Page 28 of Alpha's Claim

"Asshole," she muttered under her breath, blinking furiously against the tears threatening to spill.

She had no intention of giving him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She’d tried to ignore her feelings, bury them beneath layers of practicality and caution, but it had been there, hadn’t it? That flicker of warmth, the way her heart stuttered whenever he was near.

And now? Now it was shattered.

Focus. Just focus on getting away,she told herself. She leaned forward, urging the horse to keep going, to carry her far from Colt and from everything he represented.

The path twisted and turned through the hills, and for a moment, Briar thought she might have done it—might have escaped him. The buggy rumbled steadily along, the horse’s hooves pounding against the earth in a steady rhythm.

But no matter how fast she went, she couldn’t seem to outrun the ache in her chest, the sharp sting of disappointment that settled deep in her bones. She’d let herself hope and now everything she’d hoped for was just slipping away as if it had never been.

She swiped at her eyes, refusing to let the tears fall. She wouldn’t break, not over this. Not over him.

As the buggy crested a hill, Briar took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She didn’t know where she was going—didn’t have a plan. All she knew was that she couldn’t stay. She couldn’t face Colt or Elle or the lies wrapped up in everything she’d come to care about.

Briar’s breath hitched as the buggy jostled over the uneven trail, her heart racing with a mixture of fear and regret. It was for the best—leaving. She had to believe that. Colt had already tangled her emotions in ways she couldn’t afford, making her long for things she knew were dangerous.

Better to leave now.Best to keep the people who’d shown her kindness—Etta, Bryce, Landon—safe. She couldn’t let them get caught in the crossfire of whatever storm was brewing around her. Colt could deal with Elle and their future together.

Colt and Elle...The thought twisted in her gut like a knife, sharp and unforgiving. She swallowed hard, refusing to dwell on it. They would have their lives together. Colt was strong, smart. He’d be fine without her. He always would have been.

I’ll find my own future,she told herself fiercely, ignoring the pang in her chest that said otherwise. She didn’t belong here. She couldn’t. And staying any longer would only make things harder—for everyone.

But where could she go? Briar’s mind scrambled for options. She needed to find a safe place, somewhere they couldn’t follow her. Should she stay a little longer, just until she figured it out?

No.She shook her head, her resolve hardening.I need to be gone before I lose myself to this place. Before I lose myself to him.

Colt had started to feel like home in a way no place ever had before, and that scared her more than anything. She couldn’t afford to want this—couldn’t afford to let herself believe that she might have found something real here.

The barnyard came into view, and a strange, uneasy sensation crawled over her skin. It was eerily quiet. The usual hum of activity—the sounds of horses shifting in their stalls, the occasional call of a ranch hand—was missing.

Frowning, Briar slowed the horse and guided it through the open stable doors. The space inside was dim, the barn cool and silent except for the soft clop of the horse’s hooves on the dirt floor.

She needed to unhitch the buggy and put the horse away properly. That would buy her a little time to calm her racing heart, and then she’d grab some things from the room Colt had given her. Just the essentials. She didn’t need much.

The buggy rolled to a halt inside the barn, the horse shifting restlessly beneath the harness. Briar reached up to stroke the horse soothingly, murmuring to it softly calm it. “Easy, boy. Just a little longer.”

A movement in the shadows caught her attention.

Colt.

Her breath caught, her heart lurching in her chest. Somehow, impossibly, he’d beaten her back to the ranch. He stood in the barn, his golden eyes glowing faintly in the dim light, his broad, muscled chest rising and falling steadily as if he hadn’t just run a race against time.

And he was naked.

Gorgeously, gloriously naked.

Briar froze, her heart slamming against her ribs. The sight of him was overwhelming—his powerful frame, the ripple of muscle beneath his tanned skin, the way his dark hair fell slightly into his eyes. Every inch of him was raw, unfiltered masculinity, and for one breathless moment, all she could do was stare.

“How’d you beat me back?” she asked, looking around and watching him as he strode past her and pulled the barn doors shut.

“You’re not the only one who hasn’t been completely honest,” he said, a grin tugging at his lips.

Briar’s eyes narrowed, her cheeks flushing with a mixture of anger and something else—something that sent a thrill racing from her heart straight to her pussy. She wasn’t the least bit afraid of him as arousal replaced anger.

“Wolf-shifter,” she muttered as recognition dawned.

“Witch,” he chuckled, reaching out to lift her from the buggy.