Page 21 of Forced Alpha Bride
Then, I see the brightness of her red hair against the pure white ground, the rest of her body slowly disappearing under the steadily falling snow.
Oh my God… is she dead?
Chapter 7 - Winnie
The driving curtains of snow are so thick, I can barely see three paces in front of me. Ice chips sting my eyes, my paws are frozen, and my nose is completely useless. As the howls below me get closer, I finally have to admit the truth.
I’m really lost.
A shudder of hopelessness runs through me, so deep that I almost lose my wolf shape. Desperately, I focus again on my wolf, knowing that without her, I won’t survive five more minutes in this storm.
Frantically, I look around, but all I can see are shades of white. I plow forward, seeing the dark shapes of trees around me. Getting deeper into the forest seems like the smartest thing to do, but I have a bad feeling that I’m moving further away from town. I have no idea how to get back.
I lost my supplies in my slip down the slope. Without the map, I know I’ll never find the cabin. It seemed like such a good plan—jogging through the wilderness for a while, then waiting in a nice, comfy cottage for Galen to come and save me.
Galen! I wonder if Krista reached him. He could be on his way here right now.
I wonder if I should head down the mountain to try intercepting Galen on the road. I quickly discard this as a terrible plan. If Galen is expecting to find me at the cabin, I should go there. Otherwise, we’ll miss each other.
Also, I have no idea how to find the road.
It’s painfully obvious to me how out of touch I am with my instincts. My wolf shape is faltering, and I know that without her, I’ll die.
Beneath me, I hear the howls again. They seem further away this time, and to my surprise, they scare me.
Maybe I should let them catch me… at least I won’t freeze to death.
Immediately, the image of Damon rises in my thoughts. At first, it’s pleasant. His deep, dark eyes, hinting at secrets hidden within, enchant me, even just in my memory.
Not just the mystery… the way he looked at me. All the intensity of his body and mind, completely and utterly focused on me.
A low growl rumbles through my chest, shocking me. Small rivers of pleasure streak across my skin, raising my fur all over. The sudden realization that my wolf wants him snaps me back to my human shape.
I’m not going back! No fucking way!
The idea that my wolf could betray me in such a way forces more distance between us, and I can’t call her back. I struggle through the thigh-deep snow, hoping that the shadows I can see ahead are some kind of cover and not the gates of the underworld.
Or a nice hallucination. Does that happen with hypothermia?
My teeth have stopped chattering, and I’m not shivering anymore, which is a very bad sign. True despair clutches at my heart as I realize I’m really not getting out of this.
My choices are to return to Damon… or die.
I stop in the snow, looking around at the swirling clouds of white. Even just standing still for a minute, I watch the snow start to pile up around me. If I don’t keep moving, I’ll get completely covered by it.
And they’ll never even find my body.
I look up, hoping to see the sky, but all I see is endless clouds of white and gray.
Am I really ready to die for this? If I went back to Damon, could Galen save me? What happens with Iris if I break the contract?
I know my family and friends wouldn’t want me to die out here, but for the first time in my life, I consider the full consequences of my actions.
If I go back, and Galen takes me, Damon can go to war with my pack. In the meantime, what would he do to Krista, the elders, and the town of Gryphon Eyrie?
A shudder runs through me that has nothing to do with the cold. Now that I’ve seen Damon in person, I know he’s perfectly capable of all the terrible things I’ve ever heard about him—and probably a whole lot more.
I shake my head, trying to get snow and ice out of my eyes so I can look around. It seems to be getting dark. Now I know I’m in real trouble.
