“With all due respect, most of the women who want a place in my bed also want the spot at my side, on my arm, mated for life. Not going to happen.”

  “Has your wolf shown any signs of wanting any woman?” Lucas asked.

  Winter.

  The name echoed around his mind as if his wolf was talking to him at that very second. He didn’t want to have to deal with his wolf at this time. Keeping a lock on his emotions, he instead focused on the man before him.

  “If that’s all, then I’m going to go and do a sweep of the perimeter.”

  “A group of women are celebrating Brian and Amber’s upcoming wedding. They’re planning a trip into town. They’ve asked if they can take a couple of men with them in order to keep them safe.”

  With Winter and Daphne, he’d forgotten about Brian and Amber’s union. Six months ago, they’d declared their mating but also wanted to join their lives together in marriage. For some wolf couples, they were content to just be mates, but Brian and Amber wanted it to be different. He couldn’t blame them, even though he didn’t see the point of it.

  As a mated couple, they were set for life. No reason to make the necessary payments for another one that was only really needed by the church. Still, he wasn’t going to judge anyone.

  “I’ll make all the arrangements to guarantee their safety.” He nodded at Lucas and let him know those were their final words before he took off, running toward the perimeter of the woods. Once he got to the edge, he slowed down his pace and concentrated as he took stock of the fence, breathing in deep to detect any new scents.

  Humans were trying to figure out ways of covering their asses, and so far, they had been unsuccessful, but that didn’t mean they would ever stop trying to fuck with them.

  His thoughts once again drifted to Winter. Did she need the usual crap a woman wanted?

  Flowers?

  He’d never picked flowers for a woman or bought them. Winter wasn’t like other women though, either. He’d observed women. Human and wolf.

  Why did he even give a fuck?

  Like Lucas said, there were plenty of willing women in his own world who would gladly sleep with him. It wasn’t like it was going to be a task for them. Shaking his head, he went back, and by nightfall, he’d checked the perimeter three times with no signs of any damages.

  Seeing no reason to prolong his journey or avoid going home, he started to walk back. As he came to the edge of the woods, he stopped. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a bunch of wildflowers. They were startlingly beautiful. Even though it was night, he had amazing vision.

  Bending down, he picked a handful and then finished the journey home. He hid the flowers behind his back, bidding the guards to leave before he entered his place. The scents of onion, garlic, and tomato were heavy in the air. He breathed them in and went straight to the kitchen where Winter was cooking.

  Baby Daphne was in the high chair while Winter stood at the stove, holding a book in one hand, reading as she stirred a sauce. He noticed it wasn’t too late. Normally, she left him alone for dinner.

  “Evening,” he said, startling her.

  “You’re back.”

  “Yes, and these are for you.” He lifted the wildflowers up for her to inspect.

  “You bought me flowers.”

  “I picked them as a thank you for everything you’re doing for me.”

  “You really didn’t have to do that.”

  “I know. I wanted to.”

  “But, you really didn’t.”

  He smiled. “I know. I guess I wanted to do something nice.” He put the flowers in her hand and bent down to kiss her cheek. “I’m going to go and get ready for dinner.”

  Without waiting for a response, he turned his back and went to take a quick shower. Perhaps he’d overlooked a small thing. He was going to start treating Winter as if she had chosen to be here rather than forced by his hand.

  He’d win her over, get his fill, and then he’d be able to let her go, move on with his life, and not worry about women invading his world again.

  ****

  They were only flowers.

  Hand-picked, not even bought.

  Not that it mattered. She didn’t care.

  Even as they were beautiful, it still didn’t matter. They were just flowers. Nibbling on her nail, she kept on staring at them. Biting her nails was a nasty habit she’d gotten out of many years ago, but it would seem a wolf giving her flowers brought back all the worries and concerns she thought she’d put to bed a long time ago.

  They were just damn flowers.

  It was late, and said problem flora were now a couple of days old. When Rocko had brought them to her, she’d put them in a glass since he didn’t own a vase. The next day, a vase had magically appeared.

  Of course, the next two nights, Rocko hadn’t been around for her to ask him a single thing. Now, she was stuck, alone, with her thoughts, wondering what the hell to do. This wasn’t how her life was supposed to be.

  She didn’t know what her life was actually supposed to be like, but she had a feeling this wasn’t it.

  This is your life. Get used to it.

  The sound of a baby’s screams filled the air.

  Drawing her attention immediately to Daphne, she rushed upstairs. She’d been worried about the little girl all day. She’d woken up in the foulest of moods and that hadn’t improved at all in the past hours. All day, she’d seemed to have a temperature and nothing would settle her.

  “Hello, sweet girl, how are you?”

  She got more screams.

  Touching the baby’s forehead, she frowned. The temperature had spiked.

  “This isn’t good.” She licked her lips, grabbed the thermometer she’d seen with the kit underneath the changing area, and quickly checked. She hated that she couldn’t comfort Daphne. The little girl’s cries grew louder.

  Her temperature was too high. “I need to take you to the hospital. You’re not settling. I don’t like this.” They either needed to take her to the hospital or the doctor needed to come.

  There was no sign of Rocko. He hadn’t been home until late the past couple of nights. It was now close to eight at night. If she waited too long, would it harm Daphne?

  “Crap. What do I do?” He’d given her a specific instruction not to go outside. The guards were waiting.

  His car was also parked outside. She hadn’t driven in a long time. Either way, if she left his home, she’d be breaking his laws. Did it really matter if she had to save Daphne? She truly believed there was something else wrong with her, and the temperature was just one thing. She needed professional help.

  Another scream and a twist in her gut, and she’d had enough. She wasn’t going to put Daphne in danger just because she was afraid. If Rocko killed her for this, then so be it. She wasn’t going to bring any harm to the child.

  Holding on to her, she grabbed the travel bag, which had never been used, and walked right out the door.

  The instant she opened the door, the two guards had guns trained on her.

  “Halt!”

  “Stop right there.”

  “This baby is sick, really sick. I need to take her to the hospital. Now, you can either help me by getting a doctor, or you can let me go. This is Rocko’s child.”

  “Are you delusional?” one of the men asked.

  “Get Rocko. I don’t care. I’m taking her to the hospital.” She took a step to the car and as she did a bullet went off.

  She panicked, freezing in place.

  “Don’t shoot at her,” the other man said.

  “I didn’t, okay? It’s a warning shot.”

  “I’m getting Rocko. Do not move,” the man who hadn’t shot at her said.

  “This baby is in danger. Please.”

  They didn’t listen.

  “Lucas, this is alpha guard one.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “We have a human female here with a child, claiming it’s Rocko’s. Come in. The baby has a high fever.”

  “I didn’t tell you she had a high fever.” She glared as he held his hand up.

  “Please advise on the location of the alpha,” he said.

  “I’ve heard enough. You can shoot me but this baby is innocent and she needs medical care. She could die. A fever is to be taken seriously.” Even with her heart pounding and Daphne’s screams in her ear putting her on edge, she made the decision and started to walk to the car.

  “I suggest you stop or I will shoot you.”

  “I pose you no harm. You’re going to have to rethink that.” She took another step and another. The gun went off.

  Still no pain.

  “The next one will be in your head.”

  “I’m holding a defenseless baby,” she said, screaming over the noise.

  To add insult to injury, it started to rain.

  “I will count down from five, and you will stop.”

  She didn’t stop, opening the car door, and she cursed as she didn’t see a car seat.

  No problem, she would just have to hold her in her arms.

  “Three!”

  She was going to die tonight, protecting another person. She didn’t care. This was the right thing to do.

  “One!”

  No bullet came.

  “I suggest you put your weapons down, gentlemen,” Rocko said. “Leave, now.”

  Winter turned to see Rocko. The light from the house cast him in a very imposing light. He was tall, but she didn’t need to look at him to know how deadly he could be. He wasn’t alone either. One of the men she recognized from her days of being in the prison camp was there, watching her.

  She jumped up into the truck to find no keys.

  Rocko was there at the door. “What are you doing?”

  “She’s sick, Rocko. I’ve got to get her to the hospital, or do you have a doctor here who will treat your daughter?”

  “Your daughter?” the other man asked.

  “If she needs a specialist’s care, I understand. She has a dangerously high temperature and she hasn’t been right all day.”

  “Move over,” Rocko said. “I’ll take you to the hospital. Lucas, get in the back. No questions.”

  Shuffling across the seats, she held Daphne, even as her whimpers never ceased. Her head pounded and she felt sick to her stomach, but as they pulled out of the driveway and were headed toward the hospital, she took a deep breath. They were doing the right thing.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart. We’re going to find out what is wrong with you, and then we’re going to make it all better.”

  Another scream.

  “I know. I know.” She bent down and kissed her head. “I’ve got you, sweetheart. I’ve got you.”

  Lucas and Rocko didn’t talk. They didn’t even look at each other. Their silence filled the air and she knew there was a tension she didn’t understand.

  Why were they so surprised at the thought of him having a child? What was she missing? Unless he couldn’t have a child, or there was some kind of error in what he’d told her.

  Pushing all of her questions out of her mind, she focused on the journey, keeping Daphne safe in her arms and waiting for whatever he decided to do with her for disobeying his instructions. He could kill her. He hadn’t made it a secret he’d killed many humans.

  She’d be one in a long line of them.

  Did she want to die?

  No, there were a lot of things she wanted to experience in life. Being happy, falling in love, sex, having a family. All of them were ideals she wanted.

  Again, she focused on the baby in her arms. This was her only future right now. Taking care of this little one and making sure she lived this through to become a toddler.

  Arriving at the hospital, she didn’t hesitate. She jumped out of the truck and rushed into the hospital, going to the main reception.

  “I need a doctor. She’s sick, really sick.”

  A couple of nurses who’d been at the main desk came forward. “What seems to be the problem?”

  She told them of the day, of her being upset and nothing seeming to soothe her, followed by the fever, and the last temperature check.

  “We’ll take care of your baby. We’re going to need to have a look at her.”

  She hated as they took her from her arms, as another doctor, a female one, came toward her. “Any history we need to know about?”

  It all went by in a blur, especially as Rocko put a hand on her shoulder. “Nothing. She’s been perfectly healthy. Please, just fix her.”

  He didn’t mention being a wolf or anything else. Was Daphne really his child?

  Tears filled her eyes. She didn’t want to worry, but they’d taken Daphne and she’d been told to wait.

  She wanted her baby back in her arms, and that was crazy, but she loved Daphne as if she was her own.

  Chapter Six

  Winter had excused herself to go to the bathroom, leaving Rocko alone with Lucas.

  “That kid isn’t yours,” he said.

  “I know.”

  “That woman thinks it’s yours.”

  “I know.”

  “Okay, I’m a little confused. Did you steal a kid to impress this woman? Is that the one you’re wanting?”

  “Drop it.”

  “It’s kind of hard to drop anything when I’m looking right at this bombshell.”

  “There’s nothing to think about.” He wasn’t going to get into this, not in the hospital.

  “She’s not your kid. We all have high fevers as children.”

  “They’re not fevers if our body is at a naturally higher temperature. Just drop this.”

  “I’m not going to drop this, Rocko.”

  “It’s Alpha to you.”

  “Not in here. I know you. You care about that woman and that kid, especially if you’re willing to risk your life by coming here. We both know this isn’t the place for you, or us.”

  “I know that, so why don’t you stop acting like a beta, and just sit there as a concerned friend? Blend in.”

  They were forever in danger. Some humans had been able to accept wolves into their society, and then of course, there were those who wanted to hunt to kill. He’d lived most of his life surrounded by the ones who wanted to kill him. Except for his nanny. Winter was a breath of fresh air and so far the only exception.

  Being in the hospital exposed them. They were still deadlier than their opponents but bullet holes fucking hurt a lot, and of course there were some wounds they couldn’t heal from, like one in the head or the heart.

  “Just let me understand this. There’s going to be a shit load of questions when we get back home.”

  He sighed. “The baby isn’t mine, but Winter doesn’t know that. A few months ago, when we didn’t take any prisoners and we wiped out the campground of the men, I stumbled on a woman. She’d been shot and was dying. She wasn’t going to survive but she’d given birth. She begged me to take care of her. I couldn’t walk away and there was no way I would kill a harmless child. I took her. I had every intention of getting rid of her, but it didn’t happen. We got word of the attack, and then Winter was there, and she wasn’t like any of her people. I figured she’d be the nanny I needed.”

  “And she’s the woman you want to fuck,” Lucas said. “In all honesty, I thought you had.”

  “Don’t speak about her like that,” he said. His wolf didn’t like it.

  Fuck his wolf, he didn’t like it.

  Lucas’s brow went up. “I hear him, Alpha. You know what that means?”

  “I know it means you need to shut the fuck up. She doesn’t know the baby isn’t mine. I want it to stay that way.”

  “She’s going to find out.”

  “I don’t care.”

  Winter returned and he stood. She’d been crying. “Sorry. I’m a mess.” She sat down beside him. “Are you going to … kill me now?”

  “Why would I kill you?”

  “I disobeyed you. You told me not to leave the house.”

  “I think we can overlook that with everything.” They had yet to hear from the doctor. He didn’t like how long it was taking them.

  “I was so worried. I didn’t think it was anything. She was off her food all day, and she cried a lot, and then her temperature just spiked, and I panicked. I’m not an expert on baby health.” She ran her fingers through her hair.

  He took hold of her hand, locking their fingers together in an effort to try to reassure her, not that he felt it was working. “It’s fine.”

  “You’re not going to kill me?”

  “No.”

  Lucas snorted.

  “Why were the guards so surprised?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They didn’t believe me about the baby being yours. They must have known your mate.”

  He felt Lucas’s judgment, but rather than falling for it, he ignored him. “I’m a private person and so was my mate.”

  Why continue with the lie? He didn’t see any reason to. If she knew the truth, would it really matter? He’d used his title to gain her fear so she wouldn’t harm the child, and she hadn’t. She was nothing like the people he’d once known.

  “Mr. and Mrs. East,” a woman said, calling out their names.

  “She thinks we’re married.”

  “Just go along with this, please.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Just do it,” he said, taking her hand as the doctor approached.

  “Hi, I’m Doctor Sanders.”

  “How is Daphne?” Winter asked. “I’m so sorry I didn’t bring her in sooner.”

  “Daphne is going to be fine. We want to keep her in overnight to keep an eye on her. She has a virus…”

  Rocko kissed Winter’s head as the doctor went into detail about what she’d done. None of the wolf babies ever suffered from any ailment. Their health was usually the best, even if they were weaker as children before the first full moon change.

  “I’m afraid we don’t have any spare beds. I will keep an eye on Daphne, and in the morning, if she is still showing signs of improving, we can discharge her, and I will prescribe you the medication you need to treat her at home.”

  “Can’t I stay with her?”

 

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