Nell really couldn’t believe his audacity. “Will this take long, Alpha?” she countered. “I’m kinda busy right now,” he told her. When he moved aside and she saw the half-naked she-wolf lounging on his couch, the blush was inevitable. Yet she couldn’t understand why she was so angry. “I thought you were partial to redheads.” “Did you now?” “You’re impossible,” she stormed, resisting the temptation to stamp her foot. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous? You are, aren’t you?” She turned on her heel and was about to march off in the wrong direction when his voice stopped her in her tracks. “Henry was right. He said you had a little crush on me. Well, as you can see, you’re not the only one. You can go now, Selina,” he added. Sulking, the beauty slunk away without even bothering to retrieve her top. If Nell didn’t know better she would have thought it had been staged for her benefit. “Is that all, Alpha? If so, I’ll bid you goodnight.” “Not so fast.” Relieved not to be within his gras
Liam didn’t get much sleep. He’d hated the whole idea of a party and taken his resentment out on the one person who deserved it least. Over-indulging had been a way of avoiding the consequences but he didn’t have the headache which would have alleviated some of his guilt. He doubted Nell had noticed his inebriation; she probably couldn’t tell the difference. Though he seemed to recall foolishly telling her about Simon.Give these females an inch and they wanted the whole fucking mile. Like the one who’d emerged from his en suite unexpectedly wearing little more than a grin. It wasn’t the first time that had happened to him and he doubted it would be the last. Nell had been shocked, bewildered and ultimately, disbelieving when she saw Selina lounging on his couch. He could see it in her face, she suspected him of setting out to trap her into something offensive to her sensibilities. A very moral woman, Nell, unlike her slut of a sister. Even he could see that much.Sometimes, in her co
It was a difficult task now to pick up Fallon to soothe her. Nell managed it by sitting on a chair close to the window. Perhaps she should have held out for surgery, make the Alpha pay. Occasionally, her eyes strained to see the forest in the distance, and not because of her employer’s inexplicable behaviour. For her, it held its own pull, which was odd because a much scarier version figured in her nightmare, the recurring one which seemed to have banished all others.A dwelling was on fire and, because of its hidden nature, no-one came to help. She could see a girl straining to give birth and couldn’t understand the significance of the filigree chain and symbol which graced her forehead. Her clothing was ragged, a mixture of sage and purple in hue, and she was all alone in her travail.Sometimes, a man’s face convulsed in grief appeared. At others, she fancied she heard the cry of a baby. The most bizarre of all was when she saw people with light hair gathered in a semi-circle chanti
“What about Fallon?” She kept her tone reasonable and even, despite being caged by his much larger body. “Theo’s mated. Did you know that?” “And you’re just a bully. Alpha, I only know his name because I glanced at the badge on my way to your office. It doesn’t harm to be civil.” He spun away and she heaved a sigh of relief. “Ignore me. I’m just – at the end of my tether.” Admitting such a thing, and to her, wasn’t a first. Yet she marvelled at the way he continued to treat her like a confidante. “Let me make us a hot drink,” she said. “It’s about time for Fallon’s feed. Please excuse me while I change her.” She went about her necessary business in the bathroom. “You’ve done a lot with this place,” he called to her, as she cooed to her charge. “Good or bad, Alpha?” “Not to my taste, but girly enough for its occupants.” “You don’t want me to re-arrange your office, then, Liam?” She was only making small talk while she worked and winced a little to think she’d been so forward
Liam had dismissed the notion of giving in to the demanding humans until the idea for the concession came to him. He tried to convince himself it had nothing to do with Nell, but had to admit the thought of having access to her twenty-four seven was an appealing one.In truth, he was lonely and yet he wasn’t overly eager to find his mate. Having her at his beck and call, including in his bed or on the floor beside it, was too tempting a lure to resist.Not that he wanted Fallon to succumb to the weakness inherent in hybrids. Though holding her the other day had told him something was definitely amiss.Creating a new law would be a way around that.He could, of course, sack Nell if it suited him. Maybe he would tell her that if she started to misbehave.The delegation from Shutterford was due to arrive and he understood the mayor’s deputy was a doctor by trade, but there was no way he was going to have him examine the pup.Nell was coming to take notes. He hadn’t seen her for a day or
Nell forced herself to concentrate on polishing her notes while she waited for Deborah’s daughter to answer her message. Her heart was beating madly. What was he going to think when he saw her deformity? Maybe she could gauge his response by Holly’s reaction. Though she knew the two things were not the same.Getting up to look in the bathroom mirror more than once was no help. Whichever way you sliced it, she was a freak of nature.Holly responded in typical fashion with emojis indicating her enthusiasm and it wasn’t long before a tentative knock sounded at the door. The girl was mindful of the sickly baby, which could only be a good thing.“The Alpha likes you, I can tell,” she said. “Mom says … ”Nell held up a palm which trembled with the after effects of repetitive strain. “Please, save it,” she said. “I don’t want to know.”“Liam’s all right, just – burdened.”Like me.“I know. Unlike the rest of you, I guess I’m just unused to following orders.” Once the words left her mouth, sh
From the moment Holly gasped out the alarming truth, Nell had known instinctively she was right. Did that explain Rosemary Worthington Field’s coldness towards her? Her close relationship with her father spoke volumes. She knew he hadn’t been anything other than reassuringly human. Did that mean her natural mother was an elf?And had she been forced to give birth unattended in a hut which caught fire?Could Liv have been privy to the secret? That would explain a lot. Was her hip pain a sign? She supposed she would never know unless she plucked up the courage to ask her mom to tell her the truth.Holly didn’t seem unduly upset. She found the whole thing cool. Deborah had a slightly more grown up approach. They both wondered how the Alpha would take it, though neither of them voiced the thought.When he turned up, eventually, her heart was hammering in her chest. Nell knew the chignon suited her and that it had been a style favoured by Martha when hosting the once famous pack parties.T
“Come on, Nell. Time to go.”“Can I have a moment of privacy, Alpha?”“Make it quick.”He went back to the vehicle, leaving them alone.Nell said only, “Why?”“Why did I keep it from you? Shucks, Ellie. Hard to say. I bet it hurt when you found out, didn’t it?”“You never used to be so bitter,” she said, taking in the gorgeous heart-shaped face, the newly tinted curls and eyes like the ocean in Summer.“We both know who to blame for that.”All at once, it was as if she had her sister back. Olivia hugged her. “I’m sorry, Nell. Ain’t your fault he was a creep.”“Come visit me soonest,” she urged. “Who knows, you might like it this time around and want to stay.” She lowered her voice. “And if you could see your way clear to returning the American Express card, it would help.”Olivia wouldn’t be drawn. “What’s with you and the Alpha guy?”“Nothing. It’s like he said, I take care of the pack’s heir. So, what’s the latest with you?”“I’m a beautician and stylist,” she said, doing a twirl fo