Page 21 of Bodyguard Wolf's Fated Mate
"I meant it when I said you don't know all the facts. It's not my place to tell you, but I think you need to know before this goes any further. I advise you to unclench your fist. Taking a swing at me isn't a good idea even though you might feel justified." I stood my ground without bothering to try to cover up.
He raised his fist and shook it in my face for added emphasis on how much I had betrayed his trust. He wasn't wrong, but he wasn’t right either. Some men would think it was cool to sleep with the boss’s daughter, but I wasn't one of them. This went against my moral code but trying to fight it was impossible when she drew me to her magnetically.
Jules punched his fist with his face bright red down to the collar of his shirt. "I've always considered myself a reasonable man. I would love nothing better than to beat you to a pulp. I know everything there is to know about my daughter. There's nothing you can say to prove otherwise."
"Are you totally sure about that? You must have sensed on some level she's not exactly like other girls. The sleeping pills. The mood swings. Not to mention what happens during a full moon couldn't be lost on you. You are not the type of man to stick your head in the sand and deny what is right in front of you."
"She has a medical condition. Some call it anxiety attacks, but others are more inclined to believe she suffers some sort of trauma before she came to live here underneath my roof. What the hell do you know about it?"
"I think the answer might surprise you. I'm still reluctant to tell you anything without consulting her first. It's not my secret but we share the same affliction. It's not a disease or some kind of virus, but it does cause unusual side effects when the moon is full." I turned my attention to the cloud-covered sky through the crack in the white curtains blowing in the breeze of the ajar window.
"I admit it was a little unnerving to hear her howling at the moon. She has the freedom to express herself. I almost envy the way she's in touch with her inner child. I lost my innocence a long time ago to ever go back to when things were simple." He checked his watch for the fourth time.
I grabbed his shoulders. "This is more important than any conference call. You have to listen to me. This is a matter of life and death. She's in transition and the final phase is when the clock strikes midnight at the party this weekend."
"I don't want to hear this. Get out of my house and pray that I never see your lying face ever again. Don't make me say it again. I'm not above calling for security to drag you out of here by bodily force." He retrieved his phone and began punching in the code to reach the guards at the gate to intervene on his behalf.
"You don't have to bother calling anybody. I'll leave, but I want you to remember one thing. Not everything is what it seems. Talk to her. I don't mean about the weather. Get her to open up to you and maybe then you'll understand what I have been trying to say." I stepped away from him when I saw something out of my peripheral vision.
I barely ducked in time. The whistle of the fire poker flew past my head until it embedded itself in the wall underneath the smiling face of his daughter's portrait. It was tempting to let the beast answer his unprovoked attack, but I swore to myself to keep her secret for as long as possible until she was able to tell him the truth.
He had some of the facts, but she was going to have to convince him that her change didn't consist of her voice getting higher.
"I think it's fair to warn you that you will never work in this town again. It might not seem like it, but I can be very vindictive. My enemies know better than to cast stones at me. You will learn by example how my arms have a very long reach. Shattering your illusion of me is going to be a pleasure. You have no idea how I can make your life a living hell, but you are about to find out," he threatened with a finger pointing to the front door down the hall.
The butler was already there to open it without being summoned. She must've heard the argument and understood the importance of getting me out safely before things turned ugly.
The door slamming behind me made me flinch. It was done for effect to let me know my services were no longer required. That wasn't entirely correct. There were certain services I could provide that his daughter would readily agree to while biting on her bottom lip.
My fingers suddenly went numb and the wolf inside growled. Something was out there. It had to be my old friend watching me from afar. It meant it could be reasoned with. My assumption it was primal and uneducated was incorrect.
Its voice, even though it was in my head, made me realize there was nothing fair in this world. That it was intelligent and sentient with an extensive vocabulary to draw from.
I didn't know what it was waiting for, but I had a feeling I wasn't going to have to wait long to find out.
CHAPTER 12
_____
JASMINE
Being my father's daughter came with the pitfalls of being a little brooding and impetuous. He wasn't going to get through to me when all I wanted was one more minute in Luke's arms.
One second of pure bliss was worth any embarrassment to my father.
Ironically, the full moon coincided with my coming-of-age party. Luke called it my age of maturity. I wasn't sure which one I liked more, but I understood the importance of this significant milestone in my life.
Luke gave me the skinny on what was going to happen. It wasn't hard to believe him when the beast within spoke volumes in a language only I could understand. It was no longer mute and this nagging voice in the back of my mind.
"You will follow my rules. This party is very important to both of us. All of your friends will be there to celebrate this big day. Their families will be in attendance. That is the kind of influence I need in my life to get things done. Your indiscretion is something that we will talk about later," he raged while trying to burn a hole in the Persian carpet in his study.
"I think the best thing you can do is calm down before you give yourself a heart attack. You have my word I’ll be on my best behavior." I lied to save face when I knew tonight could unmask something more than human behind the pretty packaging of my porcelain features.
"Let's forget about this until after the party. I'm going to let you decide on a suitable punishment. It has to fit the crime. Give that some thought and get back to me after the party. I hope it was worth it."
"You have no idea," I stuttered with my finger touching my lips.
"I'm so happy for you. You're never going to see him again. I forbid you from making contact with him in any way. You might think it's unfair, but I'm doing this for your own good. You'll understand when you have a daughter of your own. That kind of unconditional love will make you bend over backward to protect them." He rattled on.
