Page 15 of Mating at Midnight: Book 1

“Yes, Alpha,” Levi answers. “If it wasn’t for his mate stopping him, Braxton could have possibly started a war with the Midnight Pack yesterday.”

Father sat back in the recliner, crossing his left leg over the right. He tilts his head to the side, peering at me. “I don’t recall you mentioning anything like that when you called me last night, Braxton.”

I peer at Levi who looks up at the ceiling, then I tell father, “Alpha Lightfeather’s Beta’s son, said somethings that set my wolf off, but everything is fine now.”

“And what did he say?” Father probes.

Just thinking about having to repeat that asshole’s words has my wolf stirring.

“Braxton,” father urges.

“The prick said he was going to mate with Nyah,” I snarl. “No one will take what is mine!”

Father sees the anger and hostility written all over my face. As I jump out of my seat, ready to shift, father tackles me to the floor, overpowering me. “Calm your wolf, son,” he says. “I understand how you must have felt at that moment, but you’re not there now. Breathe, son, breathe,” he orders, exuding his superior Alpha dominance over me.

I struggle underneath him. I may be an Alpha, but my strength cannot compare to fathers. He has always been the one to put my wolf and I in check because he has been around for so long which would explain why I didn’t violently react to Alpha Lightfeather.

Father may look like a pristine gentleman in his early sixties, but in actuality, he’s close to one hundred years old. Shifter wolves never look their age which is why some choose to move their Packs around, but we don’t. Luckily, my father has a good relationship with the last few mayors of our town, the sheriff’s office, and is in good standing with the people in the community. They know what we are, but as long as father keeps jobs and commerce flowing, they turn a blind eye.

Getting my emotions in check, I crane my neck to face father. Instead of staring down at me with disappointment, he smiles from ear to ear as he releases his hold on me.

“Yes, you have found your mate,” he giddily says, moving to the side. “Only a True Alpha would react that way.”

“Like father, like son,” James chuckles.

“Indeed,” I countered, laughing.

A knock at the door has one of my security guards going to answer it. He returns a few seconds later with room service following him, pushing three trays of food. He directs them to the dining table to set up.

Once they were done, Levi tipped them before they left the room.

“Now, let’s see how good the food is here,” father said as we got up. “Then afterwards, you can give us a tour of the hotel and make sure we have a penthouse suite like this one.”

Breakfast turned out to be good and very appealing, which I was pleased with. I’m sure once the kitchen manager found out the large order was for my penthouse, he made sure everything was top notch. I need them to ensure that not only the penthouse guests were receiving the best but also every guest staying in the hotel.

After we ate, I called down to the front desk and had the vacant penthouse across the hall from mine reserved for father and James. While Levi and I left to get dressed, father gave his security the access code for them to go and retrieve their luggage, then take them to the penthouse.

Thirty minutes later, I entered the living room dressed in a dark navy suit with a baby blue dress shirt underneath and a spritz of my saddle wood cologne. Levi’s already there, conversing with father and James.

Father sees me, then says, “It’s about time. Another ten minutes and I was going to have Levi lead us on the tour.”

“Is that right, father?” I adjusted my cuffs.

“It is,” he answers.

Using his own words on him, I question,” Aren’t you the one who told me an Alpha always presents himself at their best?”

Father scrutinizes me before replying, “I did.”

Walking further into the room, I add, “Then you should know why it took me longer than you would have expected.” Facing father, I say, “I not only have to reconstruct this hotel, but I have to do it with my mate.” I glance at my watch. “Who should be walking through the front doors any minute now.”

Father and James stood as Levi came to my side.

It’s as if my security and fathers took a lesson on how to assemble when two Alpha’s were in the same room. They departed like the Red Sea.

Of course, my details were up front which led to father’s security taking up the rear. Thank the Gods the elevator was equipped to withstand the weight of all of us in it.

As the elevator stops on the lobby floor, the doors slowly open. Father turns his head towards me when a low growl rumbles in my chest. He looks in the direction my eyes are fixated on. Nyah is standing at the customer service desk, speaking to a well-dressed, handsome African American man.

---