Page 1 of Rejected Nanny Mate (Crystal Creek Wolves #3)

It had been a long time coming. Really, I should have been expecting something similar, considering how much I'd slept around over the past few years. I just thought I'd gotten lucky and that my past sins would never catch up with me.

I'd tried to do better lately, taking a break from women and trying to keep my pack right.

I'd seen two of the other Alphas that I was in alliance with find their mates and settle down, and it'd surprised me how much I wanted the same.

..eventually. So, I tried to make the necessary changes, but it was slow going.

And like everything else in life, the way I treated all those women was going to come back to haunt me. Somehow, I was still shocked.

It put me on edge, especially when I pulled up the camera feed on my phone and saw that there was no one actually at the door.

Instead, there was a decent-sized wicker basket, covered with a sky-blue blanket.

My initial reaction was amusement, and I was convinced this was the beginning of a stupid prank, so I opened the front door and peered down at the basket.

“What the fuck?” I muttered, stepping outside and closing the door behind me.

I sensed her immediately—not whoever had dropped the basket off, but the small life inside of it. The child was a wolf; that much was immediately certain, but more than that, she smelled like... like me.

Without a second thought, I yanked the blanket away and stared down at what was within, shock rolling through me so fast that it left me reeling.

My hands started to shake, and my heart raced.

For a few seconds, I just stood there, staring down at the little bundle before me.

Then, finally, my brain seemed to kick back on.

I was quick to pull the baby into my arms, cradling it protectively as I took a few steps backward.

I looked around, but there was no one, and if the drop-off had been some sort of trick to get me outside and vulnerable, I was playing right into their hands.

Shaken, I stepped back inside the house and slammed the door, throwing the lock closed.

With trembling hands, I peeled the blanket back further, staring at the small creature.

Her skin was a soft tan color, her head round and her cheeks chubby, her little nose slightly upturned.

I could see brown curly hair covering her skull, but I could also tell it would turn dark.

I searched her features slowly, desperately hoping to find a hint of her mother's features on her face, but came up blank.

She looked so much like me, and while it was no surprise that my genes were dominant, it left me grasping at straws.

Who the hell was her mother, and why would she have just abandoned her here with me?

No... not abandoned. Not really. If she were mine, then she belonged here just as much as I did.

Slowly, I settled onto the couch, cradling her as if it were the most normal and natural thing in the world.

I'd been around a fair number of babies, but never one as precious to me as this one.

She was barely awake, her eyes heavy, but they were fixed on me, as green as the grass on an early summer day.

The way mine had looked when I was younger.

I racked my brain, trying to think of the women that I'd slept with in the right time frame to be her mother, but kept coming up short.

I don't even know how old she is, I thought, sick and ashamed. What had happened to the poor she-wolf that had given birth to this child? How desperate must she have been to leave her? To trust me with her, when I was so irresponsible and had been such a fool.

I felt a surge of protectiveness wash over me, and I gently kissed the baby's head. She smelled like powder. “Don't worry,” I murmured softly. “Daddy's got you.”

But did I? I already knew I'd be able to protect her against anything that might come our way, but that wasn't enough. A baby as young as my new daughter needed all sorts of things I was totally unfamiliar with, and I felt a yawning panic start to open up at my feet.

I adjusted the blanket, pulling it tighter around her, when I saw a small white tag sewn into the edge of it. It read “Rose”. No last name, of course, which would have made it way easier to find her mother, but I'd take what I could get for the moment.

“Alright, Rose,” I said, digging my phone out of my pocket. “I think it's time to call for backup.”

***

Samson was pissed about being woken up so late, but Scott had already been up with a heavily pregnant Nayeli, who had apparently been suffering from a sudden craving for ice cream.

Thankfully, both took my calls, sleep, pregnant mates, and all.

Both had been even more suspicious when I asked to talk to their mates and not them, but I'd earned their trust enough that they handed the phones over without too much of a problem.

An hour and a half later, two vehicles rolled into my driveway, and four wolves rushed to the doorway.

Kiera won the race and didn't even bother knocking. She was inside before I even had a chance to open the door. “Let me see her.”

“She's asleep,” I whispered, glancing down at the bundle in my arms. Rose had been fussy, but eventually settled. “But here. Take her and tell me that she's real, because I'm still not sure if I'm dreaming or not.”

Kiera took her easily and cradled her against her chest. Rose was so small, her tiny little face almost entirely covered by the large blanket she was wrapped in. “I don't think this is a dream.”

“It's definitely not,” Nayeli agreed, appearing at Kiera's elbow and leaning in to stare down at the baby. Her belly was round with her and Scott's pup, and she looked misty-eyed as she examined Rose's face.

“Why do you have a baby?” Samson demanded.

“It's complicated,” I sighed. “And long.”

“You've got a few minutes,” Samson pointed out, Scott coming up behind them. Both men were carrying grocery bags, which their wives shooed them into the kitchen with. I followed, watching Kiera closely as she carried my daughter.

“Can I have her back?” I asked, and Kiera gave me a small smile.

“Not until you tell us how she ended up here.”

I scowled, and Nayeli put a hand on my arm. “We'll give her back. We promise. But we want to know why.”

I was silent, debating on whether or not I wanted to say the words aloud.

“Joe?” Kiera prodded.

I ran a hand through my hair, sighing. “Okay. Okay. I don't know who the mother is.”

There was a stunned silence, and then, as one, both women's jaws dropped.

“You can't—are you kidding?” Nayeli hissed, shooting a glance toward the kitchen where Samson and Scott were unloading groceries.

“You slept with her and can't even remember her name?” Kiera's voice was full of disbelief.

“I didn't say that!” I protested, though it was a lie.

“So, what happened?” Kiera asked, her eyes fixed on Rose's sleeping face.

“Exactly what I said over the phone. Someone rang the bell, and when I opened the door, there she was. There is no record of anyone on my security cams, either. It's like she wasn't there one moment, and there the next.”

“And you're positive she's your daughter?” Nayeli pressed, taking a seat on the couch.

“He's not lying,” Scott said, coming back into the main room. “I can smell that they're blood relatives. Right, Samson?”

“Right.” He leaned against the doorframe that led into the kitchen. “That's his pup.”

“And the mom is really no one you can pinpoint?” Kiera asked, gently bouncing Rose, who'd begun to stir.

“I swear,” I said, holding my hands up.

“Maybe she's his mate,” Nayeli suggested.

“Then why wouldn't she just show up here and claim him?” Kiera countered.

“If she's his mate, there's no way she would have been able to stay away.” She glanced at her own mate.

“I thought about Samson every single day while we were apart, and he was an asshole. Joe is nice. She has no reason to avoid him.”

“Hey,” Samson protested, but no one paid him any mind.

“How nice can he be if he slept with so many women he can't remember which one is her mother?” Nayeli scoffed, and it made something painful pull in my chest. The little Luna was my friend, and she was clearly not amused by my antics.

“It wasn't on purpose,” I explained, dragging a hand through my hair.

“I just...” It wasn't something I wanted to talk about, especially around the other Alphas, but if I wanted Kiera and Nayeli's help, I needed to be at least somewhat honest. “I don't like to complicate things with my pack members by having...relationships, however brief, with them, so I tend to seek out partners outside of the pack.”

“So, you're a man whore,” Samson summarized.

“Sam!” Kiera barked, shooting him a scathing look. “Not the time.”

“Just saying,” he mumbled, but subsided.

“But you are an Alpha,” Nayeli pointed out. “You didn't feel drawn to any of them as a mate?”

“There were a few humans,” I admitted reluctantly. “And a few wolves, but none of them called to me, no.”

There was one who called to me, but I hadn't slept with her. We'd shared a single, burning, soul-consuming kiss, and that was it. The crowd in the room was the last people I'd admit her identity to, though. They were already on edge with me; the last thing I needed was outright anger.

“We need to find the mom,” Samson stated, glancing at me.

“I'll make a list,” I promised, feeling the weight of the entire situation pressing down on my shoulders. What the hell was I doing? I was no parent.

“Do you know anything about babies?” Kiera asked, looking at me.

“A passing amount. That's why I called the two of you, though. Consider it a favor, pack to pack. I'll owe both of your packs if you can help me out.”

They'd already done more than I expected. When they arrived, they brought baby formula, brand-new clothes, blankets, and everything else under the sun to at least get us through the night. But it was all so damned sudden, and I had both a business and a pack to run.

“Our wives aren't going to be your babysitters,” Scott snarked, crossing his arms.

“I never expected that,” I said, exasperated. “But maybe they can point me in the right direction.”

“I actually have someone in mind,” Kiera provided, handing me my daughter. “Let me go make the new princess a bottle, and we'll get you two settled in for the night. I'll call her in the morning and see if she's up for it.”

It was as good a plan as any, and I trusted Kiera enough to believe any nanny she recommended would be a great fit. I didn't love the idea of a random person in my house, around my daughter, but what the hell else was I supposed to do in a situation like this?

I left the four of them to talk as they made their way into the kitchen, Kiera making the bottle while the rest of them quietly discussed the sudden change.

I was left with Rose, who was watching me quietly with wide, open eyes.

Instinctively, I held her close to my face, scenting her.

Her tiny fist came up, and she grabbed hold of my finger.

My heart melted, and I cuddled her closer. She was still so fragile, so new, and yet, the connection between us was already undeniable. “You're the best surprise,” I whispered softly, kissing her cheek.

She blinked, but seemed unfazed, still focused on my face.

“This is gonna be okay,” I murmured, half to myself, and Rose yawned. “It just might take some time. Be patient with me, okay, kid?”

Rose sneezed, and that was answer enough for me.