Page 59 of The Alpha’s Heir

“Come again?” Helen blinked.

“You’re trying to sell a love story to the public with a few staged photos, but you’re not giving it any meat,” I explained.

Oh, I’d kill for a steak.

Helen looked me over, seeming to see me in a new light. The joke was on her, because I knew exactly what I needed and how to get what I wanted, and I didn’t even have to lie to get there.

“What did you have in mind?” she asked.

I refused to look at Roman so that I wouldn’t see the cold indifference on his face. “If you really want it to seem like we’re in love, you need to up the stakes.”

*

I left Helen to explain to the media department the merits of star-crossed lovers with no other choice than to escape in the dead of night since society was threatening to destroy their union and ruin their happily-ever-after with protests and riots, and went to pack my things.

Not that I was an expert on manipulating the masses, but if I were reading what was supposed to be mine and Justus’s romance story, I’d have DNFed the sucker days ago.

“I still don’t see why I have to go out there with her,” Justus whined. “What if I catch something from the mutants?”

My eye started to twitch.

We can eat him.

What has gotten into you?

I’m so hungry. She growled again. My wolf was worked up and pacing. Maybe leaving was for the best. Was I using this situation to my advantage so I could go check on my family and get a break from the human city?

Mayybbeee.

But in my defense, this whole place was making both me and my wolf a little crazy.

I veered toward the kitchen instead of heading straight to my room, needing to check on Katrina. My stomach was still in knots at the thought of her being hurt because of me.

“Miss Meg.” Katrina moved to stand as I pressed open the kitchen door. “Is there anything you—”

“If you offer to help me again, I might scream.” I smiled so she knew I was only partly teasing. “Please just sit.”

Katrina grinned sheepishly through her bruising lips. “It must be different for you out there in the wild. I don’t imagine you have waitstaff.”

“No, we don’t. Not like it is here. Though I do run my own cleaning business, and I know how rude people can be,” I told her.

Katrina nodded, but I noticed she didn’t speak her agreement out loud.

“I’m leaving,” I said. “For a little while at least. But I want to make sure you’re going to be okay.”

“I’ll be fine.” Her response was instant and automatic.

I stared at her until she relaxed a bit.

“You’ll be back?” There was a hopefulness in the question that had me smiling again.

“My Aunt Coral has quite the personal library, and I noticed there were some popular romance authors who dabble in fantasy missing from the Troy collection. Would you want me to bring some here?” I asked.

Katrina looked around cautiously before whispering, “I’d love that.”

“Are you ready to go?”

Roman’s deep voice seemed to echo in the kitchen, and I felt my heart stutter because of it as my wolf let out a mourning howl.