Page 40 of The Alpha’s Heir

“Yes sir.” I clenched my jaw as I about-faced.

My anger was a raging current, white-hot and electric as it pulsed against my skin while I marched down the halls.

I stopped in my quarters to change and grab earbuds. This place was nothing like the enlisted barracks, where sometimes four of us would be crammed into a room. Officers got their own quarters with full bedroom furniture and sitting spaces. Mine was sterile and devoid of personal touches, like many of the other rooms.

Most officers didn’t even stay at their assigned quarters, preferring to live out in town with their families. Science knew they had the money to do it.

Money was why I’d accepted this promotion in the first place, and I wasn’t going to waste it on housing when I had a bed assigned to me.

Even if the bed was a cold one.

Outside the barracks, I put in my earbuds and started to run. Rock music blasted through the speakers in my ears as I raced through the city, heading to the arterial and life-bringing pathways.

The real heart of the city was in the alleys.

I could run the designated sidewalks and head to the community gardens like most runners, but I didn’t run for pleasure. I ran to release steam. To keep in shape for my demanding job. And to remind myself why I was doing this.

If I spent too long in the ivory towers, I forgot what I needed to remember.

The rain made the evening humid and miserable. I could only imagine the panic the weather forecasters were in right now.

At least the rain dampened the smell.

Trash compactors overflowed with the day’s waste waiting to be carted away. Some of the more crafty folks in the Fringes would be able to salvage something from the food thrown out.

The servers—the ones I ran past that hung out in doorways of the back alleys hitting their smoke of choice before the next long shift—wouldn’t eat half as good as these dumpsters did.

I ran faster, forcing my heart to match the raging tempo of the music as my sneakers ate up the worn back streets. None of the buildings on this side had windows. Why would they? Who wanted to look at the mess they tossed away?

The rain continued its brutal assault on the city, washing the dirt under my feet and plastering my shirt to my skin, and blurring my vision.

I pumped my legs harder, making my lungs burn.

The colonel’s words kept playing over and over in my mind. I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong. The staged proposal, that Justus had finally grown big enough balls to do right, was exactly what the council wanted, despite me telling them it was a bad idea.

At the heart of all this was Meg. That woman didn’t deserve the flak she was getting. I knew how she’d be treated in the city and knew the threat of parading an outsider around, especially a wolf shifter.

She was sacrificing so much for people who’d gladly throw her away too.

Panting, I came to an abrupt stop, and placed my hands on my knees.

I had no business thinking of Meg like I was doing. She wasn’t mine. The more time I spent around her, the harder it was to watch her martyr herself. The best thing I could do was stay away.

Maybe the colonel was right. I should ask for another assignment. It wasn’t fair to Justus or Helen if I kept getting distracted by the woman supposed to marry into their family.

I just wished they’d understand that this wasn’t the answer. If they knew anything about the gods and their stories, they’d know that the gods loved chaos and destruction. It made no sense for them to willingly stay asleep.

I didn’t know the right answer—I was only a dumb soldier according to everyone—but I did know someone that might have an idea on how to handle this.

Too bad it was years too late.

The irony of it all made me laugh when I realized where I’d stopped. If I was looking for a reminder of why I did what I did, I couldn’t have come to a better place.

It’d been weeks since I climbed these steps.

“Roman, nice to see you again.” Sally, the charge nurse, smiled up from her clipboard. “Today is a good day if you want to go in and visit him.”

“Has he…” My voice trailed off.