Unveilded by the Depths

Packhouse

Nixie

A man bursts in. "She's here!?"

My eyes fly to him. He has the same cinnamon colored hair, the same green eyes, and the same nose. My fingers grip the edge of the table so hard my knuckles turn white. The family resemblance is undeniable. Even more reassuring is the warm tingling in my gut, making me as sure he was my father as I was sure I was handcuffed to a table.

Alpha stands up and puts his hand on Brandon, my dad's, shoulder. "I'll give you the room. I have my own daughter to deal with, it seems." He leaves and the door remains open behind him.

My dad comes over and stands beside me and frowns when he sees the cuffs. "Oliver," he barks the order and Oliver hands him a key.

Rubbing my freed wrist, I never take my eyes off my father. He drops to his knees beside my chair and turns me, so he looks me directly in the eyes. One hand comes up to touch my face and I relax. His touch soothing my jangled nerves. "I know you have questions. Just give me 5 minutes to explain. Please?" His jade green eyes, the exact color of my own eyes beg me to listen. I nod. "First off, I know trust has to be earned, it's never just given. And I'm willing to earn your trust, Nixie. But you have to give me the chance."

"Okay." I accept his words, willing to give him a chance.

"Why aren't you freaking out?" he asks, his face scrunching.

My one eyebrow raises in an arch, "Considering my life so far, it's nothing so crazy I'm freaking out...yet."

He tips his head to the side in acknowledgment of where I've come from and starts talking. "Your mother and I had an agreement. I couldn't contact you. You had to come to me."

My eyes water and my lips tremble. "She told me she didn't know where you were, that you left her when she told you about me." My voice drops to a tiny whisper as I confess. "That you didn't want me."

He pulls me into his arms, his voice shaking as he vows. "I have always wanted you. I will always want you. She was punishing me."

"Why?"

He sighs and sits me back in the chair. "That's a long story. But I loved your mother, so much. She was my mate, the other half of my soul. Then..." he pauses, clearly searching for the best words. "There was a war. Your mother betrayed me...betrayed us. She hurt a lot of people. Alpha had no choice but to banish her, and I rejected her. I didn't know about you 'til later."

"What do you mean you rejected her?"

"Most supernatural beings have fated mates. Shifters can find ours after we find our wolf. It is the one person who smells right. Who the Moon Goddess made as the other half of your soul. But sometimes, that half is evil or wrong for you and you have to sever the bond. Rejection is how you do it."

"Did she reject you too?"

He sighs, "She did more than that, Nixie. She almost killed the whole pack."

I bite my bottom lip to stop the trembling, but my whole body is shaking. No wonder Mrs. Kennedy wanted me out of her house. "I need to leave, don't I?"

He shakes his head, his hands grabbing my shoulders, they are warm, providing comfort not pain. "No. You need to stay. Your wolf is waking up and soon you'll shift for the first time. Your mother can't help you with that. She's not a wolf."

"Well, neither was I until this morning."

"No, you always were. She just wasn't awake."

"She is now though?"