The Luna’s Second Chance Mate

Larrissa

“Do you think you can handle him? Fucking chicken out if you can’t.”

I heard the words echo in my head as I walked back mindlessly, following the lead of a brunette wolf. He said nothing as we walked up the stairwell, leading to what I assumed was my room. He walked faster than I could keep up with, but I followed the best I could. The hallway was long with a hint of magenta, olive and primrose, just like the alley and the alpha’s study room.

He finally stopped at the end of the hallway. There was a full length window where a wall should have been, providing illumination for the otherwise dark hall. Although there were a few lights hanging from the ceiling, they were turned off. I stopped just behind him, leaning slightly to see the plain oak door.

“The Alpha has instructed that you stay here.” He finally spoke. His voice was surprisingly soft, but empty nonetheless. He stepped away from the door so that I could enter. Heaving a sigh again, I reached for the doorknob and pushed it open.

I shut the door after me, taken aback by the interior. Although he made it clear that he didn’t want to have anything to do with me, the room was surprisingly pleasant. It looked like an empty white canvas; the bed covers, the drapes, even the tiny table by the closet were all coated in a particular shade of white. The only pop of colour in the room was the small closet that was a murky brown. Quite depressing, but I would take it over being beaten to near death. The welts on my skin were a heavy testament.

The bed sat by the side of the wall from the door, directly opposite the closet. There was another door I hadn’t noticed, a wooden door painted an earthy brown. Curiously, I dragged my feet to the door and pried it open. Of course. It was a bathroom, not the type I was used to, but enough for one person at a time. I could get used to this.

I felt my lips part slowly. I couldn’t be more grateful, Stefan would never find me to kill me here. But did I have to pay rent expenses too? I was curious about that too. I know I said I was going to earn a living here, but did that involve rent? Perhaps it would, I thought to myself, plopping onto the bed gently, afraid that I would ruffle the perfectly laid sheets.

“We have to go now.” The man’s voice called out impatiently, surprising me. Of course he had been standing at the entrance, waiting for me to come out. Why? Did my job already start?

Shaking off the thought, I walked to the door. I would rather not get on the alpha’s bad side. Opening the door, the man had a blank expression and his hands tucked behind him. I could definitely tell that he was upset from the way his shoulders had slumped slightly. I mumbled an apology and he acknowledged with a nod. Whoa, I wasn’t used to being treated like this. I shook away the feeling when he turned and began walking away, stopping literally at the door beside my new room.

I hadn’t noticed before, but the large door was coated in an olive green color. There was a small inscription on the otherwise simple door. I had to squint to see the text; although in tiny font, it was pretty clear.

Declan Griffin.

Declan? Was that the name of his son? I didn’t have the chance to take a good look at him that day at the study. All I knew was that he looked like the cutest little cub with quite the affection for his father. I could hear some faint voices from inside and I pushed the door open this time, watching the man leave on cue.

“Declan, please sit down.” The adult figure in the room spoke calmly, although her voice was a mix of frustration and an elastic band that had reached its limit. She was sitting at a dwarf, baby blue table right in the centre of the spacious room. It seemed that the architecture of the entire house followed a certain colour troupe, this room was doused in hues of blues and faint greens.

Right across the room was a hyper toddler with what looked like a piece of crayon in his mouth. Alarmed all of a sudden, I walked quickly to where he stood at the foot of his bed and gently pulled the crayon from his mouth. He tilted his head in child-like confusion before tapping my arm. I heard a gasp from the woman and turned around with a faint smile.

“That’s the calmest I’ve seen Declan all week, he’s always running around!” She continued with surprise, shifting her eyes to the boy in front of me. I flashed her a tiny smile, turning to look at the puzzled toddler. Only now did I notice how much of a semblance he had with the alpha. They had the same piercing emerald eyes, except that this child had a more intense coat of chrome silver. He also has the same brown hair, but his was a beautiful honey brown. The way he stared at me was similar, even the way his top lip twitched. When the hell did I notice all of those features on the alpha?

‘Anyone can see them.’ I chided, forcing myself to smile at him.

“Who are you, by the way? I can’t tell if he likes you for real or he’s planning to claw off your face.” She said with a chuckle, rising from the floor. Well, she was right, but he was literally the cutest thing I’ve seen today.

“I’m the new nanny, Larissa.” I answered, stretching an arm in courtesy. The way those words rolled off my tongue, it was an interesting taste of honey and bile. She clicked her tongue instead, causing me to raise a brow. “Is something wrong?”

“No, no not that.” She said quickly, shaking her head. “It’s just that he’s never had a nanny this…young. Most of them were middle aged ladies and you genuinely look like you’re eighteen.”

“Twenty two, actually.” I corrected sweetly, and she gasped again.

“My bad- Declan!”

My ears perked at the startling yell, only to see that the toddler had returned to sit at the dwarf table. Now he was scribbling at the table.

“No, that’s not right.” I chided again, walking quickly to collect the pencil in his hands, and the next thing he was screaming his tiny lungs in a bawl. I tried to scoop him up but he flinched, crying loudly before the woman picked him up.

“He’s a little…sensitive.” She said apologetically, patting at his back.

“How long have you been taking care of him?”

“Two years. I’ve been waiting for a promotion or something, and now I can finally get one thanks to you.”

“Oh…” Congratulations? She looked really dreamy and happy though. But if I was going to handle this child without being killed, I needed to know everything about him.

“Can you tell me a bit about him, so I can…take proper care of him?” I said after clearing my throat. She nodded enthusiastically, patting his back again before setting him down to play. He had stopped crying already.

“Ohh sure. He’s extremely picky with food and enters brief rogue stages where he never listens to what I have to say. Sort of like what just happened. He’s a sensitive child and I think he’s picky because he’s attracted to foods that have similar scents as his mother’s pheromones.”

“His mother?”

“Don’t ever bring it up.” Her voice suddenly grew quiet in warning. “Her name is forbidden in the pack, but nobody knows why.”

My curiosity had piqued to its highest. Who was his son’s mother then? A former mate? An ex-lover? Thoughts raced at all the possibilities. I had to shake my head to drive them away. I wasn’t here to know about that. My job was to take care of his son and nothing more.

Smiling lightly, I looked at the boy still scribbling with all his tiny might. Squatting to his eye level, I tapped the table to get his attention. A blank, curious stare.

“So, Declan, how would you like some cookies and milk?”

No response.

“Okay, just cookies?”

Still no response. Warming up to me was taking a lot longer than I wanted. Leaning in to carry him perhaps was a mistake, as in a second he was bawling.

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*

Kaden’s POV

Declan is crying again. I heard Jackson’s mind linked message.

I clicked my tongue, wondering if smirking was a better idea. They usually say ‘be careful what you wish for’, bet she was just realising. That cheat would leave on her own.

I recoiled into the seat, closing my eyes briefly. “Keep an eye on that wolf and report any unusual activity.”