Chapter 9 #3
Hank called Tracy’s dad on his cell, hoping the Alpha werewolf was in a good mood.
Joe Villalobos answered with a snarl in his voice, so no, the man wasn’t pleased to hear from him, but Hank forged ahead anyway, asking for a face-to-face meeting.
Hank had decided while he was in the shower that this sort of thing had to be done in person.
He was basically laying siege to the man’s daughter and wanted to convince him to help.
That wasn’t the sort of thing you could ask for over the phone.
Joe surprised Hank by inviting him to join him for breakfast. Joe named the diner in town and said he’d be there in fifteen minutes.
The place was within easy walking distance, so Hank left the hotel room and headed for the diner, taking his time so as to arrive only a little before the werewolf Alpha.
Hank didn’t want to keep Joe waiting. It was a sign of respect and just good manners.
Hank had to be ultra careful with Joe during this period, because it was within the Alpha’s rights to ask him to leave town.
To fly away and never come back. Hank would just about die if that happened, and Joe knew it.
Therefore, Hank didn’t want to give the man any excuse to ban him from Big Wolf, Texas, now or in the future.
When Joe drove up in a battered pickup truck, Hank met him with a respectful nod of greeting. Joe climbed out of the truck and faced Hank, hands on hips, challenging.
“If this is about the run-in the gigantic twins had last night with a group of silly pups—”
Hank shook his head, holding up one hand, palm outward while he grinned. “I heard about that, Alpha. No hard feelings. As long as the pups are okay.”
Joe Villalobos just shook his head. “They’re fine.
Stupid kids.” He muttered a few other things that Hank chose not to hear, regarding the idiocy of youth, then led the way toward the door of the diner.
“I’m glad your two behemoths held back. Somehow, those boys got the idea I would be glad if they attacked two guests in our town. It wasn’t sanctioned.”
“We all figured as much,” Hank replied quietly as he held the door open for the Alpha.
Joe grunted and nodded, acknowledging Hank’s words. He took a seat in a far booth where they’d have a good view of the doorway before he spoke again. Hank sat opposite him.
“So, what’s this all about? Why did you want to see me?” Joe asked.
Moment of truth time. Hank took a deep breath.
“It’s like this, Alpha. I’m in love with your daughter.
” Damn. He’d actually said it out loud. “I have been for the past couple of years, but I was too stupid, stubborn…you-name-it…to allow myself to recognize it. I couldn’t quite accept that my mate wasn’t a cat of some kind, so I guess I buried my head in the sand and refused to acknowledge the truth when it was staring me right in the face. ”
Joe just looked at him for a moment, then nodded.
“You had a case of the stupids? There’s a lot of that going around lately.
Starting with those kids last night and ending right here at this table.
What exactly do you think I can do about your little problem?
Which, by the way, isn’t so little. My daughter is stubborn as hell, and she isn’t going to easily accept that you only just figured this out.
” He leaned in, staring Hank down. “You hurt her, son. Her feelings are bruised. And I have to warn you—she’s not going to trust you easily again. ”
Hank didn’t look away from the Alpha’s gaze, which was meant to intimidate a lesser shifter.
But Hank had a little secret. He was an Alpha male too.
If the Jaguar Clan was stronger and his people more numerous, he’d probably have a Clan of his own to rule over, but the history of the jaguar people had created an odd situation where they all had to pull together under an Alpha-Beta hierarchy just to help their species survive into another generation.
“With all due respect, sir, she hurt me as well. She should’ve called when she found out she was expecting.
” Hank was careful to keep his tone cool.
Objective. Matter-of-fact. He saw the moment the werewolf Alpha realized Hank had a point.
The man eased back in his chair and looked at Hank for a long moment before replying.
Joe shook his head. “Yeah, I told her that. More than once.” The waitress came over then, and took their orders. Hank waited until she was gone before speaking again.
“I missed seeing my child as a baby. I missed her first steps. Her first words. I can never get any of that back, but I can make sure I don’t miss anything in her future,” Hank said, keeping his tone reasonable.
“I can see I need to prove myself to Tracy first. I’ve seen how closed off she is emotionally.
How protective she is of our child. I get it, and I respect it, as far as it goes, but I need to break through. Somehow.”
Joe sighed. “You’ve certainly got your work cut out for you.”
“Which is why I’m here. I’d like to get your permission to court your daughter. I know it’s all ass-backwards, but I figured I should start over at the beginning.” Hank gave Joe what he hoped was a disarming smile, but he could see Tracy’s father wasn’t completely fooled by the attempt at charm.
“Flowers and candy aren’t going to cut it with a strong female like Tracy,” her father warned Hank.
“I didn’t expect they would,” Hank agreed. “If you have any advice, I’d be happy to hear it.”