Chapter Eight

Zeus—what a perfect name for this god of an alpha.

"Sit down, please. Here, little one." I pulled a tissue from the holder near the seat and offered it to her. Zeus took it instead, and our skin touched. My panther preened in response.

"Thank you, Ripley. She doesn't do well with yelling. We came from a fluffle where people rarely shouted. She just isn't used to it."

"And she shouldn't have to be." I nodded, looking at the red-faced beauty who let her father dab at her eyes and cheeks. Her breaths were ragged from the crying, and she gripped her wand like most children would hold a security blanket.

A true princess.

"I have to admit, I don't like yelling myself. I try very hard not to raise my voice. If your point is worth making, it's worth saying in any voice," I mimicked my father.

"That's true. Thanks again for inviting us here. It's less noisy."

"Sure thing. What's your name?" I asked his daughter, who had curled up on his lap and was looking tired. Mr. Grumpy from the other part of the train deserved a kick in the ass for treating a little lady like that.

"Thia," she whimpered.

Zeus looked down on her with pride and pulled out a blanket from her backpack and draped it over her. "It's short for a very long name," he chuckled. "Daughter of the Greek god Zeus. The goddess of childbirth. We read about her in one of the pregnancy books and thought Thia was cute."

"It's very cute. Fitting for royalty."

Zeus whispered some sweet things to his babe while I picked up my phone and scrolled for a bit, giving them a bit of privacy, as much as I could, given we were in the same room. Once she fell asleep, which only took a few seconds, he smiled at me.

My panther wanted him. Badly. My animal had gotten out of control lately. Clearly this male was mated, since he had a child, and Fyn was awaiting his mate any day now.

My beast had issues.

Serious ones.

"Where are you headed?" I broke through the silence, needing to know more about this alpha who smelled like orange and vanilla, the most delicious creamsicle in history.

"Washington state. I've never been there, have you?"

I nodded. "A few times, actually. Rainy, but the views and the landscape are spectacular. Lots of nature things to do. Trails. Hiking. Camping. Swimming. If you two enjoy that kind of thing."

Zeus nodded. "She loves swimming and has only seen a few mountains. You headed for the same area?"

"Yes. Moving across the country."

"I'm going to meet my omega," he added.

I looked down at Thia, in question.

He shook his head. "Oh no. Her other father died."

"I'm so sorry."

He gave me a soft smile. "Thank you. I signed up for one of those matchmaking apps and found someone really fast. I was scared at first. When someone accepts me as a mate, I'm not the only one they are accepting."

"Anyone would be blessed to have the both of you in their lives."

"You're very sweet, Fyn. Have you tried one of those apps? Someone would be lucky to have you as well."

I laughed, accidentally making Thia stir, but she settled right away.

"Thank you. I have, actually. I met someone online, but they were already taken. I'm still on the app, but I haven't checked it. Are you excited to meet your mate? Your second mate?"

He beamed. Absolutely beamed. All the while he spoke, he stroked his daughter's back. There was something so sexy about the way he cared for his young. Him being a good dad made him even hotter in my opinion. He was an alpha, and so was I, but I could look. "I am. He's amazing. Just bought a motel that he's going to renovate."

That's when it hit me. This was Fyn's mate. The one who met him before me.

Both of them were lucky as hell.

"That's incredible. What a fun adventure."

For some reason, telling Zeus that I was headed to the same exact place felt like blowing out his candle, and that was the last thing I wanted to do. The alpha had been through enough losing his mate and the other father of his child. I would let him have this excitement without interjecting my own.

He would find out soon but, for now, it was right to keep my mouth shut about it.

The train slowed and an announcement over the speakers indicated we were about to end our journey. The big hiss of the brakes woke Thia from her deep sleep, and she rubbed her eyes and tugged on her daddy's shirt. "Are we there? Are we going to see Fyn?"

Precious girl. She was excited as well to have another parent.

"We are almost there. That sound is the train slowing down. It's so big, it takes a lot of effort to stop."

They talked more about train mechanics until the conductor strolled down the aisle, letting us know we were at our stop. I helped Zeus gather his things, and he turned before leaving the room. "Thank you for everything, Ripley. I hope you find your mate."

I nodded. "I hope you and your family are very happy."

He left, and my panther lay down inside me.

Felt like my best friend had left the room instead of an acquaintance.