Chapter 1 - Edge

Two years later…

I still wake up every night sweating and shaking with the scent of blood and smoke in my nostrils. The beast war left its mark on everyone in the shifter community. Being on the front lines, I saw more than most of our pack did. I watched my life flash before my eyes; I begged the Moon Goddess to protect my little girl and spare me so I could be there to protect her. 

Sitting up in bed, the sheets tangled around my legs and sweat dripping down my chest, I drew a ragged breath into my lungs. Looking around the familiar setting of my bedroom, I felt Ranger move closer to offer comfort. 

Since the war ended, I haven’t slept through the night without some type of nightmare. Loud noises caused me to panic. My life has changed so much since that war. My therapist, Dr. Parnell, has helped, but I was still trying to take control of my life back.

This dream made me not want to go back to sleep. I could still see my brother’s griffin stumble; I could still hear Sonni’s dragon’s anger, and I could still feel Hawk’s dragon cover me with his body to protect me from the flames. 

Hawk is Sonni’s brother. He is also a hybrid and has a wolf and a dragon. Blue Stone had a variety of interesting characters in this pack, including my brother and his griffin, two humans and their children, witches, healers, a keeper wolf, ancient wolves, and the last remaining bear shifter. Hans arrived in Blue Stone before my father became alpha and keeps to himself. 

Untangling the sheets from my waist and legs, I headed for the shower. Once I was dressed, I checked on Natalia and then went to make coffee. The old hunting lodge was converted into a smaller packhouse and was more than enough for those living in the northern territory. I lived on the top floor with Natalia. 

Her nurse, Erica, lives here, too, but she will be moving out in two weeks. She found her mate and will be moving to the western side of the pack with him. I had mixed emotions about Erica. She tried three different times to worm her way into my bed; I never took her up on her offer. She cared for my daughter, and I didn’t want to do anything to mess that up.

While the coffee brewed, I looked at the calendar on the counter with a deep sigh. Natalia’s physical therapy appointments were highlighted in yellow. Her doctor appointments were highlighted in green. 

I needed a live-in nanny to help take care of my daughter, but finding someone she likes, who is trustworthy, and isn’t looking to try to trap an alpha is becoming tricky. I have interviewed nine potential nannies. Natalia hated all nine. I was uncomfortable with four. One had to be sent to the cells after swiping a family heirloom before leaving my home. 

Sighing again, I looked at my agenda for the day. I had three more nannies to interview. Natalia’s physical therapist requested I come to her appointment this afternoon. Running a hand down my face, I prayed one of the three being interviewed today would be a good fit. 

The sound of wheels moving across hardwood floors made me look up. My little pup was learning how to navigate her new wheelchair. This one was electric, and she has already crashed it four times. Thankfully, Arrow was able to modify the settings and slow her little rear end down. At almost five, she thought she was a little speed racer in that thing. 

Natalia saw me and smiled. “Daddy, I got up by myself!”

“I see that, sweetheart. Why didn’t you wait for Erica?” 

She frowned. “Erica said she won’t be here much longer, and I needed to learn to do things for myself.”

“Just because Erica is leaving doesn’t mean you have to do everything for yourself. Some things you can do. Your therapist has been working with you. Some things you can’t do yet. Transferring to your chair alone is dangerous. You need to call Erica or me before you try it. When Erica leaves, you will have a new nanny.”

Natalia’s lips pursed. I knew she didn’t like my answer. She has been sullen since Erica told her she was leaving. Watching my pup now, I knew she hadn’t really accepted that the female who had been in her life for the past two years was leaving her. 

I worried about my daughter and have considered therapy. She was almost two years old when her mother’s boyfriend beat her and threw her down a flight of stairs. The one person who should have kept her safe allowed a monster to almost kill her. Then, Louisa refused to see her in the hospital. Instead, she signed her rights away and named me as Natalia’s father. 

I had doubts about her paternity. When I went to that hospital, I had a DNA test done before I laid eyes on my pup. When Alpha Glen handed me the report, I cried. My pup had been kept a secret, and now she was so broken that she may never walk normally. 

When I looked at Natalia, I saw glimpses of Louisa, but I saw a lot of myself in her. Same silvery-gray eyes that are a Blue trait. Griffin has the same eyes, and so do his three pups. Natalia also has my dark hair and my stubborn attitude.

“When can we go see Aunt Sonni and Uncle Griffin?” She completely ignored my request not to transfer to her chair alone.

“We will see them this weekend. Remember, we are spending the weekend at their house.” 

She lit up and clapped her hands. I had been terrified to introduce her to my brother and his mate. I had worried Sonni’s pups would make fun of Natalia and treat her badly. I should have known better. Sonni was an amazing female, so of course her pups would welcome my daughter with open arms. 

Because Sonni is a strong hybrid, she actually has several mates. Griffin is only one of ten mates. She is also a pup-making machine. Instead of being a normal female, she has heats and can basically carry a litter of pups sired by different males. I was shocked when I first learned about Sonni, but watching Griffin settle into mated life, I realized she was exactly what he needed.

Erica made an appearance after I made pancakes for Natalia and helped her get dressed. Since finding her mate, Erica has become less inclined to care for my daughter. She still helped her when there was nobody else around. But when I was home, she disappeared, and I was left caring for Natalia’s needs.

“I have meetings this morning, then I will meet you guys at Dr. Alfonso’s office.” I looked at Erica. 

She sighed. “I can drop her at the hospital, then I have to run some errands for Mitch.”

“I’m not paying you to run errands for your mate, Erica. I’m paying you to stay with my daughter.” 

She glared at me. “Look, I told you I would stay for four weeks to help another nanny transition, but it’s been two weeks, and you still haven’t found someone. I’m done. I want to move with my mate. My bags are packed. Consider this my new notice.”

Erica pushed away from the table, didn’t even look at Natalia, and walked to her room. She came out a few minutes later with two suitcases and a duffel bag. When she slammed the door closed, Natalia started crying.

“She didn’t even say goodbye. Was I bad, Daddy?” 

I gently lifted her from her wheelchair. “No, sweetheart. Erica was mad at me. You were not bad, and you did nothing wrong.”

Once I had Natalia calmed down, I sent a message to Griffin telling him I wouldn’t be able to make the meetings. I knew he was going to be pissed, but with Erica bailing on me, I had nobody to watch my daughter. 

It didn’t take long for Griffin to nudge me with a mind link. “Bring Natalia with you. I really need you here for these meetings.”

“I have interviews with three potential nannies, so I need to leave early.”

Making sure Natalia was dressed appropriately before we headed to the office. 

“Daddy, will Uncle Griffin like the picture I made him?”

“I think he will love it, sweetie.” Griffin has a wall in his office with artwork from his pups and Natalia.