3. Rule Breaker

ZOE ELISE

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I kept staring at him.

I knew I shouldn't. Actually, I knew I really, really shouldn't.

But there was something about Alpha King Weston that made looking away almost impossible.

Maybe it was the way he sat there, dominating the entire room despite the wheelchair holding his weight.

Or maybe it was those gray eyes.

Cold.

Sharp.

And currently fixed on me like he was trying to figure out exactly what kind of trouble had just walked into his home.

My stomach twisted.

Now that I had a good look at him, I must say, he didn't seem as scary as everyone claimed.

Instead of a beast, I saw a man.

An intimidating one, sure.

But still a man.

And, unfortunately, a very handsome one.

His dark hair was slightly damp, making him look like he'd just stepped out of, or perhaps wheeled himself out of, a shower. His jaw was sharp enough to cut glass, and those broad shoulders—

Damn.

In the blink of an eye, I had somehow decided that the inner chamber of hell would have the right kind of heat as long as he was my tour guide—

“Seriously, Zo? Are you fucking kidding me?”

Peach's voice trembled through our bond, snapping me back to reality. I blinked several times but still couldn’t mask the heat underneath my skin. 

“I see you didn't train this one, Flora.” His deep voice caught me off guard.

This one? My brows shot up.

Before I could express my displeasure, Flora stuttered, “I’m sorry, Alpha King Weston. Zoe is—”

“She’s what? Tacky and unprofessional?” He cut Flora off.

His words should have cut deep, but I'd been called so much worse. Besides, I could understand why he felt that way.

My ripped knee-length denim shorts and the pink streaks in my black hair weren't exactly the picture of professionalism.

“You just couldn’t wait to get another one into my home, could you?” He hissed those words at Flora, every syllable laced with accusation.

Without thinking twice, I took a step forward.

I wasn't sure what I could have done.

But I wanted to put myself between him and the only person who had shielded me all my life.

Flora caught my arm and pulled me back before I could take another step. “I'm sorry, my king.” She lowered her head.

But King Weston didn't answer.

Instead, he leaned back in his wheelchair, his expression suddenly becoming unreadable.

When he spoke again, the anger was gone from his voice.

Somehow, that made him even more intimidating.

“Since she forgot to teach you the rules, I will.” His gaze returned to me.

“Rule number one.” He paused, letting his words sink into my core before he added, “Do not look at me.”

My brows furrowed. Well, that might be difficult because his face looks like it was carved by the devil himself, and I could—

“You're still looking, Zo.”

Peach's horrified voice forced me to tear my eyes away.

The moment my gaze hit the floor, King Weston continued. “Rule number two. Stay out of my way.”

His voice dropped. “I do not need you to do anything for me.”

“You don't need me? Man, you're in a wheelchair.”

I was this close to saying it. So damn close it hurt to swallow the words.

But I did.

“You are here for one reason and one reason only.” There was something different in his voice now, and it thickened as he breathed, “My daughter.”

I glanced up before remembering rule number one and quickly lowered my eyes again.

“You'll take care of her. You'll treat her with kindness, patience, and respect. I don't care what you do in your free time, but when it comes to Maisie, you'll do your job.”

Then he paused, silence lasting for seconds before the passion in his voice reverberated through the room. “Rule number three. Do not, on any occasion, mistreat my daughter.”

Something caught in his voice.

It was subtle again. But this time, I was certain it was fear.

Not anger.

Not annoyance.

Just plain fear.

After all, it was the same emotion crawling through my own chest as I wondered if I could actually handle this job.

I grew up in a building that might as well have been a den of kids.

Different ages. Different attitudes.

And enough screaming to make me hate the little creatures.

“If you don't take this job, our only option is to return to that den, stay for two more nights, and then become homeless.” Peach reminded me, ripping a sigh out of me. 

I guess I can manage one kid. How bad can she be?

I didn't get the answer to that question immediately. 

But I did get the fourth rule. “You do not go to the third floor.”

His voice hardened. “Ever.”

My eyes flickered up instinctively. I quickly looked away before he could catch me.

Third Floor? Why? 

Instead of a satisfying answer, King Weston said, his tone dangerously low. “That part of the house is off-limits to you. You will not go there. You will not wander near it.”

Damn! 

The way his warnings rang through my head! It simply spiked my curiosity. Which, unfortunately for King Weston, meant I now wanted to know exactly what was special about that floor.

But before my curiosity could get the better of me, he spoke again. “Rule number five.”

His voice was quieter now, yet it sounded more serious. 

“You will not discuss anything you see or hear in this house with anyone outside these walls.”

I nodded, quietly hoping that would be the end of it and I could finally take a good look at the breathtaking interior of the living room.

Or maybe take a tour of the entire estate.

But to my disappointment, he wasn't done.

“My family. My daughter. My personal affairs.” His gray eyes seemed to burn into me even though I was staring at the floor. “None of it leaves this estate.”

That sounded less like a rule and more like a threat.

Hell, every rule came with a silent threat that would have made any sensible person run. 

But since I had nowhere else to go, I stayed. And even though it felt stupid to have my eyes on the floor while he spoke, I whispered, “Understood, my king.”

I heard his wheelchair squeak. Then for a moment, there was silence.

I felt the heat of his gaze as he scanned me once more before his voice shattered the silence. “Break any rule, and you will regret ever stepping into my home.”

It was at this point that my gaze shifted toward Flora. And I couldn’t help but smile even though King Weston’s direct threat still echoed.

Flora, who had been quiet, was the only person in the room who knew me well enough to know that I didn't do well with rules.

Especially when breaking them promised more thrill than following them ever could.

Flora caught my smile, and her eyes narrowed immediately.

She had watched me break rules since I was old enough to understand what the word meant.

King Weston, however, seemed completely oblivious.

If he knew who Zoe Elise was, he wouldn't have thrown me out even before I could see him.

He also wouldn’t have made Flora leave almost immediately, giving her barely enough time to hug me and whisper, “Take care of yourself.”

But not enough time to say, "This is no place to be a rule-breaker."

And he definitely wouldn't have told Theo to show me my room.

Or calmly added, as Theo reached for my bags, “Bring her to meet Maisie in an hour.”

Oh, he was in for a surprise.

Or so I thought.

Because as I followed Theo deeper into the mansion, I had no idea that I was the one about to get the biggest surprise of my life.

It wouldn't be the size of my new room.

It wouldn't be the beauty of the mansion.

It would be the little girl I'd been hired to care for.

Because Maisie wasn't like any child I'd ever met.