39 Knightly " Do we know if he's alone ? " Phoebe asks suddenly . " There are two others in the house with him . I think it's my two younger brothers . But the entire property is surrounded , " " It's a big property , " she finally looks at me . " Debatable , I laugh . " Oh , so you can be snobby , she lets out a sigh . Something between relief and exhaustion . My little human has a dark sense of humor and it keeps her centered . Maybe letting my father kill her bastard of a dad wouldn't be too wrong . " I have my moments , " I smile at her trying to keep the calmness working up between us . The gate around the manor is ridiculous . This house is big . Really big . It's not difficult to see how uncomfortable it makes my mate . She looks down at her hands and breathes as if trying to calm herself . The sweet tang of her stress hits me . She ' s suffered here and there's a deep urge to snuff anything that's ever hurt her in any kind of way , out permanently . I can't help the smile on my face when she arches her back and rotates her head popping her neck and shoulders . " I am not excited to see these people , " she admits . " We could turn around and leave them , " I remind her . Her reactions are the best . They never disappoint . A massive wicked grin appears on her face and she lets out a low laugh . She's going to make one feisty little wolf when she accepts my mark . " You're going to be a very bad influence on me , aren't you ? " her face is pink again . I love it when she's like this . " I hope so , " I say and cut the engine . " I'll take Ayrie . He's going to know , " " Fuck , " she takes one last deep breath and nods . We both exit the car and go around to get our pups . Ayrie taps the little red button to release the straps around her without opening her eyes . I laugh taking it apart . Her little smile just makes me undeniably happy . She is going to be a handful . As soon as she's free , her little arms wrap around me . Phoebe comes around with Aizen in her arms . He's up and looking around with his sleepy eyes until they land on me and Ayrie . He makes sure she's okay before meeting my eyes . I reach out squeezing his hand just to make that small connection with him . To my surprise , he smiles and rests his head on Phoebe's shoulder . " Ready ? " I ask . She nods . We walk up the steps that lead up to the birch doors . Before either of us could knock , my youngest brother opens the door . I've met Desmond a handful of times . In most of them , he was in wolf form . He's the most like my father . " Des , " I greet him . He bobs his head and then glances at Phoebe . " I know you ," she says gently . " It's nice to see you again , Phoebe . How was Paris ? " he asks her . She smiles . " Good . How was Austria ? " " Not good , " he smirks . The two of them laugh . How the fuck do they know each other ? " He's in the family room with the rest of them , " Is he in a mood ? " I ask . " He's- " he pauses looking me over . " Excited , " " Is that good ? " Phoebe asks . " We don't know , " my brother and I say at the same time . He leads us into the house and up the stairs . I can hear Phoebe's heart starting to beat faster with every step we climb . When we get to the top my father's secondborn greets us with a smile . " Nathan ," he bows his head greeting me by my first name . He knows I hate it . " Cory , " " Nathan ? " Phoebe asks . My brothers both laugh . " You didn't think his real name was Knightly , did you ? " Desmond asks her . Her eyes light up when she looks at me . I shake my head to tell her it's not . " Knightly is my father's last name , " I inform her . 39 " Crazy ," she shakes her head and looks the three of us over . " Okay , there are three of you ," " Eight ," Cory corrects her . " And three sisters , " " Oh , " she pales . " Come on , " Cory sighs . " Let's get this over with . The old man is a little excited and he can be worse happy than when he's angry , " The second floor is open and decorated like something out of a lifeless magazine . There are huge portraits of a family all over the walls , but not a single one of my mate . The walls are chalk white . This house has so much potential , but there's no heart or creativity in it . There's a boxed sectional in the middle of the room where a man and a woman are sitting with their backs to us . There are two boys between the ages of fifteen and twelve beside them and two little girls about my pups ' age between the two adults . Across from them in an armchair is my father sitting there like he owns the place . If I didn't know any better , it actually looks like he's glad to see me . " Nate , " he stands fixing the button on his suit . His eyes instantly land on the bundle in my arms before they move over to Phoebe . " You must be Phoebe , " " Yes , " she nods as he approaches us . " Come . Come take a seat ," he waves us forward . He stops next to the man and woman and growls at them . " Move ," They don't hesitate to scoot all the way down to make room for my mate and children . I shouldn't be taking pleasure in seeing them squirm but I am . No one does fucking bastard quite like my father . Phoebe looks up at me to make sure it's okay . I give her a single nod and she sits where he dusts the cushion for her . Of course , he's trying to be a gentleman . This is the woman who has extended his legacy . Aizen sits on her lap and then slides off to stand between her legs . My father crouches down in front of him and places his hand on his head . The connection is made and he smiles . " You're going to make a magnificent beta , Grandson , " he nods . " Do you love your sister ? " " Yes , " he says quietly . " Good . You protect her . Always . Can you promise me that ? " " Yes , sir ," he nods . My father looks up at Phoebe and smiles . " Do I have your permission to embrace him , little human ? " " It's not my permission you need ," she answers . " No , " Ayrie shouts . She wiggles in my arms until I set her down . " Bad man ! " she stands in front of Phoebe and Aizen . " No ! You are a bad man ! " Subscrib