Page 28 of Billionaire Wolf Needs a Nanny

Emilia shook her head.

Fuck.

Reeve came in and sat down at the kids' play table where Emilia was coloring. "Go find her, Blake. I'll watch the kid."

Faster than I thought possible, I went downstairs and raced through the lobby. I called both of my drivers, but neither of them knew where Lacey was. That meant she was traveling by foot. The only places close enough to the hotel were the shopping area in town, and the lake near the hotel.

Suddenly, a searing pain twisted my gut. I doubled over. It was unlike anything I had ever felt in my life. A sense of foreboding overcame my entire body.

"Lacey," I whispered. It was the mate bond. She was in trouble.

Relying on my wolf's connection with my mate, I ran toward the woods by the lake. The tops of the trees swayed softly in the wind, obscuring what was happening down on the ground.

It was too hard to track her this way. My human form dulled my senses and would only slow me down. Reeve's words echoed in my mind. I had to tell her the truth about what I was.

Triggering the change, I howled as muscles twisted and bones snapped as they changed shape. With sharp claws, I ripped at my clothes, tearing what wasn't already destroyed by the shift.

Soon, all the colors in front of me took on a new dimension. Smells and sounds were magnified a hundred times, to the point of being overwhelming. I dropped onto all fours as the shift completed its course.

Running toward the trees, I sniffed the air for her scent. It was faint, blown away by the wind, but I smelled her. My paws pounded on the dirt, as I let my nose and the mate bond guide me through the forest. With only the speed and agility of a wolf, I dashed between the trees and up the mountain. Finally, I spotted them. Lacey was sprawled on the ground, shivering in the snow with a large gray wolf on top of her.

Lacey's cries of fear made my vision turn red. I pounced on his back, knocking him away from her. At that moment, there were no more thoughts in my mind. I was pure anger and rage. All I wanted was his blood flowing down my throat as I ripped his neck out.

The wolf rolled from under me, jumping into the air to avoid the swipe of my claws.

I kicked at him with my hind legs, landing a satisfying blow. He flew into a nearby tree, his bones cracking from the impact. The wolf recovered and lunged at me again. This time, I was prepared. Aiming high, my claws tore through his side.

He fell in a heap on the ground. I landed on top of him, biting down on his throat and landing the final blow. Blood flowed from his torn neck like a bright red fountain.

The gray wolf gurgled one last time before the life faded from his eyes.

It was over. The chill of the winter wind blowing on my blood-soaked face replaced the heat of battle. I glanced up from my vanquished enemy to find Lacey looking at me with fear in her eyes.

As the last of the rage subsided, I shifted back into my human form.

At that moment, I realized what I looked like. I was a monster. An inhuman beast. Crouched there on the dirt and snow, I was too afraid to look up at her. I didn't want to see the disgust on her face now that she knew what I really was.

"Blake," she said softly. She kneeled down next to me and traced her fingers down the ridge of my brow, and down along my cheek, getting the wolf's blood all over her hands. Her touch was reverent.

I held my breath until she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me in for a kiss. My mate's acceptance of me, wolf and man, was like a healing balm on my tortured soul.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered, my voice cracking. I ran my hands down her body. "Are you hurt?"

She shook her head. "He didn't have time to do anything."

"I almost lost you."

"Shh," Lacey silenced me with a finger on my lips. "You saved me. We can talk later."

I carried her through the forest and back to the hotel. We went in through the employee entrance. The hotel was used to dealing with high-powered guests and looking the other way. They were not going to gossip about the naked blood-covered billionaire who stumbled in from the snow.

Once we were upstairs, Lacey and Reeve worked as a team to distract Emilia and shield her from my frightful state. After I cleaned myself up, Reeve went home, and I spent a quiet night at home, snuggled together on the sofa with my girls in my arms as we watched The Lion King. Bending my head, I placed a kiss on top of Lacey's head. I was never going to let her go again.

As long as I was alive, I was going to protect them, even if it cost me my life.

Chapter 10

LACEY

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