Page 32 of Rejected Nanny Mate (Crystal Creek Wolves #3)

Chaos reigned in the wake of Mia's accusation, and I had to wield my influence as an Alpha to get everyone to calm down.

Gwen was in shock, trying to deny everything that Mia had said.

Mia, on the other hand, was sobbing into my chest even as I tried to peel her away, and the rest of my wolves were angrily talking amongst themselves, most of them believing Mia over Gwen.

And that pissed me off.

“Enough!” I snarled, my voice echoing with power, and everyone went silent.

I finally pulled Mia off of me and steadied her on her feet.

She did look like hell, as if she'd been attacked, but even though the two women disliked each other heavily, I highly doubted that Gwen had anything to do with her injuries.

“Everyone, meet at my house in an hour, and we will sort this shit out. Mia, go with Malcolm.” I motioned the Beta forward and turned Mia over to him. “I'll take Gwen, and we'll figure this out there, away from the surge that I know we all can smell.”

There were murmurs of agreement, and the hunters helped Malcolm take Mia back towards the safe zone, while the rest of my wolves began to make their way to my house. Once they were gone, I turned to Gwen, who was white as a sheet.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded, not looking at me. “I'm fine. I... I just can't believe she said that. I would never attack her. I was trying to help…”

“I know.” I put my arm around her shoulders, pulling her into my side as we started walking towards home. “It's going to be okay, Gwendolyn. We'll get through this.”

She spoke very little on the way home, but called Kiera and Samson, as I had asked her to, and the Saltfang Alpha and Luna met us in my driveway. There was already a significant number of my pack waiting inside. Word had spread about Mia's accusation, and everyone was there to see the outcome.

And that was why I needed Kiera.

Mia was sitting at the dining room table, right in the middle of all the other wolves, still crying quietly.

My Beta looked frustrated beyond measure with her, but everyone else seemed sympathetic.

Not everyone looked at Gwen with outright hostility, but a healthy measure of skepticism was evident on many faces.

I'd have been a terrible Alpha if I punched that expression off of them, but the temptation was still there. Powerfully.

Gwen was clearly intimidated, but she kept her head held high as she walked in beside me.

Still, I could feel her terror in how hard she was gripping my hand.

Her other hand was on her chest, rubbing hard, and I remembered that I'd meant to ask her about that particularly nervous tic before.

Kiera noticed, too, and was immediately at Gwen's side.

“Breathe, babe,” she said, “Just like the doctor taught you. Breathe.”

In the midst of all the chaos, that made me pause. “Doctor?”

Kiera looked at me, baffled. “She didn't tell you?”

“Kiera, no,” Gwen wheezed, but her friend ignored her.

“She has generalized anxiety disorder, and it causes anxiety attacks,” Kiera's voice was low, so only Gwen and I could hear, and she was looking ahead, so no one paid any mind to our private conversation. “She should have told you when she moved in. Now. Gwen. Breathe.”

Gwen did as Kiera asked, sucking in a deep breath, and I let go of her hand to rub circles into her back, giving her all the support I could.

The tension in her shoulders eased, and I realized that I had more to worry about than just Mia's accusations.

“We'll talk about this later,” I told Gwen quietly, but I couldn't hide the hurt in my tone.

She nodded, looking away from me, and Kiera wrapped her arm around her waist.

“You okay, honey?” She asked, and Gwen nodded again, but she didn't look at me.

“Come on, Gwendolyn,” I said, and Kiera stepped back, allowing me to lead her over to the table. “Let's settle this so we can send everyone home.”

Mia wasn't officially part of my pack yet, but just last week, she'd begun the process to join.

She'd been working with Kiera and Nayeli to break the bonds of her old pack, a favor that the Lunas were doing for me, but it was slow going.

The Lunas told me that it seemed like her old bonds were protected by some sort of shell that they were having a terrible time trying to break.

But the fact that she'd started to process made the pack view her as one of their own more than Gwen, who was still firmly a Saltfang.

I cringed, realizing that bringing the Saltfang Alpha and his Luna to help only increased the starkness of Gwen's otherness, but Nayeli was in a more delicate state than Kiera, and I'd had little choice.

I needed a witch, and Kiera was as good as they came.

When we reached the table, I looked down at Mia, whose face was tear-streaked. I expected to feel sympathy for her, even if she'd falsely accused Gwen, but I oddly felt nothing. “State your accusation.”

“Gwen attacked me,” she said, voice shaking. “I was trying to find a quiet place in the woods to meditate, and she came up on me out of nowhere. She tried to strangle me with her magic, and she kept saying how she hated me.”

Gwen inhaled sharply, and I squeezed her arm. “Do you have any proof?”

“Of course not!” Mia threw up her hands. “I fought her off, but she knocked me out.”

“You are a much more accomplished witch than Gwen. How did she manage that?”

Mia lowered her eyes, almost demurely, “I'm close to my heat, and my power is more erratic, so I didn't want to accidentally kill her.”

Gwen gasped, and this time, it was Kiera who squeezed her arm. “That's not true! I've never hurt anyone in my life—”

“And I haven't either!” Mia cried, looking back up at me. “Joseph, please. You can't really believe her over me.”

I wanted to sigh. I hadn't seen Mia in any action, but even I could see that Gwen was much weaker magically. She was learning, but Mia was far ahead of her. “You swear by the accusation? Any lie will have you exiled from my land.”

There was intense chatter from the rest of the wolves present, and the crowd moved in closer.

“I swear,” Mia said.

“Fine.” I turned to my allies. Samson stayed silent, but Kiera stepped forward. “Kiera, Luna of the Saltfangs, can you bring forth the magical signature of the last spell cast against Mia?”

Kiera nodded, her light hair shifting across her shoulders, and she stepped up next to Mia, putting her hand on her shoulder. Mia sat still as a statue, but she looked nervous for the first time since I'd walked in.

I felt an answering pang of nerves from Gwen, who was biting her lip so hard it looked painful. Kiera's hand glowed, and so did her eyes when she opened them. With the hand that wasn't touching Mia, Kiera drew a shape in the air, and after a beat, the shape glowed a pale white pink.

The color of Gwen's magic.

Mia grinned, triumphant, while Gwen looked like she had been slapped. The glow faded, and Kiera's eyes returned to their normal state. When she spoke, she sounded confused and hesitant. “It's her.”

“No,” Gwen protested, looking between me and Kiera. “That's not possible. I didn't do it!”

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose, even as my heart broke. I knew that she hadn't done it, but I couldn't afford to be weak right now. If I let this go, everyone would think I was favoring Gwen over Mia, and that would only cause more problems.

I turned to Mia, who was crying once more, repeating that she'd told the truth over and over. I didn't touch her, but she still looked up at me. “I will get to the bottom of this, but I need you to go back to Malcolm's for the night and stay put. Do you understand?”

She nodded, and I looked up at the rest of my pack. “Mia and Gwen are both under my protection until this is settled. Does anyone else have a problem with that?”

A few people murmured, but most stayed quiet. After a minute, I nodded. “I expect a full report on the surge sighting from you all by tomorrow. Continue patrols as usual.”

After that, everyone left. Malcolm escorted Mia to his house, while Samson, Kiera, and Gwen waited with me.

Gwen had gone bone-white, even her lips pale as she sat at the table in shock.

Kiera held both her hands, but she still looked confused.

Then, she proved her friendship, shaking her head as an expression of surety came over her.

“I don't care what the spell showed. I know Gwen is innocent.”

Gwen remained silent. I knelt in front of her and turned her face up to me. She resisted meeting my eyes for a moment, but then finally looked at me. “Scott, Nayeli, and Rose are all at Samson's right now. Go home with them. I will settle things here and come to you. Okay?”

“You’re sending me back to my old pack.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement, and her voice was monotone.

“Just until we unravel this.”

She swallowed hard, then nodded. She stood up, and Kiera hugged her, whispering in her ear. I could see tears glinting in Gwen's eyes, and I had to turn away to keep from pulling her into my arms. It wasn't fair, but it was the way things had to be for now.

Once I was sure that she'd made it out safely, I turned to Samson and Kiera. “I need your help,” I told them.

Samson looked grim. “We'll do whatever we can.”

“You know what this means, Joe,” Kiera said quietly, “She'll be banished if she did this.”

“She didn't do it,” I said firmly, “And I need you to find out who did.”

“What about the spell?” Kiera asked. “It was definitely hers.”

“Can it be tampered with?”

“I... don’t know,” she looked doubtful, but shrugged. “Possibly. Or maybe I made a mistake. I'm not sure.”

“Just...see if you can figure it out. Don't let her leave your place. I'll be over in a few hours to get Rose.”

They both nodded, and then I was alone. I sank into the dining room chair and let my head fall into my hands, exhaling slowly. It had been a long night already, and I still had a ways to go before this was all figured out.

***

It was past 1:00 a.m. when I finally arrived at Samson's house.

I'd gotten the pack settled down, and while I hadn't spoken to Mia, I'd conferred with Malcolm to make sure he kept an eye on her when he was home.

While he didn't know or trust Gwen, my Beta also had his doubts about Mia after she'd lived in his house for some time.

He was due to go back out on the road in a few days, but he swore to watch her closely until then.

Samson told me that Gwen and Rose were in the kitchen, and they went upstairs to give us some space while I talked to her.

I felt my heart nearly shatter in my chest when I saw Gwen. Her back was turned to me as she gazed out the large window, and Rose was in her arms, asleep. Gwen stilled when she sensed me, but she didn't turn.

“Gwendolyn,” I started. “I know things are a mess. But I don't care about any damn spell. If you say you're innocent, I believe you.”

She was swaying slowly to keep the baby asleep, and I was dying to pull her into my arms and hold both of the girls I cared so much for. But she wouldn't even look at me, so I was sure she didn't want to be touched.

“What does it matter?” Gwen asked after a long pause. “Even if I were proven innocent before the sun rose, everyone has already formed an opinion about me. You included.”

It was like she had struck me. I was stunned. “Gwen. I believe you.”

“Then why did you send me away and let Mia stay in the territory?” She turned then, finally, and her eyes were cold as steel. Rose stirred, but Gwen's rocking quickly lulled her back to sleep. “If you truly believed me, you would have sent her out. But you didn't.”

“You know why. I'm the Alpha. I had to be a fair leader.”

“I'm tired, Joe,” she said, and the exhaustion in her voice was bone-deep. “I need to go to bed.”

She moved past me, careful not to jostle Rose as she handed her to me, and walked up the stairs. She didn't even glance my way, and the door to the guest room shut softly behind her.

And I was alone beside the baby, still, sound asleep in my arms.

I let myself out, feeling numb, and didn't even bother to speak to Samson or Kiera.

I, too, was tired, and as much as it killed me to go home without Gwen, I wouldn't force her.

But it hurt like hell that she didn't believe me, and I knew no matter how tired I was, sleep wasn't going to find me that night.