Leave Your Mark

Chapter Six: Family Tree

This chapter is dedicated to a lovely reader benny98277 because your comments make my day :)

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Chapter Six: Family Tree

After Xavier left I sat there with a slight whimper coming out of my mouth. Cane stood with his hackles raised still staring at the door.

His growling was making me tense, like I could almost feel his anger. I slowly reached out and brushed his tail. He turned and snapped at me before he has realized what he did.

I jumped back and he immediately dropped to his stomach whimpering.

“S’okay,” I muttered but I didn’t make any move to try and touch him.

So we sat there like that in comfortable silence just looking at each other. I sat on the bed and the big dog lying at the foot of it.

After a while I felt my eyes slowly start to droop. I found myself sleeping a lot like it was trying to repair itself in the middle of my sleep.

My eyes had shut for about two seconds when there was a crash down stairs.

I shot up straight and Cane picked up his head, his ears flicking back and forth.

I could make out some words being shouted like, “Where is she?” that was the one that stood out.

Was someone here to save me?

I stood up, unsteady on my sore legs but Cane pushed into my side and I leaned against him.

“I want to go downstairs,” I said to him.

He looked back at me and then dropped his head and slowly started walking me out the door.

“I smell her!” I heard the shout of a deep masculine voice, he sounded older.

Cane was stiff the whole time we made our way towards the stairs and all the way down them. His nervousness was getting to me. I wish Winter was here to keep me calm.

We rounded the corner and I saw Xavier face to face with an older man. The man wasn’t too old, probably in his late 30s. Hunter and Damon stood behind Xavier and another man stood behind the older one.

When I walked in all eyes turned to me.

Cane let out a warning growl. I locked eyes with the man as he studied me. I saw pain and hope flash over his face as he looked me up and down before ending with the look of sadness and happiness mixed together.

“Dani,” he sighed out.

I grabbed tighter onto Cane’s fur.

Cane growled and the man laughed.

“Me and you will talk later,” he said looking at the dog. He turned to me and apologized, “I’m sorry I did not introduce myself, I am Caleb and I am your father.”

I was too stunned to speak. I was starting to see the similarities. The hair color and body build. He even had the same strong jaw and doe eyes but after 17 years he was just now coming to find me? Did he expect me to just forgive him after what he did to my mom? I was going through all the emotions I was feeling at the moment before I stopped on one that I always felt most comfortable with.

Anger.

“How. Dare. You.” I bit out. I pushed away from Cane and stumbled forward pointing a finger at my dad.

He looked slightly taken aback.

“You do not have the right to call you my father!” I growled before losing my footing and falling on my hands and knees. They were still sensitive from the cuts and I tipped onto my side in pain.