Page 36 of Cruel Alpha Beast
Lacey meets my eyes, her lips parting ever so slightly. “Um, yeah, if that’s okay with Saw—I mean,Daddy.”
I shrug my shoulders before Shea looks back at me with imploring eyes. “Sure. But you’ve got to brush your teeth first, just like Mom said.”
Lacey gives me an appreciative smile. “Yeah, Daddy doesn’t tuck in anyone with yucky dinner breath. Come on.”
“Ew, yucky dinner breath,” Shea says through a small fit of giggles, then skips off to meet Lacey in the bathroom.
The door closes, but I can hear the sound of running water coming through. I lean back in my chair and wonder if this is what domestic life is supposed to be like.
It’s still hard to reconcile the fact that I’m this adorable girl’s father, but it’s impossible to deny just looking at her. And what’s even harder is knowing how much of her life I’ve already missed out on. She seems to be latching onto me quicker than I have been to her, but I would lay down my life if it was the only way to protect her.
I look down at the drawing she made once again, appreciating the details she was able to put in at her young age. She’s an impressive little girl, my daughter.
My daughter. It feels so good to say.
Soon enough, the bathroom door springs open, and Shea is dressed in her pink pajamas. Lacey must have brought them into the bathroom with her when she came down to take a shower.
Launching forward, Shea runs across the living room and launches herself into my lap. She wraps her small body around me, and for a second, I’m too stunned to react.
“Shea, personal space,” Lacey corrects in a gentle voice. “We’ve talked about this before.”
“Oh, no, it’s fine,” I say, feeling Shea melt into me. I put my arms around her gingerly. “It’s… It’s kind of nice.”
Lacey smiles in a way that almost breaks my heart. Her eyes tear up as she sees me holding her daughter—our daughter—and embracing my new life with her.
“Alright, little one,” I mutter into Shea’s ear. “Let’s tuck you into bed.”
“I don’t have yucky dinner breath,” she assures me.
I snicker and stand up, still holding her against my front. “Glad to hear it.”
“Thank you,” Lacey murmurs to me, and I wonder if she’ll actually start crying.
“My pleasure,” I reply, heading for the stairs.
Shea’s arms and legs tighten around me as I climb up to the small room that used to be an office space. Jasper and Ellis helped me put a small bed inside for Shea before she moved in with me, but I haven’t spent time in this room since.
In her short amount of time living here, Shea has started turning this room into a home. The few toys she brought with her have been tucked away into the corner, and her crayons are spread out across the floor, just waiting for someone to step on them and break them all in half.
She hasn’t made her bed since she woke up this morning, leaving a nest-like structure of blankets and pillows. I set her down on the floor and fix it up just enough for her to be able to lie down, then I gently pulled the purple blankets over her tiny body.
“There,” I say once I’ve tucked her in. “Snug as a bug in a rug.”
Shea giggles again, filling my heart with joy. “That’s what Auntie RoeRoe says.”
“Glad to be in esteemed company,” I say, even though Shea wouldn’t know what that means.
Just before I prop my hands on my knee to stand back up, Shea looks up at me with her big eyes.
“Daddy? Tell me a story?” she asks.
I suck in a deep breath. “I really don’t know that many stories.”
Her eyes glisten back at me. “Can you try? Please?”
Well, how can I say no to that?
“Fine,” I tell her, racking my brain. “Once upon a time… There was a young wolf who was really spoiled. He thought he was smarter, faster, and much better-looking than all his wolf friends. Especially one named, uh,Sneg.”
