Page 25 of Rejected Nanny Mate (Crystal Creek Wolves #3)

For the next meeting, we met at Emerald Blooms after I locked up. It was an impromptu meeting, but the other Alphas had been insistent that we needed to talk about the moving surges and the reappearance of Rose's mother.

Mia.

I was glad to have the mystery solved, but she also really complicated things for me in a lot of ways.

She wasn't thrilled staying with Beta Malcom, and I couldn't blame her.

Malcolm wasn't the friendliest guy, but he'd never married and had plenty of room for Mia. A local truck driver, he’d taken some longer distance routes while Mia was around, presumably to avoid having to cohabitate with her.

She hinted around constantly that she would be more comfortable staying with me, but that wasn't happening. At least not while Gwen was still in the house, and the selfish part of me didn't want that to change anytime soon.

It was a fucking mess. On the outside, the simplest thing would be to move Mia in and potentially try to form some sort of relationship with the mother of my daughter.

It was a given that she'd be added to my pack, but I was waiting on Kiera and Nayeli, who were working with the witches in Jayce's pack, to perfect the spell that would be needed to break Mia's connection to her former pack.

Mia was a strong witch, but she couldn't perform the spell on herself for some magical reason I wasn't too clear on.

It would be simple, but trying to make something work with Mia wasn't what I wanted at all.

She was beautiful, sure. Otherwise, I wouldn't have spent a night with her eighteen or so months ago, and she was clearly still interested in me.

But the only person I wanted, the woman who occupied almost every one of my waking thoughts and all of my dreams, was Gwendolyn Beaufort, and that was becoming a big problem.

Because Gwen didn't seem to want me with the same fire, I felt for her, and every day, I felt like she was closer to moving out.

But that was a problem for a different time. For the moment, I had to speak to the other Alphas in the alliance and determine the best way to keep all of our packs safe. My relationship issues would have to wait.

I grabbed a few beers out of the fridge in the back of the shop and dragged a few chairs inside from the patio. My plant shop wasn't the ideal place to meet, but it was a Saturday night, and Scott's cafe was crowded, so my place would have to do.

Jayce arrived first, as usual, looking casual but well put-together in a button-up shirt and jeans. He leaned against the counter while I brought more chairs from out back, nodding in greeting when I came in. “Evening.”

“Evening,” I replied tersely. Our last face-to-face interaction hadn't exactly gone smoothly. I set the chair down and glanced at him, my hand on the back of the seat. “Grab a beer off the counter. The other two should be here shortly.”

Samson and Scott arrived at nearly the same time, and soon enough, we were seated in a rough circle, drinking and going over what we knew. No one else's pack had been experiencing the moving magic surges, but seeing how badly it had injured me had left the other Alphas on edge.

I told them about how it had been targeting Gwen, and I had been the one to take the hit when it became clear we weren't going to outrun the thing. That changed things because it meant whatever was behind the surges wasn't targeting us Alphas.

“Could I have been because of her magic?” Samson asked, “If that's the case, I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on Kiera.”

“It's possible,” I admitted, “but I've never heard of that kind of spell. It was like it was being guided somehow, like it had a mind of its own. And it seemed to know where she was without ever having seen her. It doesn't seem likely.”

“I think it's worth checking into,” Scott said. “If we can figure out what's causing these surges and put a stop to them, then that'll be one less thing on my plate.”

“Mine, too,” Samson added.

“But it's only targeted Gwen so far, and she's only shown magical prowess in the past few weeks.” Jayce rubbed his chin as he thought it over.

“I'm not saying we should send other, more experienced witches after it, but I think it would be a good idea to try and have them do some research to see if they can find a similar spell. That will keep them out of danger while utilizing their powers to help us solve this thing.”

I was surprised. “It isn't the worst idea I've ever heard. Scott? Samson? What do you think?”

Scott looked a little reluctant, but he nodded. “It's worth a shot. I'm sure Nayeli and Kiera will be happy to help as much as they can, especially if it means keeping Gwen safe.”

Samson's face was pinched. “I don't like it,” he said finally. “I don't want to put Kiera in danger, but she's been working on spells with Gwen almost daily. If she finds out I'm holding her back from helping, she'll bite my head off. So, I guess I'm in.”

We agreed to increase patrols and allow cross-territory investigations without having to check with each other first. The four of us had open borders for each other most of the time anyway, but it was a good idea, especially with Jayce being so new, to make our intentions clear.

With that, we moved on to the subject I hadn't wanted to touch—Mia.

“You're 100% sure that she's Rose's mother?” Scott asked, suspicious. “Nayeli gets the feeling that she and Gwen don't really get along, and that puts Nayeli on edge.”

I took a deep breath and ran my hand through my hair. “It'd almost be easier if I weren't sure...But I am. If I dive into the pack bonds, I can see Rose connected to me, but also connected to Mia, even though she isn't part of my pack officially yet. She's definitely her daughter.”

“What are you going to do?” Jayce asked. “Is she going to join your pack?”

“She wants to,” I admitted. “But I'm still getting used to the idea of having a daughter.

I don't know how I feel about having her as anything more than a packmate.

And besides, she's been hurt by her old pack. They abused her. She needs time to heal and recover before I make any sort of decision like that.”

The other Alphas exchanged glances. “I guess that makes sense,” Jayce said. “Just...be careful with her. It sounds like she's had it pretty rough, but there are whispers among the magic users in my pack that Mia is pretty powerful herself.”

“That wouldn't surprise me,” I replied. “I have a lot of questions for her, and I intend to ask them once we get past the initial awkwardness.”

Scott cleared his throat, and we all turned to him. “I don't mean to pry into your personal life, but Gwen seems pretty attached to Rose. What are your plans there?”

I frowned. “I don't know yet, but as long as the surges are a danger, I want to keep her close,” I looked at Samson, who had frowned. “Not that I don't trust your pack. But she lives alone in your territory. If she's in mine, she's living with me, and that's safer.”

Samson didn't look happy with that, but he nodded. “That's true. It's fine with me. She can't stay away from the pack forever, though.”

Talking about Gwen was making me frustrated.

I... missed her. Terribly. She'd been so distant, and repeating all the things she'd been through—the surge attack, her powers manifesting, and then Mia showing up—made me want to hold her close and tell her that everything was going to be okay.

She was so quiet and reserved, but her ability to survive all of that and still have a smile on her face made her damned strong in my book.

I was tired of talking. We'd figured out what to do about the surges for the moment, and I didn't want to hash out my personal life.

When there was a lull in the conversation between the other three, I suggested that the meeting be adjourned, and everyone accepted.

I had an itch under my skin, and I was tired of pretending that I didn't know exactly what would relieve it.

I wanted to see Gwen, take her out, and reconnect with her.

Mia was at my house with Rose, but I checked the time and realized Gwen should have been on the way home from her shift at Scott's cafe.

“Thanks for coming,” I told the other Alphas as I walked them outside. “I'll call you if we need to meet again. Keep me updated if anything else happens, and I'll do the same.”

They nodded and started off in their respective directions, and after I jammed my motorcycle helmet on my head, I was off. I wanted to catch Gwen before she started to wind down for the night, and preferably ask her to go out with me for dinner without Mia eavesdropping and mucking things up.

When I got back to the house, though, Gwen's car wasn't there.

The disappointment I felt was heavy. She must have offered to stay late like she'd been doing lately, probably to get home late enough to avoid seeing Mia.

I headed inside and found Mia in the kitchen, stirring something on the stove with Rose on her hip.

My daughter gurgled in greeting when she saw me, leaning in her mother's grasp and holding her hands out to me.

“Hi, Rose. How are you?” I asked softly, giving her a kiss on the cheek and taking her from Mia. The baby cooed in reply, patting my cheek with her little hand, and I couldn't help but smile. “Good girl.”

“I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of cooking some dinner,” Mia said. “I figured you were busy, and I needed something to do. I thought we could have dinner together, just the three of us.”

I cringed internally. That was not at all what I had in mind. “Where's Gwen?”

Mia's face shuttered. “She messaged me and told me she'd be late getting home. I guess her job is pretty busy or whatever. Listen, Joe, why are you still—-”

I knew what she was going to ask—why did I still have Gwen on the payroll when Mia could stay with our daughter instead—but I didn't want to talk about it either. “Hold that thought. I'm going to take Rose to see Gwen and have some dinner at the cafe. You can head back to Malcolm's if you want.”

Mia, in disbelief, motioned to the pot she was stirring. “There's no need for that. I just told you that I was making dinner for us.”

“No thanks,” I replied, trying not to sound too rude. “I'm sure it's delicious, but I need to talk to Gwen. And I'd like some alone time with Rose.”

“You've been avoiding me,” she accused, crossing her arms and frowning. “Why? I'm here now. I want to be here for my daughter. I don't understand why you're pushing me away.”

“Because it's been less than two weeks since you showed up,” I replied. “It's not that I'm pushing you away. I'm just trying to get used to everything. It's been a lot to process. The surges, your magic, Gwen...” I trailed off, but Mia looked pissed.

“What about Gwen?” She snapped. “You can't be serious. She's just your babysitter.”

“She's more than that,” I protested, but Mia snorted.

“What, do you think she's your mate?”

“You have zero right to speak to me like that,” I layered Alpha power into my tone, and Mia's shoulders stiffened. “You're not pack yet, so you can keep your nose out of my business and accept all the kindnesses that you've been offered.”

Mia's lip curled, and for a moment, I thought she was going to snap at me. She didn't, though, and after a long moment, she looked away. “Fine,” she said, “have it your way. Go have dinner with your nanny. I'll see you tomorrow, Alpha.”

She stomped off and let the front door slam behind her, making Rose jump a little. “It's okay, sweetheart,” I told her, rubbing her back in slow circles as I turned off the stovetop. “Mommy's just upset.”

The baby cooed softly, but the tension left her little body, and she snuggled into my shoulder.

I took Rose to the nursery, changed her diaper, and packed her diaper bag for an evening out.

She was sleepy, and she dozed off on the ride over, which meant I had to wake her up when we arrived at the cafe.

It might have been busy earlier, but the dining room had mostly cleared out when I entered, and it wasn't hard for me to spot Gwen.

It wasn't hard for me to spot the asshole she was chatting with, either.

Gwen's sweet laugh rang out, and she smiled up at Jayce, who apparently had come up with the same idea I'd had.

They were standing close, and his arm was resting against the counter, almost like he'd been flirting with her.

I knew it was none of my business who she dated, but I couldn't stop the growl that rose in my throat.

I tried to hold Rose gently so as not to upset her, but she must have felt the tension in my body because she started to squirm. Gwen looked up from her conversation and gave me a small wave, which I returned.

I wanted to go over and pull Jayce aside and remind him that she was mine. That she had been mine for months before he even moved to town, and that she would be mine long after he was gone. I wanted to tell him to stay the hell away from my mate...except she wasn't, was she?

Fuck. It didn't matter who Gwen was to me. I wanted Jayce gone, and I wanted her to myself, and it'd been way too long of a day for me to take no for an answer.