Page 5 of Bully Wolf's Nanny
The intercom crackled through the phone as his remote security obeyed, and soon Felix ambled into the kitchen, kicking off his muddy boots.
“Alpha,” Nicolas inclined his head.
“I’ve told you so many times, Nick, you don’t need to worry about that ‘Alpha’ bullshit with me.”
Despite himself, a grin spread over his face. “But you’re so mighty and all-powerful.”
Felix rolled his eyes and plucked Gracie from her high seat, swinging her through the air and smiling at her gurgles of joy. “Good to see you, squirt! Christ alive, you’re bigger every time I see you!”
Gracie babbled and waved her chubby fists towards him, grabbing fistfuls of his worn plaid shirt.
Nicolas leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms. “How are the boys?”
Felix rocked Gracie, smiling as she managed to catch a few locks of his long, dirty-blond hair. “Absolute terrors. Enjoy this time, Nick, because once they start running around, your life will be spent almost exclusively chasing after them.”
“And nothing from Sarah?”
A dark look passed across Felix’s face at the mention of his ex-wife. “What do you think?”
Nicolas bit his tongue. While he was certainly no stranger to the feeling of suddenly being solely responsible for a child, their situations weren’t exactly comparable. Nicolas had barely remembered the name of the one-night stand who had shown up on his doorstep with a tiny bundle of joy. Felix had been head over heels for Sarah.
She was a human, though. And Felix was the alpha of one of the most powerful packs in North America. Different priorities. Different values.
It didn’t mean he had any sympathy whatsoever for Sarah.
“We missed you at the most recent pack night,” Felix said lightly, although there was a definite undercurrent to his tone. Nicolas’s hackles rose.
“As I told Dane, I was busy. I couldn’t make it. I’ll make the next one.”
Felix nodded slowly, settling his large frame down into a chair. “I’m worried about you, Nicolas.”
Nicolas scoffed. “What could you possibly have to be worried about?”
Felix’s stormy eyes narrowed. “Come on, don’t tell me you haven’t been going absolutely crazy cooped up in here.”
“Cooped up?”
“I know you’ve been looking after Gracie,” Felix said, raising a hand to stop him before he could get angry, “and I’m not suggesting you stop. I just think it might be time to get some help. When was the last time you went to New York? Don’t you miss Nero?”
Huffing, Nicolas resisted the urge to head towards the liquor cabinet. “They can manage without me. And so can you. I set up all the pack businesses to be mostly self-sufficient.”
“I’m not here on pack business,” said Felix, bouncing Gracie on his knee, “I’m here as your friend. As your closest friend. Nobody’s arguing that you haven’t done a fantastic job growing the pack treasury. Hell, three wolves working twice as hard wouldn’t have done a better job. But we miss you. We wantyou back in the fold. Big things are coming, and I need you by my side.”
Nicolas’s fists tightened as he turned to Felix. “Big things? Don’t tell me you’re thinking about pack expansion. Felix, that was exactly the thing that nearly destroyed us—"
“I’m not talking about petty territory squabbles,” Felix said, his voice hard. “I wouldn’t put the pack in danger like that. Or the humans.”
He couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “The humans fight us at every turn, why should we—"
“They don’t,” interrupted Felix. “If you’d been more present recently, you’d know that relations with the humans have never been stronger. We have a real opportunity here, Nicolas. To make things better. For everyone. Rick’s abroad at the moment and making great strides in England. The Accord meetings are going well. We could ally internationally.”
“And as long as pack ventures are making enough that Rick can fly first class to his beloved Accord meetings, then I’ve done my job.”
Felix sighed, climbing to his feet. “You can fight me on this all you like, but you can’t deny I’m right. The time has come for you to step back into things again—both at Nero and with the pack.”
Nicholas eyed his friend, the firm set of his jaw, the determination in his rugged face, and let out a rush of air.
When Francesca had first appeared and handed Gracie over, claiming she had no desire to be a mother, Nicolas had decided then and there that Gracie was the most important thing in the entire world. He didn’t particularly care that Francesca didn’t want to be part of her daughter’s life; he barely knew thewoman. There had only ever been one woman he had believed good enough to be the mother of his children, and she…
