Chapter 4: Puppy Breath

Point to me for not freaking out when I realized Cane was the Alpha and not just a random shifter. His presence was palpable, the beating heart of his Pack. People came out of their houses and milled around, staring at me in a way that made the back of my neck itch.

Most stares were mildly curious, but some felt downright hostile.

I swept my gaze over the small crowd, taking note of those who stared at me like they wanted to gut me. Three women to my left. One with sky-blue eyes and auburn hair. The other two appeared less hostile in the way of fierce eye contact but looked like they’d go along with whatever the first wanted. Always a bad sign.

I didn’t make direct eye contact with any of them, figuring better safe than sorry if the tales I’d heard were right.

Her lips were a bubble gum pink, and her hair was plaited in a neat French braid. She wore skinny jeans and ankle boots with a chic off-the-shoulder sweater. All in all, the woman was way more put together than I’d ever be, but I’d done nothing to her to make her look at me like that.

I pulled my attention away and focused on Cane.

Honestly, it was a crime the man was so pretty. This was the first time I’d seen him walking. He moved like a predator, loose-hipped and graceful. Most of the wolves moved in a similar way, but Cane oozed lethality. He gestured with one hand for me to walk with him, but I hesitated to put my back to any of them.

"You afraid, little rose?" Cane murmured for my ears only. Evan walked right behind us, so I knew he could hear. I peered up at him.

"Rose?" I asked.

He didn’t answer, instead leading me over to a building behind what I assumed was the dining hall. Floor-to-ceiling windows encased in cedar wood greeted me. Above me sat a large porch with several rocking chairs and an old table chess set up between two of them. Cane jogged up the stairs and held the door open.

I walked in, a hint of his scent teasing me as I brushed past—spice and a hint of vanilla. An odd scent for a man. He smelled a little like Christmas cookies. My favorite, actually. I did myself credit by not inhaling like a weirdo though the urge was strong.

A woman sat at the front desk. She started to smile at me before her gaze went behind, and she noticed Cane. Her eyes widened, and she abruptly stood, dropping her eyes and lowering her head.

"Alpha."

A soft sigh came from him. Curious, I turned, but his expression was implacable. Perhaps I imagined the frustration. What would it be like to have people constantly kowtow to you? Weird. Uncomfortable. If it were me, I’d feel like I constantly had my skirt stuck in my underwear. Not that I’d ever be in that position. I’d be lucky to get a job flipping burgers if I was even alive in a few years.

Walking into a pack of shifters and applying to be their nanny seemed an awesome way to speed up that timetable. But I really needed this job.

Evan came in behind us, closing the door with a soft click.

"Jenny," he said. "This is Aspen. She’s here for the care position."

Her eyebrows rose a hair.

"She’s…human?" she questioned.

Evan’s look was grim.

"Best not ask questions like that. We’re here and would like you to open the room."

Jenny blinked, her eyes briefly resting on Cane, who stayed silent. Evan must be an assistant or something. Or a COO. Did packs have titles like a corporation? Was Evan Chief of Wolf Activities or something? The thought of it sent a little smile to my lips.

I felt Cane’s eyes resting on me, so I swallowed my amusement and cleared my throat.

"Um, of course," Jenny said.

She motioned for us to follow, leading us behind the desk and around the corner to a room with a massive iron door. It had no handle, only a small keypad next to it.

Strange.

The gate had been iron too. I felt like I was missing something. Jenny turned her slim back to us and angled herself to conceal the keypad. Electronic beeping sounds came from the pad, and moments later, the door slid open with a slight hiss.

Very futuristic. I sent Evan a questioning look, but he merely gestured me inside.

***

Complete and total chaos greeted me. A woman stood in the middle of the room, her expression somewhere between defeated and outright beaten. What I assumed was once a neat braid had deteriorated into a strangely tangled corona of hair around her head. Mascara smudged underneath her eyes, and her shirt had two jagged tears in the left arm.

I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing.

Cane’s mouth fell open. His eyes narrowed, but I couldn’t stop.

"She—she looks like she’s been hit by a train!" I doubled over, gasping for breath.

"Aspen," Cane said calmly.

Excited yips and howls came from all directions. Flashes of fur blurred past me. Wolf pups tumbled around each other as they wrestled. Toys littered the ground making every step a potential ankle-breaking hazard. No wonder the door looked like something from a high-tech prison.

This was utter madness.

"Aspen," Cane said again. "Are you done?"

I straightened and wiped my eyes. A few extra snickers managed to sneak away from me. Evan’s eyes glittered, and his mouth twitched. He winked at me, and I loosed a wide grin.

"So. What’s the pay rate?"

Astronomical, I’d bet.

Cane snorted.

"Not enough," the woman snapped. She pulled off her stained apron and tossed it onto the floor.

"I’m sorry, Alpha," she said. "This…I can’t do this. These children are deranged. It’s too much."

I cackled.

"Aspen!" Cane’s voice demanded obedience, but I wasn’t a wolf. The poor caretaker trembled at the command in his tone, but I looked up at him, one eyebrow rising. His eyes flashed with anger, but he turned away before I could see what his expression turned into.

You’d have to be made of stone not to appreciate the utter hilarity of this.

"You may go, Cordelia." Cane shook his head as Cordelia sped out of the room like her pants were on fire.

"You knew she wouldn’t last," Evan murmured.

I stared at him with interest.

"Just how many people have you brought in here?" I asked them.

Cane’s jaw tightened. Evan looked away. He shoved his hands in his pockets and studied the floor.

"Oh," I breathed. "That many."

Cane exhaled.

"We are blessed by the Goddess," he began. "It is difficult for shifters to have children. Something about us or our pack, maybe the land, gives us unparalleled success with fertility."

"Extremely difficult," Evan added.

Cane gave him a withering glare, but Evan seemed unrepentant. He shrugged.

"She isn’t wrong, Alpha."

His eyes swept the room, a fond smile on his face as he watched the wolves wreak utter havoc. I followed his gaze but stopped when I noticed a young wolf pup sitting by herself. She was in human form, an adorable little dark-haired girl with wide blue eyes. Our eyes met, and she quickly looked away.

"Who’s that?" I whispered.

Cane stiffened. Sadness flashed in Evan’s eyes.

"Holly. She’s…" He fell silent for a moment. "Different. We aren’t sure what’s going on with her. None of us have been able to bring her around."

My eyes narrowed.

"What does that mean?"

"She’s too quiet. Reserved. Holly rarely plays with others and doesn’t participate in our rituals." Cane growled out the last part.

I failed to see the problem and waited to see if they’d elaborate. When neither offered anything further, I snorted.

"Have any of you asked her?"

Cane and Evan gave each other strange looks before Evan huffed a soft laugh.

"Why no. We haven’t."

He sounded surprised by his admission.

"Figures," I muttered.

Before they could stop me, I waded through the tangles of wrestling wolf pups, gently setting them aside or dodging their wild tumbles before crouching down a few feet away from her.

"May I sit with you for a second?"

Holly stared at me, her big blue eyes wide with surprise. After a moment, she nodded, so I duck-walked over and sat beside her. The girl’s lips twitched at my antics.

I exhaled a deep breath. "This is a lot, isn’t it?"

Her eyes rested on my face.

"It’s busy and loud," she admitted.

"I totally get that."

I glanced over.

"How old are you?"

She held up six fingers. The girl spoke as if she were twice their age.

"Do you come here every day?"

She nodded.

"Are you really tired when you go home?"

Holly nodded again. Her smooth brow furrowed.

"Mom thinks I’m sick."

I stilled.

"Are you?"

She slowly shook her head. "Just tired."

There could be a lot more going on with Holly, but I suspected the poor girl was just introverted. Maybe not a common trait in a shifter pack.

"Do you like to read?"

Her entire face brightened. I chuckled at the sight of it and dug through my purse. Cane and Evan watched me intently, their gazes like a burning brand upon my skin.

"Here."

I handed her a copy of one of my favorite kid’s books—a novel about an awkward middle schooler who constantly got into mischief. Her expression transformed into awe.

"For me?"

I nodded.

"All mine?" she clarified. "To have?"

I nodded again.

Holly stared down at the book and back up at me but quickly looked at the book again.

"Is there an office?"

Without looking at me, she pointed straight ahead. There was a small office at the end of the room with blinds. Perfect.

"Come on."

I helped her up and led her over to the room. She curled her small fingers in mine, and my heart melted. A few moments later, I had Holly tucked onto a small bean bag chair with a book and some paper and crayons I found in a bin.

"I’ll be back in a little while."

Holly didn’t even acknowledge my existence. I chuckled as I showed myself out and walked back over to Cane and Evan.

A long silence fell between us. Cane’s jaw was tight.

"How much?"

I blinked.

"How. Much."

Cane’s eyes gleamed in the artificial light. He was struggling to hold in his emotions.

Evan nudged me. My mind drew a blank for a brief second.

"Do you offer insurance?"

Cane scoffed. I looked around at the chaos, calculated my rent, my bills, my dire need for new shoes, and my dire want for good makeup and bubble bath in my head, and threw out a number. They needed me. We all knew it. I was about to figure out how badly.

"Thirty bucks an hour. No weekends. Overtime approved in advance unless it’s for emergencies. Then I get time and a half. I need a car or transportation."

Cane threw up a hand to stop me. Part of me wondered if he was about to throw me out for being so brazen. It wouldn’t be the first time. Well. The first time in a wolf pack.

"No need. You’ll stay here."

My mouth fell open.

"No. That’s not what—"

"You’ll stay here," he repeated. "I accept. You start tomorrow."

Without another word, he turned and left the room. Evan blew out a low whistle when the door hissed behind him.

"Well. That escalated."

I’ll say.

***

Evan walked ahead of me, jogging over to Cane to tell him something. Just as I was about to head downstairs, a woman coming up shoulder-checked me hard enough to make me stagger. It was the redhead in the crowd from earlier—the one with hostile eyes—sans her posse.

"You’ll stay away from Cane if you know what’s good for you," she hissed in a malevolent tone. "The Alpha is mine."

I raised both hands up.

"Not interested. I’m only here for a job."

Her laugh was harsh.

"No one ever lasts. Especially not a puny human like you."

I didn’t have the heart to tell her I was no puny human. I also wasn’t a pushover.

Smiling, I shrugged.

"I guess we’ll see, won’t we?"