Page 17 of Fifty & Feral

“It’s nice to meet you. How long have you two been seeing each other?” she asked.

So we were jumping right into the conversation.

Connor’s cheeks were still bright red. He took a sip of his coffee, either to avoid answering or hoping that I would answer for him.

“It’s very new,” I said.

Are we really seeing each other? I mean, really, he had seen me more than anyone else ever had. We’d never had a date, but he knew more about me than anyone right now.

“How was your trip?” I asked.

She groaned. “I’m getting really tired of the travel. Honestly, the pay is great, but hotels are boring. It was exciting at first, but now I want to stay in one city for more than five minutes.”

“That makes sense. Will you be talking to your boss about changing positions or staying home more?”

Maya shook her head dramatically. “Nuh-uh, we aren’t talking about me. How are things going here?” She looked between me and Connor again.

“Things are fine.” I looked his way, and he looked mine.

How did I even begin this conversation? It hadn’t been easy to blurt it out last night, either. But I didn’t know Connor as well as I knew Maya, and she was my daughter. I wanted to protect her from all things. I didn’t want to shove my worries onto her, but she deserved to know. According to Mason, this was her legacy also.

“There have been some interesting new developments in my life,” I said.

She waggled her eyebrows. “I see that.”

“No, not between Connor and me. I mean, yes, between Connor and me. Fuck, this is not coming out right.” I could see why Mason had struggled with this. If I was in charge, I’d make sure rogue wolves never happened. No one would have to go through this sort of thing. Finding out about their heritage this late in life and having to explain to so many of their loved ones the madness that was happening was torture.

And how was I going to prove it? I couldn’t shift on demand like Mason had. I could only shift at night. What if Maya thought I was insane and she ran off without giving me a chance to prove it?

Connor reached a hand over and laid it over mine. Just the warmth of his skin calmed me, and I was able to breathe easier. “Just take a deep breath. You can do this,” he said.

“You know I’m adopted, Maya, right?” I said.

Her brow furrowed, and she turned serious. “Yeah, of course. Did you find new information about the birth parents or something?”

“Kind of. I mean, not really. I guess I kind of did.” Fucking hell, I wasn’t making coherent sentences, and my thoughts were running rampant. Where could I even begin?

Maya’s brows rose. “Dad. You’re not making a ton of sense.”

The panic in her voice unsettled me. “I know. There really is no easy way to say this. We’re not crazy, but it’s real. It’s happening.”

“What’s real?”

Connor squeezed my hand. “I saw it. It’s okay to tell her.”

That did help. I could do this. I could say the words.

“Maya, werewolves are real, and I am one.”

Chapter 11

Connor

Maya was quiet for a moment. I got the vibe that the two of them had a great relationship, but Jack wasn’t much of a jokester. He was the serious type. His dry sense of humor had been one of the things I enjoyed most about our phone conversations and text messages. She seemed to be weighing his words to determine what the hell was happening.

After a long moment, she burst out laughing.

“Is that like a bear or an otter thing? I would have thought you were more of a silver fox. What is a werewolf? I’ve never heard that term before.” She rested her elbow on the counter and propped her head with her hand, leaning in like this conversation was just riveting.