The Alpha's Omega Mate-Chapter 174: Introduction.

~Dahlia’s POV~

I didn’t know how to face him. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to ’see’ him. Yet.

My heart raced as I watched George slip out of the room, that is after Kai asked him to go ’bring my father in,’ and as soon as he left, the room was plunged into silence.

A deafening chortling silence.

The only thing I could hear was the sound of my blood rushing in my ears. The only thing I could see were sizzling white lines dancing in my line of vision.

For a very brief moment, all sense of logic flew out of my head. I wanted to run. To hide. To peek out at him—my father— from a corner of the room; or perhaps from a crack in the wall.

Hell, I could even use a screen if that would mean not having to come in direct contact with him... at least for now. But unfortunately, I couldn’t do any of these.

Goddess, my pulse was racing.

I was hyperventilating.

My hands now were clammy, my knees wobbly as I stared straight at the door, waiting for him to come in any moment from now.

I couldn’t see myself but I was sure as hell that I was as white as a sheet of paper, and I—

"Dahlia, breathe..." Kai’s soft voice filtered into my ear, breaking into my self-induced reverie. "Take deep breaths. You look like you need it."

But I didn’t. I didn’t need to breathe.

All I wanted was to disappear from here. To avoid this cataclysmic situation like the plague. To avoid seeing my father even though I sure as hell missed him so much that it hurts.

There was no wind but I shivered so hard that my teeth began clattering. Kai sighed; "if you do not wish to see him now, I can ask them to take him to the guest—"

"But I want to see him now!" I snapped quickly, my eyes widening when I realized what I had just said.

Shit. No, no. I didn’t!

I didn’t mean that!

Was my panic now seeping into my brain as well?

I was soon snapped out of my train of thoughts when I suddenly felt something warm enveloping my hands, causing a comforting kind of heat to seep into my bones. In shocked surprise, I glanced down at my hands to see that the left one was held firmly in Kai’s, and the right in Amara’s. They both turned to briefly look at me, and sweet mother-hatching goddess, my heavy heart felt heavier.

But not in a bad way.

The admiration and love in their eyes stunned me. It stole my breath away...

And then—

"Nyx’ara?"

The name felt like a punch to my guts, causing my breaths to come in pants so shallow, one would think a brick wall was being pressed against my chest. I gasped, staggering back, but thanks to Kai’s and Amara’s firm hold on me, I didn’t fall.

My heart lurched.

"Nyx’ara, is this you?" The man before me called out again, and time, I managed to blink I at him. I managed to look into his face; but as soon as I did, I gasped.

He looked familiar.

Too familiar.

He looked like someone who wasn’t a day above 40 with his gleaming dirty blonde hair, striking blue eyes and a jawline so sharp that many people would die for. He was tall— so tall, he was standing at almost the same height as Kai. But despite his old tattered clothes and sunken eyes, his Alpha aura was prominent. It enveloped me like a cloak, slowly engulfing me in a way that was both calming and protective at the same time.

But it wasn’t his looks that stood out to me.

It was the emotion in his eyes.

It was the pain, the trauma, the hurt... the mixture of happiness and sadness. The relief and hope...

I let out a choked sob; "Father?"

"You remember me?" He sounded wounded. Hopeful. And I hated that I would have to crush that hope.

"No," I said, but before the damage could be done, I quickly added; "But I feel like I know you. I know you’re my father... I can feel it."

"I can feel it too."

"I missed you." I said suddenly, surprising myself and I watched as the effects of my words sunk in. Watched as his guarded expression slowly crumbled. His broad shoulders sagged before they soon began to quake so bad, I feared he would collapse.

But he didn’t.

Instead, a grunt slipped past his mouth and suddenly, even before I could react, he pulled me into a crushing hug, his body shaking violently with tears that he fought to keep at bay.

Goddess, I felt for him. I could even feel the relief flooding through his veins in waves.

"You’re alive?" He sounded like he was reassuring himself rather than asking me. "You’re alive? You were never dead? You really are alive?"

"I am, Father."

"Good gods!" He croaked. "I never knew... I never thought..."

His words were occasionally interrupted by hiccups and sobs; and heavens! I couldn’t help it, I cried too. I cried so hard when he called out to me as if in a dream. I cried when he cried, and I sobbed like a baby when he wouldn’t stop muttering;

"You look just like Nina. You look just like your mother!"

I balled my eyes out, my cries wrenching out from the deepest corners of my soul. I didn’t know how I felt. I didn’t know if I was relieved or happy; hurt or confused... or perhaps all of those.

My father cupped my face in his hands as if peering at a ghost... holding me as though if he let go I would disappear.

His face contorted into something so pained, it twisted my heart; and he was just about to speak when I suddenly felt a tap on my thigh. I looked down and... Oh shit! I’d almost forgotten about Amara.

"Mommy?"

I carefully shimmied out of my father’s hold and stepped back so that he could have a clear view of my daughter, and then I muttered;

"Father, meet Amara, your granddaughter." And to Amara, I said; "Baby, meet your grandfather."

And that... those simple words broke something in my father. He cried even harder.

—

It was late evening before anything appearing like a semblance of calm settled in the house.

Even Elodie had returned to Shadowfang pack because according to her, she couldn’t stay back if I still wouldn’t forgive her. But deep down, I suspected that that was not the real reason, that she just wanted to return to Beta Orion and had to use me as an excuse to leave the house.

My father too had cleaned himself up and now clad in a navy blue tunic with matching pants, he looked everything like the Alpha that he was meant to be.

His eyes snagged into the high ceilings, taking on the beautiful chandelier hanging above. I noticed how he paid little to no attention to his food, instead, he seemed to be more interested in Amara, and I— more than anything else.

He asked; "Who’s her father?"

I turned to Amara who now had gone quiet whilst picking out the beans in her plate. At the sound of my father’s question, Kai turned to me too and I gulped, remembering that I’d told him a lie earlier when he asked the same question.

I said; "He’s a human nobody."

My father however, looked like he didn’t believe a word I said, but surprisingly, he didn’t push it. I shifted in my chair. "And how did you know where to find me?"

"I heard that you were alive. I heard that you were here, and even though I didn’t believe it, I still wanted to come and check. I still wanted to be sure that it was you... or not." He muttered, then with a small frown tugging at his face, he added; "Better to be sure than sorry right?"

"Right." This time, it was Kai who responded and I watched as both of them smiled at each other. But I didn’t.

Something felt off.

No one was supposed to know that I was here. Hell, that was the reason I got a cloaking spell to begin with.

I frowned, folding my arms across my chest as I regarded my father suspiciously. He probably felt my eyes on him too because then he dropped his silverware, turned to me with a frown and asked; "What is it?"

"Who told you I was here?" I snapped, not bothering to hide the bite from my voice. Not caring to pretend like it didn’t make me uncomfortable.

My father’s brows furrowed in confusion, and then he sighed, shaking his head.

"Grandmama Lupe."

I froze. "She... you know her?"

Now that made my father smile brightly. Gods, it was the brightest smile I’ve ever seen on him since he arrived. "Of course I know her. What I should be concerned about is how you know her." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"I met her briefly at a pack not so far from here. She was nice to me... actually, she was one of the few people nice to me. She’s a little crazy but I love her. Where is she?"

My father didn’t answer right away. He simply smiled. "She didn’t come with me. She never does."

"But how does she know you?" I couldn’t help but ask. "She used to think I was an orphan, so how did she come to you... how does—"

Now, the silence that settled between us was deafening. It prickled my skin, making goosebumps spread all over.

My eyes followed my father as he slowly rose to his feet and with an exasperated sigh, he muttered;"Grandma Lupe doesn’t think you’re an orphan. She knows you, and she knows she’s your maternal grandmother."

I froze.

My what?