The Alpha's Nanny (The Nannies Book 6), page 8
Brian returned to help them.
He knew Lucas was right. This attack was on their land, in their town, and it had killed some of them.
“How is Amber?” Rocko asked.
“Devastated. The doctor said … even a transition wouldn’t grow her leg back.”
Their wolves were amazing but not miracle workers.
“Tell me we’re going to make them pay?” Brian asked, spitting out each word. “I want to watch each and every one of them bleed.”
“We will.”
“I revoke my invite to your woman and kid,” Brian said. “It will be too much for Amber to see them.”
“Your wedding is still taking place?”
“Nothing on this earth is going to stop me from loving my woman. I love her more than anything and I’m going to protect her with my life. She doesn’t think I’m going to want her but I’ll prove differently to her.”
As the alpha, he could deny Brian’s request, but he wasn’t going to. Brian was clearly hurting and he wasn’t going to do anything to add to that. So, rather than continue to put his pack through any kind of pain, he made a decision about Daphne and Winter.
****
“I’ll be back each night to check on you,” Rocko said.
Winter wasn’t a fool. She knew what this was. “You’ve brought us to a hotel room.”
“For your own safety.”
She stroked Daphne’s back and turned in a full circle to look at him. Her face still hurt and the doctor had followed him to the hotel room.
“I need to deal with your wounds,” the doctor said.
“I can go to a hospital,” she said. “You don’t need to deal with them.”
The doctor looked at Rocko.
“Let me take Daphne. I’ll leave you two in peace.” He closed the door behind him, leaving her with a doctor she really didn’t know.
“He means well,” he said.
“I know.”
She noticed several times as the doctor worked on removing some of the glass from her face and neck that his jaw tensed. “You don’t like me, do you?”
“You stink of the alpha.”
“That gives you a reason to hate me?”
“No, what your people did tonight, killing us, that is a reason I hate you. I need to see where else there’s glass.”
She nodded and slowly eased her shirt up over her head. Some glass was in her arm and near her chest as well.
“Does it hurt?”
“A little.”
He didn’t say anything.
She hated the silence. “I didn’t know about the attack if that’s what you’re wondering. I want nothing to do with all of this pain.” She sniffled. Tears filled her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m trying not to hurt you.”
“It’s not the glass, just the death. The pain. I’m really sorry for what they did.”
“Even though it’s not your fault?” he asked.
“You blame me though, don’t you? You all need to blame someone and seeing as I can’t turn into a wolf, it’s me.”
“Why don’t you hate us?”
“I’ve got no reason to hate you.”
“We put you in a prison.”
“As you say, my people put me in a prison because I didn’t do what they wanted.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.”
He smiled. “You’re pissed.”
“No, not really. Just angry and upset. I saw the pain and heard their cries. I don’t know what the world is coming to. Thank you for treating me. It must be hard for you to do, especially after treating the wounds of your friends. I really am sorry.”
“You’re nothing like them.”
“I know.” She sighed, glancing toward the door. “He brought me here for my own protection and Daphne’s, didn’t he?”
“The pack is tense right now. We need to right this wrong sooner rather than later.”
“And there’s a risk I’ll get caught in the crossfire.”
“There is always a risk of what could happen.”
She nodded. What more was there to say?
She stayed silent while the doctor attended to her wounds. He removed shards of glass, put Band-Aids where they were needed, and patched her up, cleaning up any other damage.
The doctor left and in walked Rocko, holding Daphne. The hotel room he’d gotten them had one bedroom and he’d brought a crib along with him.
“I’m not going back to living with you, am I?”
“No,” he said.
“Wow, I go from prisoner, to prisoner, to nanny, to what, mommy, now?”
“I … I’ve got some money and I’ve wired it into your account. I found all of your details. Tomorrow, I want you to start looking for a place to stay.”
“Do you really think I can stay close to you? They’ll find me.”
“I’m going to make sure you’re protected at all times.”
“Rocko, stop,” she said.
“No. I’m not going to stop. This, between us, it isn’t over. You know it and so do I. I’m not the one saying for us to finish.” He stepped up to her, tilting her head back with a finger beneath her chin. “Look at what happened tonight. That’s not good.”
“I know.”
“How can you not be worried about everything going on?”
“I am worried, Winter. It’s why you’re going to stay here while I go and take care of everything else.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. She groaned and he kissed her again. “Do you have any idea what I want to do to you right now?” he asked.
“No.”
“I want to strip you naked, throw you to the bed, and eat your pussy. Only when you’ve come multiple times do I then want to slide in deep and fuck you hard, making you scream my name.” He groaned this time.
She put her hands on his shoulders, holding on to him.
“We can’t do that tonight,” she said, even though she wanted to. She couldn’t think of another reason for them not to be together, apart from the obvious. She was tired of fighting with him though. There was no point to keep on arguing with him.
“I better go.”
“Yeah, you had.”
“I don’t want to leave you.” He stroked some hair behind her ear, and she pressed her face against his palm, wanting his touch. “I’ll be here.”
He took possession of her mouth. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He kissed her again and she watched him leave.
Once the door was closed, she threw the locks into place and stepped back. Daphne made a sound and she was happy for the distraction.
“Hello, beautiful girl. It’s just you and me.” She lifted the little girl out of the crib and held her tightly. “We’re going to be okay.”
She didn’t believe a word she was saying. If his pack didn’t want them around right now, then there was going to come a point when he would have to make a choice, and he clearly didn’t see that.
It would be her and Daphne, or the pack.
Kissing Daphne’s head, she made her way into the shower room. “Let’s take a bath, and then we can get some sleep. It sounds like a plan to me.”
Running the water into the tub, she couldn’t remember a time she had ever felt this lonely.
Chapter Nine
Returning to his home, Rocko helped wherever he could. Help fixing fences, he was there; repairing windows, he was there. With each hour that passed, the anger within his pack built to a fever pitch. They wanted revenge, justice, and above all, they wanted payback.
“They want to go hunting,” Lucas said, coming to him.
“I know.”
“Are you going to talk to the man we’ve locked up?”
He’d forgotten about the man he’d captured in light of everything. He wanted to be alone with Winter, not here with the pack. Fuck, his priorities were all over the place.
“Yes.” The pack had to come first. Not his personal needs. The pack. They would always be first. Taking the lead, he headed toward where his captive was bound. The man was chained up and it looked like some of his men had also been in to hurt him.
“Have you come to kill me now?” he asked.
“These were in his possession,” Lucas said, pointing to a table that held a wallet, some keys, and gum.
Picking up the wallet, he opened it up. “Peter,” he said. “Hello, Peter.”
“Fuck you.”
“Your operation, it was fast.”
“Look, we know how to save ourselves, okay? We know you all fall for the border trick. You got this place locked up so tight it was easy to manipulate you.”
“How did you know where to find us?”
“I’m not telling you shit.”
Rocko sat down on the edge of the table and looked at the man. “You’re chained up. Completely at our mercy. I’ve got all day, all week. You think I haven’t been through this before? Ten times? A hundred times? A thousand times?”
“I don’t give a shit what you’ve been through,” Peter said. “All of your kind needs to be exterminated.”
“Exterminated is a strong word.”
“It is and it’s what you need.”
He laughed. “Of course. You know what I need and I’m sure you know what everyone else needs as well.”
“For you all to die. It’s what is needed. You’re vermin,” Peter said.
Lucas hit out, punching him hard.
Rocko grabbed him, hauling him back. “No,” he said.
“Kill him.”
“No.”
“You’re going to kill me anyway. You think this is going to be the only time? No. We’re going to make your prisoners strong and come back, taking you out one by one.”
“So you’ve got a plan.”
“Can I talk to you outside?” Lucas asked.
He didn’t want to talk to his man, but seeing as he had no choice, he took the lead once again.
“Kill him,” Lucas said the moment they were outside.
“Kill him, and then what?”
“Then we fucking deal with everything else like we agreed. We rebuild, we make our defenses stronger.”
Rocko folded his arms. “And you think we’re going to be strong enough before they come back?”
“We can do this.”
“No, we can’t, and you want to know why we can’t? They were able to get through and had some kind of fucking gas, Lucas. We kill him, and we’re no closer to being safe. You heard him. They’re going to come back.”
“And we’ll be ready for them.”
“Yeah? I saw you struggle through the fog and haze. Most of our pack were fallen for a few minutes. That’s all it takes, a couple of minutes for them to shoot us one by one. We’ve got to be smart. I’m the fucking alpha.”
“Well, maybe it’s time for you to move aside,” Lucas said.
“What did you say to me?”
“You heard me. Being around human women has clearly fucked with your head. I didn’t believe the pack, but they have made you weak.”
Rocko stepped up to his man. “You want to overthrow me?”
“There’s a chance we won’t need you soon. We all want you gone.”
He nodded. “Of course.” He stepped back into the room and looked at Peter. The man laughed.
“You’re all going to be dead soon.”
“Where’s your camp?”
“I’m not telling you shit.”
Rocko stared at him and knew he wasn’t wanted here. His pack, the anger, the betrayal, it flooded their core, and he was the cause because he’d saved a human child and had taken a human woman to bed. He’d been blinded by his need to be alpha, not realizing they no longer wanted him here. They were done with him, and it was time for him to recognize that.
Leaving the building with Peter calling after him, he saw Lucas was there. Behind him, Rocko noted the men and women all lined up, ready to stand beside him.
He was no longer welcome, their anger and revulsion clear to see. They were through with him, and he was the fool not to have realized it. Without another look at anyone else, he started to walk away.
“Where are you going?” Lucas asked.
He turned on his heel and looked at him. “I’m no longer needed here, so I might as well go and deal with someone else who needs me.”
The sun was already coming up.
“You’re picking her over us?” Lucas asked. “A quick fuck?”
“No, I’m picking logic over this. You’re all angry and I get that. You think I don’t want to make them pay, but I do. Killing him won’t save any of you. They’re coming back, but if you’re not willing to listen to reason, then I’m no longer required here.” He shrugged. There was no point in him arguing continuously.
“There was a time you’d have killed him and took the fight to him,” Brian said. “The woman has made you weak and so has the child. You should have killed them both.”
Rocko turned to Brian. “You’re right. There was a time I’d have done exactly that, but I would have weighed my options. They have a gas that will debilitate us. Kill us one by one. I’m not going to lead us into a fight we can’t win. If that makes me weak, then I accept it.”
He didn’t stay to argue or fight. He was done.
After climbing into his truck, he started toward the hotel. With the distance between them expanding, he felt the pressure in his chest ease. He didn’t like leaving them, but for now, their path for war wasn’t the right one.
He had no doubt Peter would be dead, and he needed to keep Winter and Daphne safe.
There was a safe house he intended to take them to. It was several miles away, off the grid, and as far away from his pack and civilization as possible.
Arriving at the hotel, he got there in time to see Winter and Daphne leaving the room. She looked completely swamped with all the baby stuff, and so adorable.
Climbing out of his truck, he took the bag from her.
“Get in the truck. I’ll be down in a minute.” He’d already settled the bill for the night. He grabbed the crib and a couple of the other bags he’d been able to bring, and headed back to the truck.
She was strapped in, holding Daphne in her arms.
He secured the crib in place, tossed the bags into the back, and climbed back into the front, behind the wheel.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“I’m taking you to a safe place.” He pulled out of the parking lot and drove.
“What’s going on with the pack?”
“It’s nothing for you to worry about,” he said.
“Your pack was attacked tonight.”
“I know.”
“Why aren’t you helping them?” she asked.
“They don’t want my help.” He gritted his teeth, not liking how that hurt.
“Why not?”
“Because they don’t. They would rather rot away than accept my help,” he said, annoyed with them.
“Rot away? You’re not making any sense.” She frowned.
“I know.”
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Simple. The pack believes that you two have made me weak. That you’ve in some way ruined my ability to think logically, especially when it comes to the matter of dealing in war with the humans.”
“But that’s nonsense,” she said.
“I know that.”
“I don’t understand.”
“There’s nothing for you to understand,” he said.
“How is there nothing for me to understand? You’re here with me rather than being with your pack.”
“I’m not going to argue with you.”
“Surely you know that’s wrong?” she asked.
“I know what I know.” He didn’t want to think about what happened. His pack, they had ruled against him. They’d cast him out in anger. They wanted to follow their own rules, and he was going to let them. “I’m going to take care of you. Keep you and Daphne out of the line of fire. It’s what you need.”
“Rocko, we would be fine.”
“And now you’re going to be more than fine. I’ll take care of you. I can protect you.” He gripped the steering wheel even tighter. He wasn’t going to let them down.
****
Two days later
The safe house Rocko had brought them to was a beautiful cabin in the middle of nowhere near a small lake, surrounded by trees. There was no electricity, but the supplies were all in place from gas lights to candles. The stove was heated by logs. There were two rooms. He’d put the crib in one room, and they’d slept in the other room.
She knew he was distracted.
She put Daphne down for her afternoon nap, pulled on a cardigan, and looked out to see Rocko with no shirt, once again, chopping wood. He spent most of his days chopping wood.
They didn’t need to worry about food as they had an abundant supply, and Rocko had also stopped off at a supermarket to get whatever else they needed for a prolonged stay. They’d barely spent any time together. Watching him now, she wondered what was going through his mind.
She made him a cup of coffee and made her way outside.
“You need to go back inside,” he said.
“You’ve been gathering wood and chopping logs for two days now. We’ve got enough. You need to rest.”
“I need to think.”
“You can’t do either of that while you don’t rest and you know I’m right.”
She held out the coffee.
“I failed them,” he said.
“No, you didn’t.”
“I should have realized it was a trap but I was more interested in getting to you.”
“Now you’re saying it’s my fault?”
“No.” He growled. He took the coffee from her and she watched him take a sip.
“You think I’m the cause of what happened?” she asked.
“I don’t.”
“If I was the person to distract you, then that is exactly what you’re saying.”
“You’re putting words in my mouth.”
“No, I’m not.”
“I don’t want to argue with you.”
“Good, let’s not argue.”
“Shouldn’t you be dealing with Daphne?” he asked.
“She’s down for the next couple of hours. She needs lots of—” She didn’t get to finish as within seconds, she was in his arms. His lips had slammed down on hers.
