Chapter Seventy-Six

My father and Ronnie were waiting for me as I dropped in the chair. “You okay, pup?” My dad asked as my back hit the chair, and I hissed again.

“Yeah. Just keep forgetting it’s there.” I laughed it off, but my dad shook his head.

“I meant, are you okay after saying goodbye to Cass?” I swallowed and then nodded. He watched my face closely and sighed. “Here.” He slid the book over to me, and I grabbed it and tucked it into my backpack.

“It’s a good thing I don’t have to go through the airport with this. I would be called crazy for hauling a stone around with my electronics.” I shook my head as Ronnie laughed.

“True. It is weird to see.” Ronnie settled back, and then he and my dad shared a look.

“So, are you going to show us?” My dad leaned back and quirked his head. I smiled and stood. Pulling my top over my back, but covering my front, I turned to face away from them. I heard my dad take a breath and Ronnie whistle. “It’s gorgeous, darling.”

“I love the way it looks so real. It’s almost as if I can hear Nix and that brown wolf howling at the moon.” Ronnie leaned in. “Who is the brown wolf?”

I looked over my shoulder, and my father was staring at my back. He wouldn’t look away. “She is a part of my pack.” The answer that wasn’t an answer. But my dad’s eyes finally moved to mine, and I could see the wheels turning.

“She looks familiar.” I just smiled and slipped my shirt back on. “It really is stunning.”

“Yeah. MJ did an amazing job.” I settled back in the chair. “I’m going to miss you, Daddy.”

“That is my cue to leave. I’ll meet you down at the door.” Ronnie hopped up and left the office. My dad made his way around the desk and sat next to me in the chair Ronnie just vacated.

“I’m going to miss you too, pup. But I think that this is necessary. Not just for you, but for me.”

“Why? Why do I have to go back there?” I dropped my head in my hands. “I don’t want to see his stupid face again. I don’t want to have to face her. I just wish that I never had to go back to that stupid, awful pack again.” I looked up, and my dad was hanging his head.

“You have to, pup. Not just because it was a part of the deal we made at the beginning of the summer, but because if you didn’t go back, you would regret it. You aren’t a coward. Neither is Nix. You have to see this part of your past life through. Brandon never deserved you, and now, he won't ever get to have you.” My dad grabbed my hand. “Shannon needs to be put in her place. She lords being the Beta female over your head, like that is somehow higher than your position. Just because you are not an alpha of that pack doesn’t mean you are not an alpha. And allowing a beta to step all over you, for the sake of peace in your home, will rile up your wolf. More than ever now that you have shifted.” My dad’s hand tightened on mine. “But even if all of that wasn’t true, it would start a war. You have to go back and show that you aren’t Brandon’s mate. Then, and only then, will they allow you to leave without starting a war between the two packs.”

“I know.” I hung my head again. “I know. It’s like they somehow knew he was my mate already. They almost didn’t let me come.”

“I had to call a favor in, and it was still a close call.”

My head snapped up at his realization. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because your mother and I wanted you to focus on protecting yourself, not what-ifs that would happen if you couldn’t.”

“But what if I wasn’t able to cover or change my scent?” Worry bubbled up in my gut.

“Then I would have gone to war.” He said it so matter-of-factly that my stomach dropped out from under me. “I wouldn’t have forced you to go back to a pack where you would have been abused, betrayed, and then killed for a second time.” My dad shook his head. “I would move heaven and earth to protect you.”

“But…”

“No buts. I love you too much to watch you suffer. But both your mother and I knew you could do it. We believed in you.”

“That much?”

“Of course.” He smiled as he pulled me into his arms as we stood. “You are our pup. Your mother would have torn that pack to the ground if you were forced into anything.” He chuckled. “I’ll miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you too, Daddy.” He hugged me a little longer before pushing me out the door. I saw the first tear fall as he shut the door in my face.

Chapter Seventy-Seven