Page 18 of Rejected Nanny Mate (Crystal Creek Wolves #3)

It was a battle to hold onto consciousness during the drive home, but Gwen kept close to me, and I took solace in the warmth of her body and the knowledge that she was safe.

I'd taken the full brunt of the surge's magic, but it was worth it to know she was okay.

My men had seen the worst of the damage, and I knew it made them wonder what exactly had gone down.

It would probably cause some rumors and speculation, but I could live with that.

I'd told all of them, point blank, that they were to leave Gwen the hell alone. She wasn't a danger. She was my savior.

Just how she saved me, that warm, blissful magic, was still a mystery, but one we had time to solve later.

As Vernon pulled us into the driveway, he got out as if to help me into the house, but I held up a hand to stop him. “Gwen, go inside. I'll be right in. I need to talk to my wolf.”

She looked unsure. “But are you...?”

“I'm fine,” I assured her. “Go. Please.”

She nodded and hurried off, and Vernon stood there, shifting awkwardly.

“Get out of here,” I growled. “Go home and spread the word. Gwen's not going anywhere, and she's not a threat. Anybody who has a problem can deal with me. Got it?”

“Yes, sir.”

I raised myself to my full height, hiding the wince of pain from the gnarly rib and chest wounds. “And if I ever hear you trying to stir shit again, especially when I'm not even awake to give my opinion, then you'll be kicked to the bottom of the pack or worse. You understand me?”

Vernon gulped and nodded. “Yes, Alpha.”

“Now go.”

He all but ran back to his truck, and I took a moment to breathe. It was the first time in hours that I'd managed to calm down and really assess my situation.

My ribs and chest hurt like a bitch. Every movement caused pain, and I was pretty sure the magic had actually shattered some bone. Healing would be a long process, and a painful one, but if I had Gwen and her newfound powers to help, then I'd have a fighting chance.

I wasn't sure where the magic had come from, but the surge had hit me, and somehow, her power had manifested, and she'd been able to pull it together enough to heal me. It was the only thing that made sense, though why it hadn't come sooner was beyond me.

Not that it mattered. I didn't have a lot of opinions on witches, but Gwen was the best thing that had happened to my kid, and that was all I cared about.

With Rose on my mind, I sent Scott a message, letting him know that I would be late picking her up. For the moment, everything was settled.

Except for the Omega in the house, who was waiting on me.

I found her at the dining room table, where she'd gathered glasses of ice water, the first aid kit, and an odd collection of snacks that she seemed to have grabbed in a hurry. She was halfway through a granola bar, looking like she'd been hit by a truck, when she saw me enter the room.

“Joe,” she breathed, relieved, as if she hadn't just seen me. “You need to sit down. Eat something. Drink. Gosh, look at you!” Her hands went to her mouth, and tears were welling in her eyes. “You're so injured, and it's my fault.”

I took the seat next to her and reached for a glass, downing it quickly and setting it back down. My stomach rumbled, and I dug into the food, devouring my own granola bar and a handful of nuts. “None of this is your fault, Gwen. Stop blaming yourself.”

She didn't seem convinced, but the tears in her eyes had dried up. “At least drink more. You've lost so much blood, and the adrenaline is wearing off. You must be feeling it.”

“I am,” I admitted. “But we need to talk.”

“Okay,” she whispered. “Talk. But first, let me tend to the wounds. Please. Just let me help.”

“We'll do both.” It would be too easy to just relent and not talk about the magic like she clearly wanted, but I wanted to make sure we addressed it while it was fresh in both our minds.

I winced when I shifted in the chair to grab a sleeve of cookies, and reconsidered.

“But first, please grab me some painkillers.”

“Of course.” She was off the chair and moving immediately, hurrying back with a glass and a bottle of pills.

“Thanks.”

“Take three. Maybe four. And I'll go grab you some more water.”

I didn't protest.

A few moments later, she returned, and I popped the pills into my mouth, chasing them with water.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better.” I wasn't lying. Already, the medicine was dulling the ache in my ribs and allowing me to sit up straighter.

She looked relieved. “Good. Okay. Now...we can talk.”

“Let's go somewhere a bit more comfortable.”

We moved to the couch, and I relented as Gwen began to clean my wounds. My tattered shirt had long since been lost along the way, and I raised my arms as she dabbed the cloth around my side.

“So,” I began.

“So.”

“We're not talking.”

“Sorry. I'm nervous. This is making me nervous.”

“Why? We've done this plenty of times before.”

“Yes, but...this time it's different.”

“Because the magic manifested.”

“Y-yes. Exactly. The magic.”

I could practically hear the unspoken questions hanging in the air. “You didn't hurt me, Gwen. Don't listen to Vernon and those other idiots.”

“I know,” she sighed, pouring some disinfectant on a cloth and dabbing at a cut.

I sat still like a willing patient. “I'm just so freaked out by it, Joe.

I don't know how it started; I was just wishing so hard that I was able to help you, and you were bleeding so much, and then it just started to flow through me out of nowhere. It stopped as soon as it started, and now I have zero idea how to even reach it again.” She was kneeling on the floor in front of me, looking up at me with eyes the color of whiskey, her hair mussed from the past few hours.

Gwen was so damned beautiful that it took my breath away still.

How was I one of the only few to see it?

“We can get you help,” I rumbled, reaching out to smooth her hair down. “Kiera and Nayeli can help. Did you have any idea this was possible?”

“No. Well, I guess I knew it was a distant possibility.

Supposedly, my great-great-grandmother was a witch, but I'd always thought it was just like...a fun little story passed down through the generations,” she admitted, her face a little pale.

“My mom and grandmother didn't have any power.

No magic. And I haven't, either, until now.” She sat back on her heels.

“Turn to the side so I can see your rib wound better.”

“Gwen...you don't have to—”

“Hush. If I'm going to be spilling secrets, then you're going to let me take care of you.”

I smiled. She'd come a long way from the shy Omega who had first come to my house. There was a steel in her voice and a determined set to her jaw that had definitely not been there before.

She cleaned and dressed the rest of my wounds, and when she was finished, I tugged her closer to the couch. “You don't have anything to worry about, Gwen. If you can harness this power, it'll be an amazing asset.”

“An asset.”

“Yeah.”

She didn't look convinced. “Maybe. For now, I can't help but think it's just going to complicate things.”

“What do you mean?”

“Things aren't exactly normal for me right now, you know,” she waved her hand to the house around us.

I winced, and not just from the pain of her ministrations. “You mean because you're working for me.”

Gwen wavered. “Well, yes and no. This is the first real forward momentum I've had trying to do the job I went to school for, and it's been great.

You've been great. But once this is done, I'm back to the same old same old, and I'll either have to stagnate where I am or push forward and change things for myself.

And I'm not exactly a go-getter,” she laughed self-consciously.

“Now I have to add magic into the picture, and I don't even know where to start. Part of me hopes that it was just a fluke and it will never happen again, but...”

“But?”

“But it would also be nice to be part of the...witches club, I guess, with Nayeli and Kiera.”

“And that's why you'll need to talk to them,” I said.

“Maybe.” She didn't sound convinced, and I hated seeing her unhappy.

“What's the alternative? Ignoring it and hoping it will go away?”

“Wouldn't be the first time,” she grumbled, and a flare of anger went through me, thinking about how she'd been treated her whole life.

“That's bullshit,” I said. “Don't ignore it, Gwen. Not only will it make you stronger, but you'll be able to protect yourself.”

“Protect myself? From what?”

“From anything. Everyone.”

She sighed. “Okay. So, we talk to the witches, and I'll see where it goes.”

It wasn't the acceptance that I really wanted from her, but it would have to do for the moment. Gwen sat back on her heels, and I looked down at the work she'd done. She'd cleaned my wounds and bandaged the smaller one, but there were at least two that were going to need stitches, unless...

“Why don't you try to call it up again right now?” I didn't want to push her, but maybe she'd listen if it meant we didn't have to call the pack healer.

I had a feeling that she didn't want to have to deal with any of my other pack members tonight, even if it was someone as innocuous as the healer.

“If you could at least stop the...oozing from these wounds, I would be grateful.”

Gwen bit her bottom lip, considering. “I can't guarantee anything, but I can try. If you're sure.”

“Please.”

Her hand rested against my abdomen, and her warm brown eyes met mine, holding me captive. She took a deep breath, and her lips formed the words “okay” without a sound.

Closing her eyes, Gwen inhaled deeply, slowly, a wrinkle of concentration forming between her eyebrows. I held still, watching her carefully.

At first, nothing happened, and I was about to tell her that it was okay, when she gasped, and her hand started to glow.