Page 57 of Alpha Wolf's Arranged Bride
“Then we went out to play football, and I was the captain of the blue team. It was so cool how we all worked together, and even the losing team got a prize! I love this place!”
“That’s great, little man,” Rex says with a smile. “I’m so happy you’re fitting in at school.”
“It’s more than fitting in,” Jarrod says, suddenly serious. “They look up to me. Even the teachers do. I have a huge responsibility to these people, Dad. They are going to expect me to take care of them.”
“Only when you’re older,” I remind him. “No one is expecting you to perform alpha duties now.”
“You were watching when we were out on the playing field, weren’t you, Mom?”
“Yes, I was,” I answer, knowing where he’s going with this.
“A hawk flew over,” Jarrod says, returning his attention to Rex. “I noticed it first. When I stopped to look up, everyoneelse waited for me. The hawk cried out, just a bird sound, but I understood it. She was saying there was no immediate danger, but no prey, either. When she flew away, I realized everyone was staring at me.”
I reach out and take Jarrod’s hand, giving it a hard squeeze, but he doesn’t look at me.
“The rest of the kids—and the teachers—looked to me to understand what the bird said.”
“Yes, son,” Rex answers. “An alpha wolf has more developed senses than others. We can see ahead in situations and read the environment. That’s why it was automatic for the rest of the pack to look to you.”
“Whenever this happened back at Eccles, I felt like a freak,” Jarrod says. “As if my senses were overactive and something was wrong with me. The other kids used to laugh.”
“No one’s laughing now,” I say, squeezing his hand again. “You’re home.”
“I’ll help you work on controlling your abilities,” Rex says. “But not right now. After we clear up, you need a bath, and then it’s straight to bed.”
“This is really crazy,” Jarrod giggles. “I actually can’t wait to go to sleep—because I’m in a rush to get to school tomorrow!”
We all laugh, and for just a moment, I see Rex’s pensive look disappear, but by the time Jarrod is bathed and tucked in, I can see Rex’s worry getting heavier by the second.
“Rex,” I say as we close Jarrod’s door. “What’s wrong? You’ve been distant all night.”
Rex nods and points down the stairs. I nod in understanding, and we go back down to the kitchen. Clearly, Rex doesn’t want Jarrod to overhear.
This must be bad.
When we get to the kitchen, Rex goes straight to an upper cupboard and pulls out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. He pours a small nip into each, downs his right away, then pours himself another as he hands me the other glass.
“Rex,” I say. “Please, tell me. I’m getting scared.”
“You probably should be,” he mutters. “I need you to tell me—right now—what you know about the ancient spirits in Eccles.”
His words ring through me, setting my blood racing. I can see Uncle Azarian’s cruel eyes in my mind, hear the certainty in his voice when he said he would sacrifice my son.
“The spirits themselves, I really don’t know much,” I begin, trying to stay calm. “There are urban legends whose details change all the time. Most of them are of the ‘something scary happened in the woods’ variety, but others talk of great power bestowed on the elders if sacrifices are made.”
“Sacrifices?” Rex asks, alarmed.
“Yeah. Honestly, I didn’t think much of it, until Uncle Azarian threatened to sacrifice Jarrod.”
“He fucking did what?” Rex almost yells, stopping himself just in time.
“He said if I didn’t agree to the marriage, he’d sacrifice Jarrod.”
“So that’s why you agreed,” Rex realizes. “I did wonder about that.”
I shrug. “I had no choice. We did try to get away, but they came after us. I was terrified for my son’s life. And honestly, I still kind of am.”
“I’ll get to that,” Rex says, scowling as he downs his whiskey and pours another. “But back to these spirits. What do we actually know?”
