Page 59 of The Fated Mate Bandit

I stay underneath the covers. I still don’t know what they talked about or what Daryll said. The mattress lowers as Silver sits next to me, placing his hand on my back.

“It’s okay. We just talked. He wanted to come inside, but I didn’t let him. He also wanted you to go with him, but I told him that wouldn’t happen. He left on his own terms.”

That doesn’t sound like Daryll. He never gives up a fight without making a fuss.

“What did you say to him to get him to leave?” I ask.

“Well, he could smell that we’d had sex, so I told him I was serious about you and I wanted to put my paws on you.”

I turn around and pull down the covers. “You did?”

Silver gives me a gentle smile. “Yeah. I hope that’s okay.”

“And he just left?” I ask. That doesn’t make any sense.

“Not at first. We talked about logistics. The pups, for instance. I asked him if he’d be willing to sign away his parental rights.”

My stomach drops. The possibility of Daryll suing for custody is one of the things that keeps me up at night. “What did he say.”

Silver reaches for my hand and threads his fingers through mine. “He said he’d be willing if he didn’t have to pay child support.”

“Really? Just like that?” Surely, it can’t be that easy.

“Yeah. Just like that. I will need to pay his rent this month, which I can do. And… I’d like to adopt the pups. If you’re okay with that. If you aren’t?—”

Tears burn in the corners of my eyes. “You’d adopt them?”

He squeezes my hand. “Yes. Then they’d be mine, right? I mean, I know they’d have Daryll’s genes and be wolf shifters instead of raccoon shifters, but I’d be their alpha dad. We could raise them together and be a family.”

They’d really be Ruby’s and Shae’s grandkids. They’d have four wonderful uncles. They’d be safe, loved, and cared for.

“What’s the catch?” I ask. “What did Daryll ask for in return?”

He shakes his head. “Like I said, he just wanted me to pay his rent this month.”

Daryll gave me and the pups up for the price of one month’s rent? I shouldn’t care about that. This is a happy development. It would be better to focus on Silver’s offer to adopt the pups. But what will I tell them when they’re old enough to figure out Silver isn’t genetically related to them? Will they be curious about their biological alpha father? Will they be hurt Daryll didn’t want them?

Deep in my heart, I’ve known for a long time Daryll wasn’t interested in being a father. He’s never been excited about the pups. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. But I ache for the little ones in my belly because I know how hard it is to be rejected by your alpha father. Even if you shouldn’t care what he thinks, it still hurts.

“If this isn’t what you want—” Silver starts.

“It is. I want to raise these pups with you.” In fact, I wasn’t able to get excited about the pups myself until he made me feel safe enough that I could picture a happy future for them. Being with Silver is the right thing for all of us. “I just… wish Daryll loved his pups.”

Silver climbs into bed with me and gathers me in his arms. “I do, too. I would have shared them with him, if that’s what he wanted.”

“No,” I realize. “We couldn’t have shared them. I think… he would have hit them. That’s why I left.”

Saying that out loud is grounding. It holds me responsible for an unavoidable truth that I must face to be a good father to my pups.

“I think you’re right,” Silver says.

It’s a relief and horrible all at once. When the time comes to tell the pups about their biological alpha father, I’ll need to be honest. They deserve to know what kind of man sired them, even if it will make them feel bad.

I feel bad when I think about the kind of man who sired me.

But I’ve never touched a sip of alcohol because I knew my alpha dad. I’ve never experimented with drugs or gambled. I knew addiction was in my blood, and I think that saved me. Our pups will be able to have that knowledge without all the fear and pain I went through.

“I think I’m ready,” I say.

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