Enough was enough. I’d had it with the games and the sullen attitude. It was time to remind my daughter of her place.

“Excuse me,” I said to Wren.

I pushed to my feet and started after Jinx.

“Wait,” Wren commented.

Her soft hand came to rest on my arm, the slightest pressure from her fingers soothing my raging dragon. I couldn’t help but imagine how the rest of her would feel pressed against me. She awoke something within that had been slumbering for so long and made me realize how much I’d withdrawn from both the clan and my daughter.

I met her gaze and arched a brow.

“Maybe I should talk to her.”

“You?” I glanced back in Jinx’s direction. I couldn’t see her anymore, but the pool deck still reeked of her rage, and those surrounding us looked to one another with curious expressions. Not yet thirteen, and she was dominant enough to force everyone to stop and stare. Were I not spitting mad, I might have appreciated the woman my daughter was becoming. “What would you say?”

Wren chuckled softly—a sound I never wanted to forget. “I am a counselor, you know. And I know a little bit about her situation.”

“Her situation?” My brow furrowed. “What situation?”

“Well…” Wren drew in a slow breath. “Your late wife, to start. Her mother.”

I froze. “What do you know about Ella?”

“Absolutely nothing,” she avowed. “Only what I saw in the file. That she passed away five years ago when Jinx was eight.”

Eight years old, and completely devastated. Suddenly, I didn’t find Wren’s touch so comforting anymore. Pain sliced through me, as though I was experiencing Ella’s death all over again. I didn’t want to talk—or even think—about her. Not when staring at the woman my dragon seemed to think was our new mate. It felt like a betrayal to Ella’s memory.

I drew my arm out from under her hand and braced for the onslaught of memories.

“Has Jinx ever spoken to a professional about her mother’s death?”

Wren’s gentle voice helped me keep my cool. I shook my head, my jaw clenched too tightly for me to speak.

“Have you?” she asked.

I worked it loose. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

Wren cocked her head. “Listen. I don’t want to cause you any more pain. And that’s the last thing I want for Jinx, too. I don’t have my Ph.D. yet, but I think I can help if you’ll let me. Jinx is clearly acting out. You need to find out the cause of her pain. And feel free to tell me I’m being a pain and to back off.” She chuckled, her belly button ring jingling. “It’s completely up to you. I’m even fine with us pretending this conversation never happened.”

Her words startled me into silence. Jinx was in pain? I took a moment to contemplate the past week, her snide remarks, the attitude… I sucked at math, but I could add up those kinds of numbers.

I needed to talk to Jinx, but I also needed some time to myself to think. To digest everything. Clearly, my dragon refused to ignore Wren. The woman baffled and excited me all at the same time. I’d never given a single thought to finding a new mate. Over the years, I’d resigned myself to solitude, even though my clan felt otherwise. But here she stood. And I had no idea how to handle this.

“Keaton?”

I shook my head. “I should go find Jinx.”

“Okay…” She bit her lip and stared up at me, her warm, trusting eyes silently begging me to open up to her.

I’d seen that look before—one that utterly astonished me. It was a look I’d seen on the face of every mated pair I’d ever met, including mine. Being human, I hadn’t expected Wren to feel the connection as strongly as I did. Hell, she probably didn’t even know what it meant. But I could see it in her eyes. Experience had taught me that humans knew very little about mates, but Wren was different. Her schooling had focused on shifters. Maybe she knew more than I thought.

I ran my hand through my hair and cursed under my breath. It didn’t matter that I didn’t want a new mate—my dragon had decided otherwise. And the damn beast refused to take no for an answer. I’d heard of this happening before—shifters whose animal-halves made the decision for them.

Mating was so unpredictable. What happened for one couple might not come close for another. Jasper and Renee, for instance. They’d known one another since infancy. They’d gone their whole lives without knowing they were mates. And they hadn’t figured it out until high school graduation. Renee had taken another male to prom, and Jasper had nearly gone wild with jealousy. Mid-celebration, he’d swept in and scared off her date. I remembered it like yesterday. Renee had handed him his ass on a plate, demanding to know what the hell was wrong with him. He’d grinned at her, enjoying every moment of the fight, and when she’d finished yelling, he’d leaned down and stole their first kiss. Just like that, he’d sealed their fates.

Noel’s parents, on the other hand, had connected instantly. The way Grady told it, the second he’d laid eyes on Erin, he’d known. They had their difficulties—what with her being a cat-shifter—but from what I could tell, they made it work.

As for me, I’d never felt that overwhelming knowledge with Ella. It’d been more subtle for us. A blending of two souls. I hadn’t felt the need to shout it from the rooftops, but she’d become my life. And when she’d died, she’d taken that half of my soul with her.

Until now.

“You all right?” Wren asked.

I blinked away my thoughts.

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” she continued.

“You didn’t. But I should go find Jinx. What’s your room number?”

“8032. Why?”

“Can I swing by tomorrow? I think we should talk. But not here.” No way in hell I’d discuss us being mates in front of countless strangers with sensitive hearing.

Her face cleared the moment I made the suggestion, and a bright smile curved her lips. “Sure, drop by anytime. I booked an excursion tomorrow, but it should be done around one-ish.”

I glanced around the deck and nodded. The chairs had all but filled up, and the pool teemed with people—both shifter and human alike. If I remembered correctly, the big screen film tonight was some sort of superhero movie. Action, adventure, violence, romance…everything shifters craved.

“Which excursion?” I finally asked.

“Tomorrow is St. Thomas…” She hummed under her breath, her enticing mouth pursing as she racked her brain. “I know I’m snorkeling. I think it’s at St. John Beach?”

Laughter spilled from my lips. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“What?”

I rubbed my brow and shook my head. Of course. Because sometimes Fate took matters into her own hands. The nosy little bitch didn’t believe in subtly. I should have expected as much the second I spotted Wren in the pool. As a dragon-shifter, it was challenging not to believe in magic and the fates. But seeing it firsthand really drove the point home. Because how else would we have ended up on the same excursion together?

“8:30 meet up time on the pier? St. John beach tour and snorkeling?”

“That’s the one,” she said with a grin. A second later, understanding dawned in her eyes. “You’re going on that one, too?”

“I thought Jinx might enjoy it.”

“Guess I won’t be alone then.”

My dragon lifted his head, his slitted eyes narrowing at her comment. Neither of us liked the thought of her being alone. Ever.

Jesus, I was so screwed.

“Have you eaten yet?” I asked.

She nodded, humor crinkling her eyes. “I visited the buffet earlier. It was interesting to watch.”

Interesting was one way to put it. I knew from personal experience how much food a shifter could pack away. No doubt, Wren had observed it firsthand.

“All right. Then I suppose we’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning. I’m going to go find Jinx.”

Wren reached out and brushed my arm. “Be gentle with her, okay? I know it’s not my place. You’re her father. But I know situations like this can be…”

“Delicate?”

She nodded, her face softening. “She’s becoming a teenager without a mother to help guide the way. Any young girl would be upset about that.”

I gritted my teeth and nodded. Hell, even I was upset about it. I wanted Ella here—if only to help Jinx. But I also wanted Wren. Guilt swelled within me as I contemplated that thought. How could I yearn for my late wife but desire someone else at the same time?

Growling, I turned and strode through the crowd, my shoulders tightening when people started scattering out of my way. And off to the sides of the deck, Meet Your Alpha’s guards watched, their attentive gazes targeting me. One wolf, in particular, pricked my self-control. I could sense his eagerness to test me, but I vanished through the glass doors before either of us succumbed to the silent challenge.

* * *

I found Jinx in the ice cream parlor, drowning her sorrows in a four-scoop cup of rocky road mixed with what smelled like raspberry cheesecake. I shuddered at the thought of mixing those two flavors. Had to be sacrilegious or something.

A quick glance around showed that the parlor was abandoned. I would have bet any money the customers had fled the moment Jinx stomped inside. The only person left was the employee, and from the looks of it, she meant to keep as much distance from us as possible.

I gestured toward the trembling cashier and pointed at Jinx’s cup. “Make it a double.”

Jinx leaned back in her chair and eyed me. “You won’t like it.”

“Probably not,” I said, relieved at the very least that she’d spoken.

I caught the closest chair with my toe and dragged it closer, then sat down. How to approach this? Starting with we need to talk would only force Jinx to retreat again. No one liked hearing those words. And asking her directly what was wrong felt like a trap. Not even Ella had liked that question. I was supposed to instinctively know what was wrong.

The cashier hurried over and handed me my heaping cup of ice cream before retreating back behind the counter. I grabbed the nearest spoon and plunged it into the rocky road. Seemed the safest place to start.

After swallowing, I leveled my spoon at her. “For the record, I don’t have the clap.”

Shame burned through her cheeks—a step in the right direction.

“Nor do I sleep around.”

She rolled her eyes and focused on her ice cream

I drummed my fingers against the table and contemplated her issues. I had to get this right. The one thing I did know was how much worse I could make things by guessing wrong. Wren had suggested this had something to do with Ella, but that didn’t feel right. Maybe I needed to stop focusing with my eyes and start using my nose. Body language and scents were often the clearest indicators when trying to suss out a problem. Her drooped shoulders and dull eyes were the first things I noticed. I was hardly an expert, but every bone in my body sensed her sadness. What I needed to figure out was the cause. Her school? Me? Or possibly Wren? She hadn’t acted out in the headmistress’s office at Brookview. But the entire week since, she’d been sullen and distant. In fact, now that I thought about it, it’d all started the moment I’d told her about Blue Academy. I hadn’t noticed it then, but she’d retreated the second I’d mentioned it.

Noel’s words echoed in my head: You don’t give a shit about her. First chance you got, you shipped her off to that ridiculous school. What was it he’d said after? That the only thing I cared about was getting her out of my hair? He’d mentioned that others thought the same. Who were the others?

I took another bite of ice cream and studied Jinx. The way she’d stomped off the deck—I’d practically tasted her rage. But here and now, just with me, we were back to despondent, much like when Ella died.

Christ.

Just like that—everything clicked. A damn soul-shattering epiphany. And I couldn’t have felt more like an idiot than I did now. My clan had told me that I’d pushed Jinx away. And I hadn’t bothered to listen. I’d thought sending her away to school was for the best. Somewhere she could heal and move on. But Jasper and Noel, they both were right. Jinx needed something else.

She needed me.

I was her father. And I’d all but forced her out of my life. Locked her away at some top-rated academy for her betterment, but instead, I’d hurt her. Made her feel unloved and unwanted.

If only I’d listened.

Jesus—I was a fool. An idiot. A jackass. And I needed to make this up to her. Starting now.

“About Blue Academy…”

Her shoulders tensed, and her fingers tightened around the spoon.

If ever I’d needed confirmation of my stupidity—that was it. “I was thinking…maybe you could stay at home. How would you like to go to school with Noel instead?”

Her head snapped up. “Seriously?”

“I’m not saying I like that boy.” A brief smile tugged at my lips. “But maybe it would be good for you. And me. I like having you at home with me.”

Her brows furrowed. “No, you don’t.”

Ouch. Idiot, idiot, idiot.

I scooted closer to her and laid my hand on top of the table. She eyed my palm with a narrowed gaze, as though she expected some sort of trick.

“Virginia…”

Her eyes shot wide. I never called her by her given name. At least, not since Ella’s death. Clearly, I needed to make some changes. Starting right now.

“I’ll enroll you in his school the moment we’re home,” I promised her. “Forget the boarding schools.”

“Even though they have a better education?”

“Ah, who says you need the best education money can buy?” I winked. “Besides, wouldn’t you prefer to be taught at some half-bankrupt public school with the best mediocre teachers they can afford?”

A faint smile curled her mouth. I had her.

“What’s an education worth these days, anyhow?”

“You could…” She raked her teeth across her bottom lip.

“Could, what?”

“Maybe donate to the school? Noel says his dad does that. To help with school supplies and whatnot. Since you won’t be paying the expensive private school tuition.”

I lifted a brow. “I thought you going to public school was supposed to save me money?”

She giggled, and I instantly felt the stress lift from my shoulders. If I could still make her laugh, all wasn’t lost.

I leaned back with a faux frown and crossed my arms over my chest. “There goes my motorcycle idea, then.”

Another soft giggle. “You already have three.”

“Hey, a guy needs his bikes.”

“You don’t even ride them!” Humor sparkled in her eyes.

“Fine, fine…I suppose I can donate something to this new school of yours.”

She cocked her head and regarded me, the smile slipping from her face. “Do you really mean all this?”

I leaned forward and braced my elbows against the table. “I know I’m not the greatest father. And I’m sorry it took me so long to realize what was wrong. I should have seen what this was doing to you and should have made an effort to find out how you were doing at Brookview. Maybe if I had, I would have found out sooner about the fights. All I can say is I’m sorry, and I won’t let this happen again, ever.”

Jinx choked on a sob, then lunged across the table and threw her arms around my neck.

Tears pricked my eyes. The feel of her clinging to me, the sound of her soft cries, it all drove home the point that I’d been a lousy father. I’d sent her away to school to help her, but what had that done other than drive a wedge between us? I’d thought it’d help her move on and overcome her grief, but how could I have expected so much without me there to help her? She needed me. Not teachers and counselors. Noel had been right. She’d lost both her parents. And I was such a fool for fighting against everyone for so long.

I gripped Jinx tightly and rose from the seat, pulling her with me. She’d never be as tall as me, so her feet dangled around my knees, but neither of us cared. This moment had been too long coming.

“Shh,” I murmured as I palmed the back of her head. Her body trembled against me, her thin shoulders shaking with her tears. “Everything will be fine now, I promise.”