Page 30 of The Wolf King's Demand

As much as she loved her family, the fact that she couldn’t shift had always been a thorn in her side. She was teased and ridiculed by outsiders. She and her sisters defended each other loyally, but there was always an ache somewhere deep inside that she would never be enough.

That ache had finally been filled by Tyler. For the first time, she was enough. Not even just enough … he made her feel like she was perfect. Her big, strong wolf shifter mate thought she was perfect with no power of her own to speak of.

And she really loved him for it.

EIGHTEEN

TYLER

They decided to work together the next morning to find out more about the benefactor behind the bounty. He had a desk brought into his office for Addison. She was as much a part of the search now as he was. The children were sent outside with trusted castle staff in the meantime.

It brought him no small amount of delight to have her so close, even if it distracted his wolf. He loved looking up from his work to see her hyper-fixated on her computer. At one point, when he looked at her, he saw her expression brighten suddenly.

“What is it?” he asked.

She grinned at him. “Louis just texted me, and he told me he couldn’t find anything bad on Letitia. It looks like we have a new nanny. Maybe we can let Coraline get back to her life from babysitting duty now.”

Tyler smiled. “I’m glad. Though I have been thinking, all those children seem like a lot for one woman to handle. And we intend to add even more.”

Addison nodded. “One or two children would be a lot to handle on your own anytime. Maybe I can ask to see if any of the other refugee women would be willing to help out.”

“Or perhaps we could ask one we know a bit better,” Tyler suggested.

She furrowed her brow. “Why not one of the refugees?”

“It’s not that I don’t trust them. It’s simply that I’d like to have someone I know around them. It isn’t easy to find information on these women from the camp. I’d be more comfortable with at least one who we know is loyal to the royal family.”

Addison considered this for a moment before nodding. “That’s fair. I’ll tell Louis to find someone we know to help out Letitia. I’m sure she’ll appreciate someone who she can take shifts with. I can ask Coraline if she minds being a backup as needed, too, but I know she doesn’t want to stop working in the kitchen altogether.”

They continued working for another hour before it was lunchtime. They’d already promised the children that they’d eat with them, and frankly, Tyler was grateful for the break.

Lunch was served in one of the less formal dining rooms this time, as Coraline only had a little time to prepare the meal in between entertaining the kids. The children all tried to talk at once to them, telling them about what they had done that day or showing off a rock one of them had found. One of the little girls had drawn a picture for Addison.

Of course, his mate gushed about how cute the picture was. Now, all the kids were promising to make them both pictures. Tyler would frame each and every one of them.

When lunch was finished, Addison made an announcement. “Kids, we’ve decided to take you on a tour of the school this afternoon.”

Cassia wrinkled her nose. “School? Why are you taking us to see a school?”

Addison chuckled. “Because someday you’ll all need to go. It’s important to know all about the world around you and how it works. Plus, this way, you’ll know what you’re getting into before you go.”

And so the two of them herded all the children together and escorted them to the school. There were several loud gasps as the kids took in the building with awe.

“Do you see?” Addison asked gently. “There’s nothing to be afraid of here. You’ll get to learn a lot.”

“And maybe you’ll even become as smart as Addison,” Tyler added with a grin.

She scoffed, but a faint blush tinted her cheeks.

After that, the kids were all excited to start school. They even talked about playing a game of school when they got back to the palace.

As they stepped out of the car later, Tyler got a call. He checked the ID while Addison led the kids into the palace.

It was Anton. If his tracker was calling him, it meant he had more information. His wolf growled in anticipation.

Tyler answered. “What have you got?”

“I’ve been keeping my ear to the ground with the rogue camps, and today, I finally heard something useful. Someone had just come from Windwood, where they claimed to have met with the benefactor. A male.”

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