Page 15 of Daddy Frost

“He’s human,” Jax chimed in.

“I’m so sorry,” Casimir replied nonchalantly, as if they were discussing a minor inconvenience like rain ruining a picnic.

Damon grabbed the changing table legs out of Casimir’s hands. “Stop being stuck on the table and focus. Delta is human. My pumpkin seed has grown into an actual pumpkin in my temporary oven. How are we going to explain that or the fact three of you have wings and pointy ears, and two people in the house have fangs and drink blood?”

When everyone started talking at once, Kalen headed upstairs. All he’d done was announce he’d found his mate. It was everyone else who wanted to panic.

But Casimir hadn’t been far off the mark. Kalen’s gut told him there were complications, aside from explaining everything to Delta about the preternatural world and their connection to each other. Something was going on with his mate, and Kalen was determined to get to the bottom of Delta’s problems.

* * * *

As everyone brainstormed ways to help Delta cope with the preternatural world, Jax watched his father walk upstairs. A nagging feeling tugged at his gut, telling him something was troubling his dad.

For as long as Jax could remember, his father had been a pillar of strength and support for their family, sacrificing so much without asking for anything in return. And when each of his sons found their mates, Kalen had been there for them every step of the way. If there was anything bothering his dad, Jax wanted to offer his support and whatever else Kalen might need.

He followed his dad, rapped lightly on the door, and waited.

When it opened, Kalen stood there with a half-smile. “Not really looking for advice, son.”

Jax stepped inside as his dad headed toward his dresser. “Not here to give you any,” he replied, closing the door behind him and leaning against it with crossed arms. “But I know you too well, Dad. Something’s weighing on your mind.”

Kalen glanced at him before turning back to his dresser and opening one of the drawers. “So, you’re here as an investigative reporter then?”

His entire life Jax had always admired and respected Kalen, looked up to him and wanted to be just like him. While other boys idolized wrestlers or movie stars, Jax and his brothers idolized their father.

Kalen was the epitome of strength and resilience, rarely asking for help but always willing to lend a hand to others. Jax had been old enough when his mother was killed to remember how Kalen had buried his own grief in order to help his sons through theirs.

But at night, when everyone else was asleep, Kalen had allowed himself to grieve. Many nights Jax would lie in bed and hear his father quietly crying from his own room.

It was then that he understood the depth of the man’s pain and knew he missed their mother just as much as they did.

And it only made Jax admire and love him even more.

“We’re a close-knit family who support each other. We don’t push everyone away when things get tough.” Jax recited the words Jaytee had said when Damon was going through some life-altering bullshit and kept everyone at arm’s length. “Pretending something isn’t wrong is not how our family works.”

“I don’t think I’ve told you lately how proud I am of you, son.” Kalen turned toward him, a pair of socks in his hand. Socks? Oh yeah, his dad’s mind was definitely distracted. “You’ve grown into an amazing man.”

“And you’ve grown into a secretive one,” Jax countered. “Don’t try to distract me with compliments.” Though he was preening on the inside at his dad’s praise. “I’m hip to what you’re doing, old man.”

“Jax, I’m not being secretive,” his dad replied. “I have a suspicion something is going on with Delta, but no concrete proof.”

“What made you suspect a problem in the first place?” He listened as his dad told him about the conversation he’d overheard at the bakery when his mate was in the bathroom.

Jax ran his fingers through his beard. “So, he was dragged into something he didn’t want to be dragged into, had his arm physically twisted, and is adamant about not going back somewhere.”

“That about sums it up.” Kalen tossed the socks back into the drawer. “And what do you think everyone downstairs would have done if I’d mentioned the conversation to them?”

That was a no-brainer. The twins would have argued that Delta needed to be kidnapped and brought home so he could be protected, even if the human didn’t want to be rescued. Casimir would hunt down whoever Leo was and run his blade through him, while Raidh and Elvine would put some kind of hex on the offender.

Honestly, he wasn’t sure what Arion would have done. His mate was doing much better since he was no longer under Ozel’s and Akai’s thumbs, but the little vampire still had a long way to go.

Even after two months, it was hard to get Arion to feed regularly because he’d been so used to starving.

“Chaos,” Jax answered.

Kalen gave a firm nod. “I promise, if I need help, I’ll ask for it.”

All Jax could do was trust his dad at his word and pray they weren’t about to go through more shit now that another mate was found.

---