"Yummy," I mumbled, currently chowing down on some food I had in my inventory.

Daddy had eaten a few fish he'd caught and roasted, but I didn't want to kiss him until after I cleaned his mouth with my magic. He had laughed about it, then he wandered off somewhere on the small island. It was probably no longer than a mile long and about a half mile wide.

It was the next day, and it was super warm instead of the really cold temperatures from last night. Daddy and I were surprisingly warm all night, though, even though the fire went out eventually. It was probably because Daddy's internal body temperature went up after he had sex with me. My own body heat remained high for most of the night—almost until morning.

"Finished?"

I released a startled squeak and my tail puffed out, so I looked up at my daddy with wide eyes and my heart in my throat while he laughed. I rubbed my chest and slapped his calf for giving me such a fright.

"You meanie, Daddy. I was so scared."

Daddy's hands curled underneath my armpits and he lifted me to rest against his side. "I-I am s-sorry, b-baby." he stuttered, trying not to laugh again when he noticed my pout.

I leaned forward and kissed his bearded cheek. "You can laugh, Daddy." I stated, waving my puffed-out, super fluffy tail at him.

The memory was clearly fresh because Daddy burst into laughter again. He hugged my form tightly, so I was happy just listening to his laughter. It had been quite awhile since I last heard it. Once Daddy calmed down, he started peppering my head and face with kisses until he almost stumbled over a log. So I stopped him from showering me with affection by placing my hands on his cheeks.

I giggled happily when my beloved man chuckled heartily and gently kissed my lips once more. I hugged his neck tightly and snuggled in, then noticed that my dear daddy was carrying me deeper into the dark jungle. The canopy of trees was thick and their roots overlapped above ground and below the sand.

"Where are we going?" I asked quietly.

"On a walk."

"Okay, but I'm not walking."

Daddy snorted. "It is too dangerous to let you walk around here."

I scoffed and tucked my nose down as I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, right. You just want to keep holding me, Daddy. 'Too dangerous' is obviously an excuse."

"Of course it is an excuse, my sweet baby wolf." Daddy laughed again and rubbed his face between my wolf ears. "I have not been able to hold you like this for so long without someone coming up and whisking you away from me."

"Mm, that's true." I mumbled, my tail lazily swishing against Daddy's left leg.

He continued, "It has been close to two weeks since I last held you. And with the stress of learning the lies and betrayals of my ex-wife with your existence, along with learning I had more competition with another father figure—your blood-related father...it was just too much for me to handle."

"So, Daddy, were you hoping I'd follow you?" I asked, leaning back to look at his face.

Daddy's warm honey-gold eyes sparkled with happiness. "I was hoping you would, but I was not certain you would be able to follow me."

"Because of the teleporting thing?"

He nodded. I hummed and rubbed my left cheek on his own. "You needn't have worried, my beloved daddy. I will always find you."

"Always?" he asked with a teasing smile.

I nodded with a happy grin, my tail wiggling at the same time. Daddy chuckled and pecked my lips, then firmly pressed a kiss to my head before he guided it to his shoulder again. I slowly exhaled and snuggled in, then my tension drained away.

"Daddy?" I began tentatively, "What did the wechuge want from you?"

Daddy's strides faltered, but he didn't stumble. "I see it is finally time to explain my past, hmm?"

"Yes," I replied. "But take your time."

"My, such a kind little wolf." murmured Daddy, then he kissed my head again and sighed. "Should I start from when I first met her?"

"Wherever you want, Daddy."

He hummed, exiting the jungle on the opposite side of the island. He took a seat in the sand and rested his back against one of the coconut trees, settling me sideways on his lap so he could pet my entire body (tail included) if he wanted that. I was happy being cradled, so there was no loss on my end either.

Daddy inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled. "When I first met that monster, I was fairly young back at just over a hundred years old. I was naive, starry-eyed, and brimming with unfettered confidence."

"I honestly cannot imagine that, my dear man."

"How cruel," replied Daddy, a chuckle rolling off his lips moments afterwards. "In any case, I met the wechuge at an exclusive bar in Toronto in Ontario, Canada. How I got there was thanks to an invitation from my employer after he and the crew, including myself, finished building a custom home next to the harbor along what is now known as the Humber river."

"You were a carpenter, Daddy?" I asked in amazement.

"Yes, for a time. I was hired for the last six months into the build after one worker slipped from the roof beams and impaled himself on a metal rod."

"Ouch," I hissed, grimacing. "He died, I guess?"

Daddy nodded. "At the time, I was traveling across the world to find a purpose—through gaining work experience, multiple skill sets, and even in relational trust in the people of the regions. So I was passing through that harbor when I read the paper about the job offer. Since I was a strapping young man, I was hired immediately and learned the basics of the trade on the job. And, after the job was complete, the contractor invited the entire crew to his favorite bar."

I gently kneaded Daddy's chest with my left hand's knuckles, then settled down with a soft sigh when his large hand covered my tiny one. "Isn't it kind of amusing, Daddy?" I asked softly.

"What is amusing, my dear baby boy?"

"It seems like a lot of bad people are at a bar and that so many bad things happen at one, too."

"Perhaps," murmured Daddy, "but what are you thinking of?"

"Mm," I hummed, "Mother met you-know-who at a bar."

My beloved daddy shifted his positioning in the sand, bending his knees to trap me on his lap. I wasn't keen on going anywhere anyway, though, but I moved to straddle his lap and lean on his chest. Daddy's left hand dropped from my waist to my tail. I snuggled in with a happy sigh.

"Anwyll, I hope you do not think that the creation of your existence was a bad occurrence from a connection at a bar."

I snorted. "No, Daddy. I'm just saying that Mother was a horrible person. But bars and any alcohol-friendly establishments tend to attract bad people and 'bad news', for lack of a better term."

My head and ears were stroked as part of my reward for being Daddy's good little boy, so I was happily resting in his arms as he continued his story.

"After I received my first free drink from the project manager, I leaned on the counter and watched the floor move, dance, and sway in either couples or singles. There was a woman leaning on the wall in the far corner, though. Her beauty was otherworldly. I assumed she was some kind of shifter because of the grace and elegance in her movements. Even the way she held the glass looked magical."

"Wow, Daddy, you sure fell hard." I remarked dryly, which made him laugh. I was a bit surprised and wondered why, but I didn't ask him.

"Her eyes were a deep, dark brown with golden flecks that formed a golden ring around her pupils when she was agitated or aroused. My appearance at the time must have been attractive enough for her to sashay over and propose a dance."

I blinked. "You didn't have blond hair and green eyes as your human appearance?"

Daddy chuckled. "Living for hundreds of years forces me to change the illusion on my human form from time to time. The first fifty years I had dark gold hair, light brown eyes, and pale skin. The next fifty years allowed me to have curly light brown hair, greenish hazel eyes, and lightly tanned skin. Because I was over a hundred years old at the time, I had black hair, sky-blue eyes, and tanned skin. It was obvious to the wechuge that I was a foreigner because of that, since the majority of native Canadians are fair-skinned because of the weather and climate. Although the First Nations of Canada usually had different features and a darker skin tone."

"Ooh," I said, then giggled when my daddy kissed and nibbled on my wolf ears. "I like your natural human form the most."

"Aww, my baby is too cute." he whispered, holding me tighter. "Thank you, sweetheart."

"And I love your dragon form, Daddy. You're so cool!" I added, my tail thumping the sand and making the grains move while he cooed and kissed my head, face, and hands.

Daddy's honey-gold eyes warmed further when I cupped his cheeks and pressed my lips to his own. I tucked my head down and snuggled into his arms again, smiling happily to myself while my beloved dragon's heartbeat eased. Daddy petted my head and ears again, then held my head to his left pec as he took a deep breath in.

"Despite her power, the wechuge could not see that I had an illusion over my body because her power was not sourced by mana."

I frowned. What kind of powers existed other than magic? I'd have to ask Daddy later.

"I was entranced by her smooth skin, lovely curves, and deeper voice. It was unique for a woman to sound like she had. I danced with her, every moment touching her skin felt like tingles and sparks were dancing across my skin, throughout my body, and numbing my mind."

"Geez, Daddy, are you trying to make me jealous?" I asked playfully, pouting for a moment.

My daddy dragon laughed and kissed my head. "No, baby, I did not mean to make you jealous."

"I wasn't that jealous..." I mumbled, but I clutched onto him tighter.

"All right, my cute wolf." replied Daddy, a chuckle on his lips. "In any case, I was thoroughly enamored and seduced by that woman. I invited her to my home—our current home—and she accepted the invitation for a visit at a later date. We spent a passionate night together and separated for the next month. I returned home to Ambrose, who was surviving well thanks to Andy."

I hummed. "Uncle Andros has really helped you, Daddy."

He silently agreed. "I admit that I likely knew about his feelings for me on a subconscious level." he stated in a very soft tone, then continued, "I definitely used him."

"Oh, Daddy..."

"I need to get my feelings in order about my brother too, baby. Perhaps this therapy session of yours is opening every door of every room that needs to be organized and or cleaned out."

I smiled. "I think so, Daddy. And I believe you just needed someone to talk to about what's going on in that head of yours. You act tough all the time, but now I definitely know how easily you're affected by others and various situations."

"All it took was my escape into the skies, hmm?" teased Daddy, and that made me giggle.

"Well, Rose clued me in. But I already had a feeling that you were pretty sensitive, Daddy."

He chuckled. "True, and that is why I was incredibly caught off-guard and experienced a debilitating betrayal from her. And that is why I put the special layer of the barrier around our home and some of the property to keep females out and away from us—from me."

"Mm," I mumbled, encouraging him to continue.

"Ambrose gave me a warning for extreme caution after her first visit, but I ignored him and dedicated my time to the monster as a beauty in disguise." he said, then chuckled dryly. "I cannot believe I planned to marry to it."

My eyes widened. "What happened?"

"I learned, from a friend, that my dear fiancée was blatantly gaining affection from both powerful men and women to attain a greater influence on the work industry. I didn't believe my friend at first, but my blinders slowly but surely began to come off with each strange thing she said or did. I followed her once and saw the truth. I was heartbroken—utterly devastated. When I confronted her—it, really—she denied my knowledge and evidence, then proceeded to accuse me of being nosy and not trusting her."

"What!" I exclaimed angrily, unconsciously slapping my tail on the sand. "Bitch!"

Daddy's eyebrows rose. "When did my baby use such bad words?"

My eyebrows went up, too. "Well, the wechuge is certainly not a witch. Did you want me to be more kind or be more rude and call it a 'fuck-face'?"

My daddy was a bit flabbergasted, but he leaned his head back as he began to laugh again. I really do love hearing his laughter. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

"As your daddy, I should be punishing you for using such language, but it is strangely amusing to hear you curse the first monstrosity—aside from my mother—to hurt me." he remarked, then he burst into guffaws and started rocking back and forth as well as side to side.

I moved with him, closing my eyes for awhile. After my beloved daddy dragon had calmed down, he told me the rest of the story.

"It kind of broke my heart and mind when I watched her true form appear for a foreign woman. That was because I realized she had never been open or truthful with me. It seemed as though the wechuge's heart had been stolen by someone more economically powerful and more genuinely unique in appearance than myself in the three years we spent together. That truly broke my spirit. I added the special layer to the barrier not long after and disappeared for a long time. I returned to my traveling stint and found this gem of an uninhabited island. Feeling a bit selfish, I placed a barrier around it to make it invisible to humans. It's technically my own island getaway thanks to my magic."

"Hmm," I hummed, then squirmed upwards to kiss his jawline. "How long were you gone, Daddy?"

"About forty years."

My jaw dropped. "Forty! But Ambrose said a few years..."

"Yes, only because forty years is nothing compared to how long he has already lived. But we will not spend forty years here. Shall we go back in a week?"

I verbally agreed but made a mental note to let Papa and Ambrose know. But I had to tell Daddy about the demon in my storage space.

"Um, Daddy?" I asked, as I sat upright in his lap.

He smiled happily. "Yes, baby?"

"Remember that demon I talked about before? The one I 'dealt with' that was threatening and planning to kill Mattie's family?"

Daddy slowly nodded, his eyes narrowing. "Did you, perhaps, store the demon somewhere?"

I blushed and scratched my cheek. "You really know me well."

He smirked and kissed my cheeks. "Of course I do. Introduce me to the demon sometime, baby boy. I know how you are, but I am not entirely certain about what purpose you have kept him for so long."

"Ah, I plan to make him a companion—a close friend—and someone who can help protect my lovers who are non-magic users."

"Why would they need protection?"

I stared back at his concerned gaze. "Daddy, you do know we have an enemy that likes hybrids, don't you?"

His eyebrows furrowed. "Wait, are you saying that the Emerged are actually hybrids?"

I nodded and clarified, "Special hybrids."

Daddy's eyes widened. "Oh shit."

"Don't worry, the barrier will keep them safe, as long as they don't leave it. But they do leave it for work and other reasons." I murmured, then hugged my daddy dragon's neck. "I'll send them a caution-filled message in a moment. I really want another kiss from you right this instant, Daddy."

His lips quirked up, then his large hands wrapped around my waist. "Your desire is mine, baby." he whispered, then his lips met mine.