Page 27 of The Alpha's Heir

Salma picks up on it too. “How can you be sure? I want to talk to him, Tony, I want to ask him as I look him in the eye if he killed our papa. He had the motive and the opportunity.” I put my hand on Sal’s arm in an attempt to calm her.

Tony stands. “I personally assure you that your half-brother, Enrique, had nothing to do with this. However, I will take you to him right now, so you may ask him questions.”

Finally, we are getting somewhere. We follow Tony out of his office into another room. The noises coming from inside sound familiar, like beeping.

“He prefers to be called Ricky. Be gentle.” Tony opens the door and steps aside. Taking Sal’s hand, we walk in confidently to confront the bastard son of Jose, my prime suspect for Jose’s murder.

The room itself throws me off my stride. It’s a games room. There is a large screen to the right and several games consoles below it. Directly in front of us is a corner suite with a hooded figure playing video games.

The thought that this fucker is sitting here casually playing video games while my wife has been breaking her heart about her papa infuriates me. I say his name aloud but in a calm fashion to capture his attention.

I am floored when he turns around. There is a similarity between him, Sal and Jose. They have similar colouring and features.

However, Ricky scowls at me. “You made me lose my game,” he moans and at my side, Sal gasps in realisation that her brother, the one who threatened her position, who we stupidly thought was involved in her father's death and was plotting against us to take our firm away from us, is nothing more than a little boy.

“Oh my god, Ale, he’s a child. He’s a little boy,” Sal exclaims, her shock and denial both evident.

“Hey lady, I’m not that little, I’m almost eight years old now,” Ricky challenges in exasperation. “And who are you anyway? Where is Uncle Tony?”

Tony laughs from behind us. “It's okay, boy, I’m right here. You play your game for a little while longer. I need to finish talking to my guests.”

Tony walks back out of the room and I go to follow but realise I will have to drag Sal, who is in deep shock at what she has discovered.

“Bye, then,” Ricky shouts to us.

“Bye, Ricky,” Sal squeaks out beside me.

Tony stands waiting for us and smirks. “Now will you accept why I know he wasn’t involved? He’s been with me for the past two months, since his mother abandoned him to be with her werewolf lover.”

Jose’s son has lost his papa and his mami ran off and left him. Jose will be turning in his grave. “We have to look after him, Sal, we have to protect him.”

The shock turns to joy on Sal’s face. “We will look after him. Ale, I have a little brother.”

Some of the grief and loss and suspicion seems to melt away from her eyes and I fall more in love with my wife as she delights in hearing she is a big sister to a seven-year-old boy.

*** Aiden ***

Rory returns our phones; however, he doesn't return Amber’s knives and she hisses at him. It’s kind of cute. In another life, this man would have been our stepfather. The pain in his eyes shows me how much he loved my mother. He has been completely honest with us, even the painful truth of how our mother was cold and distant at times. I know I can trust him.

“We took your phones, but it was just as a formality. We are traditionalists here and we don’t have any signal at all, so they wouldn’t have worked anyway. You can have your knives when you leave, Amber. You could cut yourself on them.”

Amber gasps in outrage, offended by Rory’s insinuation, but Rory's face is full of laughter and mischief. “Your mother had a fiery temper too. It’s the red hair.” He tells us a couple of stories about her that make us laugh.

“We couldn’t have a pup. I mean, she died within a year of leaving you both. Her heart was shattered. My wolf told me that your mother's wolf would not permit another pregnancy because the pain of losing her first two pups was too great to endure.” That was insightful, I didn’t know our wolves could intuit that deeply. I’ll be giving Roman a whole range of new tasks once we get home.

Once Rory tells us about the situation with the phones, he gives us access to a landline. I rush to call Eva to check in on her and to tell her how much I love her and accept her and Summer. I want to make it official; I am going to ask to adopt Summer properly, so she is mine. I am desperate to hear her voice but there is no answer. In frustration, I call my own office and Delta Billy answers.

“Hey boss, Beta Preston and Gamma Max have escorted future Luna Eva to the Moon Stone to visit her father. They should be back soon.” Geez, I have been away too long. Eva is now visiting her father. I want to support her with that and instead I’m on a merry chase in the Scottish highlands when my father could have saved us all this upset and told us years ago that our mother died.

I am going to kill him. That isn't a mere wish or threat. I am going to kill the fucking monster who destroyed our family.

“Tell her I rang, and I will call again when I can. There is no signal up here, but we are starting our journey back home tomorrow. I’m assuming everything is good with the pack?”

Billy assures me that everything is going well in my absence and wishes us a safe trip home. ,

The small box Rory said my mother had made for me is on my bed when I return to my room

Unsure of what I will find, I open it warily. I know Rory said my mother was banished with nothing, so I am intrigued by my mother’s legacy to me. Inside, there is a scrapbook, a letter, a blanket, and a couple of small photographs.

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