Page 50 of Wolf Fated
“It’s better if you see for yourself.” He pushed up from his chair and left the table.
My curiosity got the best of me, and I rose, following after him.
I found Axel in a theater room with an old TV and camcorder attached to it. I sat down in one of the theater-style seats, wondering what movies they watched in here on the big screen behind the small TV.
“Your dad left a video message before he died.”
My throat dried. “How did you know him?”
“He was there when Nathan first shifted and taught him everything he knew.”
I was going to have to have a talk with Nathan about my dad. But just being with him in the cabin and hunting, I guessed he did that with my dad. A pierce of longing and envy hit my chest that he got to know my father while I never had.
“So why isn’t Nathan the Alpha?”
Axel flipped on the TV.
Wasn’t that how it worked? Whoever bit a human turned them and became their leader… or was that vampires? What was I thinking? Up until a few days ago, I didn’t believe in either.
“Watch.” He pressed the camcorder and left the room, closing the door behind him.
The screen blipped white for a second, then a forest came into view. A man stepped in front of the camera with an easy smile. His hair color was the same as mine. And my eyes were a lighter shade of turquoise than his.
“If you’re watching this, then it means I’m dead.” His easy smile was contagious, even though tears stung my eyes as I saw he had a beauty mark in the bottom corner of his nose exactly like mine. “Sorry, pumpkin. Wish I could have been there for you. We just found out you’re a girl at the doctor’s visit today. My little wolf.” He chuckled. “God, I wish I could see you. I’m guessing you grew up fine and gave your mom trouble.”
I laughed.
“Don’t be so hard on her. I’m sure she’s doing the best she can without me.”
Tears spilled from my eyes, and I wiped them away with the back of my hand.
“Truth is, I put her and you in danger. If I could do it all again, I’d have left with you and her, gotten as far from the hunters as possible.” He narrowed his eyes, directly into the camera. “Make no mistake, Brook, there are humans out there who would rather kill our kind and they are as devious as demons.”
Brook? He knew my name?Part of me wanted to toss it off to a prank. That the guys had hired this man to pretend to be my father. But a bigger part, somewhere deep inside me that I never allowed loose, said he was speaking the truth.
“Did your mom tell you I picked your name?” He stuck his hands in his pockets, looking shy and vulnerable. “We met at this brook behind me for the first time. And this was where she told me we were pregnant with you. I can’t wait to see you and hold you.”
This man had to be my real father.
23
Irewatched the video of my dad five times before I turned everything off. I felt numb inside. Like everything I had ever known had been a lie. And I couldn’t blame my mom. If my dad was right about the hunters, then she did what she could to keep me safe. I should be grateful even if I wished she'd handled everything differently. I mean I was an adult now; she could have sat me down and explained about my real dad and werewolves instead of letting virtual strangers do it.
Mom tried to make me strong while keeping me at arm’s length like she was scared to get too close to me. After all, my dad had been killed. Why not me?
Now it made so much more sense why Mom was nicer to Dawn my younger sister than me. Dawn was fully human and my other dad’s biological daughter.
Everything felt like it clicked into place. Like a veil that had been covering my eyes my entire life had now lifted. Though it was hard to believe fully. I was half human and half werewolf? Or was I more werewolf now that Nathan had bitten me?
My head pounding, I exited the theater to go and find the guys to ask them some of my questions, but the mansion was quiet and felt empty. Just in case they were in another part of the house, I checked all the rooms and bedrooms but didn't find them anywhere in there either. The fact they left me alone made me feel abandoned at first. Then I thought maybe they were showing that they trusted me not to run. Where would I go anyway? Stephen would be angry if I came back before the thirty days were up. Did I even want to go back and marry him?
Ever since I got here, I hadn't allowed myself to think of anything other than getting through these thirty days and returning with the money. Now, I felt like I didn't belong quite anywhere. Like I was stuck between two worlds—one I'd known my entire life—and one I had no idea existed until recently.
I headed back into the kitchen and filled a glass with water, drinking it down. Then I did a load of laundry and browsed the library. There were books on every subject from archeology to zebras. I could spend my entire life in here reading and still not touch everything. When I saw a whole section of werewolf romance books, I let out a happy squeak and grabbed the thickest one. They wouldn't have these if they didn't want me to read them, right?
The idea that one of them read romance novels filled me with pleasure. There was something super sexy about a guy who read. And one who read romance novels without being squeamish was a rare man indeed. Stephen never read anything except horse race results or gambling stats. He said books were a waste of time.
I settled into a comfy velvet purple recliner and started reading. Before I knew it, the sunlight through the windows darkened and I couldn't make out the words on the page. I rose, stretching, and set the book down on the rosewood table.
