Chapter 3

Jarek

We all are sitting around the large table in the meeting room, waiting for Eric to come and explain what is going on. Nobody knew Eric had a family, so everyone was surprised. I knew he has a family, but other than that, he never discussed anything with me, so even I am somewhat surprised to find out that he has a grown-up daughter. 

"Listen, you, fuckers." Eric enters the room, and one of the prospects closes the door behind him, "I have seen you eyeing my daughter, so this is the only warning which I am giving you all. If I find any one of you looking at my daughter in the wrong way, I will pull your eyeballs out of your sockets and shove them up in your ass. Understand?" He slams his fist on the wooden table, causing it to rattle under the force.

Damn, this man can be scary as hell when he wants to be.

"As if his warning will stop these bastards from going after that gorgeous girl," Daniel smirks.

A hot rage runs through me, thinking about anyone trying to go near her. Clenching my jaws, I try to suppress my growl but fail when everyone looks at me with wide eyes.

"Anyone even thinks about looking in her direction; I will disembowel them," I growl threateningly. I can feel my wolf coming forward in my mind, demanding to be released. "She is off-limits, and anyone who tried to touch her should be ready to face the consequences of their action."

Eric looks at me with raised eyebrows while a deep, thoughtful look appears in his eyes. Even I am surprised at my possessiveness over her. It can't be possible that she is my mate because it has been so long since any werewolves have found their mates.

Many, many years, back werewolves had mates. But as time passes by, the mating bond seems to have disappeared, and nowadays, it is extremely rare to have a true mate.

But the way my wolf is behaving only indicates one thing: maybe, she is my mate.

My eyes connect with Eric, and a knowing look appears in his eyes as if even he has realized what this means. 

Concealing his expression, Eric shares with everyone how he and his wife decided to separate after an attack on the club to keep their daughter safe. More than his, it was his wife's wish because she doesn't want to do anything with the club life, as she doesn't want to live in constant fear of her daughter's safety. 

But now, after her death, Eric wants Gianna to live with him as he wants to know his daughter and make up for the time that he spent apart from her.

"I know I should have asked you guys before bringing her here, but I couldn't leave her alone." Eric looks at every one of us, "After Melissa's death, she doesn't have anyone other than me, and I am not going to back down from my responsibility towards my daughter."

"Eric, you are our brother... one of us, which makes Gianna our family." Standing up, I go behind my chair and face everyone, "And this club welcomes anyone who is family." 

"Congratulations on reuniting with your daughter, Eric." Nodding my head towards him, I turn to look at the other wolves, "Tonight, we are celebrating our brother's reunion with his daughter. But tomorrow, we will get back to work because we can't give those Scorpions any chance to mess with us."

"Meeting is adjourned," I announce and wait for everyone to leave the room while I motion Eric to stay.

Nodding his head, he slumps back in his seat and, picking up the paperweight, he twirls in on the table, waiting for everyone to empty the room.

"You know I don't beat around the bushes, so that's why I will come straight to the point." Walking towards him, I stand before him, "My wolf and I are possessive of Gianna. Even though it has never been heard in many years, but I feel that Gianna is my mate."

"So, I need to know how much you have told her about our club." Raising my eyebrows, I look at him.

"She knows everything about your kind because almost every day, any of the wolves might lose his control. So I wanted her to know what type of world I am part of. I can't give up on this club or my brothers, so she should have to accept my life and my world because I am incomplete without every one of you." He answers with complete honesty.

Eric's sincerity and loyalty towards our kind and our club increase his respect in my eyes even more than before.

"Are you sure that she is your mate?" He questions—worry seeping through his words.

"I am not sure." Shaking my head, I run my hand through my hair, "As I have mentioned that there are uncommon cases when any wolf has found their true mates. But I can't deny the pull and possessiveness which I have felt when I have seen her for the first time."

Eric's silence forces me to study his face, which is holding an unreadable expression. It doesn't take me long to find out how these words might have sounded to him. 

"Eric, I am not lusting after your daughter." My jaws tick in anger because my wolf felt insulted, "You are not a werewolf. You can't understand the significance of this pull, neither will you know how much our mates mean to us. Once any wolf finds their mate, then our entire life revolves around them. And if something happens to our mate, even our lives end with them."

"It is not that." He looks at me while shaking his head, "I am worried about what if she doesn't feel the same for you. You are my Alpha, but way before that, you're like a son to me. As you have said, we are humans, and we can't understand the importance of this bond, so I am concerned about you." He sighs.

"Don't worry, Eric, everything will turn out to be fine." I pat his shoulder, "Let me deal with this my way, and don't tell anything to Gianna."

"Jarek, I need something from you." Swallowing, he takes a deep breath then meets my eyes, "If anything happens to me, you will make sure Gianna is taken care of. I want this club to take responsibility for her safety. She should never feel that she doesn't have a family if something happens to me."

Our world is unpredictable, and anything can happen within a blink of an eye. So his fear for his daughter is not wrong. 

"You have my word. No matter what happens, no harm will ever come to Gianna." I reassure him, "And it has nothing to do with the fact that she might be my mate. She is your daughter, and you have never let this club down, so even this club will not let you down."

"Thank you." He smiles while tension leaves his shoulders as if a ton of weight has been removed from his shoulders.

"Now it's time to fulfill the responsibility of a father." Abruptly, he looks at me with a cold glare, "If you hurt my daughter, Alpha or not, I will skin you alive and hang your body on the front of the clubhouse." 

After staring at each other for a couple of moments, we both begin to laugh. Even though he is joking now, but I know he will fulfill his promise if I hurt his daughter. And somewhere, I know even I will never be able to forgive myself if I ever cause her any pain.