Chapter 0096

I glance sideways to find both fathers staring at us. "Maybe you could stop kissing my daughter long enough for dessert, Adrian," Grant Sinclair chides with a raised eyebrow.

My lips twitch. "Apologies, sir. Your daughter makes it impossible to resist such moments."

He nods slowly, understanding flashing in his eyes. "Just remember my daughter's still underage and saving herself for her mate." His pointed look tells me everything - he knows I'm her destined partner, but wants me to wait until Evelyn realizes it herself.

"Understood. I respect that completely."

"Son," Alistair Grey interrupts gruffly, "if you're going to be kissing my future daughter-in-law like that in front of me, you'd damn well better start calling me Alistair."

Victory surges through me. Finally! "Thank you, Alistair." The grin splitting my face feels permanent.

Evelyn has retreated to the sink, shoulders hunched as she regains composure. I grab the apple pie and serving knife while she collects plates and coffee mugs. Between bites of flaky crust, a burning question surfaces.

"So," I spear a forkful of dessert, "how exactly did you earn the nickname 'Little Badass,' Evelyn?" Her lips quirk before she schools her features, but not before I catch it. Her gaze darts to my father, and realization hits me like a freight train.

"Wait - you pinned my dad?" My fork clatters against the plate. My father was once the strongest Alpha in the country. Only warriors like Sebastian and I have surpassed him recently.

Grant wears a smug expression that could rival the Cheshire cat. "Not just pinned. What was the time again, Alistair? Fifteen minutes flat?"

The taunting tone makes my father scowl. "Fifteen minutes exactly. Seems the apple doesn't fall far from the tree in your family."

My jaw drops as I reassess the petite warrior beside me. I've seen her train - she's the best fighter in Blackthorn Pack. But defeating my father that quickly? Maybe challenging her to sparring matches wasn't my brightest idea.

Evelyn's forehead creases. "What do you mean? Did my mother...?"

Alistair's head swivels between Evelyn and Grant. "You never told her?" Grant blinks, then studies his daughter thoughtfully. "Guess it never came up." His smile turns tender. "You're her spitting image - same sharp tongue, same lethal skills. Ivy took your father down in under fifteen minutes too."

Evelyn's entire face lights up. The sight twists something in my chest. With her mother gone so young and Grant's subsequent grief, she probably knows less about Ivy than most know their parents. I make a silent vow to help uncover more about her mother's legacy.

"Hold on," I interject. "So she inherited her Alpha-defeating skills from her mom and got the nickname from you?" I direct this at Grant.

"Damn right," Grant confirms, pride radiating from every pore.

"My nickname comes from you?" Evelyn's eyes widen. "What was yours?" The fact that I know more about her family history than she does suddenly seems tragically unfair.

Alistair answers with a chuckle. "They called him the Original Badass - at least until your mother came along and knocked him down a few pegs."