Their Unexpected Love

Chapter 2: Marcos

"You are fine, daughter mine. Just give me a sec, here." I say to my Layla as I warm up her milk. I have her bouncing on my hip, to get her to stop crying. I know she is teething and usually, the frozen squishy thingy I put in the freezer helps her, but not right now. I handed it to her and she chucked it across the kitchen.  My girl's got a good arm. So warm milk is my next best try. 

It's been a year now, that it's just been Layla and me. We moved to a new, smaller apartment six months ago. I just couldn't sleep in my old bed, in my old bedroom, in my old house without Adeline by my side. Her presence permeated through the whole house. Everything in the house reminded of her. Which is the first couple of months that was comforting and I loved it? But then I fell apart.

But with the help of Luna Karime and Fae, I knew I couldn't wallow in my own sorrow and misery. I had to grieve and let go for Layla's sake. So that is what I did. When Alpha Damian and I built on to Addie's Safe Haven, a shelter for abused families, I built an apartment over the main offices, for Layla and myself. I could help with security at night and I could drop off Layla with the ladies downstairs while I went to work with our Alpha.

As Alpha Damian's Beta, I was second in command of the Yellow Moon Pack. I worked the ins and outs of the pack and the Guard training. I have been taking on a little more responsibilities now that the Alpha had to watch over our Luna more closely since she was pregnant with his pup. 

I remember how happy Adeline and I were when she was pregnant with Layla. We had everything planned out. The nursery we would bring our daughter home to was completely ready and stocked for her first night home. 

Sadly, I had to bring our daughter home alone. I lost my precious mate the day after she gave birth to Layla. I lost her to a pack of disgusting rogue wolves who were reinforced with witch/warlock magic. They are all to blame for my Adeline's early release to the Fade. I got my revenge on the damn rogues but I was still looking for the f*****g witch culprit. I vowed to avenge my mate and I intend to keep that vow. 

"Here you go, baby girl. Is that better?" I say as I give Layla a sippy cup of warm milk. 

I had just transitioned her from a bottle to a sippy cup since that is what the human books say to do at the age of one.  Without my Adeline, I have had to do much research on how to raise babies. Everything from diaper rashes to teething to baby food diets-organic, homemade s**t, that I had no f*****g idea what I was doing, but I was trying. 

Raising babies was a harder job then my Beta duties. Thankfully I also had help from Luna Karime and Fae, the Alpha's house servant, to help me when I screwed something up with Layla.

I do not have a mother or father. Adeline was my only family. I did not have anybody else to turn to with questions on raising daughters. So here I was, reading books and internet articles to figure out the ins and outs of what my daughter needed. 

Long, sleepless nights. Tiring early morning feedings. It was a hard job but, I was determined to be a better f*****g father than my so-called father ever was. 

Father. 

Ha! 

I should really say, sperm donor because that was all he was. He abandoned my mother even before I was born. My mother said he just disappeared one night after going on patrol. He was a member of the Alpha's Guard at the time and he just didn't come home one night. The members of the Guard looked for him. My mother also searched for him. But he was never found. Members of the pack said the responsibility of becoming a father was probably too much for him so he turned rogue.

No. 

Fuck that. 

Fuck my father. 

I would be better. My daughter would be proud to call me her father. She had said her first official word, yesterday. "Papa", the best f*****g word in the whole f*****g world. I relished in the sound of her tiny sing-along voice. I tried to get her to say it again, but she just smiled at me. 

So, it looked like the warm milk was what Layla needed. Because she quieted down and was now happily drinking her milk in my arms, her eyelids becoming heavy and slowly closing. When she was smaller I would watch her for hours while she slept. She looked just like her mother. Everyone said she looked more like me but I did not agree. She had her mother's sweet face and now that she grows older, I see Adeline in her, even more. 

I laid Layla in her crib, in her bedroom, that was next to mine. I slowly closed the door and went in search of the teething toy she had chucked before. I washed it and then put it back in the freezer, knowing she might need it again tonight. 

There came a knock at the door and I went to open it. I looked through the peep-hole and it was Dem. He probably came over looking for Fae again. I rolled my eyes and opened the door.

A year ago, if someone would have said that I would be letting a vampire enter my house, I would have called them f*****g crazy. We used to hate each other; vampires and werewolves. But now since our Alpha Damian mated to Luna Karime a vampire, that is in the past. I don't know what the Goddesses were thinking to mate those two, but I am glad they did. Luna Karime has been the best thing to happen to our pack.

Demetrio, Luna Karime's best friend, came along with her when she moved to the pack lands. He, in turn, fell in love and swore up and down that Fae, the Alpha's house servant, was his mate. He swore on the sparks that flew between them when they touched, but she was yet to allow him to drink from her blood to prove she was. 

I think Fae loves Dem but she is afraid of what her older brother, Patrick, will do. Fae is definitely of mating age but Patrick has always been overprotective of her. Ever since they lost their parents during war times with the vampires, he has been the one raising her. 

"She's not here, Dem," I say as I open the door to him.

"Don't hide her from me, man. Fae!" He yells as he walks into my apartment.

"Will you shut the hell up! I just put Layla down for a nap." I whisper-yell at him and close the door.

"Oh. s**t. Sorry, man. Fae is seriously not here?" he whisper-asks me again.

"I said no. Why would I hide her from you? You guys fight again?" I ask him and go to the minibar to pour us some tequila.

"We would have to see each other to fight. She has been avoiding me for weeks now. I think we came too close to me tasting her blood the other night when we were making out, that it spooked her. f**k. That female is so stubborn. Can't she see, she is my mate and that we f*****g belong together. I don't care what the f**k her brother says and thinks about it. I don't need his damn approval." Dem says and drinks the tequila in one gulp.

"I know man. But Fae is an old school type. She would never disrespect her brother like that and just let you bite and drink from her. You need to talk to Patrick first. Get his permission to court her." I suggest as I pour more tequila into his glass.

Dem growls but stays silent.

"How does she feel about you having to go back to your lands to get your blood nourishment from a vamp female?" I ask him, as I sip my glass.

"Man, don't even get me started on that. She f*****g hates it, just like I do, when I have to do that. I have even tried holding out on only food without drinking blood but I can feel my gift weaken." He says in an exhausted voice.

Male vampires need to drink from females and vice-versa, to keep their powers/gifts strong. Each vampire is born with a power that has been passed down through their family lineage. If they don't drink blood from the other s*x, then their power weakens, and in turn, weakens the vampire.

"Damn, that's a f****d up situation you are in man. I feel bad for you and Fae." I say apologetically. 

"Don't be, man. There's nothing we can do about it. Maybe I will just go back to live with my family on my clan's land. Maybe I just need to get away from her and let her be happy with a stinky, filthy wolf." Dem growls.

"f**k that! Your ass needs to fight for her, man. You have your mate, don't ever let her go!" I say to Demetrio, thinking about how I don't have my Adeline.

"Your right, man. I know you are." He says back to me. 

"And Patrick is...." I start saying but then stop when I feel a mind link trying to get in. I open it.

"Beta. We have some info on how we can get onto the witch's lands undetected." Patrick says to me through the mind link.

This is what I have been waiting for.

"Meet me at the castle. Let's get clearance from the Alpha and then we'll go." I say to Patrick then close the link.

"Who was it?" Demetrio asks me as I drink the last gulp of my tequila fast. He probably saw how my eyes glazed over when I was mind linking Patrick.

"Your future bro-in-law. He found a way to get on the f*****g witch's land, undetected." I say with a smile.

Finally, I can investigate what I need to know. I will finally find the witch who helped kill my sweet Adeline.