Chapter 86

Chapter 86
“Young man, what are you doing here?” My father demanded, his voice cutting through the tension like a sharp blade. I tried not to let the smile slip, especially seeing how he was standing up for me, but he wasn’t even through. “How dare you show up in this pack after all you have done?”
“I know.” Toby murmured, bowing his head, and my heart lurched as I heard his voice. I know I shouldn’t be having such a reaction to someone who had broken me, but I couldn’t help it. “I know I have not been the best thing for your daughter, and I acknowledge my fault in that, but I want to make it right.”
“Toby!” I snapped, annoyed that he was treating me like I wasn’t in the room with him. How could he just waltz back in here, acting like he could fix everything? Did he really think an apology was enough? “Why the hell are you even here?” He gave me a look that I couldn’t decipher, his eyes raking over me in a gaze that was stripping, and I crossed my arms, as if trying to shield me. But the moment was gone when he shifted his gaze back to my parents.
“My name is Toby. I am Maddie’s mate, and I am a rogue.” My mother’s gasp echoed throughout the quiet room, but my father’s lips remained sealed—I guess he already had an idea. “I have known your daughter for more than a year now, and during that period we have been trying to make our bond work, but it is obvious how the outcome has been from the bare neck.” He paused to take a deep breath before he continued. “However, I am tired of all this. I am done running, and I want to make things right again.”
“Make things right?” My father scoffed at his words, shaking his head. You are lucky I don’t throw you out of the pack right now because I am tempted to split your head open for what you did to my daughter!” My father barked, and I managed a smile despite the various emotions running through me—anger being the most prominent.
Toby met my father’s gaze head-on, and I had to give it to him; he had the balls—well, I would know since I have held it in my hands. 
“Of course. If you feel the need to split my head open, I won’t stop you. But if you want healthy grandchildren, you might want to reconsider,” Toby added, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
His smile was maddening, only fueling the anger inside me, and my fingers itched to wipe it off his face, but I held back.
My mother stifled a giggle behind her hand, her gaze softening, and I already knew she was sold. However, father’s lips twitched, then he realized himself and quickly straightened his expression, his eyes narrowing once more.
“You have got the nerve; I will give you that, but coming here and asking for my forgiveness doesn’t fix anything. The decision to forgive belongs to my daughter.” 
“I know,” Toby murmured in low tones, his head bowed to the ground, “and I am going to do that, that is, if she still wants this mating to work. However, I think it is only right that I come to see you.”
“You have done well.” My father said, nodding his head tactfully, then he turned to look at me for a brief moment, his gaze softening. “However, I am not the judge of it. I will leave the decision to my daughter, and I believe she will make the right choice.”
“Of course, sir.”
“You don’t have to kneel the whole time. Please, stand up,” my mother said gently in a bid to diffuse the rather tense air. Toby rose to his feet, walking up to meet my father, stretching his arms for a handshake.
I tensed, my mind conjuring all sorts of horrible things that could happen, but it was rather brief and uneventful. “Thank you.” Toby said as he shook my father’s hand firmly before taking my mother’s and pressing a light kiss to her knuckles. She let out a soft giggle, a sound that made my father’s expression darken noticeably.
I had to snatch the man up before he could start another world war. I held his hands firmly as we fled the scene, and I deposited him at the end of the hallway because there was no way I was letting this man into my room.
“Why are you here, Toby?” I demanded, my arms folded across my chest. “What do you really want?”
“I’ve always loved the way you say my name,” he said with a dreamy sigh, and my frown deepened, the irritation bubbling to the surface. Did he think this was a joke?
“Toby!” I snapped, and he looked at my face, releasing a short breath. I wanted to hate him—I think I do. I wanted to scream at him for everything he had done. But he only had to look at me before my heart betrayed me, skipping like it still belonged to him.
“Why don’t we do this in your room? We would have more privacy.” My lips pressed into a thin line, my eyes narrowing slightly, and he quickly raised his hands in mock surrender. “I apologize.”
“You either have to say what you want to say here now, or you can just go back to where the hell you came from and allow me!”
A hint of a smile was trying to spill from the side of the lips, and I was wondering if it would be considered abuse if I punched him. “You and your deadlines.” Toby shook his head slightly. “If you help me offload, I will tell you what I want to say.”
“Offload?” I repeated, my voice shrill from confusion. What the hell is that?
“Well, I did pack all of my wardrobe, and it will be a little difficult getting everything up to your room, so I need your help.”
“I don’t understand.” I blinked slowly, the initial hostility I had towards him fast dissolving, and my brows furrowed as I tried to make sense of what he was saying.
“I have come back, Maddie. I have finally come to stay.”