Page 61 of The Alpha’s Heir

“Everyone ready?” I tossed in the last of the bags and closed the passenger door.

Meg’s eyes found mine in the rearview mirror, and I hated the look of worry that crossed her face.

I hated myself for pushing her away, when all I wanted to do was pull her close. The woman was driving me crazy and she didn’t even know it.

This was a mistake.

My gut was screaming at me to get someone else to handle this mission, but I couldn’t trust anyone else to protect her—them—like I would.

“Mom has officially lost it,” Justus grumbled from the backseat as Marcus started to drive. “How, in the name of science, is she going to convince the public that I am the one chasing some woman?”

“She’s definitely going to have her work cut out for her.” Meg growled. I must’ve been losing my mind or running on fumes because the sound made me want to smile.

“Is that an insult?” Justus snapped at her.

“Are they always like this?” Marcus whispered.

“Worse.” I sighed.

It was going to be a long trip.

The security guard lowered the tire strip to the government district as a convoy of armored vehicles blocked the access roads to downtown.

“I’m just saying that if you weren’t busy whoring yourself all over social media, you might’ve helped sell this marriage thing.” Meg shrugged.

“Did you just call me a whore?” Justus’s jaw dropped.

“If the shoe fits,” she said.

Marcus chuckled. “Well, they got the married fighting thing down.”

I focused on the road and the windshield wipers working against the misting rain. This whole time I’d been doing my best to get Justus to treat his intended wife right, but why had I bothered?

Nothing was working out like they’d planned.

And I couldn’t even say, “I told you so,” since no one was listening to me.

“You know, it’s a whole other world where I come from,” Meg was saying. “Females don’t play about their… partners. At least not in my territory.”

Our gazes met again in the mirror, and something tightened in my chest.

She was the first to look away.

“What’s it really like out there?” Justus tried to change the subject, but I knew him well enough to hear the real fear in his question.

“We eat raw meat and sleep in caves.” Meg’s smile tugged at my own lips.

“You’re not serious, right?” Justus looked at us. “Tell me she’s not serious.”

Marcus laughed again. “This is going to be fun.”

The gate guards waved us out of the city, and Marcus’s jaw tightened as he looked over the dilapidated buildings of the Fringes ahead.

Everything had happened so quickly. Helen wasn’t a god, but she was basically one inside the city of Ethica, and she moved mountains when she wanted.

I had no doubt she’d be able to spin this new narrative exactly as she saw fit. Helen was good at what she did, which is why she held her spot in the council. Our illustrious leaders.

We weren’t supposed to question things. We had to put our trust in the council, knowing they knew best.