MY ALPHA FATHER'S BEST FRIEND 12
1158 Words
DAMON
The pack meeting is in three hours and I’m losing my f*****g mind.
I haven’t slept more than a few hours since that night at the gate. Can’t close my eyes without seeing Maya’s face, feeling her soft skin, tasting her on my fingers.
A virgin. She’s a f*****g virgin who’s been saving herself for me.
The knowledge makes my wolf absolutely feral. Mine, he snarls constantly. Ours. No one else has touched her. Only us.
I’ve been avoiding Rob’s calls, making excuses about territory issues and pack business. He probably thinks I’m blowing him off.
He has no idea that I can’t talk to him without feeling crushing guilt for what I did to his daughter.
With his daughter.
Because she was very much a willing participant.
My Beta, Garrett, pokes his head into my office. “You okay, boss? You’ve been staring at that same page for twenty minutes.”
I look down. He’s right—I haven’t processed a single word.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re a terrible liar.” He comes in and shuts the door. “What’s going on? And don’t say nothing. You’ve been off since you got back from the Ashford estate.”
Garrett’s been my Beta for fifteen years. He knows me better than almost anyone.
But I can’t tell him this.
“Just stressed. Full moon was rough this year.”
“Uh-huh.” He doesn’t look convinced. “This have anything to do with a certain Alpha’s daughter?”
My head snaps up. “What?”
“Oh, come on. You think I don’t have eyes? The way you look at her…”
“Garrett.” My voice drops into Alpha command. “Drop it.”
He holds up his hands. “Dropped. But for what it’s worth? She looks at you the same way.”
He leaves before I can respond.
Fuck. If Garrett noticed, who else has?
I force myself to focus on pack business for the next few hours. Review budgets, approve patrol schedules, handle disputes. All the tedious but necessary parts of being an Alpha.
But the whole time, I’m thinking about the meeting tonight.
Maya will be there. Rob always brings her to pack meetings now that she’s had her first shift—wants her to learn about pack politics, to understand how the Council works.
Which means I’ll have to see her. Talk to her like nothing happened.
Pretend I’m not obsessed with her.
At six o’clock, I shower and change into dark slacks and a button-down—the semi-formal attire expected at Council meetings. Then I drive to the neutral meeting grounds.
The meeting hall is actually an old estate that was donated to the Council decades ago. It sits on neutral territory between several pack lands, decorated like someone’s idea of what a wolf stronghold should look like. All dark wood and heavy furniture, with pack banners hanging on the walls.
I’m one of the first to arrive. Take my usual seat at the large round table—the Council table, where the Alphas sit.
Other Alphas start filtering in. Marcus is here, limping slightly but looking better. A few others I recognize from various territories.
Then Rob walks in, and my stomach tightens.
He sees me and grins, coming over to clasp my hand. “Damon! Good to see you. Thanks again for watching Maya.”
“No problem.” The words taste like ash.
“She hasn’t stopped talking about you,” he continues, oblivious. “Says you two got along great.”
Oh, f**k.
“She’s a good kid,” I manage.
“She’s not a kid anymore.” Rob sighs, shaking his head. “She’s going to make some wolf very happy someday. Probably sooner than I’d like.”
My wolf snarls. *That wolf will be us. No one else.*
“Any prospects?” I hear myself ask.
“A few unmated males sniffing around. Tyler Brecken seems interested. He’s from good bloodlines, strong fighter.” Rob shrugs. “But Maya doesn’t seem interested in any of them. Says she’s not ready.”
*Because she wants me. Because she’s been waiting for me.*
The thought makes me want to beat my chest and howl.
“Smart to take her time,” I say neutrally.
“That’s what her mother says.” Rob claps me on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s grab a drink before this thing starts.”
We’re at the bar when I smell her.
Vanilla. Jasmine. Everything that’s been driving me crazy for days.
I turn, and there she is.
Maya’s wearing a deep blue dress that hugs every curve and ends mid-thigh. Her long blonde hair is down, styled in soft waves. She’s wearing heels that make her legs look a mile long.
She looks absolutely stunning.
And she’s looking right at me.
Our eyes meet across the room and I feel the impact like a physical blow. Heat. Want. Challenge.
She smiles, slow and dangerous, then starts walking toward us.
“There’s my girl,” Rob says, not noticing the way Maya’s eyes haven’t left mine. “You look beautiful, sweetheart.”
“Thanks, Dad.” She finally looks at him, going up on her toes to kiss his cheek.
Then those brown eyes are back on me.
“Hello, Alpha Kane.”
The formality is deliberate. Playing a role for her father’s benefit.
“Maya.” I nod, keeping my voice neutral. “You look well.”
“So do you.” Her eyes travel over me slowly, and I know she’s remembering. Remembering the way I touched her. “I’ve missed our conversations.”
Rob chuckles. “You just saw him two weeks ago.”
“That was two weeks too long.” She says it lightly, teasingly, but I hear the truth underneath.
“Well, he’s here now,” Rob says. “Why don’t you two catch up while I go say hi to Marcus?”
And then he’s walking away, leaving me alone with Maya.
We stare at each other for a long moment.
“You’re playing with fire, little wolf,” I murmur, quiet enough that only she can hear.
“I know.” She steps closer. “Did you think about me?”
“Every second.”
The truth slips out before I can stop it. Her eyes light up.
“Aww. I thought about you too.” She leans in, and I can smell her shampoo, her perfume, her. “I touched myself every night. Imagined it was your hands instead of mine.”
“Maya.” Her name comes out as a growl. Warning and want mixed together.
“What? We’re just talking.” But there’s mischief in her eyes.
“You’re going to get us caught.”
“Only if you can’t control yourself.”
Before I can respond, a familiar voice calls out, “Maya! You look gorgeous!”
- Writer
