Page 37 of Healed in the Alpha's Embrace
“Swear to me you won’t breathe a word of this to her,” he said with a stern point of his finger. “She’d cut off my balls if she ever found out I called her fragile.”
A bark of laughter escaped me despite the tension. It was rare to hear him speak of any weakness, especially concerning my mother.
“Any woman should be handled with care. I can’t fathom a man laying hands on a woman. If your mother had gone through what Zoey has...”
His jaw clenched, and when he spoke again, there was a cold edge to his words. “If Angela had suffered at the hands of another before we mated, I’d probably have committed my first murder.”
I swallowed hard. It was something I’d contemplated myself. Shifters had a fierce, unspoken rule about protecting our mates.
“Can’t say I don’t get how you’re feeling, Noah. Zoey…” he said with a heavy sigh. “She should be your focus right now. Taking over the pack can wait.”
My heart hammered against my chest. Had I heard him right? Surely not. Stunned, I stared at him, searching his facefor any hint of the familiar sternness. But all I could see was the earnest, resigned look on his face.
“Are you serious?” I wasn’t sure we were even speaking the same language. Shock coursed through me. I was certain there must be a film crew hidden somewhere, that I was on a reality show, with the host waiting to jump out and shout surprise.
My father’s gaze shifted beyond me, a momentary hesitation clouding his eyes, hinting at an unseen worry.
He cleared his throat, and my chest tightened.
“Your mother hasn’t been herself... not since the rift between us grew. I want things to be better for her.” He looked up at me with regret in his eyes. “I’m always going to push you, Noah. You still need to be ready to lead.”
I nodded, having already anticipated as much. I was all too familiar with his expectations.
“But I know better than to force you into it. A good alpha can’t be made under duress.” His firm tone wavered slightly. “We both miss Nate. He’d be disappointed to see us like this.”
The mention of my brother was a low blow, and it hit harder than any physical strike could. My hands clenched involuntarily.
“Understood,” I said, my throat suddenly tight. Nate’s memory was always haunting us, an unspoken reminder of what we had all lost. My father had a clear picture of the ideal version of me and the path I should follow, yet I doubted my ability to live up to his vision.
“Good. Because right now, Zoey needs you.” He stood up and closed the distance between us with a few measured steps. His hand landed heavily on my shoulder, squeezing once. “I’ll give you the time you need with her. But then...” His grip tightened. “You have to step up. This pack is yours to lead, son. There’s no one else.”
I searched his face for any sign of the hard-headed father I’d grown accustomed to. Instead, I found understanding. Empathy, even.
“I never wanted this, any of it.”
“I know. But these are the cards we’ve been dealt.”
“Right.” I exhaled slowly, releasing the tension I hadn’t realized I was holding. “I’m learning fate is a tricky bitch.”
I squared my shoulders, feeling the ghost of my father’s hand still pressing down from moments ago. “I’m not running away from what I have to do, Dad. This wasn’t the life I pictured for myself, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care.”
His gaze didn’t waver, and I saw the years of experiences he had given me and Nate.
“I love this family. I loved Nate more than anything,” I continued, a lump forming in my throat. “And this pack is part of me as much as I am part of it.”
There was a subtle change in my father’s face, a barely perceptible crack in his usual stoic demeanor.
“The alpha you envisioned, the one you tried to shape, may not be who I become. But I refuse to be anything less than exceptional.”
He studied me for a long moment, his scrutiny so intense, it seared my skin. Then, to my surprise, his posture relaxed, and he nodded.
“Son, I just might believe you,” he said, his eyebrows raising. There was an underlying sense of pride in his words, something that hadn’t been present in years.
“Thanks, Dad. That means more than you know.” Something lightened in me. We were beginning to mend the chasm that had grown between us.
I exchanged a few more pleasantries with my father, and when I turned to leave, the rustle of papers told me he had gone right back to work. When my mother saw me stepping into thekitchen, her face lit up with a relieved smile. She handed me a cookie that was still warm from the oven.
“Everything okay?”
