Chapter 14
Dex. Pov.
"Dex, what's wrong with you?" Lucy asks and pauses the movie we are watching. "You've been absent all evening. Is there something wrong with the pack?" She looks at me worriedly, and I suppress a deep sigh.
She's right. Since I saw my mate, I can't think about anything else. Drake and I were initially happy and relieved when it became clear that we had met our mate. But that relief quickly disappeared when it dawned on me that she is human. Not only that, but even worse, she already has someone else's child. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, but when I thought about my future, I saw a different picture.
I have no idea what movie we are watching; all I can think about is her. And to Lucy, I don't want to hurt her. Yesterday, we discussed when we were going to announce that I would take her as my chosen mate and that that automatically meant that she would become the Luna of the pack. And now I have to tell her that I have met my fated mate after all.
And if that isn't painful enough for her, it's someone she already considers a dear friend. She has only known her for a short time but has already taken her to her heart.
"Stop whining and tell her." Drake interrupts my thoughts.
But I can't, I just can't bring myself to break her heart. Not until I'm not sure what I'm going to do.
Drake remains silent. He also has his doubts. He doesn't think the fact that she is a single mom is the worst thing, but the fact that she is human makes him reluctant. Even though she knows about us and has been mated to a wolf before, it doesn't matter. In his eyes, she could still be a danger to our pack, to our species. What if we start a second war with humans? Just when people have forgotten us? All that work done by our ancestors to ensure that our species were no longer hunted would have been for nothing.
But a voice in the back of my mind, which isn't Drake's, can't help but reason that the moon goddess wouldn't give me a human mate if our being together was a danger. If it meant a second war.
"Hello?! Dex?!" Lucy's voice snaps me out of my train of thought. Her facial expression is both concerned and irritated.
"I'm sorry, it was a busy day today." I apologize with a small smile. Her look is suspicious. "Problems with one of the human employees. Nothing to worry about." I try to convince her. To reinforce my lie, I kiss her forehead.
Lilly pov.
After meeting Bryce, Bruce took me home. Although I loved being away for a while, not being a mother for a while, but just Lilly, I am happy when I am back. Not because it was such a bad non-date, but because I'm happy to have Claire close to me again. So it's true, as a mother you sometimes long for a moment for yourself, but you also can't do without them. I chuckle softly at my own thoughts as I look at my sleeping girl. Would she have noticed I was gone? I ask myself as I gently stroke her cheek. I'm getting ready to go to sleep.
As I lie under the soft, warm covers, I can't help but think of Bruce. Not because of the fact that he is such a sweet man or that I feel sorry for him because his mate has left him in such a state that he is doomed to a mateless life.
No, my slutty brain is thinking about his body. The glimpses I saw just before he turned into a big hairy beast. His muscular arms, his trained stomach. Even though no one can see me, I feel my cheeks heating up as I remember the grin on his face when he saw me watching him.
Before I think about it, I wonder if Dex's body also looks as good. That almost has to be, he is the Alpha, the most powerful man in the pack. I think back to this afternoon, to those muscles that were clearly visible through his suit. My thoughts go back even further, to the day I arrived here. Bruce also looked incredibly sexy in his suit back then. I don't know why, but a man in a suit is somehow irresistible. Although, shirtless Bruce is a sight to behold.
After much tossing and turning and beating myself up for my train of thought, I finally fall asleep.
I am woken up far too early by the alarm clock. I get up reluctantly. I'd rather turn over and snooze the alarm a few times; only then is Claire guaranteed to wake up, and I'd rather let her sleep a little longer. So that I can wake up decently.
Getting up early is terrible, but my dissatisfaction quickly turns into enthusiasm when I remind myself that it is for a good cause. My new job. A smile appears on my face when I think back to yesterday. How much fun the kids were, and how much Claire seemed to enjoy it.
Lucy is in the kitchen earlier than agreed. "Yeah, I thought you might need some help. Since you never had to leave the house early with Claire." She says a bit guiltily when she sees that I'm almost ready to go. "That's sweet of you," I say, smiling. "But as you can see, it's working out quite well." She nods.
It is a good thing that we are a little earlier again today. While Lucy goes to daycare with Claire, Alana puts me in the system so that I can go in without Lucy.
It's taking longer than expected because she has to fill in so much information and because Lucy hasn't put my contract in the system yet.
When I enter the daycare, most of the children have already been brought, and Claire is already playing. At least, as far as a 6-month-old child can play. While Lucy and I start preparing the children's first snack, we discuss what I can do today.
Yesterday, she informed me that all children have a permanent mentor. This way, the parents have a fixed point of contact, and the administrative tasks are equally divided. When the younger children take their nap, she will show me how to fill in the chart for the development of the children. It all sounded very complicated, but Lucy assures me that once I figure it out, it won't be too bad.
The children are just as enthusiastic as yesterday; they all want my attention. I have to admit that I'm happy when it's nap time and the older kids are quietly doing some craft work.
Lucy and I retreat to the small office. Lucy is in the middle of explaining the tracking system when there is a knock on the door. Lucy stands up, smiling. "To what do we owe this visit?" She asks in a sweet voice as she opens the door. For a moment, I wonder how she knows who is on the other side of the door. But then I realize that, of course, she knows that through her werewolf senses. From the tone in her voice, I'm not surprised when I see Dex standing in the doorway.
Lucy doesn't give him time to answer and kisses him. "As the boss, I have to show my face every now and then." He says casually. "Since when?" Lucy asks with raised eyebrows. He looks at me briefly, and I blush for a reason. I quickly look away.
"I had some time between two meetings. I thought I'd see how the newest employee is doing." He says with a shrug, and Lucy smiles widely.
"Well," she answers as she walks towards me. "Your newest employee is doing a great job. She's already a favorite with the kids." She puts a hand on my shoulder. I smile a little awkwardly.
“So.” She gestures to the doorway while walking to it. "As much as I love you, we're busy working." Her voice sounds playful, and she winks. Dex chuckles, and before he gives Lucy a quick kiss goodbye, he looks at me intently. I see something in his eyes that I can't place. Lucy doesn't seem to have noticed and closes the door as soon as he walks out of the office. "Where were we?" She says as soon as she sits next to me again.
I try my best to pay attention, but the way Dex looks at me bothers me. I try to convince myself that it was nothing, that I saw it wrong. My attempts only come to nothing because I keep thinking about it. Trying to think of an explanation. I debate with myself about asking Lucy about it, but decide against it. Maybe I got it wrong, and I don't want to give her any reason to be suspicious. But then there's that moment from yesterday; if I notice it twice, it can't be a coincidence. Right?
And if it's not a coincidence, what is it? Would I dare bring it up during our meeting?
I agree with myself that I will first wait and see how the meeting goes before I worry about it any further. There's a good chance I'm making it bigger in my head than it really is.