Page 3 of Her Big Bad Wolf
We all respected their personal time outside of his office hours. Everyone made an effort to only bother the Alpha and Pack Mother with absolute emergencies. But after years of feeling lost, I suddenly knew my calling and it felt like a pretty big emergency to me.
When I’d gotten to their house and banged on the door, Kelsey had answered looking startled and more than a little surprised to see me.
“Vanessa? Is everything okay? We were just finishing up dinner here.”
“I’m sorry. I just don’t think this can wait.”
“Kyle. Something’s wrong. Come on in, Vanessa.”
“Vanessa?” he asked.
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m sorry. It’s just that I know what this Pack needs more than anything.”
They had two small pups themselves. Couldn’t they use an extra hand for a few hours to manage all the responsibilities of their jobs?
The more I thought about it, the more I was positive this was exactly what we needed.
“What?” Kelsey asked.
There was a touch of humor in her voice. I suspected my own excitement was becoming contagious.
“A daycare and preschool for the Pack. I think it should be free and funded by the Pack just like the school. And I want to be the one to run it.”
The two of them shared a look. The glassiness of their eyes told me they were discussing it through their telepathic connection. Only fully bonded mates could do that. And I knew in my heart that Kyle and I would never have had that level of intimacy. He had made the right choice in going after his one true mate.
“This really couldn’t have waited until tomorrow?”
“I’m so sorry. I know better, but I was sitting in Pino’s having dinner as I overheard some moms discussing the hardships of mom-life and it just hit me. You both know I’ve been struggling to find my place in the Pack since, well, youknow.” I didn’t want to say,since you decided to ditch me and take Kelsey as a mate instead,but we all knew it.
Mary Westin had all but promised me the Pack Mother position. Though I knew now, I wasn’t the only one to think that. Still, it had seemed to hit me the hardest. Christine had landed a lucrative job with Westin Foundation. She actually replaced Kelsey there. But I had floundered, no longer having a purpose in the Pack.
“There’s a need, Kyle. I could fill that need.”
“She’s not wrong. Just today I had a meeting and no one to watch Jason. He was very crabby and I felt bad for having to reschedule. Even I could use a hand with the kids every now and then.”
I nodded my head. “See. This is a great idea. I want to fill this need, you guys.”
Kyle nodded. “Okay. I don’t know if we can pull Pack funds to fully cover something like this, but I’ll schedule a meeting with Liam to go over some numbers and see.”
“That’s all I’m asking.”
“You’ll need a building.”
I grinned. “I already know the perfect place!”
That excitement that I had felt back then stayed with me all these years. I loved what I did. I loved the children of Westin Pack and I was so proud of each and every one of them that graduated out of my preschool program and confidently moved on to elementary school. It gave me a purpose in life and made me feel like a valued part of the Pack.
As I sat there staring at my building almost a decade later, I knew in my heart that I loved every single one of those kids I had ever had the privilege to care for, including the Baylor boys.
I started to leave, seeing no signs of them, but something told me to go inside.
The second I opened the door, I heard the rustle and hushed whispers. My accelerated wolf hearing perked up.
“Someone’s here. Hide!” Mason ordered.
“We have to go,” Noah said. “Run.”
Cam whimpered.
