Page 10 of Take Two (Valleywood: Season Three)

Chapter 10

Declan

“I can’t believe I had to witness that disgusting display of… of…” His voice faltered, and I completed the sentence.

“Affection? Something you wouldn’t understand, Father.”

Phobos draped an arm around my shoulder as though he was protecting me. Maybe he was, and that was sweet, but it would infuriate Father. And while my father barked, snarled, and growled, he wouldn’t physically hurt me. Or he never had. With me, it was a show of bravado, like dogs who snapped when strangers crossed their territory

Not that I could say that about his underlings in the pack. He treated them badly for the slightest blunder.

“I need you to come home.”

I pointed to the stairs. “I am, or I will be when I get up there. Convenient, right? Living above the bar.” I kept my voice light, though my father’s wolf was in the forefront of his gaze. He was just as much an ass as Father because he’d lost his wolf mate when my omega dad died.

While it was awkward having Phobos witness our dysfunctional relationship, I refused to agree to any of Father’s demands, just because he’d a) interrupted us about to get naked and b) I was embarrassed in front of my soon-to-be lover.

“You belong with me and the pack.”

I tilted my head as if I was considering what he’d said, instead of it being more of the same old, same old.

“But that’s not true, is it, Father of mine, because I wouldn’t be staying with you.”

Phobos chose that moment to enter the conversation. “Why not? Surely if your son comes for a vacation, he'll stay with you. Unless you have a guest house.”

“Stay out of this.” Father got in Phobos’s face, his wolf’s eyes having swapped with Father’s. Spittle gathered on his lips, but if he was grossed out, Phobos didn’t show it, and he didn’t back down. My father’s body hummed with indignation that anyone would interfere in his and his son’s relationship.

I elbowed Phobos out of the way, not wanting Father to slam a fist into my date’s face.

“I’m busy this evening, but I can meet you at a diner down the street for breakfast. It’s next to L’Hotel Valeur, go get yourself a room.”

Father grunted and averted his gaze from my date to me. “I didn’t come here to spend a night in some cheap hotel.” He grabbed my arm, but my wolf funneled his strength to me and combined it with my own, and I jerked out of his grasp. There was an audible gasp from Father.

“How dare you? I’m your father and Alpha. You will do as I say.”

“I’m a grown-ass man and not a pup for you to bully, ignore, and hand off to other pack members to look after and raise.”

“Sounds like you’re a real peach.” Phobos put a protective hand on my arm.

Gods, not now. I might not have been handling my father, but I was holding my own in the conversation, and Phobos was antagonizing him. It would get ugly, and my father might shift. My date was no match for that mean-ass wolf inside the man who was ordering me to do as he said.

My father’s chest heaved, and a sprinkling of fur appeared on his forearms. Phobos didn’t appear to notice or he would have held his hands up in surrender and scuttled away.

“What did I tell you?” Father spat out.

Oh, this wasn’t good. His body was trembling with fury, and if his beast lashed out at my date, he might sever Phobos’s jugular.

“Please, Phobos.” I put a hand to his chest, his heart pounding under my palm, skin scalding even through his shirt. “Stay out of it. I can deal with this. Trust me.”

“No, I refuse to allow you to be bullied by a man who calls himself your father.” With his index finger, he prodded Father’s chest.

Yikes. He touched the Alpha, and not by accidentally brushing against him or shaking his hand. Instead, it was an aggressive finger poke.

Father growled, the sound coming from deep in his belly as his canines elongated, dripping with saliva. Phobos raised a hand, as if he were holding a sword and was going to anoint Father or knight him. Father and I both stared at the odd gesture, and I hoped my date would combine it with an apology.

But he grunted and brought his hand close to his face and shook it. I wondered if he was experiencing an episode of some kind and whether I should call the paramedics or search his pockets for medication.

“What the—” His voice was filled with frustration.

I pushed him away, hoping he'd take the hint and shut his mouth, but he glanced at me and trailed a finger over my cheek before shoving himself between Father and me.

Why? Oh gods, why?

“I told you and you didn’t listen. More fool you.” Father didn’t shift, but he pushed me aside while he confronted my date. He was a little taller than Phobos who didn’t appear to be intimated. He stood his ground.

Either my date was foolhardy or he genuinely believed he would win a fight against an Alpha wolf. If he was doing this to protect me and not some macho alpha BS, I was touched. But he'd be touched by my father—or rather punched, walloped, beaten, and bloodied—if he didn’t back down.

Father didn’t do as expected which was to flatten my date. Instead, he clenched his fists and enacted the stare-down. I’d been the recipient of those growing up, and I’d been terrified at the intensity of his gaze.

“No one puts his filthy finger that’s been gods know where on me.

My face burned, and I studied my boots because I was aware of exactly where Phobos’s fingers had been. And Father had witnessed it.

I looked up as Father brushed off some lint from my date’s coat before grabbing the lapels and bringing Phobos’s face within an inch of his own.

“On the other hand, I can manhandle you because I don’t like you and you had your hands on my beloved son.”

“Beloved?” I scoffed, but neither man paid me any attention.

I sniffed the air that crackled not just with the mingling scents of my father and my date, but with simmering tension and fury. Father’s jaw tightened, and he snarled.

Phobos had been remarkably calm during this exhibition of shifter anger, but when he told my father to cool it, I winced. “We can discuss this, or if you prefer, we can go outside and go ten rounds. Your choice.”

Gods, he wouldn’t last one round. What was he thinking?

Father’s hand curled into a fist, but he didn’t land a punch. He snapped his head forward, headbutting his brow on Phobos’s. I yelped and held both hands over my ears, the crack of bone hitting bone making me shiver and bile slide up my throat.

Phobos grunted and staggered back as blood spurted from his forehead.

“What the fuck have you done, you foolish old man? Holding on to your resentment for decades and allowing it to fester and deny me any chance of happiness.”

I grabbed Phobos and steadied him as he wiped the blood trickling over his cheeks with his hand. He studied it, rolling it between his fingers as if he'd never seen it before.

“There’s a first-aid kit behind the bar.”

“I’m fine.” Phobos grinned, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. He pulled himself up to his full height, his body pulsing with energy and what I swore was light. I blinked as he was surrounded by an aura of heat and his eyes glowed.

But it was my mind playing tricks, it had to be. The stress of Father appearing, ordering me back to the pack, besting my date, and beating him up was threatening to overwhelm me. The weight of it was heavy on my shoulders

Phobos bared his teeth at Father and coiled his hands as he stood toe to toe. This was a different man than a moment ago when he’d been knocked about by Father. My chest tightened and each breath whistled. There was a sour taste in my mouth that mirrored the nausea in my belly. I grimaced at the pain that panic produced because Father wasn’t to be messed with. He was a warrior Alpha and didn’t bend to anyone’s will.

But my mate was standing tall, his spine ramrod straight, and I worried he was going to turn into a twisting ball of light and wipe Father from the planet. I giggle-snorted because I was conjuring up an epic battle that existed only in my head.

Impossibly, the wolf retreated from my father’s gaze and his shoulders slumped, appearing to be a bit disoriented. He pushed hair back from his face with shaking hands and adjusted his cufflinks. The fury that had been evident moments earlier disappeared, and Father appeared to be who he was, a middle-aged Alpha who was propelled only by resentment.

“This is not the end, Declan. Your destiny has been mapped out since you were born and you killed your omega father.”

He couldn’t resist putting the blame on me for fate taking his mate away from him.

“I will be back.” He pushed past me and slammed the door behind him.

“Did he steal that line from the movie?”

I rolled my eyes at how my date was making light of what happened.

But I needed an explanation.