28. Steff

TWENTY-EIGHT

STEFF

The next day, the entire family gathered at Kellan's house. Not only April's family, but mine as well. Tate and Harley brought their girls and baby Tory. Miles and Blayne showed up, too. It made it a bit less awkward for me. I was cool with Kris and Kellan again, but April's dad had told me he wanted to talk today. That… was stressful to think about.

Kellan and Kris provided steaks and barbeque ribs. Everyone else had pitched in sides, drinks, and dessert. It felt almost like a holiday—Easter or Christmas or something. After the horror of the kidnapping, it was a much-needed release of tension.

I stood off by the grill, a beer in hand, watching everyone enjoy themselves. April's dad was talking to Tate and Miles about the security business. Harley's daughters had cornered Blayne. From how uncomfortable he looked, they were probably trying to discuss teenage heartthrobs, pop music, and TV shows he'd never heard of, much less seen.

I glanced back toward the house where April and her mother were sitting on a bench on the back porch, talking and chuckling at something. The image of April with her mom sent my mind to my own family. We'd never truly been close, even before the incident and my banishment. It was mostly due to the fact that Sean had been jealous of me. That had started to rear its head when it became obvious that I was going to be Alpha. It set our entire family dynamic off track.

We'd fought almost every day. It had worn on my parents to the point that they would snap at us. It made it difficult for us to ever really be close to one another. Seeing the way April was with her parents made me… not homesick exactly, but perhaps nostalgic for something I would never experience with my own family.

I took a swig of beer, trying to get my mind off that depressing track. Chelsea made her way over to April and her mom and sat down with them. Harley went over not long after and handed the baby to April. I grinned as Tory grabbed handfuls of April's red hair. He seemed enthralled by the color. She didn't know I was watching, but I saw the way Chelsea was looking at April and the baby. She was staring at them longingly. She glanced away quickly, staring at the grass forlornly. When April had told me Chelsea was pregnant, I knew it would be a tough situation, but I really wished Chelsea and Kris would figure things out soon. It was a hell of a secret to keep, and I could see it was weighing on Chelsea.

A hand clamped down on my shoulder, and I nearly dropped my beer in surprise. Spinning, I saw April's dad was standing behind me. I forced myself not to tense up, acting as cool and calm as I could. I finished my beer and tossed it into a trash can by the grill. Kellan glanced over while flipping steaks, and I couldn't ignore the knowing grin on his face.

There was a long silence as April's father stared me down. Finally, he nodded for me to follow him to a quieter part of the yard. My throat made a clicking sound as I tried to swallow. Even after the beer, my mouth was dry as a desert. I joined him at the fence that separated Kellan's yard from the neighbors.

"I guess it's time we spoke," I said, trying not to sound nervous.

He nodded. "Call me Dan."

That was strange. The entire time I'd dated April in high school I'd always called him Mr. Knight. The thought of calling him by his first name was weird. Was it a good sign that he was treating me as an adult and wanted mutual respect? Was it a bad sign? Was he about to beat the shit out of me and wanted me to use his real name when I begged for mercy? It could go either way.

"Uh… sure thing… um, Dan."

Dan gazed across the yard toward April, watching her play with the baby. "I asked you this once, a long time ago. Same question. I'm going to ask again." He looked me right in the eye. "What are your intentions with my daughter?"

I remember him asking me that exact same thing back when I was, like, seventeen. I sighed and swallowed again. The good news was that the answer was the same this time around.

"Sir… uh, Dan. My intentions are the same. The only difference is, now I'm man enough to follow through with them. I love April more than life itself. I never meant to hurt her?—"

Dan raised a finger. "But you did."

I nodded, my face flaming. "Yes, that's true. To be honest, it was the worst mistake of my life. I thought I was doing what was best for April, but it made both of our lives miserable. I never stopped loving her. Not for one minute. All these years, not a day went by that I didn't think about her." I took a breath and forced myself to keep eye contact with maybe the only man on Earth who loved April as much as I did. "I have no plans to ever lose her again. I want to put a ring on her finger and make her my wife. I want her forever, but I want your and your wife's blessing to do so."

Dan nodded, but there wasn't a trace of his smile on his face. He looked over at April again. She was still holding Tory and was laughing at something Harley had said. She was so damn beautiful that I could barely control the bear inside me. It had been more agitated than usual. Each day that passed without me claiming April seemed to rile the bear up more.

After an uncomfortably long time, Dan looked at me. His eyes were softer than they'd been a few minutes before. "Son, I may be making a mistake, but I'm going to trust you with my daughter a second time. I need you to look me in the eyes and promise me that you won't break her heart again."

My heart fluttered with excitement and relief. I did exactly what he wanted, settling my gaze on his steely blue eyes. "Yes, sir. I promise, with everything inside me, I'll protect her heart with my life. You can bet on that."

Dan's face didn't change for several seconds. Then, almost against his will, a slight grin spread across his lips. He stretched his hand out. "See that you do, Steff. See that you do exactly that."

With that stressful event out of the way, the rest of the day became much more enjoyable. By the time the food was ready, my appetite was back in full force. The steaks were great, but the ribs Kris had smoked were mind-blowing. What had begun as a day filled with anxiety ended up being fantastic. I enjoyed seeing my patchwork family mingling with April's. It gave me hope for the future. As long as we ended up having a future.

That evening, Tate, Miles, Blayne, and I were sitting on the back patio watching everyone else enjoy themselves. The sun had only started to slip behind the mountains, and Kris and Kellan were helping their dad to start a bonfire. The kids were gathered around the picnic table, trying to finish every last bite of the dessert—apple pie and peach cobbler. April was having what looked like a deep conversation with the other ladies.

I didn't want to bring up the hunter situation in this peaceful setting. But this peace was why we needed to talk about it. Seeing the way everyone was gathered together? It made it even more important that none of this be taken from us. We needed the whole business finished.

"Okay, guys. Where are we with the hunters? Any new leads?" I asked.

Blayne put his can of soda down and shook his head. "I keep hitting brick walls when I try to figure out who the head honcho is. The only real piece of info we have is what Ryland said last year at Harley's place. The boss man is waiting to take out Tate. He's the number-one target. My theory is it has something to do with a grudge, specifically against dragons."

Tate said nothing, merely nodded. A dark look cast a shadow over his face. The hunters had been after me and April for only a couple of months. I couldn't imagine the stress Tate had been under the entire last year.

"My bear is starting to freak out. I need to figure out a way to end this thing. Every day that goes by, it gets more restless. It's all I can do to control the situation at this point."

Tate's face brightened as he pulled his mind away from dark thoughts. "What's it feel like?" he asked.

"Like it's trying to take control. I've never experienced anything like it. The urge to claim April is almost too much to hold back from."

Tate nodded. "It was bound to happen soon. I went through the same thing. Remember when I was such dick last year?"

Miles frowned. "You'll have to be more specific. That's more of an everyday occurrence."

We laughed, and for a moment, the tension evaporated. Tate threw his empty beer can at Miles. "Thanks, ass. You know what I mean. The animals inside us act more on instinct than on logic. This curse escalates the need to mate. It's more intense than it would usually be, and even in the best-case scenario it's a pretty intense desire." Tate pointed at me. "Your bear knows that April is your mate, and it is ready to claim her. You'll need to do something before the bear takes things into its own hands."

Shifters almost never lost control of their bodies to their counterparts. The human counterpart was always in control, but during times of extreme distress or anger, some things could slip through. The eyes could change, for one. That was how April finally realized I wasn't fully human. My eyes had shifted, and she'd seen it. I remembered the other night, when we'd been having sex. I'd been seconds, inches from claiming her. The bear had extended its fangs, and I'd torn the shit out of a pillow to prevent claiming April without her consent.

That was the last thing I wanted. She'd agreed to the claiming, but it had to be in her time. It was a massive decision that would have huge consequences on her life. It wasn't something I could simply take . My bear had a hard time understanding that, though.

"I didn't tell Harley what was going on with me," Tate said. "That was a mistake. It would have made things easier if she'd known what was going on inside me."

I nodded. "Okay, I'll tell her soon. I want Ryland out of the way first. Neither of us can make a decision this big with that kind of danger still roaming around out there."