Page 22 of Doyle

As the minutes ticked by, I found myself opening up to Doyle about my time as Liliana's familiar.

I told him about the day she captured me, how my life changed overnight.

Some things were still hard to talk about, especially the things she made me do, but Doyle didn't push or prod.

He merely listened, his eyes never leaving mine.

"It wasn't just the physical pain," I admitted, my voice trembling. "It was the way she broke me down, made me feel like I was nothing. Every day was a battle to hold onto some semblance of who I used to be."

Doyle's grip tightened on my hand, his expression pained.

"You are not nothing, Michael. You're strong, stronger than you realize. And you're not alone anymore,” Dolyle said.

A warmth spread through me at his words. For so long, I had felt isolated and broken, but with Doyle, I felt I could be something more.

Someone even worthy of being Doyle’s…what? His mate?

William had been his one true love, but perhaps there was a possibility Doyle could love another.

"Thank you," I said, my voice barely above a whisper..

Just then, the door to the diner opened, and I looked up to see my dad walking in, his eyes scanning the room.

My heart pounded in my chest as he spotted me and made his way over.

Doyle gave my hand one last reassuring squeeze before letting go, allowing me to stand and face my father.

"Dad," I said, my voice choked with emotion.

He pulled me into a tight embrace, and for a moment, all my fears melted away.

"Michael," he said, his voice thick with tears. "I've missed you so much."

As I held onto him, I knew that Doyle was right. My dad wasn't here to judge me; he was here to love me, to welcome me back into his life.

I didn’t even know what I was so worried about in the first place.

After my dad released me from his embrace, he turned his attention to Doyle, giving him a critical, scrutinizing look.

"So this is the man who rescued you?" he asked, his voice filled with a mixture of curiosity and guarded suspicion.

I had kept some of the details of my rescue from my dad during our phone conversation.

I hadn’t mentioned that Doyle was a dragon shifter or that this town was under his pack's protection.

At that time, it felt necessary to keep some of Doyle's secrets.

A tense moment hung in the air as both Doyle and my father sized each other up.

My heart raced with worry and suddenly, it was hard to breathe.

I feared a fight or argument was about to break out and that was the last thing I wanted.

But then my dad did something unexpected. He held out a hand to Doyle.

Doyle hesitated for a split second before taking it, seemingly taken aback when my dad pulled him into a bear hug.

It was so unlike my father, who had never been one to openly show his emotions.

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