Page 10 of Draven

I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being too persistent, but Draven hadn't asked me to leave yet, so I forced myself to relax.

"My dad used to take Tom—my older brother—and me here for weekend staycations when I was a kid," I explained, trying to keep my voice steady.

"He sounds like a great dad," Draven offered, his tone sincere.

"Yeah, he was," I concurred, a hint of sadness creeping into my voice. "After our alpha dad left us, he single-handedly raised Tom and me."

"Was?" Draven prompted, his voice gentle.

"He passed away two years ago. Lung cancer," I admitted, feeling a pang of sadness at the memory.

I didn't know why I was telling a complete stranger about my dad's passing, but something about Draven made it feel like I had known him my whole life.

"That's brutal. I'm sorry to hear that," Draven said, his words genuine and filled with empathy.

"I was raised by a single parent too. Dad died right after I got my high school diploma," Draven’s voice was tinged with sadness when he said this.

"I'm sorry," I offered, feeling a pang of sympathy.

It was strange how much we had in common, even though we had just met.

Even two years after my own dad's passing, I was still struggling to deal with my grief. I wondered if it was the same for Draven.

"If you don't mind me asking... how did he..." I trailed off, suddenly feeling like I was prying too much into Draven's personal life.

Maybe I should back away now.

"He died of a broken heart," Draven said simply, his voice heavy with emotion.

It took me a moment to realize that we were now standing in front of his room. I hadn't even noticed when we had stepped off the elevator.

Time seemed to pass without me noticing when I was with Draven. Talking to him felt different too.

Usually, I was awkward when it came to casual conversations, but with Draven, I felt strangely comfortable.

It was as if we had known each other for years, not just a few hours. But why was that?

You know the answer to that question, my wolf whispered but I silenced him.

"Let me just drop my pack inside. I spotted a cafe nearby earlier. Up for some coffee so we could continue our conversation?" Draven asked, his words sending a wave of relief through me.

So the attraction wasn't just one-sided. It seemed that Draven was genuinely interested in spending more time with me.

Of course, I knew there was a chance he could lose interest once he got to know me better, but a part of me dared to hope that something might come out of tonight.

After all, I had finally found a guy who was interested in getting to know me—a one-in-a-million chance. But, of course, I was afraid of blowing it.

"Coffee sounds good," I replied, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice.

Draven left his bags in the room, and we exited the inn, heading towards the nearby cafe.

The cafe was relatively empty at this time of night. Most locals retired early to bed, leaving us practically alone in the cozy establishment.

After placing our orders, Draven and I settled at a table near the window. Draven took a sip of his latte, and I followed suit.

"You mentioned your dad died of heartbreak. What do you mean by that?" I asked, continuing our conversation from before.

"My omega dad died giving birth to me," Draven replied.