Page 13 of Alpha Wolf’s Nanny (Silvermist Wolves #2)
“And then,” Danny said, shoveling another spoon of ice cream into his mouth, “and then Cassie helped us put up the netting, which means we can now lie down above the fort and see through the tops of the trees and see the stars and—”
“—and she told us all about Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, they’re bears and they—”
“No, Perseus is best, he beat Medusa and he—”
“No, the bears are better ‘cause they’re named after shifters and—”
“Ooh, did you know that Cassie is named after a constellation?”
“I did know that,” Felix said with a wry grin as his boys demolished their desserts while he enjoyed a coffee. “Cassiopeia, right?”
“Cassiopeia was a queen in ancient Greece,” Danny continued as if Felix hadn’t spoken at all. “The gods trapped her in the stars ‘cause she boasted about how beautiful her daughter was. But I don’t think Cassie’s like that.”
“No,” Logan agreed, his nose wrinkling, “she’s more like…like…like Perseus!”
“Perseus?” Felix asked, his eyebrows raising, a shocked laugh escaping him.
“Yeah, Perseus, ‘cause she takes us on loads of cool adventures!”
“I think she’s more like, um…Andy-roma.”
“Andromeda?” Felix supplied.
Danny clapped his hands together. “Yeah, Andromeda! She marries Perseus. She’s the beautiful daughter. She got chained to a rock.”
“I’m not sure Cassie’s ever been chained to a rock before,” said Felix, his mind instantly flooding with images that were far from appropriate or respectful.
No rocks, though, just his bed. And he probably wouldn’t use chains, but he did have some rope in the shed—
“It doesn’t matter if Cassie gets tied to a rock anyhow, ‘cause we taught her how to pick locks,” announced Logan.
“You did what?” Felix asked, slightly flustered, his attention snapping back to his sons.
“Yeah, Uncle Dane taught us how, so we taught Cassie. It’s super useful to know how to pick locks. That’s what Uncle Dane says.”
“I bet it is,” Felix said through gritted teeth, resolving to have a little chat with Dane the next time he saw him.
God knew the boys got into enough trouble without Dane teaching them even more methods of mischief.
Felix made a promise to himself then and there that if Dane ever had a kid, Felix would go out of his way to corrupt the little beast with all manner of tricks and swear words and chaos. Give Dane a taste of his own medicine.
“So you both like Cassie, then?” Felix asked, interrupting their bickering about the best kinds of locks to unpick.
“Yeah!”
“Obviously!”
“She’s the best, she makes pancakes with chocolate chips and she tells us about dinosaurs and she—”
“—she does this thing where we’ll run and hide and then she tracks us down and then she’ll hide and—”
“—she helped us against Thea and we won three battles and now the Shadow Fangs might be joining the Stone Crows again and—”
“She’s great!” Logan finished with a cheeky grin.
“I’m glad to hear it,” Felix said. “Now go on, finish your ice cream, we’ve got to get to the Pine Shadow Club.”
As the boys wolfed down the rest of their food, Felix sat back, his hands clenching. Of course the boys loved Cassie. What wasn’t there to fucking love? She was completely brilliant with them. It had only been a month, and still Felix couldn’t remember how he had coped without her.
And yet, every day was nothing but torture. She was there, she was right there, and he couldn’t do anything about it. He’d told her he’d keep things professional, and he couldn’t even keep his hands to himself. Here he was, a grown man out to dinner, and he couldn’t stop fantasizing about her.
The boys practically launched out of their chairs as soon as their bowls were scraped clean, and Felix shook his head with a low laugh, gathering the plates and tossing a few bills down on the table for the waitress.
He downed the rest of his coffee, letting the bitterness settle into his chest like a shield.
He needed it.
Because no matter how many times he told himself that Cassie was just his nanny, just the woman he hired to look after his sons, it didn’t make it true.
Not when his wolf reacted like that. Not when her scent lingered in the hallway long after she’d passed through.
Not when he couldn’t get her beautiful, low laugh out of his damn head.
And now she was off on her own. Alone in the woods.
He clenched his jaw, pushing the image away.
It wasn’t his place. It couldn’t be his place.
But that didn’t stop the instinctive surge of protectiveness that had flooded him when she mentioned her hike.
Or the cold, possessive burn in his gut when she’d hesitated, when she’d avoided telling him where she was going.
No. He wasn’t going there. He couldn’t afford to.
“Come on,” he said gruffly, standing up and ruffling Logan’s hair, “Pine Shadow Club’s waiting.”
The boys cheered and scrambled out of the booth, shoving at each other to get to the coveted front seat. Felix followed them out to the truck, the autumn air biting cooler now as the sun dipped lower on the horizon.
As they buckled up, Danny leaned over from the back seat, face bright with anticipation.
“Can I do the announcements tonight?”
“Announcements?” Felix asked, adjusting the rearview mirror.
“Yeah! You know, at the start of movie night? Daisy said someone has to stand up and welcome everyone and tell them the snacks are at the back table and remind them not to leave popcorn in the couch cushions again.”
“You volunteering for public service now?” Felix asked, raising a brow.
“It’s important!” Danny insisted. “I wrote a whole speech.”
Felix smirked, shifting the truck into gear. “Just don’t throw in any digs about Thea’s pack. We’re trying to keep things friendly.”
“I’ll be very professional,” Danny promised solemnly, “but if I happen to mention that certain people are banned from suggesting a movie, that’s not my fault.”
Felix chuckled. As if Thea would let Danny dictate any rules to him whatsoever. “Whatever you say. I’ll let you fight that one out amongst yourselves.”
The truck rumbled down the familiar road toward the Pine Shadow Club.
Nestled among tall pines and old-growth oaks, the lodge was already aglow, the windows spilling warm light into the twilight.
From this distance, he could hear the faint thrum of music, laughter drifting through the trees, the steady beat of a community gathering in full swing.
As always, it grounded him. Anchored him.
And yet tonight, it also made him feel vaguely uneasy.
Because she wasn’t here.
He parked, cutting the engine just as Logan scrambled to get his seatbelt off, racing his brother towards the doors.
Felix followed, slower, his shoulders squared against the chill in the air, and the weight in his chest that still hadn’t gone away.
Cassie was out there somewhere, and he had no idea why that bothered him so damn much.
He shook his head. The pack was running tonight, and he needed to keep his wits about him.
Cassie had assured him that she was a sensible, experienced hiker.
She wouldn’t diverge from the marked hiking trails, which meant he wouldn’t be crossing paths with her tonight.
But still, the anticipation, the potential , thrummed in his veins like electricity.
“Hey, Felix,” said Daisy, smiling as she waddled over to greet him.
“Hey, Daisy,” he smiled, looping an arm around her shoulders. “You joining us tonight, or staying here with the kids?”
“Oh, I’m running,” Daisy grinned, her eyes twinkling as she rested a hand over her belly. “At this point in the pregnancy, it’s actually far more comfortable to be in my wolf. Besides, the exercise is good for me.”
Felix huffed a laugh. “You sure you’re up for it?”
“Oh, don’t you start,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Nicolas has gone all moody and protective. He thinks if I run too fast that I’ll injure myself.
It doesn’t matter how many times I tell him that that’s not how it works; he’s hanging over me like a shadow!
Do me a favor and distract him a bit, would you?
Convince him to get into a race, that always works. ”
Felix chuckled. “I’ll do my best.”
Daisy gave him a grateful smile. “I’m just going to make sure Poppy’s all settled with Gracie and the other babies. Who is it staying guard tonight?”
“Brody and Piper drew the short straws, so they’re on protection duty.”
Daisy nodded. “Excellent. I’ll see you around, Alpha!”
Felix waved goodbye as he made his way through the warm, welcoming hum of the lodge’s main room.
The scent of pine and woodsmoke curled in the air, mingling with sugar from the snack tables and the sharp bite of whiskey.
The boys were already in the corner with Thea, arguing over which movie to put on.
“Not another stupid superhero movie,” Thea whined, “why can’t we watch a Disney movie?”
“Because they’re for girls,” Danny retorted.
“That’s sexist,” Thea narrowed her eyes, her teeth baring.
“She’s right, buddy,” Felix said, crossing his arms, “what do we say?”
“Sorry, Thea,” Danny muttered, “but I still want to watch Spiderman.”
Felix rolled his eyes and turned away, content that his boys were happy and settled for the evening, all arguments about movies aside.
The pack would run late, maybe until midnight, and he would come back, and all the kids would be fast asleep to whatever movie they’d finally decided on, and there wouldn’t be any more arguing about it.
He headed to the far end of the room, where Nicolas and Dane were leaning against the long windows that overlooked the back meadow, tonight’s starting point for the run. They were both already barefoot, relaxed in old shirts and rolled sleeves. Dane was mid-story, hands waving in dramatic fashion.
“And then she said told me ‘That’s not my sister, that’s my mom,’ and I swear to God, I’ve never run away faster in my life—”
“Do I even want to know?” Felix asked, grabbing a bottle of water from the cooler.