Page 35 of Alpha Wolf's Nanny
Daisy ran a hand through her hair, exhaling slowly. “Rick is loyal to the bone. Everything he does is about protecting the pack. When he saw you here, alone, where you’re not supposed to be, he reacted the only way he knows how.”
Nicolas growled, and Daisy narrowed her eyes. “Perhaps, but from what I’ve heard, he’s waited for orders before, and it cost him.”
“What?” Cassie asked.
Daisy wrapped an arm around her, rubbing her shoulder vigorously. “My word, you’re chilled to the bone! It’ll be the adrenaline. Do you have another sweater or something you can put on?”
“What do you mean about Rick not following orders?”
Daisy and Nicolas looked at each other, no doubt engaged in some silent conversation. Cassie tried not to let the bitterness of exclusion sting her. This was not her world.
Daisy sighed, then sat beside her. “You’re human, Cassie. You’re not supposed to be able to find this place, let alone step into it. Rick’s instincts went straight to defense. He saw someone who shouldn’t be here, and he acted. In different circumstances, he would have been right to.”
“He would have been right to just kill a human?”
Daisy winced. “It’s not that simple,” she said gently. “Some humans…don’t like the power that shifters have. And they’re willing to try and hurt us.”
“That doesn’t make it okay just to kill us!”
“I didn’t say it did.”
Cassie dropped her head into her hands. Her whole body was still trembling, her skin crawling with leftover adrenaline. “So what now? I leave?”
Daisy didn’t move.
“No,” she said softly. “We wait for Felix.”
Cassie looked up sharply. “What? Why?”
“Because this isn’t just a misunderstanding anymore,” Daisy said, “it’s a breach. You didn’t mean to, I know that. But Rick saw a threat, and he acted. Now Felix needs to be the one to decide what happens next.”
“So what, I just sit here like a sitting duck until the alpha comes back and decides whether I get punished?”
“No one’s punishing you,” Daisy said firmly. “But this is Felix’s territory. His call. And after what just happened, we don’t…make calls like this without him.”
Cassie hugged her knees to her chest, heart thudding dully in her ears. “I didn’t mean to mess anything up. I just wanted a quiet place to look at the stars.”
Daisy’s gaze softened. “I know.”
Cassie turned toward the rise, where her telescope still lay, untouched in the dirt. The clearing she’d thought was peaceful and remote now felt like a trap. The starlight above, once welcoming, now seemed far too bright.
“He’s going to be furious.”
Nicolas gave a huff, and Daisy chuckled.
“What?” Cassie asked, her eyes narrowing.
“Nothing, just…I don’t think he’ll be angry with you,” Daisy said. “Come on now. Let’s get a fire started. I can smell tea in your bag, and I’m dying for a cup!”
Chapter 12 - Felix
Their bodies were a blur of teeth and rage. Dimly, Felix was aware of other wolves, other alphas, circling them. Huge bodies weaved through the trees, yipping and growling in alarm, ready to jump into the fray if their alpha commanded it.
He didn’t need them. Rick was strong, one of their strongest, but Felix was stronger.
Kicking the other wolf from him, he leapt up, pacing from side to side, muzzle pulled back over his teeth in a warning snarl. “Stand down, Reinhardt.”
“She’s in our Grove,” Rick spat back, crouching low to the ground. “We have orders to kill intruders on sight.Yourorders.”
