With a final glance at Chloe, Jackson followed the man as he left the room. Pictures adorned the walls, most of them of Chloe from infancy to adulthood. A couple of the pictures were of another young woman—with dark hair, a happy smile and bright blue eyes. She was a mixture of Fletcher and Abigail, taking on her father’s darker coloring and her mother’s eye color.
Chloe’s mother.
Fletcher opened a door to the right, stepped inside and moved to the wall to allow Jackson to enter. The office was as clean as the rest of the house, the large desk across from him free of dust. Fletcher closed the door and waved at the chairs in front of the desk as he walked around it.
“Take a seat.”
Although Jackson preferred to stand, he sank into the chair. “What do you know about Chloe’s father?”
“Aside from the fact he’s like you? Not much,” Fletcher remarked with a bitter laugh. “I only met the bastard once, after he showed up here to break things off with my daughter.” He lifted his head, eyes full of pain. “He killed her, you know. She didn’t want to live without him. She wasted way to nothing after Chloe was born.”
A warning chimed in Jackson’s head. “Wasted away?”
“It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen. She just…” Fletcher lowered his gaze, shaking his head. “After she had Chloe she stopped caring. The doctors did all they could but you can’t make person want to live.” In an instant the man became hostile, snapping his head up. “I won’t let you do the same thing to my granddaughter. I won’t watch you destroy her like her father destroyed my Sylvie.”
Jackson knew the sadistic smile he gave the old man was menacing but he couldn’t contain his contempt. In human form, it was difficult to bare his fangs. Instead he displayed his teeth in a manner that revealed his anger. If given the chance, he’d tear the man who’d deserted his mate apart, piece by bloody piece.
No one would hurt Chloe. He wouldn’t allow it.
“I’m nothing like Chloe’s father.” He decided to level with Fletcher. The man had balls of steel. “You knew what her father was, didn’t you? You knew he wasn’t human.”
Fletcher nodded. “I knew.”
“And you didn’t think you should tell Chloe? Don’t you think she had the right to know who she is and where she comes from?”
Jackson had to fight for control, furious at what might have happened if his mate hadn’t started the process of dreamsharing. Without her other half to guide her through the transition she could have gone mad. One of the Alphas in the area would have had to put her down. With the recent media attention and fear of their kind, no pack would be willing to take on the responsibility of a crazed Halfling.
“Don’t act so high and mighty.” Fletcher didn’t back down. “I took necessary precautions.” When Jackson arched a brow Fletcher said, “It’s amazing how much information folks are willing to share if you throw a little money around. I knew what we were dealing with. There was a good chance she wouldn’t inherit the trait.”
“But she did inherit the trait,” Jackson growled. “It’s a damn good thing she found me. Otherwise she’d put everyone around her in danger. She’s already feeling the changes.”
“Let’s cut to the chase.” Fletcher reclined in his chair and Jackson could feel tension electrifying the air. “You brought Chloe home and you didn’t cut and run. That tells me there’s some honor in you. I want to know what your intentions are. Are you going to do the right thing? Or do you plan to amuse yourself by using her until someone else comes along and tickles your fancy?”
He moved before he was aware, hands slamming on the desk as he leaned toward Fletcher. “Careful, old man.”
“You don’t scare me.” Fletcher didn’t break eye contact and no fear accompanied the statement. “That young woman out there means more to me than anything. If you honestly believe I’m going to back down from the likes of you, you have another think coming. Answer my question. Why are you here? What do you want with my granddaughter?”
“Chloe is my mate,” Jackson stated, putting the fact out in the open. “I intend to claim her as such before my pack.”
“So you’re going to marry her?” Fletcher asked quietly. “Is that what you’re telling me?”
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you. What’s mine, I keep,” he answered and stood. “And make no mistake, she’s mine.”
“You say that likes she’s—” Fletcher caught himself, realizing his mistake.
“What? An animal?” He couldn’t help but snort. Leave it to a human to put things into simple categories—man or beast.
“She’s not a belonging. You don’t own her.”
“No more than she owns me.” When Fletcher frowned, Jackson smiled. “It’s safe to say your grandchild has me wrapped around her little finger. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her.”
“You’re too old for her, you know,” Fletcher grumbled, scrubbing his hand across the back of his neck. “Hell, you’re probably older than me.”
He decided not to clarify or share his age. Yes, he was a helluva lot older than the man but providing that information wouldn’t do either of them any favors. Right now they were on common ground.
“Relationships aren’t always perfect.”
“She’s going to live forever, isn’t she?” The strength in the aging human faded, leaving him a worn out old human who had more years behind him than ahead. “She’s like you now.”
“Not yet, but she will be.”
Fletcher mulled over his words. “And you’re going to care for her? You’re going to do everything in your power to make her happy?”
“You have my word.”
Jackson heard Chloe in the other room talking softly to her grandmother. The floor creaked, indicating she was rising from the couch. He knew he had to hurry. There was one positive thing coming from all of this, one thing Gavin Worthington couldn’t have anticipated.
“Did the male who got your daughter pregnant know she was expecting? Did he leave her in your care knowing she was carrying his child?”
“Of course he did,” Fletcher huffed, cheeks flushing red in anger, back to his former fighting self. “I don’t think he would have come here if Sylvie hadn’t pushed the issue. Apparently he didn’t want her coming to see him anymore. He came here to tell her to stop.”
Just like that, everything changed.
Gavin had given his child over to another male to raise and protect. If Fletcher accepted Jackson’s union with Chloe, no one could stand in the way of their mating.
“One more question,” Jackson said, grinning as he heard Chloe’s approaching footsteps. “If you came face-to-face with him again, what would you do?”
“The same thing I did the first time.” Fletcher graced Jackson with a grin of his own, one that promised retribution. “Shoot his worthless ass.”
Chapter Six
Everything was so freaking surreal.
Chloe released a soft sigh, shoving the last of her clothing into her bag.
First she’d woken from a weird stupor on the couch. She didn’t know how she’d gotten there, although she remembered bits and pieces of being carried inside. When she’d gone in search of Jackson she’d gotten another surprise.
He and Gramps were actually being civil to each other.
She’d stepped inside the office braced for war and found two men talking amicably, without a gun in sight.
It should have been an omen of positive things to come, a ray of sunshine breaking through treacherous clouds. She could finally ask the questions she’d always wanted answers to and learn things about herself she’d always wanted to know. She’d gotten a few snippets of knowledge, learning her father was in fact a werewolf and that he’d abandoned her mother early in her pregnancy. It had seemed like things were taking an upswing when she settled into the chair in grandfather’s office, the men in her life getting along famously, providing her their undivided attention.