9. Noah
NOAH
T he crunch of gravel under my boots echoed too loudly in the silence as I approached my parents’ front door.
Each step felt like I was trudging through thick mud, intensifying my apprehension of the upcoming conversation with my father.
But I needed to do this. After talking to Zoey and hearing her fear, something had shifted inside me.
A protective urgency that I couldn’t shake.
The warmth of the kitchen welcomed me as I entered. “Hey, Mom.”
She turned from the stove, her apron dusted with flour. I was immediately transported back to when the comforting scent of cinnamon and vanilla embraced me.
Her smile offered some comfort, but it couldn’t ease the tension coiling inside me.
I brushed my lips against her cheek—a greeting and a silent plea for forgiveness in anticipation of the impending argument with my father.
As much as I wanted to remain in the kitchen’s nostalgic atmosphere, I couldn’t ignore the reason I was there.
“Is he in his office?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.
“Where else would he be?” she replied, with the exasperation only decades of marriage can produce.
“Thanks, Mom.”
My fist hovered in front of the door, and for a moment, I considered walking away. Then I remembered the fear etched on Zoey’s face, a terror that no person should ever have to confront. It solidified my determination.
“Come in,” came the gruff command before my knuckles could rap against the wood.
“Father,” I greeted him, the formal title a line drawn between us.
He didn’t look up from his papers. “Noah,” he said in a deep rumble.
The carefully rehearsed conversation had vanished from my memory at the very moment I needed it the most. My mind was completely blank.
“I want to speak to you about Zoey Lester,” I said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had settled over us. I masked any traces of the chaos churning in my stomach, instead projecting a steady and controlled tone. “Sam Crew’s stepdaughter. She’s in trouble.”
My father’s eyes lifted from the papers, locking on mine with a sharpness that made clear he missed nothing. “Yes, Sam told me about the girl and her situation. She’s under our protection now.”
Surprised, I felt the tension in my clenched jaw begin to release. “Oh, you’re informed, then. Good.”
He fixed me with a knowing look, one I remembered all too well from my youth, and I realized I’d unintentionally exposed my interest in her.
“And how have you become aware of Zoey Lester and her situation?” His gaze narrowed slightly. “What’s your interest in her, Noah?”
“Zoey’s been taking self-defense classes at my gym,” I said. “She’s... she has a son. Roland. I’ve been helping them both.”
“Is that so?” The leather creaked as he leaned back in his chair. There was a new calculation in his demeanor, an unasked question hanging in the air.
I shifted uneasily under the scrutiny of his unwavering gaze.
“Roland’s a strong kid. The other day, I was out running in the park and felt this massive amount of alpha energy.
I didn’t think we had any kids here capable of showing that much power, so I checked it out.
Roland had lost control after being teased.
It sounded like he’d been protecting his mom.
His alpha aura is already strong, and he hasn’t even had his first shift yet. ”
I glanced at my father to gauge his reaction and found him sitting forward, his fingers steepled in front of him, his face schooled into a carefully neutral expression.
“I convinced Zoey to let me take him under my wing,” I continued. “To teach him some discipline for when it’s time for him to shift.”
To my surprise, my father chuckled warmly, a sound I hadn’t heard in two years. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it.
“Is that right?”
I nodded, taken aback by the unusual softening of his demeanor, which gave me the courage to carry on. “He’s curious, always asking questions. He’s not afraid to push boundaries, but needs to learn when it’s appropriate.”
“Sounds like someone I used to know.” He smiled a true smile that made his eyes crinkle. This momentary peace between us was disarming.
“Yeah, I can see that,” I admitted.
But peace never lasted long. In an instant, his expression turned sharp, tearing apart the brief sense of camaraderie that had been building. “Noah, is it really just about helping Roland?”
“Of course. Why else?” I tried to keep my temper even, but there was an edge to his question that put me on alert.
“Because when you talk about Zoey, your heart beats faster. I can hear it.” He tapped his finger against the armrest. “And your wolf, Noah. He’s practically clawing at the surface.”
I opened my mouth, then closed it, unsure how much to reveal. My father always had a way of seeing through me.
A low growl vibrated in my chest. My wolf’s restlessness only added to the unease. Zoey’s image kept playing in my mind, the scent of her fear, how her hands trembled over her admission about the threat her ex posed.
She carried fear like a shroud, and because she was my fated mate, every instinct in me—and my wolf—screamed to tear it away and claim her, protect her.
“Allow me to guess,” my father said. “Zoey’s not just some woman you’re helping, is she?”
I looked up at him. Silence stretched, taut as a wire, before I gave the smallest of nods. His gaze held mine, understanding flickering in his eyes. Or was it acceptance?
“She’s my fated mate,” I admitted, acknowledging the bond that tied me irrevocably to Zoey, the woman who had unwittingly become the center of my world.
I braced myself for the reprimand that never came. Instead, my father exhaled deeply, the tension in his expression easing.
“Son, I feel for you,” he began, his voice carrying an unexpected note of empathy. “This situation... it’s not an easy one to take on.”
I blinked at him. It wasn’t like my father to acknowledge difficulty, especially not mine. His usual stance was to push through adversity, not pause in its presence.
“I’m tough on you, I know that. But don’t mistake that for heartlessness.” He paused, his gaze piercing. “From what Sam explained, Zoey’s been through a lot. She’s going to need care and understanding.”
Those simple words hit me harder than any lecture could have.
I hadn’t expected my father to recognize the fragility of another person and acknowledge my ability to handle it with sensitivity.
For a moment, I caught a glimpse of the man who had comforted me when I skinned my knees as a child, not the alpha always pushing for strength.
“Your mother…” he began, and I saw a contemplative look cross his face. “Like Zoey, Angie’s human. More fragile than a shifter.”
I raised an eyebrow, not knowing where this was going.
“Swear to me you won’t breathe a word of this to her,” he said with a stern point of his finger. “She’d cut off my balls if she ever found out I called her fragile.”
A bark of laughter escaped me despite the tension. It was rare to hear him speak of any weakness, especially concerning my mother.
“Any woman should be handled with care. I can’t fathom a man laying hands on a woman. If your mother had gone through what Zoey has...”
His jaw clenched, and when he spoke again, there was a cold edge to his words. “If Angela had suffered at the hands of another before we mated, I’d probably have committed my first murder.”
I swallowed hard. It was something I’d contemplated myself. Shifters had a fierce, unspoken rule about protecting our mates.
“Can’t say I don’t get how you’re feeling, Noah. Zoey…” he said with a heavy sigh. “She should be your focus right now. Taking over the pack can wait.”
My heart hammered against my chest. Had I heard him right? Surely not. Stunned, I stared at him, searching his face for any hint of the familiar sternness. But all I could see was the earnest, resigned look on his face.
“Are you serious?” I wasn’t sure we were even speaking the same language. Shock coursed through me. I was certain there must be a film crew hidden somewhere, that I was on a reality show, with the host waiting to jump out and shout surprise.
My father’s gaze shifted beyond me, a momentary hesitation clouding his eyes, hinting at an unseen worry.
He cleared his throat, and my chest tightened.
“Your mother hasn’t been herself... not since the rift between us grew. I want things to be better for her.” He looked up at me with regret in his eyes. “I’m always going to push you, Noah. You still need to be ready to lead.”
I nodded, having already anticipated as much. I was all too familiar with his expectations.
“But I know better than to force you into it. A good alpha can’t be made under duress.” His firm tone wavered slightly. “We both miss Nate. He’d be disappointed to see us like this.”
The mention of my brother was a low blow, and it hit harder than any physical strike could. My hands clenched involuntarily.
“Understood,” I said, my throat suddenly tight. Nate’s memory was always haunting us, an unspoken reminder of what we had all lost. My father had a clear picture of the ideal version of me and the path I should follow, yet I doubted my ability to live up to his vision.
“Good. Because right now, Zoey needs you.” He stood up and closed the distance between us with a few measured steps.
His hand landed heavily on my shoulder, squeezing once.
“I’ll give you the time you need with her.
But then...” His grip tightened. “You have to step up. This pack is yours to lead, son. There’s no one else. ”
I searched his face for any sign of the hard-headed father I’d grown accustomed to. Instead, I found understanding. Empathy, even.
“I never wanted this, any of it.”
“I know. But these are the cards we’ve been dealt.”
“Right.” I exhaled slowly, releasing the tension I hadn’t realized I was holding. “I’m learning fate is a tricky bitch.”