Page 32 of Bully Wolf’s Nanny (Silvermist Wolves #1)

Preparations for the logging festival were well underway as he strolled through the main square of Silvermist, Daisy’s arm tucked into his, her hand resting on her swollen stomach. The diamond on her finger glinted in the late afternoon sun, sending a jolt of smug satisfaction through him.

His. Always.

The matching gold band on his own finger was a testament to the fact that he was also hers.

Gracie, now nearing two, was busy toddling after falling maple leaves, squealing in delight whenever she caught one in her chubby fists.

Thea was still at school, and had made them promise not to go to the market until she was with them.

Luckily for her, they were still setting up, hauling stalls into place and securing them down.

The atmosphere was warm. Inviting. A celebration of the rich logging history of Silvermist with a fresh boost from the New Guard’s investment in the community.

The Iron Walkers definitely enjoyed getting involved in the celebrations.

Dane was always at the heart of the competitions, throwing logs the furthest or felling a tree the fastest. Nicolas himself enjoyed the forest racing.

Rick would descend from his gothic mansion like some kind of king visiting his people, laden with a dozen barrels of spiced cider made from apples from his own orchards.

And then, of course, there was Felix at the center of everything.

Seamlessly coordinating the pack and the human townspeople, squashing any issues before they arose, breaking bread and sharing drinks with young and old alike.

Most remembered a time when his father ruled, and none missed it.

Felix was beloved by the entire population of Silvermist, and that love shone through.

Nicolas was pleased for him. All Felix had ever wanted was to show the world that there was another way.

That shifter packs didn’t have to be savage, imperialistic kingdoms focused on nothing except their own expansion.

There was still plenty of opposition to this brave new world, including from within the pack, but for the time being there was peace.

And Nicolas would do whatever it took to maintain that peace. To keep his family and brothers safe. Territory expansion be damned.

“What are you thinking about?” Daisy asked sweetly, pushing her fluffy blonde bangs out of her eyes with a mittened hand.

“World domination,” he replied, throwing her a cheeky grin.

She rolled her eyes fondly. “You’re always thinking about world domination. You and Thea both.”

“I never said I wanted to achieve world domination. That seems like entirely too much effort. I was just mulling over the concept.”

“Says the man who runs a Fortune 500 company.”

“Irrelevant,” he smirked, “Nero Inc. doesn’t even break the top ten.”

“Woe is you,” she grinned back, rubbing her heavy stomach, “perhaps this one will finally join me in being utterly uncompetitive.”

“Not a chance,” Nicolas tucked her scarf tighter around her neck, relishing the pink flush on her cheeks from the cold. “If anything, your genes make the competitiveness worse. Just look at Thea.”

Daisy sighed, and Nicolas took the opportunity to press a kiss to her lips. She smiled shyly, ever bashful, but kissed him back.

“Don’t remind me. You know she’s going to want to join in all the competitions at the festival this weekend, right? We’ll spend half our time stopping her from trying to get her hands on an axe!”

“That ruthlessness will serve her well when she joins the board at Nero.”

Daisy pulled back, bright green eyes wide in surprise. “The board?”

“Of course,” he said, deftly reaching down to hoist Gracie onto his hip before she decided to run off entirely. “If she wants to when she’s older. Which somehow, I don’t doubt she will.”

Daisy’s eyebrows furrowed, and he resisted the urge to lean forward and kiss the small wrinkle smooth. God, she was adorable. He would never get tired of her, of every tiny expression, of each soft edge.

“I guess I always thought you would want Gracie to inherit your place at Nero.”

“Why?”

“Well, because…because in a roundabout way she’s your firstborn.”

“All of my children will have a place at my company,” he said. “We’re wolves, Daisy. We run in a pack.”

She hummed, wiping a small smudge on Gracie’s cheek away. “I hope they don’t all decide to abandon me to go and conquer the city.”

“Even if they do, they’ll want to come back eventually,” he said. “They’re Iron Walkers. It’s in their blood.”

“I didn’t want to come back.”

“And yet,” he pulled her in close, ignoring her giggle and half-hearted attempt to push him away, “here you are.”

“Here I am,” she agreed, craning up to kiss him.

“Ewwww, gross ,” came an indignant voice from behind him, and he turned to see Thea skipping towards them, backpack swinging from her shoulder.

“Thea,” Daisy chided, but without any real heat behind it.

“Hello there, kiddo,” Nicolas smiled as his daughter, despite her seeming disgust, wormed her way between her parents to give them both a hug.

Adjusting to Thea as his daughter, and not just Daisy’s daughter, had been much easier than he had expected. After all, he had already grown very fond of her presence around the house, and it was only too simple to slip into the shoes of her father for real, rather than just as man of the house.

There was no doubt in his mind that she was a shifter.

Officially, it wouldn’t be confirmed until she first turned when she was older, but even without having two shifter parents the signs were all there.

She adored the woods, spending every moment she was allowed racing through the trees with other children of the pack.

It was his understanding that, alongside Felix’s two sons, she had established her own miniature kingdom.

There was a wooden fort and everything. When he was on babysitting detail, Dane would shift and pretend to invade their territory, much to the children’s delight.

It was good. Healthy. They were all practicing for the day when they would step up and take their place in the pack proper. Nicolas only hoped they wouldn’t feel the need to form a Guard of their own and overthrow their predecessors.

When she wasn’t running wild with the other kids, she loved dragging Nicolas on camping trips, insisting that he teach her how to light fires and tie knots and all the hundred other things that children of the forest loved to learn.

It was wonderful, watching her grow before his very eyes, seeing himself reflected in her intelligent face.

A more innocent version of himself, perhaps.

She would never have to bear the burden he had as a child, and for that he was grateful.

None of his children would have to go through what he had. Or what their mother had. He would see to that.

“Did you just walk yourself here from school?” Daisy asked, a hint of horror in her voice.

Thea rolled her eyes. “No. Uncle Felix picked me up, but he was walking too slow, so I ran ahead.”

Sure enough, Felix was walking towards them with a broad smile on his face, his twin sons sulking behind him.

“Heya, Nicolas. Daisy,” he greeted, pushing a stray blond hair out of his face.

“Thanks for picking her up,” Daisy said with a smile. “Did they let them go early?”

“Yup, just in time for the festival to begin,” Felix said.

“Wait, does that mean the assault course in the woods is open?” one of his sons, Danny, asked with delight.

“Can we go, Dad?” the other, Logan, chimed in.

“Bet I can beat you there!” Thea grinned, shoving her backpack into Nicolas’s hands before racing off across the square, the boys close at her heel.

“Wait! You need to get changed before you…ah, shit. Too late.”

Nicolas gave his friend a sympathetic pat on the back. “Are they getting too fast for you already?”

Felix snorted. “Say that again once we hit the track, Accardi. You’ll be mincemeat.”

“At least they’ll get some energy out?” Daisy suggested, taking Gracie from Nicolas and kissing the top of her head.

“Mamama,” Gracie said, “I wanna go with Thea!”

Daisy laughed, nuzzling their daughter. “Not quite yet, you’ve got some growing to do first!”

“We’re not gonna see them until sundown, are we?” Felix asked, the defeat in his voice clear.

“Ah, it’s okay. I think Dane’s down the assault course helping to move rocks. He’ll haul their asses back.”

“That’s what you said last time,” Felix groaned. “He instead taught them how to do a football tackle. You should see the state of my living room!”

Nicolas exchanged a glance with Daisy, enjoying the cheeky curve of her lips.

“You know,” she said lightly, “it sounds an awful lot like you could do with another pair of hands to help you out.”

“Yeah,” Nicolas wrapped his arm around his wife, “if only I knew the contact details of a decent nanny agency. That would solve all your problems.”

Felix raised an eyebrow, before letting out a guffawing laugh. “How long have you been waiting to dump this on me?”

Nicolas couldn’t help his grin. “What was it you said last year? Look, just check out their agency. I’ll even set up the meeting .”

“I seem to remember you having a fair few complaints at the time.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Nicolas, tucking Daisy into his side, his hand resting protectively on the pregnant swell of her stomach.

Felix considered them. “Alright, Accardi, you win. I’ll give it a shot. But I guarantee they’ll never find anyone as brilliant as Daisy here. And whoever they do find will run screaming when they meet my boys.”

“We nannies are made of tougher stuff than you think,” Daisy said, slightly dreamily. “It’d take more than some rowdy boys to drive us away.”

As if on cue, there was a loud clattering that echoed from further down the street, followed by yelling and the delighted peals of laughter from their various offspring.

Felix drew his hand down his face. “That’ll be old Mr. Finnegan’s shop,” he said mournfully. “God, I hope they haven’t broken anything.”

As he took off after the kids, Nicolas glanced down at Daisy, at the expression of pure happiness on her face. She glanced up, her cheeks blushing. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” he said, stealing another kiss, “nothing at all.”

*****

THE END