’t say the same.” I crossed my arms and looked around the clearing. “This is…remote.”

Julian bristled but kept his cool. “It’s home,” he said simply. “Come on, I’ll show you guys your cabin. Unless you want to stay with me, Whitney.”

“I think I’ll pass,” I said dryly.

Julian nodded once, his lips twitching. “As you wish. Let’s get your bags. My guys will bring them to your cabin while we discuss our plan.”

“Fine.” I grabbed my backpack and purse and followed Julian toward the cabins. There were five of them arranged in a semi-circle around a fire pit that was set up with logs for seats. They weren’t fancy, but they were obviously well-cared for with freshly painted doors and windows, neatly trimmed shrubbery, and cleanly swept front porches. A large grill sat to one side of the fire pit, and I imagined summer nights with the pack gathered around it.

Julian led us to the farthest cabin, which had a small porch that held two rocking chairs. The door swung open on silent hinges when he turned the knob and stepped inside. “This is my spare,” he said, “So it’s just a one-bedroom.”

Laura and I followed him inside. It wasn’t bad. There was a small kitchen off the left of the door, a living room on the right, and a hallway that I assumed led to the bathroom and bedroom. I nodded and dumped my bags in the middle of the floor.

It was unsettling to know he was so close. I’d be able to hear him moving around at night if he was close enough.

Julian gave Laura a tour of our cabin while I looked around, opening the fridge and the cabinets, checking the closets, and peeking into the drawers in the bedroom. There was a small stack of towels in the closet, but otherwise, everything was clean and bare. It felt like camping more than someone’s home.

“Are you satisfied?” Julian asked when I walked back into the living room. “It’s just as I said, empty.”

I nodded. “It’s fine. I was just looking around.”

“Alright. Let’s head over to my cabin and talk about the plan.”

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