Thirsty (Black Wolf Pack 1)

But what I found the scariest with him was the fact that he still saw me as his little girl, despite that I was a grown woman now, had my own life, and was now mated.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” He leaned against the back wall and crossed his big arms over his broad chest, the muscles under his dark T-shirt bunching and flexing beneath the thin material.

I could see his hands were dirty, as was his shirt and jeans, from working on the property all day. And although he wore a hard expression, there was this softness in his eyes as he looked at me.

“Mia, you’ve been acting strange since…” He trailed off as he glanced at the floor, his dark eyebrows pulling down low as he was clearly in deep thought. And when he slowly lifted his head and our eyes locked, I knew he knew. “You’ve been acting strange since you turned nineteen,” he whispered.

I swallowed harshly, my throat suddenly tight, dry. And as I said nothing, just stared at him, I could see the realization on his face. He instantly straightened from the wall, let his arms unfold and hang down to the sides, and took a slow step toward me. This low, deadly rumble left him, but I knew it wasn’t directed at me but at the situation that had just unfolded before him.

“D-Dad…” I didn’t know how to say it, yet it would’ve been the easiest words I could utter. The words were right at the tip of my tongue, so easily uttered, but I was worried about his reaction.

Would he demand the name of the male I was mated to?

Would he be overprotective and try to keep me from Tucker?

Or maybe—just maybe—he’d accept all of this with open arms and a smile on his sometimes harsh face.

Maybe he’d be so grateful that his daughter had been given the greatest gift any shifter could get. Being mated.

“Who is the bastard?” His voice held such a deep, menacing tone that I felt my eyes widen.

“Dad?”

He closed his eyes, and I saw the muscles under his cheeks clench as he ground his teeth. His nostrils flared slightly as he inhaled. And when he opened his eyes again, I saw a flash of his inner wolf pushing through.

“Yes, I found my mate. In Black Wolf.” I had my fingers curled inward, my nails digging into my palms hard enough I felt the prick of pain. “It’s a gift, Dad. You know this,” I whispered. I hated saying that last part, because I knew it would only bring up memories of my mother and his own mating.

“You found your mate.” He didn’t phrase it like a question, but his tone was stoic, an unemotional response.

“I did,” I said softly, not trusting how he acted right now. I knew better than to assume he was actually okay with this.

“Who is it, Mia?” His voice was still deceptively calm, inquisitive even. He gave me a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Who did you connect with?”

It was my turn to lower my brows in confusion. “I just found out who my mate was. Nothing has been really talked about concerning it. Nothing has been settled.” I didn’t know why I bothered saying any of that, but I wanted him to know I wasn’t just rushing into this because of a chemical, hormonal connection that mates had when they found their other half. “I just found out a couple of days ago.” I kept talking, my words running together.

And still, he stayed silent, watchful.

“I’ve been trying to wrap my head around it all, to come to terms with it.” I licked my suddenly dry lips and looked out the big picture window in the cabin, staring at the longhouse, seeing all the bodies moving back and forth. And then I saw a flash of an especially large male, his short, dark-blond hair disheveled in the sexiest way.

It was the low rumble next to me that had my pulse jumping and my head jerking in the direction of my father. He was looking out the window as well, his lips peeled back, his teeth bared, and his canine lengthening.

“You’re only nineteen,” he murmured slowly, almost as if to himself.

“That’s when we all come of age and the fated mates connection can kick in.” My voice was low, because I knew if it was anyone but me, he wouldn't have said anything about my age. I was an adult, not just as a shifter, but also in the human world.

“You found your mate in my Beta.” There was this harshness to my father’s tone, and I couldn’t tell if it was emotions kicking in, or if he was actually pissed about this.

Because although my father and Tucker were close, so close that Tucker was his second-in-command, his right-hand man, that didn’t mean anything to an overprotective father or a fated mate who thought someone would keep his female away.