Page 4 of Alpha Wolf’s Nanny (Silvermist Wolves #2)

Felix was all too aware that he was driving a bit recklessly. He couldn’t find it in himself to care. He was too irritable.

He told himself it was the Accords. There had been yet another setback in human-shifter negotiations. There would be a lot of late nights to come for him and Rick.

And then, of course, there were the Black Claws. They kept testing the territory line, kept getting into stupid skirmishes. They were testing him, testing his resolve, testing his willingness to bite back. And it was truly starting to piss him off.

And the boys. They were growing like weeds, getting bigger and stronger with each passing day. Wilder, too. And while he was more than capable of keeping them in line, he couldn't neglect his responsibilities to the pack.

So there were lots of reasons for him to be pissed off. Good reasons, valid reasons. Reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with Cassie.

Nothing at all. Not a damn thing.

He swore, swerving as a truck blared its horn, his car having drifted into the center of the road.

Fuck.

Who was he kidding, he couldn’t get her out of his damn head.

She was hardly the first woman he’d slept with since Sarah, but none of his previous dalliances had ever left him so unbalanced.

She was the only thing he could think about.

Her bright smile, her soft, freckled skin, her guileless excitement.

He was a fucking idiot for sleeping with her.

She was human. He had smelled it all over her the first second he’d walked over to buy her a drink.

He should have left it then and there. But he hadn’t.

He’d been drawn in by her eager conversation, her throaty laugh, her delight and positivity.

And then later, in the hotel room, she had been so alive .

So curious and unfettered. Nothing like the forced moans or simpering displays women normally put on for him, thinking it would turn him on.

She had simply been herself, without shame or worry. And god help him, he wanted more.

But she was human. He was a shifter. He had been down that road before, and it had ended catastrophically badly. He had done her a favor, turning her down, even though it made his wolf rage at him. Better the sharp sting of rejection now than inevitable heartbreak down the line.

He growled, fists tightening against the steering wheel. He needed to clear his head. Get her out of his mind. He had shit to do, things to focus on. He was Alpha of the Iron Walkers, a title won with blood. He couldn’t lose his damn senses over a human woman.

At least he was finally getting a nanny for the boys; that would take at least one thing off his plate.

They may prefer to run wild in the woods with the other kids, but he would at least see to it that they were fed and bathed for school.

The agency had assured him that they’d found an energetic and resilient woman who’d have no trouble keeping up with them.

Felix couldn’t help the snort. He’d believe that when he saw it. It was still worth trying, though.

He adored his boys, and it killed him that they might not be getting the attention they needed and deserved.

He did his best, reserving weekends for them to have family time as much as he was able.

When he could, he brought them with him to meetings and business calls, but he wasn’t able to actually spend time with them.

He ended up having to leave them to run wild with the other kids.

At least there were always plenty of eyes on them to keep them safe.

It wasn’t the same, though. They were his kids.

He owed them stability. It wouldn’t hurt for them to have a more feminine influence in their lives, either.

The pack was hardly short of women who would watch over them for him, but they needed something permanent.

Definite. A warm embrace to come home to.

Neither of them had seemed particularly thrilled at the idea of getting a nanny.

Logan, in particular, had been whining about it all week.

Danny seemed more cautiously open, but after his brother made some strong arguments, he was right there whining next to him.

They thought a nanny was the end of the world.

No matter how much he reassured them, they would still be allowed to go out into the woods and play with their friends, they didn’t believe him. Stubborn as ever. They would see.

***

The office was a small building on the outskirts of Portland. A poster in the window drew his eye, and he tried not to laugh.

Alpha Dads Deserve a Break. Because even lone wolves need a night off.

The poster was old, flaking at the edges, a painting of a baby with impossibly big eyes staring out at him with a gappy smile and a small wolf plushie in its grip.

He was hardly a lone wolf. He had a whole damn pack behind him. And he still couldn't quite hack it.

He shook his head. This was the right move. He hadn’t failed by needing help. After all, he was the one who had pushed Nicolas into getting a nanny for Gracie, one baby. He had two rambunctious boys.

With one last glance at the poster, he pushed the door open, walking into the lobby.

He had only talked on the phone with the agency before, and he was pleased to see that despite the somewhat shabby exterior, the inside of the office was clean and modern.

Tall ferns sat in the corner, breaking up the warm cream walls, and the floors were paneled in a pretty light birch.

There was an air of calm, of peaceful serenity, that was utterly at odds with the mission of the agency.

Babysitting shifter kids was an invitation to complete chaos.

“Are you Felix?” A short, cozy-looking woman shuffled out into the space, her lumpy cardigan all at once inviting and professionally questionable.

Though if the thousand pencils sticking every which way out of her bun were an indication, she was far too harassed by her job to worry about such things.

“I am,” Felix extended a hand. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

“I’m so sorry Jackie wasn’t here to greet you,” the woman said, giving him a surprisingly firm handshake. “She must have run off to the coffee shop again!”

Felix glanced over at the empty reception desk, littered with used Starbucks cups, and raised an eyebrow. “I take it running this agency requires a lot of caffeine?”

The woman laughed, though her tone was somewhat strained. “Not at all, not at all. She’s just addicted to the stuff, but it’s no bother. We’re very happy to serve the shifters in our community as best we can! Oh, my name is Molly, by the way; I believe we spoke on the phone.”

“Ah, so you’re Molly,” Felix said with a warm smile. “It’s nice to put a face to the name.”

Molly’s cheeks flushed, and she batted his arm with the back of her hand. “Oh, you alphas, you all think you’re so charming!”

“Only when we’re met with such charming ladies.”

Molly tutted, but she was grinning. “Come on, come through, it’s time you met the nanny I’ve assigned you. She’s human, as we discussed; I know you had some reservations about a shifter nanny in the house.”

“My boys spend a lot of time with the pack,” Felix said, following her down a corridor. “I’d like them to have a bit more exposure to humans.”

And he wanted a good reason to keep his distance, but he wasn’t going to tell Molly that.

After witnessing the romance play out between Nicolas and Daisy, he was determined not to repeat that particular story, no matter how happy they were.

One thing he did not have time for was a relationship, and given that he’d sworn to himself never to get into another one with a human woman, it would be altogether safer to have a human nanny.

“Oh, there’s no need to justify yourself, dearie,” Molly said with an airy wave of her hand. “We get all sorts of requests and preferences. Why, just last week I had a bear shifter in with the requirement that any nanny we suggest for him be able to lift over a hundred pounds.”

“Bears shift younger than most of our kind,” Felix said with a knowing grin. “No doubt she’ll be having to wrestle bear cubs.”

“Yes, well, luckily for him, I managed to get in touch with the Portland ladies’ weightlifting club and found a rather lovely girl with rather terrifying biceps for him!” Felix snorted as Molly opened the door to her office for him. “Go on, your nanny is just inside.”

Felix thanked her and ducked into the room.

The first thing that hit him was the scent.

Warm fig trees in spring rain.

It took his brain a moment to catch up. But it did. Because standing inside, blinking at him with a shocked expression of her own, was Cassie.

Shit.

“Felix!” she said, pulling the ends of her sleeves over her hands, shrinking into herself, her throat bobbing as she swallowed. With wild eyes, she looked around the room, no doubt trying to find an escape.

“Cassie,” he breathed, not daring to step any closer to her. She looked different. Gone was the makeup and the tight green dress. She was just wearing some blue jeans and a slightly weathered-looking blue shirt, her brown hair thrown into a braid, her face bare and freckled.

She was somehow all the more beautiful for it.

His mind was suddenly overrun with memories of her beneath him. Of the softness of her skin, the sound of her breathy moans, the taste of her—

“Oh, have you two met?” Molly asked, bustling in behind Felix.

“No,” Cassie said at the same time as Felix said “Yes.”

Cassie flushed. “Yes, we met briefly. At a bar. That’s it, though.” She leveled him with a steely gaze at this, and he swallowed.

“Briefly,” he echoed, turning to Molly, unable to stop himself from sneaking glances at Cassie. Her jaw was set, her eyes blazing with fury, her scent spiking in clear anger.

“Oh, well, then there’s no need for introductions,” Molly said brightly, sitting down at the desk. “Now, Felix, I gave you all of Cassie’s, ah, credentials . Cassie, Felix, here is the Alpha of the Iron Walkers. I’m sure you’ve heard of them. They’re based in Silvermist.”

Cassie’s teeth clicked together. “Yes,” she said curtly, “I’ve heard of them.”

Felix considered ending it there, apologizing to Molly and making up some bullshit that he wanted a nanny with more experience, or who already lived in Silvermist, or some other crap. That would be the sensible, mature thing to do. The rational thing.

But he found the words dying in his throat. Against his better judgment, he realized he wanted to see where this would go.

Cassie, it seemed, had no such reservations. “I didn’t realize how far Silvermist is from Portland,” she said, stepping closer to the desk. “I had imagined…something slightly closer.”

Molly laughed. “Oh, don’t be silly, dearie, you won’t find anything in Portland. It’s neutral territory, not under the jurisdiction of any pack. Silvermist is actually very decent. There’s a bus that goes to and from the town once a day, and it’s only about three or four hours.”

Cassie’s eyes narrowed, and her fingertips drummed against the desk. “That’s quite a long way,” she said through gritted teeth.

Molly sighed, taking off her glasses and setting them in front of her. “Young lady, I’m not sure you realize this, but a piffling four-hour journey shouldn’t get in the way of what is an incredibly generous employment contract. Accommodation, food, travel budget, not to mention the wages.”

Cassie turned to him, her warm eyes half-wild. “Felix?”

Ah. So she wasn’t willing to call it off herself. Perhaps she was worried she wouldn’t get another job if she turned him down outright. It was a very generous salary he was offering. Hard to say no to. And she didn’t seem willing to tell the truth of it, either.

Again, he considered quietly taking Molly to one side, explaining that he wanted someone else. He opened his mouth to speak.

And his damned wolf silenced him.

Cassie was vulnerable. She needed money. Shelter. This job. He couldn’t ruin that for her. There was no good reason he could give Molly for turning her down, and doing so would almost definitely spoil her chances for another good job.

He could look after her, and she, in turn, could look after his boys.

It could be completely professional. He was an adult; he knew how to draw boundaries and keep them.

At any rate, he highly doubted Cassie would actually want anything to do with him after he so thoroughly rejected her the other morning.

It could work. It would work.

“I think you sound like the ideal candidate,” he said to Cassie. “Energetic, adventurous, professional .”

If looks could kill, he would be stone dead. He didn’t care.

“See,” Molly said, giving Cassie a sympathetic look.

“Felix here is one of the most reputable and honorable shifters I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.

The Iron Walkers are one of the biggest, most influential packs in the world.

It’s an excellent job, my dear, and I’d encourage you to accept. ”

Felix didn’t miss the ice that crept into her voice. The threat went unspoken.

If you insult the alpha of the pack full of our best customers, so help me…

“Of course, it’s your choice,” Felix said with a generous smile to Cassie. “If you don’t want to come to Silvermist, I’ll understand. I’ll even recommend a few packs that are nearby to the south that may have need of your talents.”

He thought he did rather a good job of wrestling down the insistent gnawing possessiveness at the mere thought of her choosing a different alpha over him.

Cassie looked between Molly and Felix, her face the very picture of pained desperation.

“Well, dearie?” Molly said. “What will it be?”