Page 34 of Billionaire Wolf Needs a Pilot
Each murmur struck like a physical blow I couldn’t avoid.Mothers pulled children closer as we passed.Men paused mid-conversation to watch with guarded expressions.The collective distrust was palpable, a living thing that pressed against us from all sides.
Felicity walked beside me with her chin held high against the town’s hostility.Through our bond, I felt her determination and her refusal to be intimidated.
A burly man detached himself from a group gathered near the general store.He approached with the confident stride of another alpha.My wolf stirred beneath my skin, instantly alert to the presence of a powerful shifter.
“Marshall Boone,” he introduced himself, extending a weathered hand in greeting.His handshake was firm, and a way of testing my strength.“Didn’t expect to see a Roberts back in Angel Spring.”
I returned his grip with equal pressure, meeting his direct gaze.“Circumstances forced my hand.”
Marshall’s scent carried the lingering trace of illness, a fetid and sour note beneath his healthy exterior.Realization clicked into place.I flashed back to the reports I had received about the sickness in the valley and the areas affected by the mine runoff.“The contamination—”
“Nearly killed me,” he finished bluntly.Something hard flashed behind his eyes.“Dr.Wu managed to neutralize enough of the toxins.Others weren’t so lucky.”
His steady gaze challenged me to acknowledge the damage my family had caused.The accusations hung unspoken between us.My father’s greed had poisoned this land, these people.Then, in my avoidance of my family, I had abandoned the town to suffer the consequences.
Felicity stepped forward.“We’re here to make things right, Mr.Boone.Tanner’s not his father.”
Marshall’s nostrils flared slightly, his shifter senses scenting our mating bond.His eyebrows rose in surprise before he nodded slowly.“Interesting choice of mate, Roberts.Perhaps you are different.”He gestured toward the center of town.“Walk with me.See what you’ve inherited.”
As Felicity and I followed him down the cracked sidewalk, Marshall pointed out the impacts of the mine’s contamination, the dilapidated buildings, abandoned once their owners were forced to leave due to the pollution, a playground sitting empty because children kept developing mysterious seizures, and the creek that once provided fresh fish, but was now barren.
“Your father knew,” Marshall said quietly.“Reports crossed his desk for years.He buried them, caring more about profit margins than people’s lives.”
I had suspected my father’s ethical shortcuts, but hearing it confirmed by someone directly affected made my stomach twist with disgust and shame.“How bad is it?”I asked, dreading the answer.
Marshall’s expression darkened.“Bad enough that people are leaving Angel Spring.Those who can’t afford to leave are getting sicker.”
The firehouse came into view as we rounded the corner.It was a sturdy brick building housing the men who’d rescued us from the wilderness.My territorial instincts bristled as Felicity approached the building.These were the men who had seen her at her most vulnerable, who had carried her to safety when I couldn’t.
Caleb stepped forward from his crew.Maddox, Slade, Kane, Clint, and Ryland were all gathered inside.The rescue team formed a loose semicircle.
“Roberts,” Caleb acknowledged with a nod.“Your mate settling in well?”
I fought back a possessive growl at his casual reference to our bond.The wolf inside me snarled silently, hackles raised at another male’s attention to Felicity.I could smell his curiosity about her, and about us, and it took considerable restraint to respond civilly.
“We’re adapting,” I replied stiffly, reaching into my jacket to pull out my checkbook.“Your team saved our lives.I want to ensure you can save others.”
I pulled out a pen and scribbled down an amount that would get the rescue team whatever new equipment, training, or more personnel they needed.The substantial donation silenced the firehouse as I handed it to Caleb.His eyes widened as he processed the amount written on the check I handed him.Seven figures.
“This will keep our operations funded for years,” he said, genuine gratitude cracking his stoic demeanor.“Thank you.”
Maddox, the youngest of the crew with eager eyes that hadn’t yet learned to hide hope, stepped forward.“Does this mean you’re reopening the mine?”His tone carried both anticipation and wariness.It was the town’s eternal dilemma.The mine meant jobs, prosperity, and survival.It also meant poison.
My grip tightened on Felicity’s hand.Through our bond, I felt her silent support, her belief in my ability to make this right.The warmth of her confidence in me was still unfamiliar, a precious gift I wasn’t sure I deserved but desperately wanted to honor.
“Not until I know it can be done without poisoning this town.The Roberts name should stand for more than profit at any cost.”
The subtle shift in the firefighters’ postures as they relaxed their shoulders and lowered their defenses toward us told me more than words could.They had expected platitudes or empty corporate promises.Instead, they got a vow from one wolf to another.
The town clinic was our next stop.It was an aging building where the scent of antiseptic couldn’t mask the underlying smell of sickness that still clung to some patients.The waiting room fell silent as we entered, conversations halting mid-sentence as recognition spread.
A small girl with copper hair sat near the window, her breathing labored in a way that made my wolf snarl with protective rage.This child suffered because of my family’s greed.Her mother pulled her closer as we approached, her expression a mixture of fear and blame.
“It’s okay,” the girl whispered to her mother.“He’s not the bad man.”
Her simple statement struck deeper than any condemnation.In her innocent assessment, my father had been the bad man.Would I prove any different?
Dr.Wu emerged from an examination room, her professional demeanor slipping momentarily when she spotted us.The petite physician carried herself with the quiet authority of someone who had fought too many losing battles against an invisible enemy.
