Page 93 of The Alpha’s Heir

I was petting a wolf.

Meg’s beast pawed the ground as her tail swished anxiously behind her. Apparently, she’d had enough scratches. I stood, trying to make sense of what she needed. The wolf was tall, coming up to my hip, and she brushed against my leg, shoving me a few steps backwards.

“She wants you to climb on and go for a ride,” Alec growled as she marched past.

Meg whined again and scratched the muddy ground harder.

“On your back?” I shook my head. “I’ll hurt you.”

“Oh, come on.” Alec caught a sandbag from the air and hoisted it over her shoulder while their other sister manipulated the shore of the riverbank with magic. “Your mate is a werewolf. Stop being a macho idiot and let her take you for a ride.”

Meg’s wolf nodded, bumping my side again.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d be riding a werewolf—my mate, nonetheless—through a forest at night, but it was actually kind of cool once I forced myself to relax.

My dad would love this.

I clung to Meg nervously at first, afraid I’d pull her fur or hurt her in some way, but she moved with the grace and speed of something unencumbered. While that may have been a small hit to my pride, I couldn’t deny how much faster this mode of transportation was.

It seemed no time at all when we arrived at the edge of town and Meg’s wolf stopped to let me off.

I moved to take off my own shirt as she changed back to human, kicking myself for not grabbing her clothes.

“As much as I appreciate the view, now’s probably not the time to get frisky.” Meg winked at me, digging into a bin tucked into the tree line I hadn’t noticed.

I paused with my shirt halfway off when I saw her pulling out something else to wear. “That’s convenient.”

Meg tugged on another long shirt. “Wolf shifters don’t really care about nudity, but human skin tears easier than fur.”

“I meant the clothes.” I peered into the bin, seeing the pile of neatly folded material. “Everyone shares clothes like this?”

“Well, we’re pack.” She studied me. “That’s what packs do. We share and help each other out.”

My smile was strained as I nodded.

We sure were a long way from Ethica.

“We should get going.” Meg stepped away.

I caught her by the hand, needing just a moment before the next round of chaos began. From what I’d seen of Cerberus so far, they were big and loud and in each other’s business, but they loved fiercely, sharing their feelings openly with each other.

Meg belonged out here, and I might not have much, but I wanted to give her what she deserved.

“I think I’m falling in love with you,” I admitted.

She huffed a laugh. “That’s the mate bond talking.”

“No.” I shook my head. “I’ve been falling for you since you breezed into my world.”

“Breezed, huh?” Meg grinned as she stepped closer. “I feel like I’m more of a tornado.”

“That too.” I wrapped my arms around her waist. “You definitely don’t belong in Ethica.”

She stilled under my touch. “You’re planning something. I won’t let you do it. Where you go, I go.”

“I don’t think it’s going to be that simple,” I said, staring at her lips.

“Nothing about our love story is simple.”