Chapter 22 - Everyone is Dad

Theodore held Wolfie as he read him a story. Wolfie loved stories. He scooted his glasses up and read the next line which delighted him. Today was his day to spend with Wolfie and he'd make the most of it.

Most darlings received time to spend with Wolfie, so when Sweetie made her decision about who she wanted to marry once and for all, they would all be used to her son. They would spend more time with the girl too, if they could. The bastards made that impossible.

"Twain." Wolfie pointed to the picture.

"Yep, it's a choo choo," Theodore agreed. "I think your mom is going to have breakfast done soon. You want some bacon and eggs?"

"Yes," Wolfie said excitedly. "Eggs. Bayen."

Good, then he'd share. He turned the page again. Wolfie pointed to the picture again. "Yep, train." Theodore looked at his watch. "I've got enough time to eat breakfast with you, and then I gotta go to work. I better finish this book then, huh?"

Then he noticed six new people coming toward him with Zoan. "Hello, Zoan."

"Hey." Zoan greeted him. "I need Wolfie."

Wolfie? "We were finishing up a story and then we were going to eat breakfast."

"Well, sorry to ruin your day," one of the men said from behind Zoan. He sounded sarcastic and frustrated. Maybe angry.

Zoan gestured to the man. "This is Devin. The biological father."

What? Why? "Why would you come back?" He never answered, just lifted Wolfie from him and-

POV Devin

Yeah. I got glared at from Zoan.

"You shouldn't have knocked him out," Mattie complained. "He was being a good guy to the boy." She went over toward him. "Hey? Cutie? I'm available too."

"Mattie, not now." I looked toward the boy. My actions definitely scared him. I put him back down and he ran to Zoan.

Zoan picked him up. "You just up and punched a darling. One of thirty Destiny is most likely to marry, remember? Probably someone that could have befriended you here."

Wrong. "She doesn't have to marry anyone. She and those kids are coming back with me safely after this whole mess is over." I wasn't taking this lightly. The boy was emotional, but he maintained his human appearance.

"So, these darlings. Are they the good father figures?" Mattie had to ask. "Are they in love with Destiny or are they in love with the thought of marriage and kids?" The guy I punched was already starting to wake up. Mattie went straight to their side. "Hello."

"Uh? Oh! Hello?" Of course, he was interested in Mattie. Anyone on Wolf Islands would be interested in Mattie.

"Hi." She waved at him. "I'm Mattie."

"I'm Theodore." He eagerly shook her hand like I didn't just punch him out. "Your wonderful. Would you marry me?"

"Well? I have to think about it a little bit," Mattie said. "My brother just clocked your lights out."

"Oh, I'm fine, I'm fine." He stood up, and bowed gracefully toward me. "All is well. Your sister is wonderful, a breast, a breath! A breath. Of. Fresh air. Her hair is gorgeous, her eyes are like sapphires or . . ." Searching for words. Probably didn't know the right gem to her eye color.

"You can't marry her just like that," I countered him. No amount of sweet words would change that. "Mattie, this is the first one you met."

"I will wait for you," Theodore said to her. "I will wait an eternity for you, I can be patient for you to see that I should be the one with you. You have wonderful birthing hips."

What an ass. Yet, Mattie started to move her hips for this guy.

"Thanks, I like them too," she flirted back. "Dev, he's gotta come back at the end with us."

"Yes, I would follow you anywhere," that idiot said to her, still professing love.

Ugh. I wasn't making decisions about anyone right now. "We'll see."

"He was reading to the boy. He's nice. You clocked him out for no reason." She kept dragging on with more points.

I looked toward Wolfie near Zoan and went nearer. Wolfie, what a name. "Hello," I greeted him. "I am Devin Oliver Olivacea."

"He's Mister D," Mattie said toward Wolfie instead. "Or dad. There's no way he can say all that. I bet he can't even say your first name."

Right, he was young.

"Dad." Wolfie said it perfectly.

That created a strange feeling inside of me. Did he somehow recognize it? Was he recognizing my scent to him?

"He knows that word well," Zoan bursted his bubble. "He calls almost everyone it."

"I won't go by it," Theodore said to Mattie. "I will teach him Uncle Theodore for you, Darling. If I may call you Darling?"

"Ah. Dev! I collected my first Darling," Mattie was excited and gestured to him like he was a prized collection piece she'd been eager to start. "His name's Theodore."

"I would advise you against calling him that," Zoan said to her. "You have only met him so far. The closer you get, the more it will hurt if you choose someone else. There are 200 men here."

"Not call him by his actual name because of attachment?" Mattie groaned. "That's mean. Who do you think you are?"

"Or that he is waiting for breakfast," I had to point out toward her. "Breakfast that Destiny is making for 200 others." He was still putting on that much weight to her. "If he cared even a little bit, he would get his own." I looked toward the boy. I haven't said much of anything to him and I was choosing to get into an argument with my sister? I should be talking to him, saying something a father would say, but nothing came to me except another hello. I could just feel my priorities getting backwards.

Let Zoan argue, I had to say something. I looked toward the boy. He looked well dressed, like he wasn't going to become a wolf in those clothes accidentally. He had on a white shirt with a gray vest and slacks. He had bangs that would need cut soon, but other than that, he looked presentable, healthy and safe. I was glad about that, but it didn't mean the surface was the truth.