Page 39 of Daddy Frost

He eased out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him. It was bad enough Kalen had to get up at the ass-crack of dawn, but Delta didn’t want to make any noise and disturb him any sooner than he had to. Let the man sleep until the very last second.

That was how Delta woke up every morning. In a frenzy.

His mate’s house was pretty darn big. Since Delta knew diddly-squat about square footage, he wasn’t going to even hazard a guess at just how ginormous it was. He just knew it was large enough that it felt like a mission to get from Kalen’s room to the top of the steps.

As Delta glanced around the upstairs hallway, he wondered which junior slept in which room. To hell with it. If he’d officially become a daddy, he was going to have fun with it.

At least in his head. Delta still didn’t want anyone calling him mommy. Or even daddy for that matter. It would just be plain weird.

Too late. Elvine has officially renamed you.

Freaking fantastic.

But Delta snickered when he thought of introducing the twins and Jax as his sons. More than one eyebrow would raise.

Finally, Delta made it to the kitchen. The room still smelled like burned noodles. Now he knew to leave Kalen alone when the man was cooking. Clearly, he was a distraction for his mate.

Admittedly, Delta liked being someone’s distraction. Just as long as Kalen didn’t burn down the house.

Standing in front of the numerous cupboards, he wondered which one contained the drinking glasses. There was only one way to find out. As Delta opened and closed cabinet doors, he became aware that someone had come into the room. When he felt someone watching him, he turned around and saw a muscular guy standing by the table.

“You must be Damon’s mate.” He was the only family member Delta hadn’t met.

“Yes.” The guy gave a tight-lipped smile, his brown eyes observing Delta a little too closely, just as Arion had done earlier.

Did this guy think Delta was a threat to his pregnant mate as well? Was his silent observation supposed to be some sort of intimidation tactic? Jesus. Shifters needed to chill out. Delta was going to choke to death on the high levels of testosterone in this house.

“Look, you have nothing to worry about. I’m hardly a threat to Damon.”

Why did the guy continue to stare so intensely? Delta was starting to feel uneasy, and he didn’t have Kalen there as a buffer.

He really wanted to be at ease with the Frosts, not uptight and anxious, but Mr. Stoic was killing any chance of that happening. The combination of his dark eyes and short, spiky hair, shrouded in shadows in the dim kitchen, caused horror movies scenes to come to mind. Thankfully, Delta could see both hands lacked a slasher knife.

Seriously, how could someone as humorous as Damon end up with someone as somber and…kind of creepy, if you ask Delta, as this guy.

So far, aside from Arion, everyone seemed pretty warm. But at least Arion had eventually returned Delta’s greeting.

“I’m sorry. It’s just late, and I’m tired.” Damon’s mate waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t pay me any mind.” He chuckled and flicked his temple then said as he yawned, “I kind of zoned out for a minute. I think I fell asleep on my feet just now.”

His charming smile made Delta feel more at ease. “I only woke up because I’m thirsty. Trust me. I’m going back to sleep.”

“Hey, I was wondering if you might help me with something.” The man moved slightly to his right, which caused his features to become even more shrouded as he spoke.

“What do you need help with?” Delta reached for the pitcher of tea in the fridge. As he poured it into his glass, he could smell the sweetness like little popping fragrances filling his nose. Ooh. There were even whole strawberries floating in the pitcher, one of his favorite fruits. He took a long sip, feeling the cool liquid soothe his parched throat.

“I can show you better than I can tell you,” Damon’s mate replied.

“Show me what?” Delta set his glass down and continued, “I’m sorry, but I don’t know your name, and I don’t remember Damon mentioning it. I’m Delta, in case no one told you. We didn’t get a chance to meet earlier.”

“I’m aware of your name.” There was something about the man’s sly smile that made him uneasy.

“And what’s your name?” Delta pressed, a sense of foreboding creeping over him. The guy glanced toward the kitchen doorway, his eyelids barely cracked open. His arm twitched, and Delta noticed the guy’s hands flexing.

His smirk turned menacing. “You can just call me Mr. Fox.”

A sinking realization struck him. This man was not Damon’s mate.

“Looks like you’re starting to figure it out,” Mr. Fox said with a hint of amusement. “It was very considerate of you to let me know I sent my message to the wrong person. Your reply not only told me that you were awake, but the bright screen showed me exactly where in the house you were located, Delta.”

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