Chapter 9

Chapter 9

When we return to the B&B, Claire is sleeping, the outside air has made her sleepy. Since she seems fast asleep, I leave her in the stroller. We walk to the kitchen, where Beth and Lucy look at us quizzically as soon as they spot us.

"Hey Lucy, how nice to see you again," I say with a smile as if I don't see her disapproving look at Bruce. It shouldn't, but it stings. A feeling of uncertainty overtakes me. Why is she looking at him like that? Because I'm human? Does she disapprove of her brother being with someone like me? A single mother? In my mind, I scold myself. It shouldn't matter because I don't look at him that way. And besides, maybe she gives him that look because she thinks he's not good enough for me, with his man-whore behavior. I immediately feel sorry for him, if only they knew what was really going on.

I park Claire to the side and sit at the table. "So, what brings you here? Shouldn't you be working at daycare?" I ask to divert Bruce's attention. She looks at me with a smile. "You, actually." She answers, and when I look at her confused, she says, "You mentioned that you like working with children. And we happen to have a position open at my work."

I'm so surprised I don't know how to respond. "Um... That.." I stammer. "If you don't want to, you don't have to." She says quickly. "But I thought, if you plan to stay longer, it would be useful if you had a job. You could take Claire with you, so babysitting wouldn't be a problem." She explains.

"The pack company's daycare? Is that allowed?" I finally asked, looking quizzically from Lucy to Beth, who is looking at the sleeping Claire with a smile. "Yeah, that's no problem. I already discussed it with Dex. He's fine with it." she says.

"Just like that?" Bruce asks in surprise and she shrugs. “You know how persuasive I can be.” She answers with a wink and I chuckle. "No, no kidding. When it comes to daycare, he trusts my judgment. And, more humans are working for the company, so it's not that strange." she says.

“I have to think about it,” I say looking at Claire. I ask myself if I really want to stay here. Ultimately, I only see benefits, especially for Claire. What are the chances that if we leave, we will end up near a pack of wolves again?

"You don't have to decide right away. If you want, you can come and have a look tomorrow? Together with Claire?" Lucy suggests. "I'd like that." I say smiling. She claps her hands happily as if I have already agreed, and I shake my head laughing.

Much to Claire's delight, Bruce and Lucy are still there when she wakes up for her nap. I watch with a warm feeling how she interacts with them, and I consider myself lucky that I ended up with these people.

They already treat us like one of their own. I just hope their Alpha feels the same way.

"So, uhm Lucy. Apparently, Dex wants to see me next week... Any idea what he wants?" I ask, a little nervous when I come back downstairs after putting Claire to bed. "Oh, nothing special. Just a formality." She answers, waving her hand to emphasize her comment.

"See, I told you. Nothing to worry about," Bruce says, putting his arm around me as I sit down next to him on the couch. I pretend not to see Beth's warning look at Bruce and sigh dramatically.

"I know! But hello, an Alpha is quite intimidating. What if I say something wrong? What if he decides that I can't stay here after all, that I am a danger to you, because of my family." I express my concerns.

Bruce chuckles and I glare at him. "I'm serious!" I say, a little offended. "I know, I know." He responds soothingly. “But I assure you that your family is not a danger to us.” I look doubtfully at Lucy and Beth. "He's right." Beth agrees with her son.

"But... he knows about your existence now. What if he comes after me? You don't know my father. He is powerful and he is capable of anything." The idea of ​​my father organizing an attack on their pack terrifies me. When he has something on his mind, he won't stop until he gets it.

Bruce takes my hand. "Lilly, I assure you that your father is no danger to us. The Blood Moon pack is by far the strongest pack in the area. Our fighters are better trained than anyone else. And we have powerful allies. You don't have to be afraid." He tried to reassure me. "And, we protect everyone who belongs to us. That includes you and Claire." Lucy adds.

Beth gives her an approving nod. I see pride in her eyes.

"I just hope Dex sees it that way too," I mumble. "Otherwise he'll get in trouble with me." Lucy jokes and I laugh. "Thanks," I say with a small smile, unsure what else I could say.

The next day I woke up early. Despite my previous doubts, I hope Claire enjoys the daycare. Because although I am enthusiastic about it myself and hope that I will like it, I don't think I would go through with it if I think Claire is not having a good time. I'm curious to see how she reacts to the other children, I assume most of them will be wolves. Will she react the same to them as to Bruce and the others?

When I have freshened up and dressed I wake Claire. I chuckle at her pout, she's not happy about it.

Unfortunately, she will have to get used to it if she likes it. Fortunately, she is the kind of baby who quickly adapts to a new rhythm.

Claire is quietly drinking her bottle while I sip my coffee when Lucy enters the kitchen.

"Good morning!" She says happy. Claire greets her with a sweet smile and Lucy sits opposite us. "Are you ready for your first day?" She asks, she has difficulty containing her enthusiasm, and I chuckle.

"First day? I thought I was just coming to see if I like it?" I ask, a little confused. She waves away my comment. "Yeah, you are. But I'm sure you love it. And so does Claire. I can't imagine you turning it down." she says.

"I hope she has fun, and I'm also looking forward to getting back to work," I answer. "But don't you think the other employees are going to have a problem with me being human? Or the parents? I mean, I imagine the parents of the werewolf kids would rather have one of you take care of it yourself instead of a human, like me." I ask, a little concerned.

Once again she waves away my concerns. "You will be the only human in the daycare, but not the only human in the company. But you don't have to worry, I will take care of that." I smile uncertainly.

“What kind of company was it again?” I ask, thinking back to the first evening. She did tell me, but the only thing I remember is that it is a well-run company and they make a lot of money. This is necessary if it is the largest source of income for the pack. From what I understood, the Blood Moon pack is quite large, so it will take a lot of money to get everything running smoothly.

"The Guardian Group is a security company." She replied.

“What kind of security?” My family has taught me some security equipment. "All kinds of things. Both equipment to secure buildings and personal security. If it has to do with security, we offer it." she explains and I nod.

My father's organization is quite large, but this still sounds quite intimidating. "Rest assured, all we do is take care of the children." She says when she sees my worried face. "Shall we go, so I can introduce you to everyone before the first children arrive." She says as she stands up and grabs Claire's bag and I nod in agreement.

I can't help it and become insecure along the way. What if they don't like me? Or treat Claire differently because I'm human? I play nervously with my fingers as I think about it.

"They'll love you, I'm sure," Lucy notes and takes my hand encouragingly.

I don't have much time to think about it further, as the drive to the company is short. Claire didn't even get a chance to fall asleep, which is saying something, because she normally falls asleep pretty quickly on a car ride. Even when she has just woken up. Lucy drives under a huge building with GG written on it in large letters. We drive into a large parking garage, which already seems to be quite full. Despite the many cars, I don't see any people walking, and Lucy drives on as if she knows exactly where she is going to park. Ultimately that turns out to be the case because she has her own parking space. The luxury of being a future Luna I guess.

She parks next to a large expensive-looking car. If I had to make a guess, this is Dex's car. I must say, he has taste. I don't know anything about cars, but it's a cool car. It must have cost a fortune. I hear Lucy chuckle as I admire the car.

"Dex often gets those reactions to his car." She says chuckling. "You should see the look on some guys' faces when I get out from behind the wheel. Priceless."

Clumsily, because I don't dare open the door too far for fear of hitting the car, I untie Claire and lift her out of the car. "Are you ready to make friends?" I ask her in a high-pitched voice while I gently move her arm enthusiastically. She looks at me happily and I wonder if she understands what I'm saying to her.

Lucy holds a card in front of a scanner and the door to enter slowly opens. We walk into a large hall, where it is a lot busier than expected.

Lucy walks straight to the large counter that seems to be in the middle of the room. "Good morning Alana." She says kindly to the young woman behind the counter. She reacts just as friendly. "Hi Lucy, good morning to you too. What can I do for you today?" She asks and Lucy looks at me sideways. "I need a visitor's pass for Lilly. She is coming to spend a day with me and hopefully work at the daycare." Alana nods affirmatively and starts typing something on the computer. A few seconds later I receive a key cord with a card that says 'visitor'. "Thank you." I say and hang the cord around my neck. Clare immediately starts playing with it.

Lucy and Alana exchange some pleasantries before we continue walking. The daycare is on the other side of the building. The name 'The Kids Guardian' is written in colorful letters on the wall above a large window. Through the window, you can see a spacious room with various play equipment. It reminds me of an indoor arcade for children, only on a smaller scale. We arrive at the entrance and Clare opens the door with her key. I see an intercom on the side, which is probably for the parents so that not everyone can just walk in. That was to be expected at a security company.

I am greeted kindly by the employees already present and in no time, Claire has them all wrapped around her little finger. With peace of mind, I leave Claire behind while Lucy gives me a tour. We have just finished when the first parents bring their offspring.

As Lucy expected, the parents of the young wolves have no problem with the fact that I am not one of them. What a relief. Claire seems to be having a good time and is enjoying all the attention she is receiving. From both adults and children. They are all curious about the newest child. For me, it takes a little longer before they talk to me and dare to ask things. But before the end of the morning, it's a fight over who gets my attention. I thoroughly enjoy the children and I soon chose to accept Lucy's offer.

After lunch, I sit in the climbing room with several children. I keep a close eye on them to make sure they don't do anything dangerous when I get the strange feeling that I'm being watched. I look out the window into the lobby. And although there are plenty of people walking, I don't see anyone looking directly at me. I shrug my shoulders, I must have imagined it and turn my attention back to the children playing.