Page 38 of Alpha Wolf's Nanny
Then it was just the two of them.
Felix turned his gaze back to Cassie, who hadn’t moved. Her arms were wound around herself, and there was a faint red scrape along her collarbone where Rick’s claws must have grazed her.
His chest tightened.
“Cassie,” he said, softer now. “It’s alright. You’re safe.”
She didn’t answer. But she didn’t run either.
That was something.
He sat fully, wincing as his shoulder pulled. The silence stretched between them, broken only by the wind in the trees.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said quietly. “You don’t have to talk. You don’t have to look at me. I just…I need you to know that I’m staying. As long as you want me here.”
Her eyes flicked toward him.
“You’re bleeding,” she said softly.
“I’ve had worse,” he replied, his voice rough but steady.
“I have a first aid kit,” she offered, motioning to her pack. “It’s got antiseptic. Bandages.”
Felix shook his head, the motion slow, controlled. “I’ll heal on my own. Fast. A few hours and it’ll be closed up.”
“It still looks painful,” she muttered. “Just because it’ll heal doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”
He didn’t answer at first. The truth was, it did hurt, but not half as much as seeing fear in her eyes when she looked at him.
She stared into the fire for a while, her fingers still curled around her mug, then glanced sideways at him again.
“Was it Rick? Who…injured you?” she asked. Her voice was low, wary, like she was afraid of the answer.
“Yes.”
She nodded, the movement small, her jaw tightening, “But, you’re his alpha? Surely, he wouldn’t—”
“That’s not how shifter packs work,” he interrupted, narrowing his eyes. God, she really knew nothing. “Arguments are settled with teeth. And if I’m not strong, if I’m seen to be…easily overcome…I lose respect. And that is as good as death for an alpha.”
“And me?” Cassie asked, her voice small. “Are scores with humans normally settled with such…violence?”
Felix exhaled slowly, his fingers curling into the blanket at his waist. “Not when unprovoked.”
“But I didn’t provoke him.”
He settled back against a tree, considering his words. “You trespassed. Humans are forbidden in our Grove. Always have been. He was within his rights to attack.”
“So that’s it?” she asked, voice trembling. “That’s the whole reason? I walked somewhere I shouldn’t, so I deserved to die?”
“It’s not about deserving anything,” Felix said tightly. “It’s about instinct. Law. The pack’s survival. Our Grove is protected by tradition and blood. For centuries, it’s been off-limits to outsiders. Rick was enforcing those boundaries.”
She stared at him for a moment, searching his face. “So…if you hadn’t shown up, he would’ve gone through with it.”
“Maybe.”
She looked down, hugging her arms around herself. “That’s insane.”
Felix’s jaw clenched. “It’s not insane. It’s our way.”
