Filed to story: The Alphas Contract Novel by Taylor West
Her jaw drops, and her stare turns to confusion. “From your first mate.”
“No.” I should expand, but I could already see that she was angry. She had already jumped from zero to one hundred when I had Samara’s scent on me.
She frowns and backs up. Holding her hands up. “I can’t… I can’t do this.”
“That’s what you get for jumping to conclusions. You have limited information. You don’t know anything about me, but you have already decided how I should act.”
“I…” Her golden eyes dart around
*Daddy!” Dottie comes running across the grass towards me, her backpack swinging side to side and Sebastian holds a hand up to me to confirm that I had seen him.
Dottie practically throws herself into my arms, squeezing herself against me as her arms lock around my neck. She had been with Athena and Sebastian for a few days and it was so good to see her.
“Eris, this is Dorothy.”
*Your kid?” she splutters
“Yes.”
Dottie holds up two fingers, “Two dads.” she announces proudly. Though she seemed to spend a hell of a lot more time with me than Brax.
She smiles at Dottie and I was expecting Dottie to smile back, but she just stares at Eris and I knew she was reading her.
“Why is she staring at me like that?” Eris demands
The little bit of flesh between Dotties brows wrinkles up, “I want to go inside.” she mutters.
*There’s someone inside.”
“Okay.” Dottie smiles. “She won’t hurt me! Promise.”
I put her down, surprised that she was more bothered by the Wolf in front of me than the Lycan inside. She shoots a final glance at Eris and slips past me.
“What was that about?” Eris asks
*She is a good judge of character.”
*She doesn’t like me, does she? She barely spoke to me? So you are going to trust a kid?”
Don’t like it when it’s the other way around?” I challenge.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Isn’t it? That’s exactly what you have done to me. The difference is, my kid is able to see your soul. There is no hiding that, that is why she didn’t have to speak to you.”
I turn back to the house, I was done with this conversation.
*You are just walking away?” Eris asks
I glance over my shoulder, “Yes. Or would you rather I reject you on the spot? Because that is looking likely at this point.”
“I thought you wanted to think?”
“I did. But you are making it impossible for me to consider the positives of being mated to you.”
“…” She doesn’t know where to look and she couldn’t look at me either. Instead her eyes settle on the ground at my feet.
She walks away as I enter the house. I feel an ache in my heart. She was supposed to be for me and yet I couldn’t imagine being with anyone like her.
Heading through the kitchen to the lounge, Dottie is already laid on her stomach, doodling. Samara is sitting on the sofa in a black tee of mine that is knotted at the hip and wearing a pair of my shorts. The drawstring is pulled so tight that it fell past the bottom of the shorts.
“I’m sorry.” Samara mutters as I sit in the chair. “I didn’t mean to cause trouble for you. I can find somewhere else to stay.”
*It was all her doing. There’s nothing to be sorry for.” She studies me with her grey eyes and nods. “Dottie, what did you see when you looked at Eris?”
She pauses over her doodles and slowly lowers her pencil. She pushes her small frame off the floor and moves towards me with her brows knitted.
“The lady outside?” she asks casually
“Yes. I saw the way you looked at her. I know you were reading her.”
“She isn’t happy. She was a long time ago and something changed. It’s not dark, but it isn’t light.” Dottie pats her chest. “She hurts but she doesn’t want anyone to know.”
“Why did you run inside?”
“Um, she um,” Her eyes drift to Samara. “She is your mate but she doesn’t like that you have friends or me.”
*Dott…..”
*She will take you away from me.” Tears are creeping down her face as she blurts out the words.
I try to reassure her that no one is taking me away, but she runs to her bedroom crying.
“Do you want me to go talk to her?” Samara offers.
*No. Thank you for the offer, but it’s me that she is worried about.”
“I don’t understand. How can she read people like that?”
*She is a Hunter. She is biologically Brax’s child.
She frowns. “That was the child Blair told me about.”
“Yes.”
*You have a Hunter in your house and you are not worried? Should I be worried?” she asks as her brows shoot up her forehead.
“She isn’t exactly like Brax.”
“Why does she call you Daddy if she is Brax’s child?”
“It’s a long story.”
“I’m happy to listen,” she offers “It beats listening to my own narrator.”
“Dakota?”
*Yes. She likes to talk, alot. I don’t mind it, it’s different and sometimes weird that she knows exactly what I’m thinking, but it’s reassuring too. Does that make sense?”
*Neah told me the same.”
“But we don’t all have the inner Lycan?”
“No, it’s to do with carrying Alpha genetics. At the end of the day, you carry Kitson blood.”
“Still a lot to understand.” she murmurs. “But tell me about Dorothy. I would love to understand more.”
She listens carefully as I tell her how Dottie came into my life. She doesn’t interrupt me and smiles at me when I finish. “You helped her.”
“I like to think so.”
*Can I ask you a question?” she murmurs
“Sure.”
*Do you think Salem knew she was there? Do you think he left her purposely for you to find? Did he slaughter those people because of what they did to her?”
“Yes. There was no way that he didn’t know she was there. Rogues have a stronger sense of smell and Dottie saw him. Whether he chose to leave her there for me to find, or to use her as an opportunity to get further away is a different question and one that I will never know the answer to.” I turn my face to the ceiling. “She is far stronger than most people realise,”
“I agree, she is.”
My eyes lock on hers, “What did she say to you when she was in here, alone with you?”
Samara smiles at me. “She told me that she could see I was a good person deep down. That I just need to get out of the trap that no longer exists.”
“Anything else?”
She shrugs her shoulders, “Only that she likes me.” she points to the back of her hand where a blue unicorn sat.” She gave me a sticker. Told me that Neah would know I was a good person. But I know it will take more than a sticker for Neah to believe that. I keep expecting her to knock down the door and come and take me back to the dungeon.”
“It’s not going to happen. I’ve already told her you are here with me and I am keeping an eye on you.”
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?