Page 9 of Alpha Wolf's Nanny
Chapter 4 - Felix
Felix was all too aware that he was driving a bit recklessly. He couldn’t find it in himself to care. He was too irritable.
He told himself it was the Accords. There had been yet another setback in human-shifter negotiations. There would be a lot of late nights to come for him and Rick.
And then, of course, there were the Black Claws. They kept testing the territory line, kept getting into stupid skirmishes. They were testing him, testing his resolve, testing his willingness to bite back. And it was truly starting to piss him off.
And the boys. They were growing like weeds, getting bigger and stronger with each passing day. Wilder, too. And while he was more than capable of keeping them in line, he couldn't neglect his responsibilities to the pack.
So there were lots of reasons for him to be pissed off. Good reasons, valid reasons. Reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with Cassie.
Nothing at all. Not a damn thing.
He swore, swerving as a truck blared its horn, his car having drifted into the center of the road.
Fuck.
Who was he kidding, he couldn’t get her out of his damn head. She was hardly the first woman he’d slept with since Sarah, but none of his previous dalliances had ever left him so unbalanced. She was the only thing he could think about. Her bright smile, her soft, freckled skin, her guileless excitement.
He was a fucking idiot for sleeping with her. She was human. He had smelled it all over her the first second he’d walked over to buy her a drink. He should have left it thenand there. But he hadn’t. He’d been drawn in by her eager conversation, her throaty laugh, her delight and positivity. And then later, in the hotel room, she had been soalive. So curious and unfettered. Nothing like the forced moans or simpering displays women normally put on for him, thinking it would turn him on.
She had simply been herself, without shame or worry. And god help him, he wanted more.
But she was human. He was a shifter. He had been down that road before, and it had ended catastrophically badly. He had done her a favor, turning her down, even though it made his wolf rage at him. Better the sharp sting of rejection now than inevitable heartbreak down the line.
He growled, fists tightening against the steering wheel. He needed to clear his head. Get her out of his mind. He had shit to do, things to focus on. He was Alpha of the Iron Walkers, a title won with blood. He couldn’t lose his damn senses over a human woman.
At least he was finally getting a nanny for the boys; that would take at least one thing off his plate. They may prefer to run wild in the woods with the other kids, but he would at least see to it that they were fed and bathed for school. The agency had assured him that they’d found an energetic and resilient woman who’d have no trouble keeping up with them. Felix couldn’t help the snort. He’d believe that when he saw it. It was still worth trying, though.
He adored his boys, and it killed him that they might not be getting the attention they needed and deserved. He did his best, reserving weekends for them to have family time as much as he was able. When he could, he brought them with him to meetings and business calls, but he wasn’t able to actually spendtime with them. He ended up having to leave them to run wild with the other kids. At least there were always plenty of eyes on them to keep them safe.
It wasn’t the same, though. They werehiskids. He owed them stability. It wouldn’t hurt for them to have a more feminine influence in their lives, either. The pack was hardly short of women who would watch over them for him, but they needed something permanent. Definite. A warm embrace to come home to.
Neither of them had seemed particularly thrilled at the idea of getting a nanny. Logan, in particular, had been whining about it all week. Danny seemed more cautiously open, but after his brother made some strong arguments, he was right there whining next to him. They thought a nanny was the end of the world. No matter how much he reassured them, they would still be allowed to go out into the woods and play with their friends, they didn’t believe him. Stubborn as ever. They would see.
***
The office was a small building on the outskirts of Portland. A poster in the window drew his eye, and he tried not to laugh.
Alpha Dads Deserve a Break. Because even lone wolves need a night off.
The poster was old, flaking at the edges, a painting of a baby with impossibly big eyes staring out at him with a gappy smile and a small wolf plushie in its grip.
He was hardly a lone wolf. He had a whole damn pack behind him. And he still couldn't quite hack it.
He shook his head. This was the right move. He hadn’t failed by needing help. After all, he was the one who had pushed Nicolas into getting a nanny for Gracie,onebaby. He had two rambunctious boys.
With one last glance at the poster, he pushed the door open, walking into the lobby. He had only talked on the phone with the agency before, and he was pleased to see that despite the somewhat shabby exterior, the inside of the office was clean and modern. Tall ferns sat in the corner, breaking up the warm cream walls, and the floors were paneled in a pretty light birch. There was an air of calm, of peaceful serenity, that was utterly at odds with the mission of the agency. Babysitting shifter kids was an invitation to complete chaos.
“Are you Felix?” A short, cozy-looking woman shuffled out into the space, her lumpy cardigan all at once inviting and professionally questionable. Though if the thousand pencils sticking every which way out of her bun were an indication, she was far too harassed by her job to worry about such things.
“I am,” Felix extended a hand. “It’s lovely to meet you.”
“I’m so sorry Jackie wasn’t here to greet you,” the woman said, giving him a surprisingly firm handshake. “She must have run off to the coffee shop again!”
Felix glanced over at the empty reception desk, littered with used Starbucks cups, and raised an eyebrow. “I take it running this agency requires a lot of caffeine?”
The woman laughed, though her tone was somewhat strained. “Not at all, not at all. She’s just addicted to the stuff, but it’s no bother. We’re very happy to serve the shifters in our community as best we can! Oh, my name is Molly, by the way; I believe we spoke on the phone.”
