Keegan POV:
Why did the Moon Goddess hate me so much? She had Clement send the one element that would break me down—the woman of my dreams. Yes, I knew that it sounded cliche, but what kind of man wouldn’t dream about the woman?
There she stood, with her hands on her hips, smiling at her daughter, and all I could think about was how long it would take for me to get her sweating.
The woman before me was petite, slender, and breathtaking. Her hair was dark and long, flowing past the middle of her back. Her face was small and with lips that many women would pay for. Then her, body, I didn’t have to comment about how I reacted just by looking at her.
Couldn’t she have some Clement in her? It definitely would have helped me remain professional if she was a hulking asshole like her father.
I felt lightheaded. What was this woman doing to me? Easy. She was making me lose my senses and making me think about things that should be illegal.
I didn’t need to check if those things were illegal. If Clement got wind of my thoughts, I would be dead and buried six feet under.
“If you touch my daughter, and you know what I mean, Cox, I will kill you.”
I couldn’t touch her. Hands off, I constantly had to remind myself. That lasted for about a split second. Unfortunately, my brain reminded me that my hands weren’t the only things that wanted to touch her.
I had no idea how long I stood there gaping, but it must have been a while because Edwin cleared his throat.
“Hello,” I said, looking down at the little girl. She smiled at me and then ran back to her mother and jumped into her arms. I couldn’t help but notice Vianne wince slightly from the impact of Claire’s tiny body. I looked over at Edwin and found him looking down solemnly.
The extent of her injuries was far greater than what Clement had mentioned on the phone. I had a feeling they weren’t just skin deep. Before any type of exercise or training could occur, I needed to assess the extent of her injuries.
That meant one thing: I would have to look at her behind closed doors, with little clothing. I wasn’t going to be easy on either of us.
Clement had mentioned on the phone earlier in the week that the little girl had no memory of what occurred between Vianne and her husband. However, I felt in my gut that there was something more to the ‘monster’ than she was letting on about her father.
“Hello, you must be Keegan,” Vianne said, extending her hand. I smiled and shook it. “I’m sorry about Claire.”
“It’s quite alright,” I replied. “And you must be Vianne. Welcome to my home.” I stood aside so that she could come in.
Edwin took out two bags from the back of his car. I eyed him curiously and he shrugged his shoulders. Vianne looked at what drew my attention and she blushed. “We left in a hurry, literally with the clothes on our backs, so we don’t have much.”
I nodded before stepping back to help Edwin to take one of the bags. Claire quickly brushed past me and started squealing and twirling in the foyer. “Is this a castle, mommy?”
I chuckled and put the bag down beside the stairs as Edwin closed the door behind me. Vianne’s eyes were wide as she looked around at her surroundings. It was at that moment, I realized the most striking feature in Vianne’s beauty was her blue eyes.
Yes, I would be dead in a week. I looked at Vianne, who was looking out of my living room window with a smile on her face. Her daughter’s head was on her shoulder while she sucked on her thumb. They looked serene and ethereal.
I gave myself three days. I should call up my lawyer and draw a will. Hell, I should just call the cemetery the following morning and plan out my funeral.
Clement was going to kill me. What I was feeling for his daughter was exactly why he had avoided having children. He would never have approved one of his men courting his daughter. With centuries of dilution of our wolf blood and evolution, the remarkable ability to find your one true mate in one glance had dulled down. Therefore, a wolf never knew if they were attracted to the wolf or the woman or man.
“Would you like a tour of the house?” I asked, looking for any type of distraction.
Vianne turned from the window. The sadness in her eyes was evident but a smile played softly at her lips as she nodded.
“Hey, Keegan, I have to get going. Do you mind if I have a word with you?” Edwin asked.
He was still there? I had to remember that anybody associated with Clement could report back to him. Hopefully, since Edwin thought Vianne was nothing more than some random girl Clement knew, he wouldn’t report my reaction in her presence.
I had to remind myself that there was a little girl to consider and I was not a piece of turd.
“Excuse me, ladies. I will be right back,” I said, giving Claire a wink. She giggled.
“Mommy, he called me a lady,” she whispered just a bit too loud.
I walked out onto the patio, followed by Edwin. “She looks amazing, does she not?” Edwin asked, raising his brow.
I growled. “You have a mate, asshole.”
“Relax. I was talking about you, not me.” He raised his hand defensively. “But seriously. She is amazing. I feel like she can be your Tess. You looked at her weirdly. Besides, the pup is cute and so smart.”
“I really don’t think she is in a mood to bond. She just got hurt by an asshole. I am sure me pursuing her is the last thought on her mind.”
“I guess you are right. It took me weeks to get through to Tess. Look, I have to head out to Darwin. Alpha wants me to do some snooping for him. I am not sure why this is so important to him.”
I shook my head. Clement hadn’t told him who Vianne really was and it definitely wasn’t my place to tell him. Clement had made it clear that her identity had to remain a secret.
Instead, I shrugged. “I have no idea. You know Clement. I just get them, train them, and send them their own way. I don’t have information.”
“Yeah. But this one is different. I know it and I am pretty sure you know it, too.”
“Look, I have to go,” I said, looking back towards the house. “I need to settle them in and then make an assessment.”
“Assessment?” Edwin grinned. I punched his arm and waved him off, walking back toward the house. “Are you going to do that in the dark or with the lights on?”
I shook my head and slammed the door shut behind me. I made my way into the living room, where Vianne and Claire were sitting patiently on my couch.
Vianne looked up and I noticed that the bruise just around her left eye was yellowing, but the one along her jaw was still bluish in color in some spots. The husband had really done a number on her.
“Let me show you to your rooms so that you two can settle in,” I offered. “Then I will give you a tour of the house when you are ready.”
Vianne nodded and put Claire on her feet, taking her hand. “Lead the way.”
I grabbed the bags easily and led them upstairs to the second floor. “The main living areas like the kitchen, living room, and office are on the ground floor. The first floor consists of three bedrooms and a small library. The second floor has only one room and it's a huge gym. The top floor is just one room and a conservatory.”
I stopped at the first-floor landing, gesturing towards the first door on the left-hand side.
Claire’s room was covered in lilac, light blue, and pink. I had followed Tess’ advice and done this. It was to my delight that little Claire liked it. “Tinkerbell!” Claire screamed, running into the room and plopping down on the bed. “Thank you. It’s so pretty!”“I am glad you like it, Claire,” I said, watching as she started to jump up and down.
“Claire, stop jumping,” Vianne scolded.
“It’s alright,” I said calmly. “It’d her bed now.”
Vianne cocked an eyebrow and her eyes narrowed. “Could you show me to my room?” She walked over to one of the bags and placed it on Claire’s bed. “Baby, start putting your stuff away in the closet.”
“Okay, mommy.” She bounced off the bed and started opening drawers in her small closet.
“I’ll be in the next room, okay?” Vianne said, walking back into the hallway.I followed her and made a rush to grab the other bad but she beat me to it. “I can handle a bag,” she hissed, glaring at me. She winced as she lifted it with her right hand.
“Really? Because it doesn’t seem like you can,” I countered, following her into the next room.
“Look here, Keegan,” she stated in a no-nonsense tone that sounded very much like Clement. “I know exactly what you did for my father and I want no part of it. I just want to be able to protect my daughter in case that bastard finds me again. So, cut the nice guy act. I have seen it before.”Claire POV:College was not as fascinating as I had thought it would be. My classmates seemed to be just as rash and childlike as those in the high school. But it was the behavior of the professors that kept me going. I enjoyed listening to their lecture. I enjoyed reading the extra material they asked us to read but no one else did.If a professor said it was optional reading, I definitely read it. I asked questions after class, often getting disgruntled looks from my classmates. Sometimes I received irritation from the professors and teaching assistants too. But all of it was overshadowed by the simple fact that I felt watched.It had been a long time since I had felt like something was chasing me at all times of the day.At first, I had ignored it, thinking that Dad was correct, that I was just nervous and missing them. But then the feeling persisted. I knew what nervousness felt like. I knew how much I missed my family. But there was nausea that overtook me at certain times of the
Keegan POV:I heard the baby monitor beep and squinted into the darkness, hoping it was nothing. The clock read three in the morning and this was a usual time for Vianne and me to wake up every morning. One of many. I sniffed and looked over at Vianne, who was curled on her side, still facing me. Her eyes were screwed shut and she was definitely awake, but she didn’t want to get off the bed. Understandable. She had a little shifter for a baby and it was safe to say nothing fun came from breastfeeding our son Kyle. He was still small, needing to wake up every few hours to be fed and bathed. Vianne, who despised breast pumps ended up sobbing in relief when I bought one this time around.I looked at the monitor again and saw that our son was wide awake, blinking and cooing at the camera with a gummy smile. He was a jolly child but he still needed to be fed and changed. I slipped out of bed and turned the alarm on the monitor off. I found Vianne smiling groggily at me and chuckled. “Go b
[Warning: The chapter contains explicit sexual content. Please read at your own risk.]Keegan POV:I heard the chime from Vianne's cell phone and knew it was Claire. She checked it, laughing."She asked if we were at the cabin yet.""Well damn, she gave me away." "A cabin?" "I said it was only a couple of hours by car. And it's pretty secluded and we'll have it all to ourselves." She laughed and kissed my cheek. "You don't have to convince me. It sounds perfect and that explains why you only brought us one bag for a three-night stay." I growled and pulled her hand to my mouth. "We won't be leaving the cabin for much. And being naked all weekend is mandatory." "Yes, alpha," she purred.Fuck. Did she have any idea what her saying things like that, in that fucking hot voice of hers did to me? I groaned when I felt her free hand rub between my thighs. "Oh fuck," I hissed and released her other hand. Both of my own gripped the steering wheel, desperately trying not to fucking kill us
Keegan POV:Minutes later, Vianne stood on a chair as I stood in front of her, holding onto her hips so she wouldn't fall. Behind her were Claire, Tory, and several other single women, all looking up as Vianne waved the small bunch of flowers overhead. Twice Vianne faked it, making them laugh and scream at her.Finally, at the end of the next countdown, Vianne threw it over her shoulder. I looked to see who caught it, finding a wide-eyed Tory holding the bouquet in her hands. However, seconds after, Clement passed her, grabbing the prize and handing the flowers back to my wife.There were several laughs and Tory groaned, chasing him toward Vivian who was too busy trying not to laugh. Then he went back for Claire. Good, I knew he was on my side."I can't believe your dad," Vianne said from her perch. She looked down at me as she waited for everyone to settle again. "You're enjoying yourself aren't you?" I shrugged, not apologizing for my wandering hands. My fingers were barely grazing
Keegan POV:Sensing my eyes on her, my daughter offered me a smile and wave. She blew me a kiss, which I caught mid-air, making her giggle. I winked and turned to Vianne who was watching me."You've been an amazing father," she whispered, tears filling her eyes. "I want to see you with a baby in your arms, sleeping on your chest."I leaned in, brushing her hair aside to whisper in her ear. "I want to see your belly grow with our son or daughter, watch you sit in a rocker as you breastfeed, and listen to you sing a lullaby-like you still do with Claire. I hope you never stop singing like that, sweetheart.""As long as I have someone willing to listen, I won't." She kissed me then, prolonging it with a sweep of her tongue along my lips. "I love you, so much, Keegan."I smiled as I went back for another kiss. "I know." She laughed, smacking my gut with her hand. "I love you, too. It's a good thing you do though. I would hate to be the only one."Something caught her attention over my sho
Keegan POV:"I'll get you!" I handed Claire to Vianne and followed the asshole. Why was it that Claire always asked the most uncomfortable questions when he was around?I heard my mother ask what was wrong from behind me. "He's still struggling with how smart our daughter is." "Did I hear something about baby sister or brother?" I heard several people laugh as I chased Ricki around a table. "It's not my fault she figured out what happens during a honeymoon!" "She didn't even know we were going to one!""Sorry," he said, laughing as he twisted away from my reach. "It didn't take much for her to work it out when I told her she couldn't join you." I growled and tried to grab him. "All you had to say was to ask me or Vianne." "Sorry!" I laughed and shook my head, knowing it wasn't really his fault. I just wanted to give him a hard time. I would smash some cake into his face later anyway. "Alright," I said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "I'll let this go, but not before I tell th