Waiting

6.

Esteban POV

I sat on this uncomfortable couch, hugging my girls tightly as they cried. I was angry—angry that I couldn’t do anything to erase their pain, angry that the Old Man got sick and passed away. I wasn’t angry at him, but still—how could he give up his fight? He was a gigantic part of my little beauty’s life, and he had been my Maria’s rock for the last ten years, after her mother passed. So naturally, I did the only thing I knew to do. I held on to my girls and reminded them how much I loved them.

We sat quietly as my girls began to settle, but my mind wouldn’t stop circling back to the conversation I’d been having before my baby girl called me.

The meeting.

The arrangement.

Would Summer even agree to it?

She was still so young, and it infuriated me that my father-in-law hadn’t been there. He would’ve seen things I didn’t. He would’ve felt what I felt. He would’ve been another powerful presence in that room—another male who would’ve made it clear that my daughter wasn’t a prize to be discussed like pack property.

I trusted my Alpha to lead. To provide. To protect.

But I didn’t trust want.

And I didn’t trust the way Damien wanted my daughter.

Because I couldn’t speak for my baby girl. I couldn’t decide her life for her. Would she want to be Luna of the largest pack in California? Would that role fill her heart with purpose… or slowly carve pieces out of her until all that was left was duty and expectation?

There was too much to consider.

On one hand, she could be happy beyond imagination.

On the other—

My instincts wouldn’t shut up.

Damien’s attention hadn’t appeared overnight. It had been building for two years, quiet and deliberate. He called it friendship. He called it admiration. But I wasn’t blind, and I wasn’t naïve. My Alpha’s interest didn’t feel simple. It felt fixed.

Focused.

Like he sensed something in her he didn’t fully understand.

And he wanted to be close enough to study it.

To claim it.

To shape it.

Maybe I was wrong. Maybe grief was making me paranoid. But I had watched my daughter long enough to know she carried something powerful inside her. Something ancient. Something not entirely wolf.

And if I could feel it—

So could he.

I didn’t have proof.

But I had a wolf.

And my wolf didn’t misread threats, even when they wore familiar faces and carried rank.

Because I knew one thing with absolute certainty—my Summer was meant for greatness beyond anything her mother or I could ever envision. And I refused to be the one who placed her on a path that left her unfulfilled… or used.

I needed time. Time to speak to my love. Time to think clearly. Time to decide what was truly best for our little girl before the pack—or my Alpha—decided for us.

I turned my attention back to my girls and saw Summer curled against me, already asleep. She was so beautiful—my most precious gift. Thank the goddess she took after her mother when it came to looks and brains.

But being half-wolf, we wouldn’t know how much of me was in her until her eighteenth birthday.

And until then, I would protect her from everything.

Even from the people who claimed they loved her.

“Husband, something is troubling you. I can feel it.”

Damn, my woman was good. She always knew when something was weighing on my mind—and better yet, she knew when to say something about it. I figured now was as good a time as any to tell her about the meeting I’d had at the pack mansion.

I carefully untangled myself from both my girls and stood. I slipped off my sweater, balled it up, and tucked it beneath Summer’s head so she could rest more comfortably. Then I took a moment to survey the room. We were alone in the waiting area, and a small dining table sat tucked away in the far corner.

We needed privacy for what I was about to say.

“Mi amor,” I said softly. “Come—let’s go talk over there. We need to discuss the meeting I had with our… boss.” I hesitated, then added, “I’m going to need your help making the most important decision of my life.”

“That serious, huh?” she replied.

She rose from the couch, and we walked hand in hand across the room, sitting beside each other at the table. Lowering her voice, she asked, “All right. What does the Alpha want?”

“Maria… it has to do with Summer.”

At the sound of our daughter’s name, her eyes widened. There was no gentle way to ease into this, so I gave her the facts—straight and unfiltered.

“Damien wants our permission to court her. She’ll be eighteen in a little over a year, and he believes she could be his mate. He says they’ve become friends over the last two years, since his father died. He holds her in the highest regard and wants our blessing to pursue a relationship.”

“What?” she whispered sharply. “What do you mean she could be his mate?”

Her voice rose despite herself.

“She knows nothing about that part of her life. She thinks Damien is just your boss. She doesn’t know the mansion is a packhouse. She doesn’t even know we’re the Gammas of the pack. Most of the pack believes Summer is my father’s ward—his heir—which is why she was never properly introduced. We haven’t even told her she’s a wolf!”

As she spoke, her worry and anxiety poured through our bond, heavy and unrestrained. She was right. We had kept Summer sheltered from pack politics. And, if I was being honest, we had deliberately kept the truth of her wolf side from her.

Not out of shame—but out of necessity.

My wife didn’t fully understand her own lineage. She knew she and her sister were half human, but beyond that, the truth was a mystery. She wasn’t a wolf. Not a vampire. Not Wiccan. And yet her aura radiated something far greater—something ancient.

Her healing abilities were unmatched by any supernatural I had ever encountered. She didn’t chant. She didn’t prepare spells. She simply placed her hands over a wound, and light—pure, radiant light—would pour from within her. Flesh knit itself whole. Pain vanished. Lives were restored.

Those abilities made her invaluable to the pack.

And deeply unsettling.

With every passing year after Maria came of age, her power grew stronger. Still, when my father-in-law fell ill with cancer, she couldn’t heal him. That failure shattered her. But he had stopped her gently and told her the truth she didn’t yet understand—that she was not meant to heal him.

His purpose had been written long ago in the stars.

And now, at last, it had been fulfilled on this Earth.

"My beautiful wife, I know. This is why he suggested we sit down with her, and I show her my wolf side. He asked to be the one to introduce her to our supernatural world as they get to know each other more." I was hopeful and worried at the same time.

Of course, Summer would be angry we hid so much of the truth from her, but I was excited for her to get to know that part of me and understand why I was so protective of her.

"I don't know, my love. I feel like he doesn’t and won’t love as she deserves. What if she doesn't gain a wolf when she comes of age, and she falls in love with him, and they are not mates? What if she agrees to be with him, and he finds his true mate and leaves her? It is too much for a mother to worry about." She was right, I could not deny her any of her worries.

“Amor, listen. I worry about all of those same things. But your father is gone, and when Summer was born, we chose to shelter her—from her wolf lineage and from the truth—until we had answers about who or what she truly is. I didn’t sense a wolf in her then, and I don’t now. We still don’t have answers, and fear has been guiding our decisions for far too long.”

“Her grandfather helped us suppress her power surges because we were afraid of how others might react—afraid she would be feared or cast out. But now he’s gone. When the next surge comes, there will be no one left to help contain or guide her except you.”

“I regret hiding her from herself. I worry that suppressing her powers—and her identity—has already caused harm. If we continue down this path, she may come to resent us, and that is something I will not allow.”

“I’m not saying Damien is the love of her life. But I am confident he will treat her with respect, whether as a friend or something more. And I believe he’s right about one thing—Summer deserves to know who she is.”

“It’s time we stop hiding. It’s time we make this right.”

I could see from her expression that she knew I was right. The ranked members of our pack wondered if Summer would develop the same powers as her mother when she came of age, and if my Goddess decided Summer should be blessed with wolf, I knew many of the males and elite warriors hoped she would be their mate.

With a heavy sigh, Maria understood my meaning and shared my concerns. “Very well. Let’s get through this first and allow ourselves the proper time to grieve and pay our respects to my father. Then we will share our entire world with our daughter. Our way, without our young Alpha present. I hope it’s not too late. However, I do not agree to Damien’s request just yet. I do not want him dating our daughter.”

I could still feel all her anxiety and worry through our bond, and it was my job to ease her emotions—and I needed to do it fast.

I nodded in reply and reached for her hand.

She took it immediately—like she needed the contact. Like her body knew mine was the only thing steady enough to hold her up right now.

I tightened my grip, thumb brushing over her knuckles, and pulled her closer until she was sitting on my lap. Not gently. Not carefully.

Possessively.

Like she was exactly where she belonged.

My mate.

My wife.

My woman.

And even in a room that smelled like death, antiseptic, and sorrow, something inside me stirred—low and animalistic. A growl I didn’t let escape. A warning I didn’t need to speak.

Because my wolf didn’t care where we were.

It only cared that she was hurting.

And that I couldn’t rip apart the one thing causing her so much pain.

I kissed her—soft at first, because she needed softness, but the second her lips parted, the second she melted into me, that softness twisted into something darker.

Something hungry.

My arms tightened around her automatically, pulling her flush against me. I didn’t want space between us. I didn’t want air between us. I wanted her so close that gravity and all of the universe couldn’t pull us apart.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and deepened the kiss, and the moment she did, my wolf surged forward like it had been waiting for permission.

Mine.

The word wasn’t spoken, but it burned through my bones.

I moved my mouth to her jaw, then down her throat, trailing kisses like a vow. All the way to my mark at the base of her neck. The silver filigree grew warmed with anticipation of being reclaimed. I was reminding her body—reminding her soul—that no matter what the world stole from us…

She still had me.

When my lips brushed the edges of my mark, I felt the familiar spike of possessive satisfaction twist inside my chest. I nipped her skin with my canines—just enough to make her gasp.

Just enough to make her remember.

Her moan was quiet, but it hit me like a match to gasoline.

The scent of her arousal rose immediately, and my eyes darkened before I could stop it. My wolf liked that sound. Liked that reaction. Liked the way she responded to me like she was built for my hands.

And I hated how much I wanted to take her right here, right now—because grief had touched her.

Because death had come too close to my family.

Because I couldn’t fight it.

Because I couldn’t kill it.

So my instincts did the next best thing.

They tried to claim what was still alive.

She pulled away, breathless, eyes heavy, voice low.

“Mate…” she whispered, and hearing that word from her mouth made my jaw tighten.

““I know what you’re doing,” she said as she sat up and pulled her neck away from my mouth.

She swallowed, then added, “Thank you for taking my worries away… but don’t start something if you damn well can’t finish.”

I stared at her for a moment, slow and dangerous. She didn’t understand that my wolf didn’t do half-measures.

My wolf didn’t tease.

My wolf didn’t start.

My wolf took.

A dark smile pulled at my mouth, and I let out a low breath, but it was my wolf who spoke.

“Huh,” I murmured. “That mouth on you is going to get you in trouble, little mate.”

Her eyes narrowed like she liked that.

Then she moved—deliberate. Bold. Reckless.

She lowered her hand and cupped me through my pants like she owned me, like she was reminding me that I wasn’t the only one with claws.

Then she leaned into my neck and bit down hard.

Not playful.

Not gentle.

A possessive bite.

A warning bite.

My whole body locked instantly, heat snapping through my veins. My hand flexed around her waist like I was about to pin her down without thinking.

Fuck.

I had to clench my jaw to keep from growling out loud.

My wolf wanted to rise. Wanted to mark her again—harder. Deeper. Wanted to remind her who she belonged to in a way she’d feel for days.

But Summer was asleep.

This wasn’t our territory.

And I was still a man before I was a beast.

Barely.

She pulled back, lips brushing my skin as if she wanted me to suffer, and whispered against my ear:

“Game on.”

And then she stood up and walked away from me like she hadn’t just lit a fire in my blood.

I watched her go, pulse pounding, eyes tracking her like prey and treasure all at once.

And I swore to myself—darkly, silently—that later, when we were alone…

I would remind her.

Not with words.

With devotion.

With hunger.

With control.

Because she wasn’t allowed to doubt me.

Not ever.

I had no doubt she was heading to the ladies’ room to cool her face down.

About five minutes later, my phone pinged with an incoming text. It was from my wife. I pulled it out and opened the message.

— Coming or going? Or are you Mr. Start What I Don’t Know How to Finish?

My jaw tightened.

My wolf stirred beneath my skin like it had been waiting for permission.

Then my phone pinged again.

A video text.

I opened it.

The second the screen lit up, my body went still—like every instinct in me had snapped into place.

She stood a few feet back from the camera, her voluptuous body on full display. The room was dim, cast in shadows, but it only made her look more alluring. More tempting—and she was all mine..

She sucked her index finger into her mouth, slow and deliberate, her gaze locked on the lens as if she knew exactly what she was doing to me. As if she could feel my reaction through the screen. Then she dragged that same finger down her throat, over her chest, teasing her own skin like she was daring me to stop her. Like she was reminding me that she didn’t need anyone to make her tremble, but this video was an invitation, and she wanted that finger to be me.

Her hand glided down her abdomen, feathering her skin, grazing the hem of her panties—then she paused.

Just long enough to make my wolf bare its teeth in my chest.

Then she stepped forward again and picked up the phone, her lips curving into a smile that wasn’t sweet.

It was wicked.

“Oh, lover boy… come find me if you can,” she murmured, her voice like honey poured over a blade. “Before I have to finish what you started all by myself.”

The video cut off.

And for a second, all I could do was stare at the blank screen.

My heartbeat thundered in my ears.

My wolf was fully awake now—pressing against my ribs, growling low, possessive, furious at the thought of her touching herself without me there to claim her attention.

Oh, hell no!

I exhaled slowly, forcing the man in me to stay in control, but my wolf was right there—clawing at the surface, eager, ready, hungry.

It was time to hunt.

So I stood from my chair, took one quick look at my sleeping baby girl, and began my mission to find my wife.

I planned on bending her over my knee, slipping two fingers in and out of her wet pretty little p***y before making her take my whole c**k into her luxurious core, making damn sure she knew exactly who she belonged to. I planned on taking my time with her—slow, deliberate—until she forgot her own name and couldn’t form a single coherent thought.

I was going to make her regret ever doubting me.

I was going to make sure she knew—without a single doubt—that I was ready anytime, anywhere. That I didn’t “start” things. I finished them.

I would push her right to the edge and keep her there, holding her in that sweet torture until she lost every shred of control she had left. Then I’d do it all over again, until she couldn’t speak, couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything but feel me.

That would stop her from f*****g doubting me. That would stop her from running her mouth like she didn’t know what kind of man she “married,” and it would sure as hell stop her from saying I start s**t I can’t finish.

My wolf agreed.

Before I could make it out of the waiting room door, I was greeted by my Alpha and Beta—both of whom I did not expect to see here. Curiously, my Alpha was carrying a bouquet of flowers and a stuffed dark grey wolf. It was irritatingly similar to his own wolf.

My wolf—already coiled tight beneath my skin—snapped its head up like it had just been interrupted mid-hunt.

My wolf was now annoyed and agitated

But the moment my eyes landed on Damien, everything inside me stiffened.

Not fear.

Instinct.

Recognition.

The air shifted between us, thick and immediate, like the room itself recognized rank before I even had time to think. My wolf bristled, irritated at the interruption, irritated at the timing… but it still lowered its head. Not willingly.

But obediently.

And even my wolf knew better than to challenge that in a hospital waiting room with my daughter asleep ten feet away.

“Gamma, we just heard.” Damien’s voice was calm, steady. “My condolences to you, your wife, and your daughter. I am so sorry for the loss of your father-in-law.”

I nodded, forcing my expression into something neutral, even though my pulse was still too loud in my ears.

“Alpha,” I said, voice controlled, “thank you for your care and concern. Beta, I’m glad to see you both. Please, come and have a seat. My wife will be back in a moment.”

“Thank you,” they both replied.

But I saw it.

The slight pause in the Beta’s step.

The way Damien’s gaze flickered over me—sharp, assessing, like he was reading something I hadn’t meant to show.

Because the truth was, I still smelled like hunger.

Not grief.

Not rage.

Hunger.

My wolf hadn’t fully let go of the thought Maria planted in my head with that video, and the leftover heat of it rolled off me like smoke.

Damien stepped forward anyway, unbothered, but his shoulders subtly tightened—like his own instincts had registered mine.

The Beta’s jaw clenched, nostrils flaring once, quick and involuntary.

Awkward.

All three of us felt it. All three of us pretended we didn’t.

I stepped aside as my Alpha walked into the waiting room and sat in the armchair closest to Summer. He glanced at her as she slept and smiled.

That smile hit me wrong. Not because it was cruel. Because it was soft.

It made me believe he was here for her—and only for her. But his actions, at this moment, were innocent enough. And it was good to have the support of the ranked members of our pack here with us.

Still…

My wolf didn’t like how close he sat. It didn’t like how his scent settled into the space around my daughter. And it damn sure didn’t like the quiet claim in his presence.

I forced my wolf down again, deeper this time, like shoving a growl back into my throat.

Control, Esteban, Control.

I pulled out my phone and sent a text to my wife.

—Get dressed. Come back to me.

Our Alpha and Beta are here.

I knew she would be fuming with anger—heated, hungry, and unsatisfied—and honestly, the thought of her pissed off because we’d been interrupted before I could give her exactly what she wanted… what her body needed… made my mouth twitch with a dark smile.

Then I added the part I knew would make her blood boil.

—This game isn’t over, Mi Amor.

Not even close.

You teased the wolf in me… and now he’s wide awake.

I’ll deal with you properly later.

I stared at the screen for a moment, imagining the look on her face when she read it—furious, flustered, but aching to finish what she started.

Good.

Let her be left fuming.

Let her stew in it.

Because when we got home…

I would make sure she remembered exactly who she belonged to. And the thought of having to tame my mate’s rage later—appease her hunger, calm her fire, only to stoke it until she burned all over again—nearly made my wolf purr beneath my skin. She was going to be unbearable until I could get my hands on her the way she deserved.

And I was going to enjoy every damn second of it.