Page 8 of Bully Wolf’s Nanny (Silvermist Wolves #1)
“I don’t want to talk about my father,” snapped Nicolas, eyes narrowing as they found Daisy again. She was smiling shyly as one of the other women waved her hands animatedly, clearly in the middle of some story or other.
“I just want you to be happy,” Felix said again. Nicolas swallowed.
“I am happy,” he said. “I have Gracie. She’s all I need.”
Felix hummed again, but thankfully let the subject drop.
A loud commotion from the entrance drew his attention, and he looked up to see Dane tumble in sporting a fresh new set of bruises and scrapes. He pushed his long black hair out of his face with a winning smile, the muscles in his torso rippling through his black T-shirt.
It had the desired effect.
Nicolas rolled his eyes as several young females swarmed around him, batting their eyelashes, whimpering at his injuries. Dane lapped up every ounce of attention.
“Ah, fuck,” Felix muttered, “I’m gonna need another beer to deal with this.”
“Did you send him north again?” Nicolas also rose to meet his pack brother.
“It was supposed to be a diplomatic mission. Peaceful negotiations.”
“Peaceful negotiations with the fucking Black Claws?”
Felix shrugged and grimaced. “I thought we were making strides.”
“Nicolas!” Dane boomed, pushing a few girls aside to grasp Nicolas by the shoulders. “How the fuck are you? It’s been an age since I saw you down these parts!”
“Dane,” Nicolas said, wincing as Dane clapped him across the back. “Still getting into trouble, I see.”
“This? This is nothing.” He threw a wink over his shoulder at some of the girls, who sighed and giggled. “You shoulda seen the Black Claws.”
“I thought I told you to stay out of trouble,” Felix said, a warning note in his voice. “You can’t keep getting into brawls like this.”
Dane shrugged, an easy smile on his face. “They started it. Peace with the Black Claws ain’t gonna happen, Cap’n. We’re gonna have to bite the bullet sooner or later.”
A hint of steel flashed across Felix’s eyes. “We’ll discuss this later.”
If Dane was cowed by Felix’s threatening posture, he didn’t show it. “What’s a guy gotta do to get a drink round here, hey?”
“Fucking hell,” Nicolas muttered, running a hand through his sleek hair as Dane sauntered over to the bar with his gaggle of admirers, each keen to be the next notch on his bedpost.
Felix nodded. “Truth be told, I think he’s right. I don’t know how much longer we can maintain peace with the Black Claws. It’s rocky enough as it is.”
“Have you thought about sending Rick?”
Felix shot him a withering glare. “Rick’s in Europe. And even if he was around, you know what would happen if negotiations went bad. He’d butcher them all then host a press release. Besides, peace isn’t the only reason why I sent Dane out. I received word that… he has been sighted.”
Nicolas stilled, eyes narrowing. “Red Tooth?”
Felix nodded once, sharply. “I hadn’t heard anything for years. Perhaps it was foolish of me to assume someone had finally put that fucker in the ground. If he’s still alive, and heading back…”
“It’s just a rumor, though, right?” Nicolas asked, swallowing. “There’s no proof?”
“Not yet,” Felix said, his eyes swimming with the ghosts of their past.
Nicolas didn’t respond. He didn’t need to. Red Tooth had slipped through their fingers in the uprising. They had considered it a blessing. Nobody wanted to face that monster. They had thought he had been driven away, never to be seen again.
If he was back, however…
“Is that…no fucking way!” Dane bellowed, and Nicolas glanced over to see the other alpha striding towards Daisy, a massive shit-eating grin on his face. “Daisy fucking Copperfield!” He picked her up and swung her around, ignoring her shriek of shock. “How the fuck are you, it’s been too long!”
Nicolas didn’t realize he was snarling until Felix grasped his forearm, holding him back. “Not in here. It’s just Dane. Stand down.”
Only then, he felt how tense his muscles were, how aggressively his wolf roiled just below the surface of his skin, desperate to be released. He licked his teeth and wrenched his arm out of Felix’s grip, smoothing down the front of his suit before striding towards them.
Dane was in the middle of some flurry of compliments and smarm when Nicolas reached Daisy, placing a possessive hand on the side of her waist. Dane sniffed the air once, his eyes darkening.
“She’s here with you, is she? Such a shame. I was just telling her how gorgeous she looks.”
Nicolas’s fist tightened and he fought down his wolf.
“She’s not here with me. I’ve hired her. She’s Gracie’s nanny.”
Dane’s grin turned predatory. “Is that so?”
“Time to go,” Nicolas said, plucking Gracie out of a nearby female’s arms.
“But—" Daisy started, turning away from Dane.
“Time. To. Go,” Nicolas repeated, his voice dropping low in warning. Daisy nodded once, before disappearing to find Thea, who seemed very put out at being dragged away from her game.
Dane let out a low whistle. “Damn. She’s certainly filled out. I mean, she was always stunning, but hot fucking damn. ”
“Dane,” Nicolas said, his jaw working as he fought the temptation to punch the other wolf square in the jaw.
“Oh yeah, forgot you two had history,” Dane said with a grin.
Nicolas exhaled sharply. “Exactly. History. She’s my employee now.”
“So then you wouldn’t mind if I…I mean…all those curves. You know I love something to sink my teeth into—"
“Dane, I’m going to say this once and only once. If you go anywhere fucking near her, I’ll rip your head from your shoulders. Are we clear?”
As Daisy returned, a petulant Thea traipsing behind her, Dane’s grin only got wider.
“It was absolutely wonderful to see you again, Daisy,” he purred, bending over her hand to kiss it, a scarred eyebrow quirking at Nicolas.
“You too,” Daisy squeaked, a ferocious blush rising in her cheeks.
“Come on,” Nicolas growled, sending one final glare promising the most painful of deaths towards Dane before leading Daisy out of the Pine Shadow Club.