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Leo
I’d gone into the club early to catch up after missing three days, but there was surprisingly little waiting for me. I didn’t really have a lot to do with running it anymore, and while it was a bit of a relief, it also made me feel a little useless.
Brushing off the feeling, I leaned back in my chair and pulled out my phone. I’d already checked my messages, and even those had been more check-ins than things I needed to do something about.
The one thing I did have to do, that I no longer had a reason to put off, was call my father. I probably should have gone to see him, but after the stunt he pulled inviting Dimitri and his daughter to dinner, I didn’t particularly want to see him.
I made myself a note as I listened to the phone ring to get something nice for my mother and have it delivered to her shop as a thank you for helping when everything went to shit.
“Done already?”
My father never bothered with pleasantries.
“Yes. I’m returning your call.”
His message had been to call him, with no other information as to what it was about.
“Did you mark her?”
I ground my teeth, barely holding back a growl.
“Blunt as ever, and while that’s a bit personal and between Cadence and I, no, I didn’t.”
“There’s no such thing as personal when you’re a Galleon and I’m your father. Are you done with her then?”
I blew out a breath, reigning in my temper. He was right, and he was also an asshole.
At least I knew where I got it from.
“No, I’m not‘done with her’just because I didn’t claim her while she was unable to give proper consent. She’s not ready to bond, and I’m fine to wait until she is.”
His snort was clear. I filled my lungs and held it, counting to ten before letting the air back out.
“My rule still stands, and you’re running out of time. If you want to coddle her and wait to bond, I better be hearing wedding bells soon.”
“How understanding of you. Are you sure Dimitri would even accept after you humiliated his daughter by inviting them to afamilydinner when he clearly wasn’t expecting me to be with someone? I hope you have a backup plan to smooth things over.”
It was the closest I could come to accusing him without outright doing it, and I wasn’t sure I could handle what would come of that at the moment. I might not always agree with my father, but we’d never outright fought over anything, and while I was willing to do it for Cadence, I knew the reason why he was pushing so hard. He had more than a single omega to worry about protecting.
“I’m sure Dimitri would see the wisdom in uniting our families. And there was nothing humiliating about inviting an old friend over for dinner with my wife and children, and inviting him to bring his daughter as well. There’s nothing to smooth over.”
A growl rumbled from my throat before I cut it off with a cough. My father was a stubborn old mule and would never admit to doing wrong. My mother was the only person I’d ever heard him apologize to.
“Well, I’d rather not be the one to tie us together. Tasia was just as unappealing as ever.”
He snorted again.
“You don’t have to like her to marry her. You don’t even have to give up the omega if you really don’t want to, you just have to keep it quiet.”
Silence filled the line as I stared across my office. I couldn’t quite believe what he’d just said, and my brain refused to come up with a response that wouldn’t cause a world of problems. Pissing off my father wasn’t the smartest thing to do, especially when he knew exactly how to inspire my obedience using what I cared about.
“That wouldn’t be a good option for anyone,” was all I could manage once I got my tongue working again.
“I never said it was a good option, but it’s there. Figure it out. We have other issues.”
The last comment pulled my focus, and I straightened in my chair.
“The Walkers?”
