Page 47 of Billionaire Wolf Needs a Pilot
Seven months into our alliance, Logan and I stood on the ridge overlooking the valley.We watched as Felicity’s helicopter returned from the city, where she’d not only visited her mother but brought back a memory care specialist to consult on a dedicated wing for the new medical center.
“My father would rather have died than work with a Roberts,” Logan observed, a hint of dark humor in his voice as the aircraft touched down.“Yet here I am, with you and a pilot reshaping how we care for this territory.She’s changing you.”
I felt an unexpected laugh bubble up.“For the better,” I admitted, watching as Felicity landed safely and completed her post-flight checks.“She sees solutions where I’ve only seen problems my entire life.”
Testing of Angel Spring’s water showed a seventeen percent reduction in contamination levels.Felicity and I celebrated privately that night, her body warm against mine as we stood on our balcony overlooking the town.The weight of responsibility was temporarily lifted by this first small victory.
“Mom recognized me today,” she whispered, her voice catching.“I was showing her the photos of the medical center construction.Then she looked at me, really at me, and told me I was flying for something that mattered.”It’s her first completely lucid moment in years."
I buried my face in her honey-blonde hair, breathing in her scent that had become my center.“Your mother’s right,” I said quietly.“You’re the bridge between this community and the future.”
The following week, Felicity piloted the inaugural Care Connection flight.It was an initiative she’d designed that brought specialists from the city to Angel Spring on a rotating schedule, eliminating the need for sick residents to travel for treatment.She’d been planning it for months, coordinating with hospitals in three different cities to establish the program.
That evening, Felicity received a call that her mother had experienced a severe decline.The nursing home staff recommended we come immediately.Without hesitation, I joined her in the cockpit for the middle-of-the-night flight.
When Felicity made the difficult decision to transfer her mother to Angel Spring’s newly opened memory care wing at the Sabrina Wu Medical Center, I stood beside her, offering silent strength and support.
“Mom would have wanted to be part of this community,” she explained softly as we supervised the air ambulance transfer she’d helped design.“Even if she doesn’t always recognize it, or me.”
By the end of the year, the final Victoria loyalist was removed from Roberts Mining.He was a senior executive who’d been subtly sabotaging environmental compliance.
I signed the termination papers with grim satisfaction, knowing the company was finally, truly mine.Finally cleansed of both my father’s corrupt influence and Victoria’s manipulative reach.The corporate structure we’d rebuilt reflected values that would have been unrecognizable to the previous generation of leadership.
I celebrated with Felicity over a home-cooked steak dinner and a vintage bottle of wine I had been keeping for a special occasion.
“I never expected to stay when I took that charter flight,” she admitted, leaning back against my chest as I wrapped my arms around her.“Just another job, another destination.Funny how a crash landing can actually be the right path.”
“I never expected to change,” I replied, nuzzling into her neck where her scent mingled with the crisp winter air.“To care about more than just power and control.”
“Mom had a breakthrough with the new treatment today,” Felicity said softly, hope coloring her voice.“Dr.Wu thinks the combined therapy approach is working.”
I tightened my arms around her, sharing in this victory that meant so much more than business success or pack politics.“Just like this valley, healing isn’t linear, but it’s happening.”
Her warmth against me was a counterpoint to the winter chill.Snow gathered on the railing, pristine and new, covering the scars of the past beneath a clean slate.
Felicity turned in my arms.“Who would have thought that the grumpy werewolf who snarled at me for being superstitious would end up creating all this?”she teased, gesturing toward the thriving town in the valley below us.
I growled playfully against her neck, feeling my wolf stir contentedly at her nearness.“Who would have thought the irritatingly cheerful pilot who refused to be intimidated would completely rearrange my priorities and my heart?”
The Roberts Mining Christmas party the following week bustled with laughter and conversation as mine employees and the entire town had been invited.The healing of the land was reflected in the healing of relationships.The community center had been transformed with evergreen boughs and twinkling lights.Fresh pine and warm cinnamon scented the air.
Logan approached me at the buffet table, his mate Sabrina at his side.The formality between us had gradually given way to something resembling friendship.“The environmental assessments show the watershed might recover fully a year ahead of schedule.”
“The new filtration system is exceeding expectations,” Sabrina added.“We haven’t seen a new case of contamination-related illness in six weeks.”
Felicity joined us, seamlessly integrating herself into the conversation with updates about the latest aerial survey.“The infrared imaging shows the eastern springs are running clear now,” she explained.We should be able to reopen that section of the conservation area by spring."
As midnight approached, I found myself standing on the stage alongside Logan.The expectant faces of Angel Spring looked up at us as we prepared to make our joint announcement.The room quieted, a sea of faces turned toward us with expressions ranging from curiosity to cautious hope.
“One year ago, our families were enemies and this town was dying,” I began, scanning the crowd until I found Felicity’s encouraging smile.“Today, we’re announcing the establishment of the Angel Spring Future Fund, a permanent trust that ensures environmental protection and healthcare access will continue regardless of who runs our companies.”
The eruption of applause felt like validation of everything we’d fought for, against generations of exploitation and neglect that both our families had perpetuated.As the cheering continued, I caught Logan’s eye, seeing in his expression the same mix of pride and humility I felt, the weight of mending the past while building something better for the future.
“Your father would be shocked,” Marshall Boone commented, appearing beside me with a glass of whiskey.“Not just at the alliance with Song, but at the man you’ve become since that plane crashed in our mountains.”
I nodded, acknowledging the truth in his words as I watched Felicity move through the crowd, stopping to chat with elderly residents whose health she monitored during her weekly flights.“Sometimes losing your way is the only way to find the right path.”
Marshall followed my gaze.“She’s good for you.Good for this town.”
