Page 76 of Alpha Claimed

"Look at me."

She blew out a breath and opened her eyes. He leaned in and kissed the knuckles on both hands.

"Just keep your eyes on me."

She nodded as her throat tightened.

"I promise. This might seem scary, but you are going to love it."

She nodded again, trying to force her muscles to relax.

"I was five the first time I came here," he said. "My parents brought Apollo and me downtown for the Christmas season to shop. I saw this giant wheel and wanted nothing more than to go on it."

"And that's when you fell in love with it?"

He snorted. "Uh… not exactly. I started to freak out the minute we got inside. Apollo just sat there staring out the window like it was nothing. But I almost pissed myself."

She couldn't imagine Ares being scared. "What happened?"

"My mother cradled my head in her lap while I cried the entire time and refused to look out the window. And then the minute we got off the ride, I vomited all over my mom's shoes."

River couldn't help but laugh.

"After that, my father brought me every year at Christmas. Just him and me alone. He would get us a gondola and make me look out the window. He would talk to me and hold my hand. He talked about his life. My mother. Being King. He asked what I wanted from life. What I saw myself doing in the future. And most of all, he talked to me about what it would be like when I found my mate. How to treat her and how to give her everything she ever wanted. It was my favorite day of the year growing up. I looked forward to it all year long. It was the only time I ever got him all to myself. He spent so much time with Apollo that I cherished our hours together. By the time I was ten, I wasn't scared anymore, but I pretended I still was just so my dad would bring me."

River looked into his eyes and saw the pain in them. "You miss him, don't you?"

Ares nodded. "More than you can know."

She gave a sad smile. "I do know."

He stared at her, and they shared a moment of pain from the loss of their fathers. But he was right. As much as she missed her dad, Strider had stepped up and been everything she could have asked for in a stepfather. Ares and Apollo hadn't gotten that.

The wheel slowed, and River glanced out the window at the sunset before returning to Ares.

"He sounds like a great man."

"He was. Strong. Smart. He was kind but ruthless when he needed to be. I heard he was not known for kindness before meeting my mother. But I never knew that man. I only knew the man he was because of my mother. And that's what I want. I want to be a man like he was."

River reached up and cupped his cheek. "You will be."

He leaned into her palm and closed his eyes. "You make me want to be that man, River."

Her chest squeezed. They sat that way for a minute, and then he opened his eyes.

"Let's eat. We only have about forty-five minutes before we need to leave."

"Is there somewhere else we need to be?"

He nodded.

She sighed. "Let me guess, another surprise?"

He chuckled.

She shook her head. "You know, one day, I'm going to be very happy when I know what my schedule is for the day instead of having everything sprung on me at the last minute."

"Trust me, Beloved. I will never stop surprising you. I will never stop taking you to experience new things. And I will never let a day go by that something magical doesn't happen for you."