Page 40 of Alpha Wolf's Nanny
“You’re human,” Felix said, “why would it have occurred to you?”
“I guess you’re right,” she said, her heart sinking, a strange sadness settling in the pit of her stomach.
His chin tilted imperceptibly, and then he let his head fall back against the tree.
For a moment, she stood, unsure what to say, what to do, but eventually she cautiously approached him, careful to keep her footfalls soft for reasons she couldn’t fully understand.
“You do heal quickly,” she said, unable to stop her eyes dropping to the fading red lines on his shoulders.
He huffed. “It takes a hell of a lot more than a scrap with a pack brother to actually injure me.”
She nodded, suddenly wishing she’d told him to leave. He didn’t seem happy, didn’t seem comfortable in her presence. Had he just stayed out of a sense of obligation? Making sure she didn’t trespass further?
“You can go if you like,” she said. “When I said stay, it wasn’t…that wasn’t…”
“No,” he replied, his voice gravelly and resolute. “I want to.”
She swallowed, suddenly nervous, fidgeting slightly.
His eyes cracked open. “You know, if you were already done with the marked trails, I could have shown you some other routes. I still can, if you would like.”
“You mean you’re not firing me?” she asked, her voice wry, but not quite dry enough to hide the anxiety lurking beneath.
His laugh was genuine, hearty, and straight from the belly. “No, Cassie, I’m not going to fire you. I knew when I hired you that there might be some cultural clashes.”
“Okay,” she said, a smile finally cracking over her face. “I’d like that. You showing me some hiking routes. Legal ones.”
“Then I will,” he said with a slight smile.
Cassie sat a little closer to the fire, hands curled around her mug for warmth, though she wasn’t sure if the flush in her cheeks came from the heat or from Felix sitting just across from her, bare-chested, relaxed in posture, but far from at ease.
He tilted his head, studying her.
“I meant what I said, you know,” he murmured, voice lower now, warm in a way that made her belly clench. “You’re not in trouble.”
She nodded slowly, then looked down into her tea. “It’s not just about getting into trouble. I didn’t…I didn’t like how it felt. Being pinned like that. It was…terrifying. I’m so sick of being scared.”
Felix stiffened visibly, the tendons in his neck tight, and she cursed herself. She’d long ago decided never to tell Felix about her past. Perhaps it was stupid, but she didn’t want him looking at her any differently. Judging her.
“Rick shouldn’t have touched you. He was wrong. And I’ll deal with him.”
“You already did,” she said, managing the faintest of smiles, “very thoroughly, from what I saw.”
That earned a half-smirk from him. “He’ll be licking his wounds for a while.”
Cassie took another sip, sneaking a glance at him over the rim. The firelight made shadows dance along the angles of his face, cheekbones sharp, jaw strong, eyes unreadable. And he was watching her now. Unapologetically.
“You really would’ve torn him apart,” she said, almost to herself.
“I would’ve,” Felix agreed, “and I don’t feel guilty about it.”
She looked at him again, this time more boldly. “Why? Why does it matter so much to you?”
He didn’t answer immediately. His eyes flicked toward the trees, the shadows beyond them. Then back to her.
“I don’t like seeing you hurt,” he said. Simply. Truthfully.
The silence that fell between them this time wasn’t tense. It was thick with something else. Something that made her breath slow, made her limbs feel heavier, warmer.
