The Broken Warrior's Daughter

About an hour later, | hear Alpha Anders knock on the front door. My dad gives me a look and starts wheeling out back to light up the grill. | roll my eyes and head to the front door.

“Good evening Anders. How are you doing today?” “Good evening Cara. I’m well, how about you?” “Doing well, thank you. Please come in. Dad is out back getting the grill fired up.”

He hands me tonight's dessert, it smells like chocolate cheesecake, yum; and a six -pack of beer, pulling two out on his way to go see my father.

| put the dessert in the fridge after ensuring that it was indeed cheesecake. Dad is putting baked potatoes on the grill, so I’m only responsible for vegetables tonight. I’ve opted for a broccoli and cheese casserole. | figured that would go nicely on its own, or over the potatoes.

Dad and Anders walk back in and Anders sees my gift basket sitting on the island in the kitchen.

“What do we have here?” He asks. Looking at me he says, “Let me guess, this is a gift from the mystery man I’ve been hearing so much about.”

“Itis.” | reply as he takes a look inside. He holds up the card and asks, “May |?”

| don’t really want to say yes, but he’s my Alpha and | want his help figuring out who my mystery man is. Also, it may be helpful when | come clean about the near altercation between Rik and Liam earlier if he understands how serious my secret admirer really is.

He reads the card and his reaction mirrors my father’s earlier with a low, appreciative whistle. “This guy sounds serious. Have you figured out who he is yet?”

My dad is watching me, letting me take the lead. “Not yet. There are some possible contenders, but | haven’t been able to pinpoint exactly who it is.”

“Who are the contenders?”

I give him the list, eliminating Jason and Liam, but leaving Rik in based on my conversation with dad earlier. “Well, you're a smart girl Cara. I’m sure you'll figure out who it is very soon.” he

12

+15 RONGS

“About that, did you happen to hear about what happened today? Maybe you've spoken to Alpha Rik?”

Anders looks at me questioningly, “No, | have been outside the pack territory dealing with rogue attacks in a neighboring pack all day.” He looks between my father and 1, and something passes between them making Anders give me hist laser focus. “What did | miss?”

| give him the condensed version of what happened today. His thoughtful look becomes concerned when | get to the part where Rik had to be removed and | had to de-escalate Liam.

“Rik challenged Liam. Over you.” It’s more of a statement than a question. | feel the weight of what he’s asking me through the question. ‘My son almost started a war because of you?’ is the real question.

| gulp, feeling guilty over the situation, even though | didn’t create it. “Well, technically, it was Kai that challenged Cyran, but yes.”

“Anything else | need to know?”

| look at my father who hasn’t taken his eyes off Alpha Anders. “Well, | sort of invited Liam to train with me and dad tomorrow in order to distract him from responding to the challenge.”

| tense up, waiting for Alpha Anders to respond.

He turns slowly to look at my dad. “You mean to tell me, that you are going to train an Alpha from another pack, but you won't come help me train our own warriors?”

My dad shrugs, evidently not concerned at all by the Alpha aura that is pushing out of Anders. He’s not happy and he’s making it known.

“My daughter saved a battle and possibly a war which was started, intentionally or not, by your son. I’d think you’d be happy that one night of training is all that it cost you.” Again, there is a silent conversation between the two of them.

+15 BONOS