Page 17

Chapter Fourteen

Two weeks later …

“Are you ready, Little one?”

“Yes, Daddy.” Molly looked down at her dress and back up at him. “You promise the other girls will have on similar clothes?”

“I promise, Baby girl. Plus, you’re fully covered. It’s chilly today. Your leggings and sweater will keep you warm.” He pulled her sweater around her and buttoned just one button near the top.

They were in the insulated room. It looked nothing like it had the first day, though. Her Daddy had painted it pink. He’d also filled the entire inside with toys, games, puzzles, and every other imaginable thing she could want. That included books. Dozens of them. And her e-reader.

He was squatting in front of her, and he cupped her face. “Are you okay wearing panties? No one will judge you if you’d rather wear a diaper.”

“I’ll be okay. I can use the potty at Felix’s house.”

“Okay. If you change your mind, tell Daddy, and I’ll put a diaper on you. All the girls wear them sometimes. I promise. I’ve got the special ear plugs in my pocket. You’ve got a pair in your dress pocket, too.” He patted her side.

She nodded. “Got it.”

He’d ordered several pairs of ear plugs that did a really good job of blocking most sounds without being as bulky and cumbersome as the headset. She would always keep a pair on her in case she needed them.

Today they were leaving the house for the first time to visit several other women at Felix’s house. The most important thing was for Molly to learn all their voices so they could verify that she could identify specific people from a distance. She would meet all their Daddies, too.

Molly had practiced shifting several times, but this would be her first time outside and her first run.

Daddy cupped her shoulders. “Are you nervous about shifting?”

“No, Daddy. I like shifting. The noises don’t bother me when I’m in wolf form.” It wasn’t that she couldn’t hear things. She could still hear way more than she should, but most of the white noise was tamped down, making it far less annoying.

“Okay, I’ll trot along slowly. I don’t want to rush you or cause you to have to run too fast. If you get winded, yelp at me to stop or slow down.”

She nodded. They weren’t going very far. She doubted it would be a problem. His brow was furrowed, so she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. “I’ll be fine, Daddy. I promise.”

He tucked a hand under her bottom and lifted her up, rising to his full height which left her several feet off the floor. One of her pigtails got caught under his arm, but she leaned to one side to tug it free.

He set his forehead against hers. “When all the girls get together, there are always shenanigans. Some silly naughtiness is fine. If you do anything more than that, what will happen?”

She sighed. “I’ll stand in the corner.”

“Do you like standing in the corner?”

She shook her head. “No, Daddy.” He’d put her in timeout twice so far, and she hadn’t enjoyed it. It was boring.

He patted her bottom and then reached into his pocket with his free hand to pull something out.

Molly gasped when he held up one of the pink glass plugs he liked to torment her with. It was a rather large one.

“Do you want Daddy to put this in your naughty bottom while we’re at Felix and Khloe’s house?”

She shook her head so hard her pigtails flew around and whipped both of them in the face. “No, Sir.”

“Then you’ll keep the naughty to a minimum.”

“Yes, Sir.” She clenched her bottom, which he knew since his hand was spread over both cheeks and she was wearing panties. She did not want to have him take her into the bathroom and plug her bottom at someone else’s house. That would be embarrassing.

“I guess we’re ready to go.” Daddy carried her outside, stood her on her feet, and took a few steps away from her.

She tipped her head back to look at him. His brow was furrowed. He wasn’t overly fond of the idea of going out today. He’d told her he’d rather have her all to himself for two more weeks, but this was important, and he was making an exception for research purposes.

She smiled at him before she closed her eyes and let the shift take over. A few seconds later, she was peering at him in wolf form. The noises were dampened now that she had shifted. She could hear a lot of people, and she assumed most of them were at Felix’s house.

Female voices stood out, all talking over one another. The male voices were more subdued. They were discussing snacks for the girls.

Molly cocked her head to the side and giggled in her mind when she heard one woman tell the others Gavin and Molly were on their way.

She knew from her Daddy that voice belonged to Khloe, who was clairvoyant and could recognize people’s intentions.

Already she had one voice isolated and they hadn’t even left the property.

When something nudged her flank, she turned to see that her Daddy had shifted. She’d been inside her head, listening intently, and hadn’t paid attention.

Daddy nodded in the direction she knew Khloe and Felix lived, and the two of them took off.

Molly instantly felt alive and free. She’d never run like this before. It was invigorating. She wanted to run and run until she ran out of breath. That would have to wait for another day.

As they grew closer to their destination, she became aware that a distinct set of male voices was coming from another direction. She tried to hear what they were saying, thinking they would be other Alpha Protectors.

Maybe she wasn’t meant to eavesdrop on the Alphas, though. That could be a problem. What if she overheard something she wasn’t supposed to hear?

One of the voices caught her attention, and she came to an abrupt stop, panting heavily as she tipped her head and held her ears high.

“The wolves? Fuck them. They’re inferior beings. Why are you always so concerned with your precious wolves?”

Molly’s heart raced as she held very still, listening closely. Who were these men who apparently weren’t wolves? It made no sense. Were they humans?

“Shut up, asshole. You don’t know what you’re talking about. The wolves aren’t bothering anyone. They aren’t nomadic. They stay in their packs and stick to their territories. You have no reason to bother them.”

Sardonic laughter followed, making Molly’s fur stand on end.

She jerked her gaze forward when her Daddy nudged her with his snout. She considered shifting to tell him what she’d heard, but the voices were far away and not an immediate threat, so she decided to nod and continue following him.

Minutes later, they trotted into a clearing next to a cabin. Daddy shifted back to human so fast she hadn’t even had a chance to bring her own human to the front of her consciousness.

He turned toward her, breathing heavily, making her realize they’d completed the last part of their trip at a rapid clip.

Molly felt bad for scaring him, and she drew in a deep breath and brought forth her human. The moment she was in her human form, she rushed into his arms.

Daddy caught her and lifted her off her feet. “You heard something.”

“Yeah.” She covered her ears.

He hurried into the house.

There were so many people inside that Molly felt overwhelmed. It helped that they all stopped talking and froze in place as soon as her Daddy shut the door.

For a moment, she stared at them, confused, and then she realized they were doing this for her, silencing the noise, or at least bringing it down to a minimum.

She lowered her hands as every ounce of her shy, timid side washed through her and turned her into the introverted girl she’d been her entire life. She’d almost forgotten that girl. For two weeks she’d lived in another girl’s skin. Or at least she’d thought she had.

Now, she felt all their eyes on her and embarrassment consumed her. She turned her face and buried it in her Daddy’s shoulder.

Daddy rubbed her back. “It’s okay, Little one. Take a breath. Everyone is just trying to be respectful of your gift.”

Gift ? Was he crazy? Why would he call her stupid supernatural hearing a gift?

After a minute, she noticed it wasn’t as loud in here as it could be. She’d learned to ignore the heat vents, the electricity, and the creaking floorboards. About ten people were breathing, but it wasn’t as difficult to ignore after two weeks.

Daddy continued to rock her, patting her bottom. He didn’t rush her.

She felt like all eyes were on her, and she didn’t like it. Tears welled up, and she swallowed hard to push them down. The last thing she wanted to do was cry.

Be brave .