Page 53 of Mating at Midnight: Book 1

She giggled, pulling a t-shirt over her head. “My daddy is what some would call an Ancient. He has been around for a long time, hence why none of us know how old he really is.”

“My father, in his wolf form, told me he could do the same,” I inform.

“I’m sure he can. You did say your family ties to the first ever wolf shifter. It’s quite possible your daddy could also be an ancient,” Nyah said, approaching me. “Answer me this...?”

“What,” I asked, pulling her close to me.

“How old is your daddy?”

The question threw me off so much, it left me standing there racking my brain for the answer.

Nyah swatted my arm. “If you have to think that hard about it, then I’m here to tell you, your daddy is an Ancient too.”

Dumbfounded, I questioned, “But how can you be so sure?”

“Because, from what my daddy told me, centuries ago after Vidar, the son of the Chief God Odin avenged his father’s deathagainst Fenrir. Vidar showed mercy on the wolf packs that didn’t share the same views as Fenrir and pledged their loyalty to him and in return, he granted extra abilities to the Alpha’s like being able to speak in their wolf form and others.” Nyah stopped speaking as she lowered her head, going into deep thought.

“What is it?” I asked, lifting her chin up with my fingers.

Nyah stared into my eyes, replying, “There were also Packs that stayed true to Fenrir and were given their Alpha’s the same abilities. Braxton, until we know for sure your family line could be one gifted by Loki which could make our families mortal enemies.”

I couldn’t help my chuckle. How could she think something like that? Surely our fathers would have known at their first meeting if there was a family feud. I will admit that growing up my father always talked about our heritage. The many battles our Packs or Clans, we were referred to back then, won. Or how the title of Alpha was passed onto the eldest son without a challenge after the current Alpha passed away. My young mind had questions and when I presented them to my father, he would sometimes not answer them directly, but he’d give me an answer. Most times I was still left confused. Now, learning this, I have to wonder if what he told me back then was true or a cover up. Was our family one of the ones Loki graced with his disoriented powers?

“The only way to get to the bottom of this is to confront our fathers,” I told her.

Nyah paused before saying, “I just hope that we’re on the same side.”

With confidence, I told her, “I think we are. If there was any friction between the families, it would have been detected the first time our fathers met. Since it didn’t happen, I can only assume that my family Pack is one who sided with Vidar.”

Nyah nodded, saying, “True, but we will never know for sure until we speak to our daddies. I think we should take the rest of the night to come up with a plan on how to approach them.”

We kissed each other, sealing our pact before leaving out of her room. We encountered no others as we made our way through the house. Once outside, we’re met by numerous members of the Pack. Some were loading the grills with meat, while others prepared the sides.

Leaning over to Nyah’s ear, I whispered in a non-disrespectful tone, “Is grilled meat the only thing your Pack eats? Not that I’m complaining, your father is amazing on the grill.”

She found my question humorous. Once Nyah calmed down from her comedic laughter, she replied, “No, it’s not. We just prefer it over other dishes.” Nyah then grasps my wrist. “Wait until you try our fried catfish. It is so good; you’ll be begging for our recipe.”

Chuckling, I said, “That is yet to be determined.”

“I’ll make sure to tell daddy to cook some for tomorrow,” she snickered, pulling me to the line.

As usual, the food was delicious and the company even better. Nyah and I sat at the table with Alpha Lightfeather, my father, James, Levi, and Kenia. Conversations moved smoothly and no one brought up Horace or Corey’s names or their demise. And why would we? As far as I was concerned any memory of them was erased when they were killed.

The topic of me and Nyah’s mating came up. Alpha Lightfeather announced that since there was no need for the mating ceremony, he would hold something similar to a human’s wedding reception in honor of us.

After thanking him, Alpha Lightfeather cut his eyes to Levi, saying, “I give you my approval to mate with Kenia, but you will not do it before it’s time.”

“Yes, sir,” Levi responded.

Alpha Lightfeather continued, “The next full moon is twenty-nine days away. On that night we will conduct the mating ceremony. Nothing against you, Levi, but I thought my daughter would be mated with an Alpha which is one of the reasons why I was happy when she denied the asshole who was her destined mate.” He wags his finger at Levi. “But you, Beta or not, have proven that you will protect my daughter at all costs and because of that, I give my blessing.”

James, who is usually a man of few words, stands, looking at father, then Alpha Lightfeather. “I, myself, have an announcement to make.”

Alpha Lightfeather held out his hand, giving approval. “By all means,” he says before sitting.

James appeared nervous as he began to speak. “I don’t know how to say this, so I’m just going to put it out there. Levi is actually an Alpha, not a Beta.”

“What?” everyone at the table asked at the same time.

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