Chapter 33: Family Concerns
Nathaniel
"With all due respect, Alpha. What are you doing in my daughter's house?" asked Michael. I could see concern, confusion, and even disgust in his expression. He didn't want me anywhere near his daughter. He thought I had bad intentions, but nothing could be further from the truth.
"I think we need to talk..." I said.
"I need to know now," he demanded.
I spoke directly. "Penelope is my mate," I said. I could see his immediate surprise. He looked at her. My sweet mate was completely embarrassed.
Her father must have smelled my scent on her. It was not a stretch for him to figure out what we were up to.
"It can't be..."
"Dad, I..." she pleaded, unable to finish the sentence.
"Tell me that's a lie..." he said angrily. He hated me.
"She's my mate, my destined and true mate," I told him in a serious voice, using my Alpha command, and he knew I was not lying.
Michael stared at the both of us wide-eyed, unable to believe what was happening. My mate immediately reached over, grabbed his hand, and led him into the house, so he could get settled on the living room couch. "But how? What...?" he stammered.
"Mate... I need to talk to your father, werewolf to werewolf." Penelope went upstairs into her room dejectedly.
It was not the morning he had hoped to spend with her. I wanted to talk to her, explain, maybe make love to her again. I could never get enough of touching her.
"I know it sounds crazy, Michael. Believe me, I was skeptical that it was possible myself, but she... she's my mate and I'd give anything for her," I said as Michael looked on, upset. "You... and her. it's dangerous..." he said, still in disbelief.
"Michael, if anyone knows what I'm going through, it's you. You're one of the few werewolves I've met who found his destined and his true mate, and certainly the only one I've known so far who's had a human mate. You know that it's complicated and often strange. But the bond can't be faked, it can't be imitated... and it's almost impossible to deny," I told him.
The man covered his face with his hands, trying to process the information. "But my little girl...the pack..."
"I know...it's complicated."
"Are you going to turn her down?" he asked, and I took offense. I heard Hunter roar inside me. Michael slumped back in his seat.
"I can't, and I won't. I can't live without her. About what happened... I'm terribly sorry. The Goddess only knows that I've been up all night trying to figure out how to get Penelope to forgive me. I don't know if she ever will, but I just need a chance. The bond works. She feels it somehow," I said.
"So... what do you want with my daughter?" he asked seriously.
"I want absolutely everything from her," I said without hesitation. I was surprised myself - this was not a typical conversation between a man and his father-in-law. I was his boss... and at the same time, I knew that he was one of the most important people in her life.
"My baby girl... has she accepted you?" he asked as he looked around and discovered my scent everywhere.
"Not quite, and I don't want to rush her... but Michael, we have problems." I updated him on what had happened with the Council, with Marco, with the other Alphas. So far, only Roger knew. The twins knew that Penelope was my mate, but I had forbidden them to say anything, and they had obeyed.
Michael was completely distraught.
"The humans... those wretched Alphas are going after the humans... when they are the real traitors!" he muttered through gritted teeth, breathing heavily.
"Not only that... but I now truly believe that what Penelope saw during the attack all those years ago... is true. Crimson Fangs were involved in that attack, though I still don't know how. The attacks we have suffered from the rogues, the Alphas' requests to the Council regarding human territories, as well as the disappearances that are happening in the nearby towns..." he looked at me, dumbfounded.
"I don't know how, but all this is connected... and the common point is Marco," I concluded.
"Then we have to act as soon as possible!" Michael declared. although I knew that he was not my biggest fan. I now felt I had an ally. And I felt stronger.
I talked to him for hours, and we made plans. Roger and the twins joined in, and we started to organize how to protect ourselves from Marco, and how to keep an eye on our enemies.
"She has doubts, from the look on her face. I didn't know if she'll accept you at all... Alpha," Michael said as we watched Penelope tease the twins. I grunted at his comment.
"I'm just being honest. The damage my little girl suffered at the hands of Moonstone was pretty bad."
"I know..." I said with a lump in my throat.
"You said it yourself - I know what it's like to have a mate. And I remember what it's like to be so crazy with desire and the bond. Your wolf talks to you every day and says only one thing mate, mate, mate. I found my mate in the forest, and I had a hard time convincing her, but I offered her shelter and a better life. She was happy," he said.
"I want to give Penelope everything she wants," I said quickly.
"My daughter already has a life, a rather simple but pleasant human life. What she needs is safety. Being the mate of an Alpha automatically puts her in danger, and with all that's going on with the Council and the other Alphas... she already has a target on her back," he said. I had to agree.
"Only we can protect her!" Hunter yelled in my head.
"I won't let anything happen to her," I said.
"Ironically... she would only be truly protected in the pack. So, how are you going to get her to Moonstone? How are you going to convince her?" he asked.
I growled. "I won't rest until she is safe with me, in my arms. I will do whatever it takes," I murmured, and he nodded.
Before dinner, Penelope pulled away to talk to her father, but I could still listen to her. I desperately needed to know what she was thinking.
"Are you sure you're okay? Having a mate is a blessing... but I know it's hard for a human. Your mother handled everything very well, but... an Alpha is something else," I heard Michael say. She sighed.
"I don't even know what I feel anymore, Dad. My head and my heart... it's a mess," she said worriedly, and it broke my heart.
"Also... we have a lot of problems in the pack. The attacks by the rogues are becoming more frequent. You know that, you've experienced it here in the village, where it shouldn't even happen!" he said, with barely suppressed rage. I was relieved to know that he was talking to her about these problems. She trusted him.
"I know, Dad, but I know how to take care of myself."
"No, pumpkin... even us werewolves can't take on a bunch of rogues," he said affectionately. My mate was an orphan and had been through terrible things, but she was also lucky. She had people who loved and cared for her. "What do you suggest, then?"
"When the time comes, you must accept our protection. Promise me that you will be careful and accept our help," he told her tenderly. She agreed, not fully convinced, but it was obvious that she wanted to please her father.
I remember yelling at her when I kicked her off the pack and told her that Michael was not her father. My chest ached as the memory came crashing back. He was a real father, and the love between them was something I wish I had with mine.
We had dinner. The twins barely spoke. Michael looked at us almost unblinkingly, and I feared he imagined all the things I had done to his daughter.
I struggled to be as close to her as possible, while Penelope was nervous. I held her hand under the table and pressed my thumb on her knuckles, trying to calm her down. She gave me a small smile.
If this meeting was with the family that had no problems... I didn't want to imagine the rest... my parents, the pack, the warriors, everyone else.
Just when I thought the situation couldn't get any more tense, I heard a knock at the door. The scent that hit me told me exactly who was on the other side.
I couldn't believe it. I rushed to the door as everyone looked at me uncomfortably, and pushed it open.
"Nathaniel... what are you doing here?" my mother asked as she looked at me in surprise, scanning the house to see whose home it was.
"What am I doing here? What are you doing here? Are you spying on me?" I asked with a bitter tone, and she was a little embarrassed.
"You were absent for a long time, so I knew something strange was going on with you. I was worried about you..." she said, and I knew from her eyes that she was sincere. But by the Goddess, I didn't want the others to know about Penelope, at least not yet.
"What's wrong?" I heard Michael come up behind me. I also heard the twins' footsteps. My mother became more confused... until I felt my mate come up to see who was at her front door. My mother's eyes widened.
"You? That can't be..." she exclaimed, stunned.
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Kisses
Kika