Page 36 of Billionaire Wolf Needs a Pilot
“I appreciate the warning,” I said, meaning it.
“If you need backup…” He left the offer hanging.
“I’ll call,” I promised, extending my hand to seal this unexpected alliance.The firm grip we exchanged carried more meaning than words could convey.
Outside, the copper-haired girl was still waiting, her breathing slightly labored as she colored in a tattered book.She looked up as we passed, her innocent eyes finding mine without fear or judgment.The faint wheeze in her lungs made my chest squeeze with protective fury.
“Are you going to make the water better?”she asked simply.
The directness of her question cut through my carefully constructed plans.This wasn’t about liability or company reputation.It was about this child, breathing mountain air that should have healed rather than harmed.
“Yes,” I promised, kneeling to meet her at eye level.The scent of metal clung to her skin, mixed with the sweet innocence of childhood.“I’m going to make everything better.”
Her smile, bright despite her pallor, lit up the room.She believed me, with the simple faith that children reserve for adults they trust to fix broken things.
As Felicity and I stepped back onto Main Street, the afternoon sun had softened the harsh edges of Angel Spring.Townspeople still watched us warily, but something had changed.News traveled fast in small towns.Already, whispers of the clinic donation and my promise to keep the mine closed were circulating.
“I’ve inherited blood money,” I said quietly to Felicity as we walked toward our vehicle.The weight of my father’s sins pressed down on my shoulders, made heavier by the knowledge of his partnership with Victoria Song.“Every dollar in my accounts is tainted by what they did to these people.”
She squeezed my hand, her thumb tracing patterns on my palm.Her touch sent warmth spiraling up my arm, our bond humming with shared purpose.“Then use it to heal what was broken.Blood money can become redemption if you spend it right.”
Marshall Boone intercepted us before we reached our SUV, his expression guarded but no longer hostile.The scent of his lingering illness made my nose twitch, a physical reminder of what my family had done.
“Word got out already,” he said, nodding toward a group of men with weather-roughened faces gathered outside the town’s only remaining bar.“They’re wondering about their jobs.”
The miners, tough men with calloused hands and worried eyes, represented another facet of my complicated inheritance.Closing the mine protected the town from further contamination but threatened their livelihoods.I could smell their anxiety from here.
“Tell them the mine will reopen,” I said after a moment’s consideration.“But not for extraction, for cleanup.I’ll need skilled workers who know those tunnels, who understand the machinery.They’ll be paid their full wages while we decontaminate.”
Marshall studied me, pinning me with his gaze until his senses detected no deception.“And after the cleanup?”
“We’ll find sustainable ways to operate, or we’ll develop new industries for Angel Spring.My father’s way ends now.”
“You’re going to bankrupt yourself,” Felicity remarked, though her tone held admiration rather than criticism.Her eyes, bright with pride, ran across my face as though memorizing every line and angle.
“I have more money than any person needs,” I replied, as I guided her toward the passenger side of the vehicle.The weight of her body against mine as we walked felt right.“What good is it if I can’t use it to protect what matters?”
We drove toward the outskirts of town, toward the Roberts estate that now belonged to us both.The road wound past streams that would run clear again, past forests that would heal, past homes where children could grow healthy and strong.
My father’s toxic legacy had poisoned this land and sickened these people.His secret alliance with Victoria Song had nearly cost me everything I never knew I wanted.The betrayal cut deep, but the pain clarified my purpose.
The Roberts Mine had taken from this community for generations.Now it was time to give back, whatever the cost.My wolf, usually restless and prowling beneath my skin, settled with surprising contentment at this decision.This was what it meant to be an alpha.Not power, not wealth, but protection and responsibility.
Chapter 11
FELICITY
I woke disoriented, surrounded by unfamiliar luxury in an unfamiliar bedroom larger than my entire apartment back in the city.For a moment, panic seized me.Where was I?Then, memories of the past week flooded back.Angel Spring.Tanner’s estate.Our return to civilization.
Turning, I found Tanner still asleep beside me.His face, usually set in stern lines, had softened in sleep.Dark lashes rested against his cheeks, his powerful jaw relaxed, making him look almost vulnerable.The contrast to the commanding alpha who’d faced down an entire town yesterday was startling.
I slipped from beneath the sheets, careful not to wake him.After days of constant vigilance in the wilderness, followed by yesterday’s emotional gauntlet in town, he needed rest.My bare feet sank into plush carpet as I pulled on one of his t-shirts, the fabric swimming around my frame.It still carried his scent that made my heart race.
The hallway outside the master suite stretched in both directions, lined with closed doors and elegant landscape paintings.I wandered, drawn by curiosity about the home that had shaped the man who was now my mate.
The Roberts estate was grand but felt hollow.Dust motes danced in sunbeams that fell across unused furniture.
A stack of mail sat untouched on a console table, some envelopes yellowed with age.All ignored.This wasn’t just a house that had been left behind by its inhabitants.It had been abandoned.
