MY ALPHA FATHER'S BEST FRIEND 16
1321 Words
DAMON
The second I hear the footsteps, I’m on my feet, pulling Maya behind me.
My wolf is snarling, ready to defend our mate from any threat.
The door slams open and Rob storms in, flanked by four of his pack warriors.
His eyes immediately find Maya—naked, marked, clearly just claimed and his face goes purple with rage.
“What the f**k is going on here?!”
Maya scrambles to cover herself with the blanket while I stand between her and her father, still naked but not caring.
“Rob…” I start.
“DON’T.” His voice is pure Alpha command, and his eyes are blazing gold. “Don’t you dare try to explain this. I can smell exactly what you did.”
“Dad, please…” Maya tries.
“You.” He points at her, his hand shaking with fury. “Get dressed. Now. You’re coming home.”
“No.” Her voice is quiet but firm.
“That wasn’t a request, Maya.”
“I’m not leaving him.” She stands, wrapping the blanket around herself, and comes to stand beside me. “We’re mated, Dad. Bonded. It’s done.”
Rob’s eyes move to the fresh bite mark on her shoulder and something dark crosses his face.
“You took advantage of her,” he snarls at me. “She’s eighteen years old. Barely an adult. And you…you’re supposed to be my friend!”
“I love her,” I say simply. “And she loves me.”
“Love?” Rob laughs, harsh and bitter. “You don’t know the meaning of the word. If you loved her, you wouldn’t have snuck around behind my back. Wouldn’t have defiled her in some abandoned cabin like she’s worth nothing.”
The words hit like a punch to the gut because part of me agrees with him. I should have done this differently. Should have been honest from the start.
But I’m not sorry I claimed her. I’ll never be sorry for that.
“I’m sorry for the deception,” I say, meaning it. “But I’m not sorry for loving your daughter. And I’m not sorry for making her mine.”
“Mine,” Rob repeats mockingly. “She’s not property, you arrogant bastard.”
“I know that. But in our world, she’s my mate now. And that’s forever.”
“The hell it is.” Rob’s eyes flash dangerously. “The Council can dissolve a mating if…”
“No.” Maya’s voice cuts through. “They can’t. Not without both parties agreeing. And I’ll never agree. Never.”
Rob looks at her like he doesn’t recognize her. “Maya, sweetheart, you don’t understand what you’ve done. This bond—it’s not natural. He’s twice your age. He manipulated you…”
“He didn’t manipulate me!” She’s shouting now, her own wolf rising. “I chose this! I wanted this! I’ve wanted him for years!”
“Years?” Rob looks like he might be sick. “How long has this been going on?”
“We only acted on it recently,” I say quickly. “But the feelings—they’ve been there a while.”
“How long?”
I hesitate, and that’s answer enough.
“Jesus Christ.” Rob runs his hand through his hair. “Since her first shift? You’ve been lusting after my teenage daughter since her first shift?”
“I fought it,” I say. “For three years, I fought it. I stayed away. I tried to forget her. But some bonds can’t be denied, Rob. You know that.”
“Don’t you dare use pack law to justify this. She was a child…”
“I’m not a child!” Maya’s eyes are gold now, her wolf at the surface. “I’m an adult. I made my choice. And you can’t change it.”
Father and daughter stare at each other, both dominant wolves refusing to back down.
Finally, Rob’s eyes move to me.
“You’re banished from Crescent Falls territory. Effective immediately.”
My stomach drops.
“Dad, what? no…”
“This is non-negotiable, Maya.” His voice is cold now. Empty. “He’s not welcome here. Not in our territory, not in our pack house, not anywhere near our family.”
“Then I’ll go with him,” Maya says immediately.
“No, you won’t.”
“You can’t stop me. I’m mated to him now. Where he goes, I go.”
“You’re still my daughter. Still part of this pack. And I’m ordering you to stay.”
The Alpha command in his voice makes Maya wince, but she doesn’t back down.
“I’m also his mate. And that bond supersedes pack loyalty.”
“We’ll see about that.” Rob turns to his warriors. “Escort Maya home. Restrain her if necessary.”
“Don’t touch her,” I growl, stepping forward.
Four wolves immediately shift, circling us. Threatening.
I could fight them. Could shift and tear through them to protect my mate. But that would mean hurting Rob’s wolves, maybe killing them. Starting a war between our packs.
And Maya would never forgive me for that.
So I stand down, even though every instinct screams at me to fight.
Maya’s crying now, reaching for me. “Damon…”
“It’s okay,” I tell her, even though it’s not. “Go home. I’ll fix this.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. But I will. I promise.”
Rob’s wolves move in, and one of them—a female named Sarah gently takes Maya’s arm.
“Come on, Maya. Let’s get you dressed.”
Maya doesn’t resist, but she doesn’t take her eyes off me either. Even as Sarah helps her into her dress, even as they lead her toward the door, she’s looking at me.
I can feel her through the bond—her fear, her anger, her desperation. And she can probably feel mine.
“I love you,” she calls out.
“I love you too, little wolf. Always.”
Then she’s gone, and it’s just me and Rob.
We stare at each other for a long moment.
“I trusted you,” he finally says, his voice raw. “You were my best friend. I asked you to protect her, and you…”
“I did protect her. I always will.”
“You took advantage of her.”
“I didn’t. She came to me. She pursued me. I tried to resist, Rob. I swear I tried.”
“Not hard enough.”
He’s right. But I can’t bring myself to regret it.
“What happens now?” I ask.
“Now you leave. And if I ever see you near my daughter again, I’ll kill you.”
The threat hangs in the air between us.
“You could try,” I say quietly.
His eyes flash. “Are you challenging me?”
“No. But if you think I’m going to stay away from my mate, you’re wrong. She’s mine now, Rob. And I’m hers. That’s not going to change just because you’re pissed.”
“Get out of my territory. Now.”
“Fine. But this isn’t over.”
“Yes, it is.”
I grab my jeans and pull them on, then head for the door. But I stop and look back at him.
“You’re going to lose her,” I say. “By trying to keep us apart, you’re going to drive her away. Is that really what you want?”
He doesn’t answer. Just stares at me with hatred in his eyes.
I leave, shifting to wolf form as soon as I’m outside. My wolf howls in anguish as I run, feeling the distance growing between me and my mate.
Through the bond, I can feel Maya’s pain. Her tears. Her heartbreak.
It mirrors my own.
- Writer
