Page 64 of The Alpha’s Heir

The massive brown wolf howled as he stepped out from the tree line—no doubt on patrol this evening—and blocked the middle of the road.

Roman slammed on the brakes.

Justus’s screams filled the vehicle, but I was too excited to stay and comfort him.

“Meg, no!” Roman threw open his own door and caught me around the middle of my waist.

Time slowed as I removed his arm from me and stared into his eyes, taking a step back to where I belonged. “It’s fine. This is my family.”

Exhaustion made it easier to see behind the mask of Roman’s face, and the horror there was another knife to my heart.

He quickly schooled his expression. “Apologies, Miss Meg. I didn’t realize.”

He’s just… tired.

I nodded, forcing a bright smile for the undoubtedly awkward coming introduction as the massive brown wolf prowled toward us.

“No worries. Allow me to introduce you all to my dad.”

23

Roman

I knew the air wasn’t toxic. Despite the lies told to the general public about us monitoring radiation after the Bio-cleanse Wars and the levels recently returning to the safe zone, I knew the air hadn’t been toxic for quite some time.

They didn’t come straight out and tell us that in training, but there’d been enough missions outside Ethica’s dome that you’d be an idiot not to suspect the truth.

Knowing something and seeing it—breathing it—yourself were two different things, though.

It’d stopped raining again, but the sky was a garish blood red with dark clouds on the horizon. Even so, the sheer vastness of the land we’d traveled, with the expanse of forest and ancient trees that stretched to the heavens, was awe-inspiring.

My dad would’ve loved it out here.

Would love it. Once the treatment finally worked. It had to work. I wasn’t losing faith.

Because if it didn’t, what was I doing this for?

He was going to get better and I’d bring him here someday.

I swore it to myself.

Seeing Meg and her dad together brought all these feelings up, and I couldn’t help but steal glances of them in the rearview mirror as I continued the drive to our destination.

“This is the one you’re supposed to marry?” The massive beast that was Maddock sat naked with a towel over his lap, squished in the back between his daughter and Justus, sniffing the poor guy.

“Unfortunately.” Meg sighed.

Marcus wheezed in the passenger seat, barely holding it together. He kept coughing into his fist to clear the laughter from his chest. Tears squeezed from the corners of his eyes.

“Can you please go faster?” Justus begged.

My gaze went to the mirror again, finding Meg watching me. That easy smile on her face did something to my heart. It was the first time I’d seen her truly relax, and I kicked myself for how awful it must’ve been for her in Ethica.

Everyone should’ve done more to make her feel welcome.

Not that it was my job, I had to remind myself.

“Shouldn’t you be watching the road?” Maddock growled.