The Broken Warrior’s Daughter by Cooper

Chapter 0437

I knew Eli was an Alpha, or at least descended from Alphas before he took over as one. He’s more of a leader than many Alphas I’ve known, my own father included. But it was nice to have confirmation and to be able to show him that he isn’t the fake Alpha to this pack that he sometimes feels he is, even now. He is the real deal. He always has been.

The next day, Eli and I drive north two hours to meet up with Benny. I didn’t want him driving all the way to the pack if he ends up running and screaming after we tell him what we are. Eli found a small town with an even smaller diner where we could meet and have some privacy to talk.

We arrived first and got a table in the corner. I smile at Eli thinking of the time we were on the run and we had breakfast in a diner.

“Why are you looking at me like that, baby?” He asks me.

“You’re sitting the exact same way you were that time we were being chased by the red wolves. You remember, we were eating breakfast and you saw the shifter you’d heard overnight. Even back then, before I accepted you, you were such a good mate to me.”

I watch as Louis pushes forward in Eli’s eyes. “You were ours, from the moment we first saw you. Ours to love and ours to protect. That will never change, little wolf.” Goddess, I love this man with every ounce of my being.

I reach out and cup his cheek, Maia pushing forward. “We love you too.” We say together..

When I hear the bells chime announcing someone coming into the diner, I pull back and look up to see Benny looking at us.

“Benny!” I stand and walk to him, hugging him tightly. As I step back, he holds on to my arms, looking me up and down.

“I know you were all grown up when I last saw you, but hon, you’ve certainly changed since then. You seem all grown up now.”

“A lot has happened since I last saw you, Benny.” I turn, gesturing to Eli who has come over to join us. “You remember Eli.”

“I do.” He says, putting out his hand to shake Eli’s.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, sir.”

We begin walking over to the table. “I’m glad to see you’ve been taking care of Grace. I was worried at first, but she told me you were, and now I can see that she was right.”

+15 BONOS

We sit and order food before Benny asks me what has been going on. “Well, there’s a lot Eli and I want to share with you, but I’m not sure you’re going to be okay with it.”

He looks at us for a minute. “Are ya’ll livin in one of them nudie camps?” He asks.

Eli frowns. “Nudie camps?”

“You know, where people walk around nekkid all the time.”

we don’t live in a nudist colony.” I say, mentally face- palming

is. As long as I can wear

you feel about wildlife?” Eli

country, son. I’m

the wildlife, Benny.” I tell

thinking about what we’ve said. He puts his silverware down, wipes his mouth

of you telling me?” Benny was always astute. He comes across as an uneducated country bumpkin type of

heard the term shifter, Benny?” Eli

like in the movies where someone turns into some kind of critter that goes around killing everyone?”

This is not the direction I wanted this conversation to go

exactly.” Eli

“Spit it out then, what

the people we live with, we’re

I don’t look away. He looks at Eli and gets the same resolute expression. I watch as he makes up his mind about whether or not I’ve gone crazy, before he picks up his fork, and stabs a

Chapter 0438

know what it was, but

type

had. I’m guessing she was a shifter, too?” He asks, putting the bite of food in his mouth.

inside me unwinds. I hadn’t realized how much I wanted Benny to believe me and

our pack. This man, who had looked after my mother and

out for me after she died. This man, who has been more of a

own had ever

“She was.”

you got it from?” He asks, as if

shifter that turns into a wolf.

from both

asks. He knew

care of it.” He stops, his food

“Permanently?” He asks.

I nod.

his breakfast. “He didn’t deserve

to come live with a bunch of wolves in the woods and

for me is to go forward with you folks.

up on the last few months and I gave him the full story of my battle with my father. “Alpha wolf, huh?