Chapter 8 - Nova

A lovely omega was in the kitchen on the alpha floor. She looked at Edge with a possessiveness that left no doubt in my mind that she had staked her claim. 

When she saw me, she made a face and sneered. "Who is she?”

Edge didn’t look at either of us; he had picked up a stack of mail and was going through it.

“This is Nova. She is Natalia’s new nanny.”

I watched the other female’s face lose color. “Alpha, I thought I would be Nat’s new nanny.”

“I hate being called Nat, and I hate you.” I blinked at the venom in Natalia’s voice.

It was good to know she didn’t like her name shortened, but I was more concerned with the nastiness in her voice.

“Natalia, apologize to Stephanie.” Edge glanced toward his daughter with a frown.

“No.” She turned her wheelchair toward a hallway.

Stephanie was glaring at me. “Lunch will be ready soon. I didn’t know there would be an extra mouth to feed, so you will have to eat downstairs.”

Edge ignored her and walked toward his office. Not wanting to be near the snotty omega, I went looking for Natalia. She was in a luxuriously pink bedroom, as in nauseatingly pink. I blinked at the assault on my senses.

Natalia looked at me. “I don’t like pink, either.”

“So you didn’t help decorate?” I grinned at her scowl.

“I’m four. Daddy had Erica pick everything out.”

“Oh. Who is Erica?” Too many new names for me to remember.

“She was my nurse. She tried to kiss Daddy, then got mad and said she found her mate, and she left.” Natalia was yanking a brush through her doll’s hair.

“Do you miss Erica?”

“No. She’s been mean lately.”

Edge tapped on the doorframe. “Natalia, lunch.”

The little pup sighed and followed her dad. I followed her. Stephanie was placing a final dish on the table and started to pull out a chair to sit.

“That will be all, Stephanie. You are dismissed.” Edge helped Natalia move her wheelchair closer to the table.

Stephanie’s mouth opened and closed a few times. “Alpha, I made lunch so we could eat together.”

“No, you made lunch because it is your assigned task. After today, you will be reassigned to the pack kitchen. You are dismissed to go get your lunch downstairs.” Edge looked at her with complete indifference.

Her eyes narrowed on me, and as she walked past me, she slammed her shoulder into me. I stumbled sideways, straight into Edge. His arm wrapped around me to keep me from falling.

“Stephanie, apologize.” He growled out.

She pursed her lips and glared. She had a lovely face, but her attitude was horrible.

“I didn’t do anything wrong, Alpha. She stumbled into me.”

I kept my eyes lowered and tried to shift away from Edge. His body pressed against mine was doing things to me that made me a little uncomfortable. His arm tightened, and he easily held me in place.

Edge stared his omega down, and she finally dropped her shoulders and lowered her head. “I apologize for accidentally knocking into you.”

“Get out, Stephanie, and you are not welcome on the alpha floor again.” Edge guided me into the chair that she was going to sit in.

Just great. I knew I now had an enemy in the pack. That pissy omega was going to cause problems for me; I was sure of it.

Edge filled Natalia’s plate, then he actually plated my food. I stared at him in shock. My father would never have lowered himself to do that kind of task.

I stared at the plate filled with roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, and roasted vegetables. It was more food than I ate in an entire week.

“This is too much food, Alpha.” He frowned at my words.

“Call me Edge. And just eat what you can. You’re too skinny.” I blushed at his words.

I ate slowly and was full before I could eat a third of what was there. Natalia chatted about the dogs and kittens that her cousins had and asked if she could have a pet. Edge grimaced at that question.

“Why don’t we wait until things settle down here first?”

The pup wasn’t pleased with that answer. I hid a smile and watched father and daughter while they finished their meal. Edge left to go to work, and Natalia asked to watch a movie. Putting Frozen on for her, I started cleaning up after lunch. Finding a Ziploc bag, I put the food I wasn’t able to eat in it. At least I would have dinner tonight.

Once the dishes were washed, I noticed the layer of dust covering things. Whoever had been assigned to clean the alpha floor had been doing a poor job. Finding cleaning supplies, I got to work dusting, sweeping, and scrubbing. By the time six o’clock rolled around, I had the common rooms sparkling and dinner simmering on the stove for Edge and Natalia.

The elderly head cook in my father’s pack had taught me how to cook. She believed everyone, male or female, needed to know how to cook for themselves. I had loved working in the kitchen beside her. She never made me feel like a burden; she had been patient, even when I burned something or mixed seasonings wrong.

Natalia actually helped me in the kitchen. As I chopped the ingredients for chicken stew, she chatted about the movie she watched and her doctors. I learned that when she was at her therapy sessions, she actually used a walker instead of her wheelchair.

“Why don’t you use a walker at home?”

She sighed. “Erica said I took too long when I tried walking with a walker.”

That meant she only practiced walking one hour a day, three times a week. I frowned at that. 

“Do you have a walker here?”

Natalia shook her head no. 

Edge came home at exactly six o’clock. I wondered if he had been downstairs and didn’t come up until it was time. Sliding my leftover lunch into my bag before placing their dinner on the table, I smiled and told them I would see them tomorrow morning.

Natalia waved, but Edge ignored me.

Walking to my car, I looked around and wondered where I could park out of the way for the night. The temperatures were cooler here than I expected. Sighing, I found a park and pulled my car into the parking lot. Wrapping my blanket around me, I stared out at the scenery. It was beautiful up here.

I ate some of my cold leftovers before trying to sleep. It was going to be a long night. By four o’clock in the morning, my teeth were chattering, and I had to pee. The park had a restroom that had electricity and running water - just not hot water. Brushing my teeth and then washing up in frigid water wasn't fun.

Looking at the time, I sighed. I still had an hour and a half before I was expected at work. I kept thinking about that nine-hundred-dollar paycheck and telling myself that things had to get better. I just needed to find warmer clothes and maybe a thicker blanket.