22 Meg
Meg
He’s coming with us!
He doesn’t want to be here, I reminded my beast, feeling the sting of his rejection all over again.
I’d wanted to come home and lick my wounds for a bit while I figured out what to do next, but now I was trapped in a vehicle with the man I was supposed to marry—that I could barely tolerate—and my fated mate, both of whom wanted nothing to do with me.
And I was bringing them to meet my family.
They were going to know right away.
I had no clue how to hide this or explain what was really happening. I wasn’t like Helen or the council; I couldn’t keep up a lie.
So basically… this was going to be a disaster.
“You know, if anything happens to me, these gods of yours will probably be upset.” Justus was still talking. “I am the other half of this sacrificial union.”
I rubbed my temples, wishing he’d just shut up. I already had enough to deal with. Plus, it was getting uncomfortably hot in the vehicle we’d been stuck in for the past ten hours.
“That’s why they’re here.” Justus nodded at the men in front of us. “If anything happens, they’re supposed to get me back to the city, and then this deal between us is off.”
He stressed the words as if he had any power in this situation. I almost felt bad for him.
I don’t.
I stared at Roman’s side profile and tight jaw, his eyes fixated on the road since he’d switched over driving duties with Marcus, wondering how he could have a best friend like Justus.
Maybe I was looking at him with rose-colored glasses, thinking Roman was better than he was since he was my mate. In all honesty, he hadn’t done too much to earn my affection. Sure, he was kind to the waitstaff and loved his father. And he was handsome and kissed like a dream…
But how well did I really know him?
“Are we actually going to eat raw flesh out there?” Justus tried another tactic to engage me as he started to sweat.
At least I wasn’t the only one uncomfortable in this vehicle. It was cramped. I couldn’t find a good position. My lower back ached, and the seatbelt cut into my chest.
To make matters worse, Justus was even more annoying when we were trapped in the same metal box.
I could’ve eased his concerns, but I didn’t. He’d been rude to me since I set foot in Ethica. A taste of his own medicine wouldn’t hurt.
“Have you guys been out here?” Justus turned his attention to Marcus and Roman since I wouldn’t bite.
Roman grunted, “No.”
I can’t wait to show him around.
Damn my stupid wolf for perking up, excited for him to see our land.
“I always wanted to come out here.” Marcus smiled. “I think Daisy would like it. And I enjoy a good bite of raw flesh.”
Justus cringed.
Marcus laughed. “Don’t knock it until you try it.”
I think I like Marcus.
“What’s your story, anyway?” I asked him, breaking my self-imposed silence.
Marcus looked at Roman, as if asking permission. I hadn’t realized he outranked him, but I guess I should’ve figured that out with the brooding sense of responsibility Roman seemed to carry wherever we went.
Roman gave a slight nod.
“Not much to my story,” Marcus said. “I joined the military just out of high school, way back when LT here was a boot like me, and then married my sweetheart Daisy. No kids yet, but maybe someday. There’s a… genetic issue in her family.”
Justus snorted. “Maybe don’t go around saying stuff like that out loud.”
Marcus stared back at him. “What exactly are you going to do about it?”
The idiot at my side realized his predicament. “Nothing. Just looking out for you, man.”
I was too busy staring at the way Roman’s knuckles whitened as he gripped the wheel to process everything Marcus had said.
“You and Roman went to high school together?” I asked.
“No.” Marcus got quiet for a minute, like he realized he might be oversharing.
But Roman didn’t say anything, so he continued, “Lieutenant Miller here is from a lower level than me, if you can even believe it, but we did go to boot camp at the same time before he went and worked his way up to becoming an officer despite all the odds being stacked against him.”
There was true pride in the way Marcus spoke about Roman, and damn if that didn’t make my heart flutter.
Told you he was worth it.
It’s only one story.
“He didn’t need to go to public school when he had me.” Justus puffed up a bit. “Right, Roman? We learned enough together.”
“Wait…” My brow creased. “You didn’t go to school at all? Or you went with Justus?”
“No.” Justus rolled his eyes as if I was the stupid one. “Lower levels get basic education, but they stop to learn trades early. Since his father worked at our house, Mom found a loophole to get Roman assigned there too so we could hang out together.”
“I see,” I said, watching the way Roman didn’t even blink at hearing his past discussed like this. My heart broke a bit for my mate.
“And your basic education,” I had to ask. “Did they tell you the truth about what it’s like out here?”
Silence descended in the vehicle as we looked out the windows at the passing desert landscape that would give way to rolling hills just up ahead and the woods beyond. I always thought this open landscape just outside Cerberus Territory was pretty.
“No,” Marcus said. “They didn’t.”
I figured as much.
Despite all my aunts and Mom did to make sure the humans in the purist city knew the truth about our world, and despite how welcoming our packs had been to curious travelers, the fear of the wild and unknown still ran deep.
Wasn’t that the problem with magic anyway? Why they clung to their science? Because they couldn’t control magic, couldn’t explain it, and so it must be wrong.
Their prejudices kept them locked in their walled cage, ready to hurt others over the thought of a mutant in their midst, and angering the gods with the unbalance of nature.
Are we so very different?
I thought of Alec and Skoll and the others. How much they hated the humans. That kind of anger ran soul deep.
Who were we to think a simple union between a human and wolf shifter would be enough to fix the madness of this world?
But maybe Morrigan was right and this was a good start. Though I was beginning to think there was more to the story than we were being told.
Sighing, I patted Justus’s knee in an attempt to comfort the idiot. “I promise to cook any raw flesh before I feed it to you.”
*
Relief and lightness filled my chest before we turned on the road that would take me home. My wolf’s tail started thumping once we crossed into our territory. I kept my thoughts to myself, hoping to surprise the pack, but I should’ve known better.
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.”