Page 27 of Forced Alpha Bride
“Probably. But I’ll heal.”
“That’s my point. I really want to know how long we’re going to be stuck here.”
Winnie narrows her eyes, and I realize I might have offended her.
I’m not apologizing. Not unless she says thank you for saving my life.
“Yeah, I bet,” she mumbles. Taking another sip of tea, she turns to face the fire, leaning heavily against the couch cushions. I can see her trembling, and I know she’ll need to lie down again very soon.
She’s still very weak.
Frustration rises in me, the deep, driving need to do something, anything. I can feel the clock ticking against me, and I know we should brave the storm and get back so I can claim my place.
That’s the smartest thing to do. She’ll probably make it now.
My scowl deepens as I dwell on that word—probably.
One of the worst words in the entire English language.
There is still a considerable risk to Winnie if I leave now, and it shocks me to realize that I won’t accept it. Dragging her in half-alive wouldn’t break any rules, and she’d have plenty of time to recover once we get there, but I can’t stand the idea of causing her more pain.
Winnie carefully puts down her cup and sighs as she curls up on the floor again. The idea of disturbing her even slightly, let alone hauling her back out into the snow, is abhorrent to me.
I can feel my alpha position slipping away, and it hurts almost more than I can bear. But the possibility of Winnie getting hurt is even worse.
Chapter 9 - Winnie
When I wake in the warm firelight, it feels like I’m home and my race through the snow was just a bad dream. I tug the blanket tighter around me and close my eyes again, hoping that if I stay in this dreamy, half-awake state, I won’t have to face reality.
No matter how hard I try to put myself back under, small details impress themselves on me, making it impossible to sleep. The floor is incredibly hard and uncomfortable, and the room is chilly, even with the fire and the blankets. Outside, I can still hear the screaming of the wind, howling like a demon desperate to claw its way through the shutters.
I roll over onto my back and see Damon sitting on the couch. He’s startled when he looks down and sees my eyes open, and I wonder how long I was out for.
Are we going to miss the deadline? Maybe I should just pretend to be asleep…
I’m surprised when he brings me some tea and biscuits, but as his anxiety rises, I realize it’s probably got more to do with the marriage ceremony than my well-being.
Hoping I can delay him further, I put my cup down and curl up on the floor again. My fingers and toes are aching, and all my muscles are sore. If I tell Damon I need more time before we head back, I’m not exactly faking.
I listen to Damon fidgeting for a while, keeping my eyes on the fire and breathing deeply to relax. I want to convince him that I’m too tired to travel, and aside from that, I don’t really want to talk to him.
“Winnie?” he says softly.
I jump in surprise, tightening my grip on the blanket. “Hmm?”
“We need to get back. I want you ready to move the second this storm breaks.”
A flood of emotion rushes through me, so powerful that tears spring to my eyes. I bite my lip to stop myself from sobbing and curl up even tighter.
He’s only been nice to me so he can get me back for the ceremony. He doesn’t actually give a fuck!
“Did you hear me?”
“Yes,” I sniffle, trying not to sound scared.
“The wind is still strong right now, but it should settle down soon.”
I press my lips together, refusing to answer. I’m either going to bawl uncontrollably or scream at him, and I don’t want to do either. All I can do is stare into the flames and pray that the storm rages long enough to make us miss the ceremony.
