MY ALPHA FATHER'S BEST FRIEND 13
1269 Words
DAMON
Tyler Brecken. The unmated male Rob mentioned. He’s heading straight for us with a confident smile.
My wolf rises immediately. Mine. He needs to back off.
“Hey, Tyler,” Maya says, but her eyes stay on me. Watching my reaction.
“Save me a dance later?” Tyler asks, flashing her a smile.
“Maybe.”
He looks between us, sensing tension but not understanding it. “Alpha Kane. Good to see you.”
I nod curtly, not trusting myself to speak without snarling.
Tyler hovers awkwardly for a moment, then excuses himself.
The second he’s gone, Maya’s grinning. “You’re jealous.”
“I’m not…”
“You are. Your eyes went full gold. I saw it.”
Fuck. She’s right.
“He’s not good enough for you,” I mutter.
“No one is. Except you.”
The Council meeting is about to start. Alphas are taking their seats at the round table.
“I have to go,” I say.
“I know.” She touches my arm, just briefly, and the contact sends electricity through me. “But we’re not done talking.”
“Maya…”
“Later. After the meeting. Meet me outside. I have something I need to tell you.”
Then she’s walking away, and all I can do is watch her go.
The meeting drags on for two hours. Territory discussions. Alliance negotiations. Dispute resolutions. I barely pay attention to any of it.
All I can think about is Maya, sitting in the audience section with the other pack members, those long legs crossed, looking like every fantasy I’ve ever had.
When it finally ends, I make my excuses and slip outside.
The grounds are large, with gardens and walking paths lit by lanterns. I find a secluded spot near the back, away from the main building.
And I wait.
She finds me ten minutes later, materializing out of the shadows in that blue dress.
“I was starting to think you wouldn’t come,” she says.
“I shouldn’t have.” But I don’t leave.
She walks toward me slowly, deliberately. “I meant what I said. I have something to tell you.”
“So tell me.”
She stops right in front of me, close enough to touch but not quite touching.
“I talked to my mom. About us.”
My stomach drops. “You what?”
“Not everything. Just… hypothetically. About what it would mean if I wanted to mate with someone Dad didn’t approve of.”
“Maya…”
“She said that ultimately, it’s my choice. That once I’ve had my first shift, I’m considered an adult in the pack. I can choose my own mate.”
“Your father would never accept…”
“She also said that Dad would come around eventually. That he loves me too much to exile me from the pack.”
“But he might exile me.”
She tilts her head. “Would that really be so bad? You have your own pack. Your own territory. We could be together there.”
“You’d give up your pack? Your family? For me?”
“In a heartbeat.”
The certainty in her voice steals my breath.
“You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“Yes, I do.” She steps closer, placing her hand on my chest. “I love you, Damon. I’ve loved you for three years. And I know you feel the same way.”
I do. Moon help me, I do.
I grab her hand, pressing it harder against my chest where my heart is racing.
“If I claim you,” I say roughly, “there’s no going back. I told you that.”
“I know.”
“I’ll mark you. Bond with you. Make you mine completely.”
“Yes.”
“Other wolves will challenge me. Question my judgment. Some might even challenge my position as Alpha.”
“I don’t care.”
“Your father will be furious.”
“He’ll get over it.”
I stare at her, this fierce, beautiful, impossible girl who’s offering me everything I’ve ever wanted.
“Why?” I ask. “Why me? You could have anyone. Someone your own age. Someone without all the baggage and complications.”
She smiles, soft and genuine.
“Because you’re the only one who sees me, Damon. Really sees me. Not Rob’s daughter. Not the Alpha’s heir. Just Maya. And because when I think about the future, about building a life, having a family…” She stops, swallowing hard. “I can only see it with you.”
Something breaks inside me. Some last wall of resistance I’d been holding onto.
“f**k it,” I growl.
And then I’m kissing her, hard and possessive, pouring three years of wanting into it.
She melts into me, her arms wrapping around my neck. I back her up against a tree, pressing my body against hers, letting her feel exactly how much I want her.
“Say it again,” I demand against her mouth. “Tell me you’re mine.”
“I’m yours. Only yours.”
“And I’m yours.” I kiss down her neck, scraping my teeth against her throat. “Always have been, little wolf. From the moment you shifted and looked at me with those gold eyes.”
She gasps as I find the sensitive spot where neck meets shoulder—the claiming spot, where I’ll put my mark when the time comes.
“Damon. Please.”
“Please what?”
“Claim me. Right here, right now. I don’t care who knows. I don’t care what happens after. I just want to be yours.”
I want to. Moon above, I want to sink my teeth into her throat and bind her to me forever.
But…
“Not here,” I say, pulling back. “Not rushed. Not hidden in the shadows like we’re ashamed.”
She looks confused, hurt.
I cup her face gently. “When I claim you, Maya, I’m going to do it right. I’m going to court you properly. Tell your father my intentions. Face whatever consequences come. Because you deserve better than sneaking around.”
“I don’t care about any of that.”
“I know. But I do.” I press my forehead to hers. “Give me two days. Let me figure out how to talk to your father. How to make him understand.”
“And if he doesn’t understand? If he forbids it?”
“Then we’ll deal with that together.” I kiss her softly. “But I’m not hiding you, little wolf. Not anymore.”
She smiles, and it’s like the sun coming out.
“Two days.”
“Two days. I promise.”
We hear voices approaching—other pack members coming outside.
“I should go,” she whispers.
“Yeah.”
But neither of us moves.
“I love you,” she says again.
And this time, I say it back.
“I love you too, Maya. More than you know.”
One more kiss, soft and sweet and full of promise.
Then she slips away into the darkness, leaving me standing there with my heart pounding and my future completely uncertain.
But for the first time in three years, I have hope.
Two days to figure out how to tell Rob that I’m in love with his daughter.
Two days to prepare for either acceptance or exile.
Two days until everything changes.
I just hope we’re both ready for what comes next.
- Writer
