10. Leander

Chapter 10

Now that I have them in the same room together, there's absolutely no doubt that Ember and her dad are related.

Alpha James and Ember have the same jaw. They have the same square stance. Hell, they even have the same glare.

Having both of them in a room together? It's kind of intense.

I prowl behind Ember, ready to support her if she needs me to. Mostly, I'm here to make sure that no one claws each other's eyes out. And I'll get her the hell out of here if I have to.

Finally, the alpha speaks. "Leander here tells me that you're strong."

She juts her chin up. "I am."

"That you don't respond well to authority."

"I don't."

"You don't take shit from anyone."

"Nope."

He grunts. We're in the alpha's pack office, which is a charming office park in Fort Myers Beach. The pack has land both scattered more toward Captiva and Sanibel islands, as well as further inland. We're one of the rare packs that's made living in a high density of humans work, because none of us wanted to let go of the beachfront that's been the pack's home for generations.

Our house in Sanibel is where my mom and dad are waiting, and where I'll hopefully bring Ember after this. If it all goes well, that is.

Abruptly, the alpha stands. He walks to the front of his desk, where Ember is standing, arms folded across her chest, staring at him.

There's a tense moment. I feel like I can practically see the two of them assessing each other. Then, with a smile, the alpha opens his arms. Hesitantly, Ember moves into his embrace.

Watching them hug is… well, it's kind of awkward. Until it isn't.

You can see the minute that they both relax. I hear a coughing sound from the alpha, and when he pulls back, there are tears in his eyes. He looks at Ember, his eyes shining. "You look so much like your mother," he says.

She sniffles. "Thanks. I think."

"I'm so sorry, Ember. If I had known about you?—"

"It's okay. Leander told me everything. I just… I appreciate that once you did know, you wanted to find me."

He snorts. "Wanted to? I've been obsessed. When Leander didn't check in for a few weeks, I was about ready to petition Oakwood and send a search party."

"You were?"

He nods. "Yeah. What happened?"

"Fate," I say honestly. It's the truth. It was fate that brought us together. Fate that landed that tree on my head. And fate that made sure we were perfect for each other.

Alpha James shakes his head. "Alpha Thorne just called, too." My alpha looks at me. "Said something about letting you stay in Oakwood if you want."

Immediately, I look over at Ember. "It's up to Ember."

"I think I'd like to be a beach girl for a while." She smiles. "See what it's like here. Plus, I need to make up for lost time with my dad."

That word does it.

The alpha does cry then. They're not huge tears or anything, but I can see the tracks of them sliding down his face. He sniffles and pulls Ember in tight, and both of them seem at a total loss for words.

I feel like maybe I should leave.

Ember pulls back first. She wipes her eyes and looks over at me. "Dad, there's something you should know."

Oh, shit. She's going to do this right now? I panic, looking over at her. I kind of hoped that she would give it a little time before telling her dad that we're together.

Nope. Not my Ember.

"Leander and I are mates."

He blinks for a second. I shuffle, because it's never an easy conversation to see that your potential father-in-law is going to figure out that you're sleeping together.

"I thought I sensed something, but I wasn't sure. It seems... different," he says warily. "Is everything okay?"

"We're fated mates," Ember adds. "In Colorado, we had kind of a weird moment in the woods, and… yeah. Definitely fated mates."

The alpha's eyes widen, and he looks between us. "My daughter… you're one of the few fated mate pairs? I'd heard rumors about them out West, but I never thought…" He looks at us, his eyes wide.

Ember kicks her feet. "Yeah. Well. It's us."

James chuckles. "Well, if it's anyone, I'm glad it's Leander."

My ears perk up at that. "Sir?"

He comes up behind me and slaps me on the back. "Why do you think that I wanted it to be you who went to find her, kid? That's why I promoted you to beta. You're the only one of my enforcers that I trusted with my daughter."

"Um…"

"Relax, Leander. I'm glad it's you. I'm glad you found her, and you brought her back to me. I know that you'll take good care of her, and that she couldn't find a better mate from a better family."

I feel a little like I'm blushing now.

James pulls us both in and sighs. "I know it was a lot to get here. But Ember, I'm so happy you're here. I'm so sorry that I didn't find you earlier. I'm just grateful," he says, his voice thick again.

I don't know what else to say. There's nothing to say, I guess. Luckily, I don't have to think that hard about it.

Alpha lets us both go and smiles. "Now, I think that Leander's parents have prepared a little party. It's supposed to be a surprise, so act surprised, but I can't wait to tell the pack that my daughter and her fated mate are here. Let's go knock ‘em dead, shall we?"

Ember and her father grin at each other. Clearly, they also share a little bit of a badass attitude.

I shake my head. This is going to be a hell of a ride.

But I can't wait to share it with her.