The Royal Alpha, & Loyal Luna

37. It's Because I'm Human .

"Just because I don't have super senses like my daughter, doesn't mean I can't feel you watching me."

I walked into his dimly lit room, standing at the foot of his bed as he slowly attempted to incline his upper body. When he adjusted himself properly, he sat there with a knowing look on his face as he watched me.

It was odd. Nova looked so much like Minette, the eyes, hair, so much. But here, looking up close at the face of her father who was finally awake, I could see just as much of her in him as I did her mother.

His strong gaze, even as he sat there silently passing judgement. It reminded me of the first night I brought Nova home, how she looked at me with such fire in her blue eyes.

"I may be human, but I'm not stupid." He gestured for me to sit in a chair that was closer to the top of the bed. "You're him.. aren't you? Nova's ex."

I felt my face twitch.

"Yes, but where you're wrong is, Nova is my mate. And because you're human, I'm sure you wouldn't understand what that means."

"Mate?" He rose a not so subtle brow. "Where is she? Where's my daughter? What have you done to her?"

"I've done nothing but care for your daughter, Mr. Du Val. Nova, she.. means the absolute world to me."

"Is that so?"

"Oui."

"Sharing a common tongue will not win you my favor, boy. You can sit there broad-chested, head high to the heavens, and ready to bare me your soul, and you're still just that.. a boy."

"You may have just woken up, Mr. Du Val, but you've woken with a fire." I smiled a tight grin. "We'll need that."

"Nova? Is she in trouble?"

Isn't she always..

Even thinking to myself, I could feel the burning chill of a missing connection. She was as blocked off from me as I was to her.

"I'm sure you know by now, Nova and I, we're not like you."

"In this situation, I think it would be more fitting to say that I'm not like the two of you. I've been the odd one out for years now. Nova has always carried that secret, before she even knew it."

"You're wife burdened her with that heavy secret. And as her father, you will aid me in helping Nova get whatever she desires. Whether that be closure, redemption.. revenge."

"Why would she need either of those things? I mean, closure I can understand, but what would she need to redeem herself from? Why would she possibly want revenge? On who, me?"

"Your wife."

"You have no idea what you're talking about. Where is my daughter?"

"The faster I get you out of this bed, the faster we'll find her."

"Find? For someone who claims to care a great deal about her, you only assure me further by not knowing her whereabouts that you don't."

"And if I told you she were off to her mother? What then?"

"Minnie? Nova knows how to find her? How long have I been.." He attempted to get out of bed, but staggered when he realized his legs would betray him.

I caught him with one hand and help to guide him back up against the bed as he took a seat. "One step at a time, old man." I couldn't help but to chuckle. More and more of Nova seeming evident in Auguste.

He shook his head, trying to make sense of it all. "What.. what happened to me?"

"Let's start with what you can recall." I sat back down in the chair, elbows pressed to my knees. "Do you remember anything at all?"

His eyebrows furrowed as he looked down in thought. "We were.. running, I think. Or Nova was and I was on her back? I think.."

"Go on." I nodded encouragingly.

"I remember something hitting us so hard, it.. there was no way we were going to dodge it. We were going so fast."

"Nova's one of our fastest. Probably faster than me already." I praised proudly. "Go on."

"And then I remember feeling like I dropped so hard I was sure I'd fell straight to hell."

I smiled at the hint of Nova in his tone. "How do you feel now? Nova's had the pack's best mending you together, herself included." I added when he turned to notice all the gifts from her adorning his room.

"Where is she?"

"You've been asleep for quite some time, Mr. Du Val." I offered instead. "A lot has changed along with my.."

"I understand an old guy in a fragile condition, such as the predicament I'm in, begs you to think you must be fragile with your words, boy. But don't think me so weak simply because I'm human. It's because I'm human that I have a cap on my emotions, understanding what my family is now, I can't say the same for what you are."

Raising surprisingly appreciative brows to him, I sat back more comfortably in my chair. "Then you understand that I may seem calm now, Mr. Du Val, but I'm very, very far from it."

"She's in trouble.. isn't she.. Nova?" He shook his head, rubbing a temple with one hand. "It's her mother, isn't it? What has Minette done to her? I'll-"

"Now don't go and start making idle threats just yet. You can cross your heart and hope to die all you like, that doesn't assure me that you and I have a common denominator, and that's having Nova's best interests at heart."

"If I could move as quick as I'd like to right now, I'd ram my fist so far down your throat, wolf boy. You'll never be able to question the loyalty I have to my own daughter again."

I chuckled harshly. "I have a feeling that had you thought my guard was down, you would've tried regardless. But should you ever need reminding, I'll be glad to let you know, my guard is never down.. not since she's been gone."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because Nova does. And if that isn't enough to convince you, well I quite frankly could not care any less. I'll find a way to retrieve her with or without your assistance, but I would very much like to do this with you. As much as it burns my balls to say, you know her better than I do. Both of them."

"Minette too?" He finally seemed to crack beneath his rough exterior. "Oh.. God.. she really isn't dead, is she? I.."

"Do you need a moment?"

"I need my daughter.. boy.. I need my little girl.. I can't lose her too."

"What do you mean?"

"Like I said," He slowly rose his head up to face me again, "I may be human, but I'm no fool. My work, it requires certain skills. And my skills tell me Minette is the reason for Nova not being here, yes?"

I nodded slowly. "Yes."

Silence fell over the room for a while.

"What's that there?" He gestured weakly with his hand. "Around your neck?"

And for once, talking to my mate's father, I felt flustered. "This.." I fingered the wolven around my neck, that which matched Nova's around her wrist. "Well, this.. I would, in truth, want your blessing to wear. But my need for your daughter is shameless, I will gladly wear this without it."

"My blessing?" The way his neck slowly inclined his head would've been eery had I not known I would be the victor in the death match that was sure to follow after telling a father I planned to marry his daughter, and his opinion about it wouldn't matter.

"Should I start calling you dad now," I smiled with no real enthusiasm to undertone it, "Or later?"

He grit his teeth, eyes like stone. "Take me to Nova."