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“Are you sure about this? Being mated to an alpha leader? I’ve heard about this pack and I don’t know how I feel about you being part of it, let alone Alpha Mate!”
“Papa!” I pleaded with him to calm down. “Blake is a good man.”
“They’re all good to start with.” He shot back. “What about all the rumors?”
“I researched the pack the same as you did. Those were his father. The pack hasn’t been like that for years. They all are happy and love their alpha.” I reached for him. Running a hand down his arm, hoping my wolf could calm his fox.
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
It felt like someone had slapped me, and I withdrew my hand. “So, what does that mean about me?”
He looked shocked for a second before he recovered. “Well, obviously you take after me more.”
“And what if Blake takes after his mother? She was apparently very kind and everyone loved her. The entire pack grieved for her loss. You just need to give him a chance, Papa. I almost didn’t and I would have missed out on the best thing to happen to me.” I worked myself up the more that I spoke.
Blake abandoned Angelica to come to my side. “Are you okay?” He pulled me into his arms and spoke to Papa. “Look, I respect you want to protect Kade and you’ve missed him, but he’s just come out of a long heat and only just recovered from being unwell. I think that maybe we should have a break and then sit down for lunch. Everyone feels better once they’ve eaten, don’t they?” I gave him a half smile in response.
“That’s another thing. I keep hearing you’ve been unwell and your heat was long. What’s going on, Kade?”
“Sir, please.” Blake entreated Papa.
“I want to speak to my son! Not some overgrown man-child playing at being an alpha!” He whirled to face me. “Alpha’s only want us for one thing, Ryder, and that’s to make more alphas. Unless you can do that, then you aren’t any use to him at all. Where does that leave you, then?”
He spoke my worst fear, and I felt each word like a blow to the chest.
“Kade is my fated mate. There will be no one else for me. He was my first and will be my last.” Blake’s eyes flashed with fury. The silver-blue looked like thunderclouds.
My wolf sent me images from when I thought they were dormant. Blake chose me over everything else. He’d come for me when his pack was in danger. He’d put me first even though all we had was Aldrin’s word that we would have pups. There were no guarantees.
“Blake was committed to me even when I told him I couldn’t have kids.” It just fell out of my mouth.
“Of course I was. You’re my mate. My everything.” I burrowed deeper into his arms and let him soothe me.
“You can’t have children?” Papa sounded devastated.
I shook my head, staying pressed against my mate. Blake answered for us. “It’s a possibility that Kade has reversed the damage. Our doctor believes that we will get pregnant at some point. As with everything, we can’t be a hundred percent sure.”
“Ryder — Kade, I’m sorry. I think I made some assumptions based on my own experience.”
I turned my face to look at him. Angelica was watching us warily. “Let’s just start again, will we? Let’s go eat.”
I would have loved to say that things got easier over lunch. Unfortunately, they were still strained. Blake tried to keep up the conversation for a while and then switched his focus to Angelica. It was heartwarming to see how good he was with kids. Especially a child like my sister, who to some packs had no real value since she was a beta.
Slowly, I watched Papa as he studied Blake with my sister and saw him soften slightly towards him. We were in for a long road if we wanted Papa in our lives. I did. It was just hard to push together these parts of my life. Papa needed to come to terms with the fact that Ryder was gone for good. I was Kade now.
It was almost a relief at the end of lunch when Melody came into the room. “Alpha, Alpha Mate, Dalton sent me to fetch you both. There’s a call from the council for you. They are going to call back in fifteen minutes.” She turned to Papa. “I’m sorry to break up your lunch.”
“It’s okay. I really should be going, anyway. I need to look at apartments and jobs here.”
“Papa, you can just stay in my house. I’m going to stay here.”
“You are?” Both Blake and Papa said in unison.
Turning to Blake first, I said, “I thought that’s what you wanted? I don’t think I can live in that house now.”
“I do want that. I just wanted you to be sure. Thank you, my mate. Chase can help you pack up some things and we can sort the rest later if you like? Once we see what the council wants, of course.”
I hugged my mate and looked at Papa. “The house is yours if you want it. There’s plenty of room here, but if you’d rather have your space, it seems a waste not to use my house.”
