Page 17 of Arranged Wolf's Nanny
He almost wished she had.
Chapter 5 - Rosalia
For all her charm and grace, Rosalia was completely out of her depth surrounded by the Iron Walker women.
She rarely spent time with women. Aside from Katie, of course. Her father had never liked her mingling with other girls. He said they were a bad influence. She spent her childhood taught by private tutors, confined to the walls of her father’s manor, wandering the halls much like a ghost.
What interactions she did have with the rest of the pack tended to be with alpha males visiting her father. And she had avoided bumping into those males as much as possible. The way they looked at her…the way their eyes followed her around the room…
But the females helping her prepare seemed nothing but honest and friendly, genuinely trying to make her feel welcome. They chatted about their mates, their children, and Roslia learnt what she could about them and their lives. Such knowledge would serve her well. There was sweet-natured Daisy, who didn’t seem to have a bad word to say about anything. She seemed so at odds with her sharp-edged mate, the billionaire Nicolas Accardi, who seemed to own every hotel from here to Washington, not to mention his tech empire. Their three children, Thea, Gracie, and little baby Max, were a beautiful blend of her softness and his icy composure.
Then there was outgoing Cassie, who, despite being human, seemed by far the most boisterous of the lot. She was, most surprisingly, mated to the Alpha of the Iron Walkers, Felix. Rosalia remembered when news of their mating spread to the packs. The vitriol her father had spewed. Bad enough that Felix’s ex-wife was human, and therefore his two twin sons, Logan andDanny, had so-called contaminated lineage, but an Alpha mated to a human? Now she had actually met Felix; however, Rosalia knew he was not the sort of male to give a single thought to the opinions of others. He lived his life by his own code and was all the stronger for it.
And then there was Lola, heavily pregnant, who appeared halfway through Daisy styling her hair with a garment bag and a grumble about her mate, Dane, and his increasing protectiveness over her in her state. They were recently mated, a matter of months ago, and their son Sammy was still a tiny baby. It was rather comical, the refined, bookish Lola next to the enormous scoundrel-like Dane, but Rosalia could easily tell from Lola’s fond ranting that she had him completely wrapped around her finger.
As they fluttered around her, all three dressed in soft green gowns with their hair and makeup fixed, the abstract idea of the Iron Walkers began to take shape in her mind, become grounded in reality with each passing comment, each little quip. There was a clear camaraderie between the women, a friendship that ran deep. They were more than friends, really. They were packmates. Sisters.
And Rosalia was not one of them.
And so, she relied on her tried-and-true manners, politely answering their questions and asking appropriate ones in return, sticking to topics like her hair and makeup and the dress, and the flowers. Nothing controversial. Nothing that they could use against her.
She felt terrible for her lack of trust, in all honesty. But she had no idea at all what the Iron Walkers were really like. She needed to find her footing, get a sense of how everything fit together before throwing herself into friendships. The last thingshe wanted was to reflect badly on her father. Or Rick. She needed to keep her thoughts to herself.
And yet, when Eva looked up at her, a whispered ‘wow’ on her lips as Daisy swept a champagne shimmer over her eyelids, she couldn’t help herself.
“Are you excited for the ceremony, Eva?”
The little girl nodded, her curls swaying, “Yes! Papa said I can hold some flowers, and afterwards there’ll be cake and dancing and—”
“Don’t forget the music,” Cassie threw in, “you can show us your new ballet dance!”
Rosalia smiled. “You do ballet?”
“I do, but I’m not as good as some of the other girls. Papa got a special teacher for me who comes once a week, and now I can do an arabesque for six seconds without wobbling! Look!”
With impressive grace for one so young, she pointed her toes and extended her arms out, her chin tilting upwards with regal elegance. For a split second, Rosalia saw a flash of Rick in the little girl, but then she stumbled slightly and gave her a rueful grin.
Rosalia clapped her hands together with a laugh of delight. “That’s very impressive! I dance as well, you know.”
“You do?” Eva asked in amazement, creeping forwards slightly, arms held ever so slightly away from her body, as if having to restrain herself from hugging Rosalia’s legs.
“Mostly ballet, just like you. Although I also know how to ballroom dance.”
“Wo-o-ow!” Eva said. “You have to teach me!”
Rosalia chuckled, “It would be an honor.”
“Gosh, you’re so sophisticated,” Daisy said with a mournful sigh, “I wish I could dance.”
“You play piano beautifully,” Cassie said, “I wish I could do that.”
“But you’re studying astronomy! That’s much more impressive,” Daisy shot back.
Lola hummed in agreement, fixing a chocolate curl that had fallen loose atop her head with a pin. “I never had a head for any of the hard sciences.”
“Lola, you’re about to get your doctorate in history, for God’s sake. I’m only an undergrad!”
“A doctorate?” Rosalia asked, blinking slightly in shock as the women turned to her, “Forgive me, but…aren’t you…”
