Page 17 of Alpha Wolf’s Nanny (Silvermist Wolves #2)

Their bodies were a blur of teeth and rage. Dimly, Felix was aware of other wolves, other alphas, circling them. Huge bodies weaved through the trees, yipping and growling in alarm, ready to jump into the fray if their alpha commanded it.

He didn’t need them. Rick was strong, one of their strongest, but Felix was stronger.

Kicking the other wolf from him, he leapt up, pacing from side to side, muzzle pulled back over his teeth in a warning snarl. “Stand down, Reinhardt.”

“She’s in our Grove,” Rick spat back, crouching low to the ground. “We have orders to kill intruders on sight. Your orders.”

“She’s clearly here by mistake.” Felix’s blood was singing, hot red and hungry for the fight.

Rick bared his teeth. “You would change our most ancient laws for some stupid chit of a girl?”

“If the borders of the Grove haven’t been adequately marked, then that is our fault. Not hers. You will not touch her!”

Rick’s eyes blazed, his claws scraping against the dirt, his body fighting against the instinct to obey his alpha. Felix felt the pull, the call to attack, to protect .

But Rick was part of the pack. Cassie wasn’t. She was just a human. Nothing more. And yet he wanted to rip Rick to shreds for so much as touching her. The two truths battled inside of him, swirling his mind into a muddied mess, thrashing in his chest like an untamed beast.

“If we don’t punish humans who break our laws, then others will see us as weak .”

“Forgiveness is not weakness,” Felix roared. “Acting reasonably is not weakness. We are not mindless beasts.”

“We have very few rules for the humans, Alpha,” Rick snarled, low and dangerous. “You have been more than reasonable with them already. What if more take advantage of your temperance?”

“Then I’ll cut them down.” Felix leapt towards Rick, forcing the other wolf to bow low in submission, in recognition of his alpha’s strength. “Any who take advantage will be ripped apart. But Cassie is not taking advantage. It is a mistake. Nothing more.”

“Are you so sure about that?” Rick asked, stubborn till the end. “Are you sure she doesn’t mistake your kindness to her as permission to do as she likes?”

“Cassie knows her place,” Felix snarled. “Do you really think a human truly has the power to sway me?”

Rick didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. He was wise enough to know that speaking now would only invite further violence.

“Listen up,” Felix roared to the surrounding wolves, “I know things with the humans are tense. I know the Accords are stalling, that our freedoms are being limited, and our power is being questioned. I know that in our own community, humans are pushing the boundaries we have put in place for them. I want to remind you all that these issues are not going unaddressed. When I took power, I vowed not only to keep Silvermist safe for the Iron Walkers but to maintain the community of the pack. One human trespassing does not negate the years of hard work building relationships with the humans, but perhaps it is time for a reminder.”

Rick glanced up, the shock in his eyes visible.

“We will increase our presence in town,” Felix announced, “as the wolves we truly are. We will reestablish our territory lines and patrol the borders of our sacred lands. Any more humans who try and push through will be met with swift resistance. Understood?”

“Yes, Alpha,” the wolves around him murmured, bowing their heads low.

The growls quietened. The forest, which moments before had been vibrating with tension, gradually settled. One by one, the wolves lowered their heads in submission, acknowledging their alpha’s command.

Felix held himself tall, his flank still heaving from the fight. The pain of Rick’s bite simmered in his shoulder, but he barely felt it. His adrenaline had yet to ebb. His eyes scanned the gathered wolves, daring anyone to challenge him further.

No one did.

Satisfied, he gave a low grunt and turned away, his limbs tense as he padded through the trees, the forest swallowing him in shadow. He needed space. Air. Time to let the fire in his blood cool before it scorched him from the inside out.

Cassie.

It always came back to her.

The thought of Rick pinning her like prey made his stomach twist, a growl rumbling deep in his chest. She must’ve been terrified. Hell, she was probably still shaking. If he’d arrived even seconds later—

He picked up speed, his paws pounding the earth in a relentless rhythm. Trees blurred past, their trunks familiar sentinels in the dark. The rush of air in his ears couldn’t drown out the sound of her voice as she screamed.

He shouldn’t have this reaction.

She was human. Nothing more.

And yet...

The forest opened ahead, a flicker of movement catching his eye.

A dark wolf was weaving through the trees towards him. Nicolas.

Felix slowed, coming to a cautious stop a few strides away. His hackles were still high, his blood still buzzing.

Nicolas dipped his head in greeting, his ears twitching slightly. Felix stalked forward, pausing next to Nicolas. “Are you alright?”

Nicolas gave a soft huff, tail flicking once. “Are you?”

Felix growled low, stepping away, pacing in a slow circle. The tension in his limbs hadn’t left him. His wolf still bristled with the need to act, to fix, to protect.

Nicolas’s eyes followed him. Then the other wolf lowered his head. “Is it about her?”

Felix paused. Turned.

There was no use pretending.

He pawed at the dirt in a sharp motion, his claws slicing through the earth in frustration. “Yes.”

Nicolas shifted his weight. “You truly do care for her.”

Felix growled.

Too much. He cared for her far too much.

He didn’t need to say it aloud. It was written in every step, every breath. The way he’d nearly ripped Rick’s throat out. The way his instincts had screamed when she whimpered beneath that other wolf’s paws.

Nicolas stepped closer, glancing back over his shoulder. “She’s with Daisy in the clearing. She’s terrified, Felix, so…go easy on her. She didn’t mean to trespass.”

Felix snarled. As alpha, he wasn’t supposed to waver. Wasn’t supposed to let his feelings cloud his judgment. But here he was, wanting nothing more than to go find Cassie and comfort her, take care of her, protect her.

And with his blood still singing in his ears, he didn’t see why he should deny himself any longer.

Without another pause, he turned and took off into the trees, his body nothing but speed and shadow, a blur between the trunks.

Towards Cassie.

He burst into the clearing, his wolf form dark and huge, paws skidding slightly across the pine-covered earth. His breath came in short, sharp bursts, and his eyes locked immediately on her.

She was crouched beside the tent next to a small campfire, clutching a steaming mug of tea. Her skin was pale, her posture rigid, and when she looked up and saw him, really saw him, she flinched.

His ears flattened. The pain of that tiny movement sliced through him with more precision than Rick’s fangs ever had.

She was afraid of him.

Daisy, in human form wrapped in a blanket, rose slowly from where she'd been kneeling beside her. She met Felix’s gaze, her expression serious.

She stepped away from Cassie to the shield of the tent and then gave him a pointed look. “Perhaps it would be better if you shifted. One moment.”

With a grimace, Daisy ducked behind the tent and shifted. Bones cracked. Fur rippled. A moment later, a cream-colored wolf padded out, shook once, and gave a quiet huff in his direction, muffled from the blanket between her teeth.

Felix dipped his head in thanks as she dropped it in front of him.

Then, with a glance towards Cassie’s blushing face, he turned and disappeared into the shadows of the trees.

A low rustling followed, muscle twisting, spine shortening, the painful crack of transformation.

A few moments later, Felix emerged again, human now, blood streaking his bare shoulder, the blanket slung low around his hips.

Cassie’s eyes were on him, but she didn’t say anything. She just held the cup closer to her chest, the firelight casting a soft glow on her face.

Felix didn’t go to her.

He crouched low by the edge of the clearing, keeping a good few paces between them. His breathing was calmer now, but there was tension in his every movement, held back by sheer will.

“Daisy, Nicolas, go home,” he said, his voice low. “Take the pack with you.”

Daisy glanced at Cassie, then back to Felix. After a moment, she turned and padded off toward the trees. Nicolas, silent, watchful, followed her without a word.

Then it was just the two of them.

Felix turned his gaze back to Cassie, who hadn’t moved. Her arms were wound around herself, and there was a faint red scrape along her collarbone where Rick’s claws must have grazed her.

His chest tightened.

“Cassie,” he said, softer now. “It’s alright. You’re safe.”

She didn’t answer. But she didn’t run either.

That was something.

He sat fully, wincing as his shoulder pulled. The silence stretched between them, broken only by the wind in the trees.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said quietly. “You don’t have to talk. You don’t have to look at me. I just…I need you to know that I’m staying. As long as you want me here.”

Her eyes flicked toward him.

“You’re bleeding,” she said softly.

“I’ve had worse,” he replied, his voice rough but steady.

“I have a first aid kit,” she offered, motioning to her pack. “It’s got antiseptic. Bandages.”

Felix shook his head, the motion slow, controlled. “I’ll heal on my own. Fast. A few hours and it’ll be closed up.”

“It still looks painful,” she muttered. “Just because it’ll heal doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”

He didn’t answer at first. The truth was, it did hurt, but not half as much as seeing fear in her eyes when she looked at him.

She stared into the fire for a while, her fingers still curled around her mug, then glanced sideways at him again.

“Was it Rick? Who…injured you?” she asked. Her voice was low, wary, like she was afraid of the answer.

“Yes.”

She nodded, the movement small, her jaw tightening, “But, you’re his alpha? Surely, he wouldn’t—”

“That’s not how shifter packs work,” he interrupted, narrowing his eyes. God, she really knew nothing. “Arguments are settled with teeth. And if I’m not strong, if I’m seen to be…easily overcome…I lose respect. And that is as good as death for an alpha.”

“And me?” Cassie asked, her voice small. “Are scores with humans normally settled with such…violence?”

Felix exhaled slowly, his fingers curling into the blanket at his waist. “Not when unprovoked.”

“But I didn’t provoke him.”

He settled back against a tree, considering his words. “You trespassed. Humans are forbidden in our Grove. Always have been. He was within his rights to attack.”

“So that’s it?” she asked, voice trembling. “That’s the whole reason? I walked somewhere I shouldn’t, so I deserved to die?”

“It’s not about deserving anything,” Felix said tightly. “It’s about instinct. Law. The pack’s survival. Our Grove is protected by tradition and blood. For centuries, it’s been off-limits to outsiders. Rick was enforcing those boundaries.”

She stared at him for a moment, searching his face. “So…if you hadn’t shown up, he would’ve gone through with it.”

“Maybe.”

She looked down, hugging her arms around herself. “That’s insane.”

Felix’s jaw clenched. “It’s not insane. It’s our way.”

“Do you believe in it?” she asked, quietly. “That I should’ve died for stepping in the wrong place?”

He met her gaze head-on. “No. Not you.”

“But someone else?” she pressed.

He groaned, scrubbing his hands over his face. “If they came with ill intent, if they were hunting us, or scouting us, or…yes. The Grove is the heart of our pack. And we protect it with everything we have.”

Cassie didn’t say anything for a long time. The wind rustled through the trees above, and the fire crackled between them, soft and warm and far too calm for the weight in the air.

“If you want, I can leave,” he said finally, his voice cracking ever so slightly. With tiredness, with adrenaline, he didn’t know.

“But I’m in your sacred grounds.”

“Cassie, after tonight, I don’t really give a shit,” he said, eyes focusing on her. “Stay and camp overnight and hike back tomorrow. I won’t have you walking the woods at night, it’s dangerous.”

Cassie snorted. “Yeah, I got that.”

“I don’t mean from us,” Felix said, a surge of anger swelling in his gut. “Away from the trails, there are wild animals. Pitfalls. It’s wild land, untouched by humans. It’s not safe for you.”

Her shoulder bunched inwards, and a great tiredness settled over Felix. He hadn’t meant to snap at her.

“Or I can stay with you,” he said, more gently.

She didn’t reply, just stared into the fire, her chin set in stubborn anger. He sighed and climbed to his feet. It was an answer enough.

Turning, he made for the tree line, ready to shift, when her voice called out after him.

“Stay.”

He turned. She still wasn’t looking at him, her gaze fixed instead on the fire. But something inside him clenched at how small she looked, how vulnerable.

“Okay,” he replied, “I’ll stay.”