Page 20 of Alpha Wolf’s Nanny (Silvermist Wolves #2)

As they neared Silvermist, it was all Cassie could do to keep the beating of her heart in check.

Close. Too close. She had revealed too much of herself, let him see too much, and he had nearly discovered her secret.

He said he didn’t care, wouldn’t care, that he would tear anybody who threatened her apart, but she couldn’t tell him this. How could she? It put his boys in danger, his pack. These people, the things they said they would do to her, the lengths they would go to…

She made a deal with herself then and there.

If they ever got close, if she ever sensed their presence, she was gone.

She would leave. Her wages from this job were generous enough that she had a good amount saved.

Maybe she could cross the border into Canada, or catch a flight to Europe. Make a completely new life for herself.

Anything to protect the people that she now considered her family.

Because, like it or not, she had made a life in Silvermist. Somehow, without even realizing it, she had stitched herself into the fabric of the town. Into the boys’ bedtime routines, into Daisy’s sweetness, into the chaos of the pack. Into Felix.

And last night had only complicated things further.

She kept stealing glances at him as they walked, as though trying to memorize his expression when he wasn’t looking.

There had been such care in his face when she told him the truth.

No disgust, no awkwardness, no gloating.

Just…gentleness. Reverence, almost. Like she’d handed him something precious and he knew exactly how to hold it.

He’d told her once that he wasn’t a gentle man, no matter what anyone said. She knew now with utter certainty how wrong he really was.

She hadn’t expected his reaction at all. He had looked so staggered , like the world had tilted slightly on its axis.

I would’ve made sure you knew how much it meant to me.

And it had meant something. To her, at least. More than she had let herself admit. And now that the memory was no longer tangled in shame or fear, she could feel the sweetness of it curling inside her chest like a warm thread of light.

But then came the shadow.

The debts.

The lie.

It coiled at the edge of her mind like a serpent, hissing reminders:

You don’t belong here. You’re not safe. They’ll find you.

Cassie knew how people looked at her. A little wide-eyed, a little surprised when she showed steel behind her smile.

No one ever really assumed someone like her was capable of disappearing.

But she had. She’d walked away from so many old lives with nothing but a bag and the number of a new diner to work at scribbled on the back of a receipt.

She’d gotten a few more years with her mother. And for that, she was eternally grateful. But it came with strings. Debts to the wrong sorts of people. And they weren’t the kind to forget. They weren’t the kind to forgive.

Her fingers clenched unconsciously around the strap of her bag.

She couldn’t let Felix see how frightened she was. Not now. Not after he had looked at her like that, like she was worth something. He would try to protect her. He’d make promises. But he had sons to think about. A pack. A whole territory to lead.

Still…she glanced over her shoulder at him.

He had thrown a sweater on over his shirt, some ridiculous pink thing he’d muttered a curse to Nicolas about.

But nothing could diminish his presence.

He walked with the quiet dominance of someone who didn’t need to prove himself.

She liked watching him move, liked the way he always looked like he belonged wherever he was.

Like he belonged with her.

That thought made her stomach turn over.

He caught her looking and arched an eyebrow.

“You’re frowning,” he said quietly.

“Just thinking,” she replied quickly, offering him a faint smile.

He studied her for a beat longer than necessary, then let it go. For now.

She hated how easy it was becoming for him to read her. It only made things more dangerous for her.

They were nearing the edge of town now. The trail narrowed between two pine-covered ridges before opening onto the back road that led to the far edge of the Silvermist suburbs.

From here, the houses began to trickle back into view—modest, weathered places that all smelled faintly of pine smoke and damp earth.

Home. At least for now.

Cassie sucked in a breath and slowed her pace just slightly.

Felix adjusted to her pace, always attuned.

“You okay?” he asked, his voice low enough that only she could hear it.

Cassie nodded. Then paused.

“I just…I want to thank you. For what you said. Earlier, I mean.”

His expression softened. “You don’t have to thank me.”

“I do,” she said, voice stronger now, “you didn’t make me feel stupid. Or broken. Or like I owed you something. You just…saw me. And I don’t know the last time anyone’s done that.”

Felix exhaled slowly, stopping on the trail beside her. For a moment, he paused before speaking.

“You never owed me anything. And you’re not broken, Cassie. Not even close.”

Her eyes stung suddenly. She blinked fast. “We should get back to the boys,” she mumbled, stepping ahead.

But his hand brushed her arm as she passed. Just a touch. Just enough.

“I see you,” he murmured, so quiet she almost thought she imagined it.

Cassie swallowed hard, then nodded once, and kept walking.

Back at Felix’s house, Cassie was pleased to see Nicolas’s car parked out front. That meant the boys were waiting inside. She barely had time to drop her pack before the front door burst open and Danny launched himself at her.

“Cassie!” he shouted, arms wrapping tightly around her middle, “You’re back!”

She staggered slightly with the force of the hug, catching him under the arms as Logan bounded out after him, his grin missing a tooth. “Did you fight a bear? Daisy said you went off the main trails. That’s what people do when they want to fight bears.”

Cassie laughed, the tension in her chest easing slightly at the sight of them both. She crouched, pulling Logan into the hug with her free arm. “No bear-fighting, I promise. But I did get a bit lost. Felix helped me find my way back.”

“Did Dad fight a bear?” Danny asked, eyes wide.

“No,” Felix said from behind her, his voice dry, “not a bear, exactly.”

Cassie glanced at him, biting her lip. She still didn’t know exactly how much the boys were aware of the pack dynamics.

The fighting. She did know that Felix was fiercely protective of guarding their innocence against such things.

Then again, children always saw a lot more than adults often realized.

She pressed a kiss to each boy’s forehead, ruffling their hair as she stood. Daisy was leaning in the doorway, looking more put-together than someone who’d shifted twice in the last twenty-four hours should be. Her expression was one part relief, one part something more knowing.

“Nice to see you made it back in one piece,” Daisy said.

“Sorry for the drama,” Cassie said sheepishly.

“Please. This was nothing. Remind me to tell you about the time Dane declared war on a raccoon that was terrorizing him. Talk about dramatic. He still managed to get one of the girls down the bar to ‘look after him’ after a supposed vicious attack.”

Cassie snorted, and Felix, beside her, muttered, “That raccoon did actually draw blood.”

“It was a scratch,” Nicolas said from inside the kitchen, “and Dane was being an idiot.”

Cassie stepped into the house, warmth settling around her shoulders like a comforting embrace. She didn’t belong here. Not really. But right now, it felt like she did. For a little while longer, at least.

Logan was still tugging at her hand. “Did you really sleep in the woods?”

“I did. We made a fire, and I had some tea, and Daisy came to keep me company for a bit, too.”

Danny looked up at her, expression suddenly serious. “Were you scared?”

She smiled at him. “Of course not! I go camping all the time. Besides, I knew that if anything happened, someone would come for me.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Felix glance away.

Nicolas stepped into the living room with a tray of cut-up fruit. “Boys, take this to the den. Movie’s queued. Let us talk to your father for a bit.”

“Can Cassie watch with us?” Logan asked.

Cassie opened her mouth to protest; she needed a shower, and she wanted a moment to decompress, but Danny’s hopeful eyes made her falter.

“Just for a little bit,” she agreed, and both boys raced off, shouting triumphantly.

Daisy folded her arms with a sigh, turning to Felix, her voice pitched low. “They were both worried sick when they realized you hadn’t come back last night. Logan cried. Danny pretended he didn’t care but kept checking the porch.”

Cassie’s throat tightened as Felix ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll talk to them,” he said, “they’ll understand. This isn’t like the times I’ve had to go on raids.”

“I’m sure they will, they love you,” Daisy said gently. “Now, come on, Cassie, let’s get you cleaned up a bit. I’m sure the boys can wait a few moments more for you to at least get changed.”

Without giving her time to protest, Daisy led her up the stairs, leaving Nicolas and Felix to talk about whatever it was that had Nicolas so tense. Cassie began to ask, but Daisy gave her a look.

“Best to just leave them to it,” she said, “pack business. Politics. From what I gather, Felix said some things last night that he might not have meant. And Rick’s on edge as well. And when Rick’s on edge…well…nobody’s very happy.”

“Again, I am really sorry,” Cassie said. “I truly didn’t mean to cause any issues.”

Daisy laughed, the sound bright. “Trust me, this is an issue that’s been going on a lot longer than you realize. Don’t take it too personally, okay?”

“Okay,” said Cassie. They reached her room, and Daisy pulled out some warm clothes as Cassie began to sort through her pack, throwing her laundry in the hamper to sort out later.

“So,” Daisy said, her tone deceptively light, “about Felix—”

“Don’t,” Cassie said quickly, but Daisy only gave her a look that was far too perceptive.

“I’m just saying…he’s never looked at anyone the way he looks at you.”

Cassie shook her head, “It’s…complicated.”

“Of course it is,” Daisy replied, stepping back. “He’s alpha, you’re human. Both of you have…baggage. But still, love never bothers being easy.”

Cassie blinked. “That was…unexpectedly profound.”

“Don’t get used to it,” Daisy called over her shoulder, disappearing into the hallway.

Cassie huffed a laugh, pulling her hiking gear off her body and slipping into the comfortable pajamas. She could really use a shower, but she wasn’t about to make the boys wait any longer. She felt bad enough as it was.

Scraping her hair back into a ponytail, she jogged lightly down the stairs, passing Daisy and Nicolas, who were seemingly on their way out.

Daisy pulled her into a hug, the swell of her pregnant belly warm against Cassie’s side. “Get some sleep,” she said. “Let’s go grab coffee tomorrow!”

“That sounds nice,” Cassie said with a smile.

Nicolas gave her a friendly wave, helping Daisy down the steps and into the car.

Cassie still wasn’t quite used to the sight of the young billionaire in such normal, domestic situations, but she was getting there.

He was intense, mercurial even, but fiercely devoted to Daisy and their two daughters.

As she turned toward the den, she found Felix standing just inside the doorway, watching her with a look that made her feel…steady. Seen. Maybe even safe.

“They missed you,” he said.

“I missed them, too,” she admitted.

He hesitated, then said, “Feel free to order in food. You must be starving. I’ve got to head out to the Pine Shadow Club for a while, I’m afraid. I don’t know what time I’ll be back.”

“Okay,” she said, fiddling with her fingers, unsure what to do.

Felix watched her for a while, then sighed and stepped forward to pull her into a hug. Instantly, she relaxed into the warm steadiness of his muscled chest, allowing the heat from his body to soothe her.

“I’ll try and be as quick as possible,” he murmured. “I don’t want to leave you alone.”

“It’s okay,” she said with a smile, “I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself.”

The look he gave her, fierce adoration and pure intense protectiveness…it made her knees go weak.

“Go,” she whispered, pushing him towards the door.

He obeyed, shutting the door quietly behind him. Cassie let out a breath, raising one hand to her forehead.

Truth be told, she had absolutely no idea where they now stood.

Were they together? Did he expect professionalism?

Should she wait for him to clarify? The questions swirled around her brain, threatening to give her a headache, and she decided that the only thing she needed to worry about right now was spending time with the boys.

The rest would unfold in whatever way it was meant to.