Page 1 of Forbidden Daddy Mate
Chapter 1 - Malcolm
Winter sun shone through skeletal trees as all the Silver Wolves sat in the kitchen, catching up and talking over some beers. Just the way we used to before we’d retired.
“I’m just saying,” Alek said. “I saved Oliver’s ass when we fought that coven.”
“I doubt Oliver would feel the same,” Rand retorted, seeming to take up twice the space as anyone else in the room. “In fact, I’m fairly certain he would say he was the one who saved your ass.”
“Well, he’s not here, so you’ll have to take my word for it,” Alek shot back.
“Where is he, anyway?” Mark asked.
“I think he’s spending some time with Evelyn,” Jameson said. “She just got back from a mission, so I’m sure he’s anxious to see her.”
“Seems like we never get the gang together like we used to,” Tannen said. “It’s always one person or another who can’t make it.”
“That’s what happens when you’re retired and settle down,” I said. “You’re not spending 24/7 with the same group. Just gotta get used to it.”
“Are we really retired, though?” Klyte asked. “Because it definitely doesn’t seem like it.”
He wasn’t wrong. Ever since the Silver Wolves, our old special-ops group, had “retired” and moved to Brixton, Colorado, it seemed as though we’d had our fair share of dangers and threats we’d had to take care of.
“I don’t know if it’s ever really the type of thing you fully retire from,” I admitted. “Those instincts stay with you for a long time. I think at some point, it just becomes second nature to run into danger when you see it.”
“Can’t say much for the lifespan,” Klyte quipped. He gave me a broad grin. “You must be the exception, old man.”
I growled. “Join me in a sparring match and we’ll see just how old I am.”
“Regardless, we’ll all get to spend some time together next week,” Jameson said, trying to change topics.
“I’m definitely looking forward to it,” Mark said. “What’s Christmas without a big get-together?”
I nodded. He wasn’t the only one looking forward to the trip. We all were. Though the Silver Wolves weren’t family, we were in the ways that mattered. In that spirit, all of the Silver Wolves, their mates, and their kids were going to drive up to a massive cabin in the mountains and celebrate the holidays there. We’d been planning it for a couple of months now, and we’d finally drive up at the end of the week.
It’ll be nice to get away for a bit,” Jameson said, cracking open a beer and handing it to me. “With everything that’s been going on, it seems like we never get the chance to spend time together as a group anymore.”
“Wonder why that is,” Rand said, rubbing his chin. “It isn’t like anything interesting’s happened over the last few years.”
I snorted. “Interesting’s an understatement,” I said. “But I’m sure alpha duties don’t help, either.”
“You’d know all about that already,” Jameson commented.
I nodded. I’d been the Silver Wolve’s alpha for years before I retired, then followed them here to Brixton. An alpha in the military was different than an alpha in a pack, but it still commanded the same respect. It had been nice. I’d enjoyed going on missions and hunting down bad guys. But I was thoroughly enjoying retirement. And getting to spend time with my daughter and granddaughter.
“Let’s just hope the snow doesn’t mess it up,” Tannen said. “I was doing some research into the area, and there are some parts that get really messy once the snow starts really coming down. It looks like that place might be right in the middle of that sort of mess. Especially with how out of the way it is.”
“It’s not supposed to snow that badly,” I argued. “I think we’ll probably be fine. Will just mean some snowmen for the kids.”
“I hope you’re right. Jenn’s really excited about it,” Klyte said.
“I mean, she found the place, so I’m not surprised,” Rand said.
Klyte shook his head. “More excited than normal, even,” he said. “She’d obsessed with the cabin. It’s gorgeous, but I rarely see her this enthusiastic.”
“Jenn’s always gotten excited around the holidays,” I told my daughter’s mate. “I’m surprised you haven’t figured that out yet. Once, when she was a little kid, she tried to convince me that it was Christmas a week early and that it was supposed to go on for a month.”
Klyte snorted. “Yeah, that sounds like her.”
“You sure it isn’t going to be weird for the rest of us?” Mark asked.