Page 61 of Bully Wolf's Nanny
Francesca finished reading with a flourish, tossing her hair over her shoulder and letting out another chiming laugh. “I mean,really, Daisy. I’ve got to hand it to you, you certainly managed to keep it hidden for a long time. But reading this, it’ssoobvious. I’m astonished Nicolas hasn’t worked it out yet, but then again, that’s men for you. Always so terrible at really seeing what’s right in front of their faces. And he thinks he’s so clever.’”
She scoffed, rising to her feet, pacing in front of the fire, “But he didn’t work you out. What a conniving little bitch you truly are. What was it you wanted, money? A lovely house to live in?”
“I wasn’t…I didn’t…that’snot—"
“It hardly matters,” Francesca interrupted, “and I don’t particularly care. Because your little charade ends here and now, do you understand me?”
Daisy couldn’t speak. Couldn’t formulate words, could barely even bring two thoughts together. There was no way this was happening. Thiscouldn’tbe happening. It wasn’t real. It was just a bad dream. It had to be.
“I do admit, I’m curious why you never told him. Were you waiting for him to accept Thea? To get closer with her so that when you finally confessed, he wouldn’t throw her out like the trash she is?”
Daisy’s wolf reared in anger and against her will a ferocious growl erupted from her lips. Horrified, she clapped her hands over her mouth, her eyes widening.
She had never growled at anybody before.Never.
Francesca didn’t look scared. If anything, a vindicated smirk curled over her lips. “You’re just as bad as he is. Oh, you try and hide behind this little miss perfect routine, but underneath it all you’re just as savage. God, Ihopethe government finally comes to its senses and puts you people into cages. We’d all be better off if shifters were wiped from the face of the planet.”
“Is that why you waltz around wearing pheromone perfume,” Daisy bit back, unable to stop herself, “because youhateshifters so much?”
Francesca’s eyes darkened. “Watch your mouth, you little bitch.”
“No! How dare you insult me, insultNicolas, when all you want to do is cozy up to whatever shifter alpha will have you. Nicolas, Felix, even Dane.”
“Shut up!”
“You seem so preoccupied with why I’m here, with my life, but what about you, Francesca? Why did you come back after all this time?”
“You know that,” Francesca replied, her voice pure venom, “I was in a toxic relationship, and Gracie wasn’tsafe—"
“A toxic enough relationship that Nicolas Accardi, literalbillionaire, couldn’t have protected you?”
“I didn’t want him to get into trouble! If he knew what that man was doing to me…”
“He’s a shifter! The laws don’t work the same for him! If he thought that his child, and the mother, were in danger, then he could have done whatever he liked! Nobody would have stopped him, and he wouldn’t have been in trouble at all!”
“So what, you expect me to have good judgment while I was being abused? That’s awful, Daisy, even for you.”
“You handed Gracie over to him, didn’t you,” Daisy replied, fists clenched, “in person?”
“What the fuck does that have to do with anything?”
“You saw him in person when you gave him Gracie?”
“Yes, of course I did. I know you don’t think much of me as a mother, but of course, I made sure he got our daughter safely.”
“And I assume you were in this abusive relationship at the time?”
“Yes, my ex was waiting at home to give me a fresh beating.”
“Nicolas would have smelled it.”
“What?” Francesca spat.
“He would have smelled it. Your injuries. Your fear.”
Francesca opened her mouth to spit out some other retort, but the words died on her lips.
“Alphas bond with their young, even when they don’t know it. If you were being abused, Nicolas would have smelled the danger on you. He would have been aware of it, because it meant Gracie was in danger. He wouldn’t have been able to ignore it.”
