Page 10 of Alpha Wolf’s Nanny (Silvermist Wolves #2)

Felix stopped dead in his tracks, earning a few curious glances. Maybe he should turn back around, leave Cassie to get used to the pack and the kids and his friends. He didn’t need to go barging in there. He didn’t need to spend any more time with her than was strictly necessary.

He shook his head. This was his pack, dammit, and if he wanted to go into the woods, then he would go into the woods. Cassie was entirely irrelevant.

He followed the sounds of shouting and laughter further into the trees.

The sun was getting lower in the sky now, the air turning cool and pine-scented, the shadows long.

From the sounds of splashing water and sudden shrieks, it seemed the kids had managed to find some kind of stream.

With a sigh and a prayer that he wouldn’t be met with two soaking wet sons, he navigated through the remaining trees to where the kids were huddled.

Whatever had happened, it wasn’t good.

“But Mom, he threw my shoes in ,” Thea yelled, her little face red with fury as she shoved Danny, baring her teeth at him.

“To be fair, my darling,” Daisy replied, “you threw his jacket in.”

“Only because he splashed me!”

“What’s going on here?” Felix asked, crossing his arms across his chest and leveling the children with his sternest glare.

Thea sniffed, instantly cowed, but Danny raised an accusatory finger towards her. “She started it!”

“Did not,” Thea muttered.

“Did too!”

“Did not!”

Felix groaned. “Where’s Logan?”

Danny scuffed the ground with his shoe. “Further downstream, trying to fish his socks out with Dane and Cassie.”

“I’m sorry,” Felix asked, “exactly how many articles of clothing got tossed into the stream?”

Daisy huffed a small laugh. “That’s what I’d also like to know.”

“Right, come on,” said Felix, hauling his son down the pathway, Daisy and Thea behind him.

There were plenty of other pack kids about the place, running and jumping over the stream, splashing each other and shrieking.

One or two had even decided to go swimming.

If it weren’t for the headstrong tempers of his kids, the scene would be rather idyllic.

Danny was just telling Felix all about how Thea was the absolute worst and he hated her and she smelled like pondweed when they turned round a bend and were met with Logan and Dane shouting encouragement as Cassie waded, water up to her midsection, through the stream to rescue various items of clothes.

“Cassie?” Felix asked, his mouth falling open.

She glanced up and gave a surprised, slightly sheepish smile. “Oh, hi Felix!”

“Woah,” Danny said, his eyes bright as he watched her brush through some reeds, “she’s so cool! Dad, can I—”

“Not a chance,” said Felix. “Stay here with Daisy.’

With one slight grimace at the cold water, Felix sighed and kicked his shoes off, wading into the water to join Cassie.

“Oh, you don’t have to get in!” she protested, eyes wide with panic, “I just…there’s quite a lot of stuff that ended up in here, but it’s okay, I can get it!”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he replied, joining her in collecting various shoes and socks and the odd wooden sword, “they’re my sons.”

“Enjoying the swim, boss?” Dane crowed, pointing and laughing in delight.

Felix’s eyes narrowed as a sly grin spread over his face. “Come over here a minute and grab these shoes for me, I can’t hold too many.”

Dane sauntered down, winking at Daisy as he held his hands out for the various items. Felix lunged forward and grasped his forearm, pulling with all his might until Dane landed with a bellow in the water, sending a great spray arcing over everyone.

“You absolute bastard!” Dane sputtered as he came up for air, flicking his long hair out of his face.

“Enjoying the swim?” Felix countered with a grin.

Dane tackled him, and soon the two were wrestling and laughing in the water. For a brief moment, Felix caught sight of Cassie. Her head was thrown back in laughter, her eyes alight with pure delight, her cheeks pink, and her smile wide.

The moment was broken when the kids decided that Dane getting pulled in was more than enough permission for them to cannonball into the stream, and soon everyone was laughing and splashing each other.

Everyone except for Daisy, of course, who instead had her hands on the shoulders of a tiny, chestnut-curled little girl, who was watching them all in the water with a look of barely concealed yearning in her eyes.

Felix dodged a splash from Dane and grinned at her. “Evangeline! It’s so lovely to see you, how are you?”

Rick’s daughter hid further in Daisy’s arms, her cheeks turning red. Felix sighed. Eva had always been such a shy girl. So reserved, so scared of Rick’s disapproval. No wonder she’d resisted the urge to jump into the stream with them.

“I’ll get her back,” Daisy said. “Felix, would you be a dear and make sure Thea doesn’t drown?”

From the shrieks of his sons, he thought it was much more likely that Thea would be the one doing the drowning, but he smiled at Daisy. “Of course. Tell Rick to grab some towels, would you? I have a feeling we’ll need them.”

A splash of water hit his chest, and he looked over to see Cassie smiling at him hesitantly, her hand poised to splash him again. She looked like some sort of woodland nymph, her hair loose and tumbling around her shoulders, her freckled nose, her slight figure.

His wolf howled in desire.

“Oh no, you don’t,” he said with a savage grin, sending a huge wave towards her with a sweep of his arm. Her answering shrieks of laughter warmed his blood.

They chased each other around the pool for a while until Danny and Logan sensed the game and started piling onto him, trying to dunk him under the water.

He managed to get each of them on his shoulders, roaring and bellowing like a bull, to the delight of the other children.

Cassie looked at him with so much warmth, so much admiration, that he had to stop himself from sweeping her into his arms.

“Really?” Rick’s disapproving voice cut through the chaos, and Felix turned to give him a grin.

“To be honest,” Dane cut in, “it’s your fault for having a body of water in your woods. We were bound to find it.”

“You could at least have used the pool,” Rick muttered, holding out a towel for Dane as he heaved himself out of the stream. “This is just…unhygienic.”

“As unhygienic as when we’re wolves and we catch a deer and—”

“Yes, alright,” Felix glared at him, gesturing to the kids, “let’s not get into the details of hunting right now, shall we?”

Felix was next out of the water, pulling his sons out to their loud protestations. “Come on, all of you kids, out. Your parents will be wondering what all the noise is about.”

Cassie stayed in, shepherding the children towards the bank, making sure none decided to hide in the reeds. Once all the kids were out, she waded over, panting slightly as she gave Felix a broad grin that rocked straight through him.

“Here,” he said gruffly, extending a hand to her.

She glanced at it and hesitated, but only for a moment, before accepting it and letting him heave her out of the water.

Snatching a towel from Rick, he wrapped her in it, his wolf compelling him to take care of her even as his brain screamed at him to put some distance between them.

“Thank you,” Cassie said, her eyes wide as she looked up at him.

He swallowed. “No worries.”

They paused for a moment, each looking deeply into the other’s face, and for one wild moment, Felix was sure he was about to close the distance between them and kiss her.

Rick cleared his throat, “Perhaps you would like to clean up before you leave, Alpha?”

Felix leapt back, releasing Cassie, raking a hand through his hair. “Yes, that would be…that would be great. Thanks.”

He looked back at her, but she was already gone, hurrying on ahead through the trees to catch up with the boys.

With a deep sigh, he followed after her.

This was going to be harder than he thought.