Page 129 of The Alpha’s Heir

“Speak plainly, goddess,” I growled, tired of these riddles and games.

Morrigan moved fast, until she was standing in front of me and I felt the cold from her being wrap me in its embrace. She laid a freezing hand on the side of my cheek.

“What do the gods love most?” she asked.

I don’t know how I knew the answer, but I somehow did.

“Worship,” I said.

“Good. And what causes you to worship? What motivates you to pray?” Morrigan coaxed the word from me.

“Pain,” I told her. “Because when we suffer, we turn to them.”

Morrigan smiled with a mouth of sharp teeth. “And you, dear Roman, you were supposed to suffer so greatly. It would’ve been the ultimate sacrifice.”

“It was never about the wedding?” I asked.

She winked. “We didn’t think you’d break. Your fate line declared you a champion. One that’d lead the humans to new heights. But the strings of destiny are fickle things.”

“I did this?” I took a forceful step back, mind reeling with the new information.

“I’ll admit, you had us all fooled with your perfect disposition.” She tsked. “Such a good soldier, one raised on the stories of heroes as martyrs, with so much pain carried so deeply. The strength of your heart and your convictions. I’d assumed you’d keep your distance if duty and honor demanded it, but nature always has a say.”

“It was my fault?” I asked again. “The power outage? The gods?”

“Don’t get too big a head.” Morrigan laughed. “We all had our parts to play. But you, my warrior, surprised me. It’s not often that a mortal can outwit the plans of the gods.”

“Why tell me this now?” I asked, point-blank. “What purpose does it serve?”

Make no mistake, the gods did nothing without a reason.

Morrigan’s shoulders fell as an ancient weight seemed to settle upon them. “I needed you to know all this before the coming days, when more choices will need to be made, and more lies will be woven by sharp tongues. You won’t see me for a while, but if fate does cross our paths again, I want you to remember that I told you this truth. You wrote your own story. One even the gods hadn’t predicted.”

A branch snapped in the forest.

“Come out, Alpha. I have a gift for both of you.” Morrigan smiled as her skirts blew around her legs. “Let it be known that I take care of my warriors, and you were both mine first.”

Moonlight shone in the clearing again.

There was my father without his hospital gown. Strong and tall, not a wasted shell of the man he once was, in all his youthful glory. With large hands and that beaming smile.

“Is that my boy?” His deep voice boomed throughout the quiet woods.

I set down my rifle. “Dad?”

“You have until dawn for one last visit.” Morrigan faded into the mist on the wings of a crow.

“Get over here son, and give me a hug.” My dad stretched out his big arms.

And for a moment, I was small again, staying up late and waiting for him to come home to tell me a bedtime story. The days when he was superhuman, and I wanted to be just like him.

“I missed you.” His voice broke as he pulled me in tight. That was my father. Never ashamed to wear his heart on his sleeve. “And who is that?”

I turned to see Meg in human form with wide eyes as she took a step back. “I’ll give you two a minute.”

“No.” I reached for her, pushing any sadness I felt down deep so that my dad would only see how happy I was. “This is Megaera Cereberus. Or now Meg Miller. My mate. My wife.”

“Wha… Welcome to the family!” My dad recovered from the shock quickly, looking at his surroundings, and I saw the moment confusion sank in.