“Daddy! When is Lily coming?”
Walker sighed. It was the fifth time Erin had asked since she woke up.
“I told you, she’ll get here when she gets here. Her mommy had to talk to her landlord and then they’ll be over. I promise.”
Erin’s face drew into a pout and she turned on her heel and went back into the living room. Walker shook his head and looked back down at the newspaper. His ad was front and center, and yet, it still hadn’t had the effect he had been hoping for. The way he worked with engines was pure magic; everybody who came to the shop told him so. And yet, for some reason, no matter how hard he tried, he had a hard time attracting clients. He was grateful for his regulars, who swore by his work and recommended him to everybody they could think of, but most people preferred to go to the big human-run corporate garages that were starting to pop up on Stonybrooke’s every corner. It was getting a little bit out of hand, but if the shifters saw other shifters working there, they didn’t seem to care whether the garages were human-owned or not. They were loyal to some degree, but the extent of that loyalty was constantly tested. And most of the other shifters in town, unfortunately, were too lazy to support shifter-run businesses when they could just go across the street to get their cars tuned up. Even when that meant they might get their car back with more problems than it went in with. Those human bastards could be tricky sometimes.
Walker had a true passion for motors and engines and making things run and work smoothly. That was something all his clients delighted in. He had learned from a master of machinery and had gone on to truly hone his talents as he moved on in life. It was his passion, and he pursued it tirelessly.
“Daddy! I see a car!”
Walker stood with a deep sigh, half relieved and half jealous at the attention that Riley and Lily were generating from his daughter. Usually, she was only excited to see him, but at the same time, he was really happy to be able to see her feeling happy about other people. It had been a while since he had seen this side of his daughter. She simply wasn’t interested in other people since her mother had left, and chose, instead, to cling to Walker’s hip and hold tightly to what she knew would never change. Hopefully, having Lily and Riley in the house would change that for her for good.
Still, he couldn’t help but feel just a little hurt when Erin barely acknowledged him after he opened the door and let Lily run inside. The girls went immediately to play, as if they had been waiting, since the moment they had conked out, for this moment and it was as serious as a business arrangement.
“Well, they didn’t waste any time, did they?” Riley asked him, watching the girls play with one slender brow raised. The wolf inside him stirred once again and he frowned inwardly. What was he thinking? There was nothing more inappropriate than allowing the wolf to rear its head. Even if she were his type, claiming his nanny was hardly the move of a responsible gentleman, and that was what Walker always intended to be.
“No, none,” Walker said, laughing quietly as he watched Erin drag Lily around the room, showing off the block towers she had been working all morning on. “It’s pretty incredible, really. I’m not used to feeling invisible in my own house.”
“Aw,” Riley said, her voice a low tease. “Is somebody having separation anxiety?”
Walker couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well, we wolves are pack animals. Loyal to a fault. It makes sense that I would feel a little…”
“Threatened?” Riley asked helpfully.
“...jealous,” Walker replied. “I don’t get threatened unless there is a good reason.”
Riley nodded. “Well, that’s good. You’re not like most other men then.”
Walker laughed. “No, I would imagine not.”
“It’ll get easier,” Riley said, smiling warmly at him. “It’s good for them to socialize at this age. I think it’s good for all of us, in a way.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it is,” Walker said, his eyes lingering on Riley a little longer than he meant for them to. She was kind of pretty in her own way. Even if she did remind him of a librarian.
“Did she eat yet?” Riley asked, looking away from him suddenly as if she could almost sense the thoughts Walker was trying to battle away from his mind.
“Oh, yeah, we had breakfast a little bit ago. She usually gets hungry at around noon, so…”
“Okay,” Riley said, smiling warmly at him. “Anything else I should know?”
“No, you know pretty much everything already. And she’s vocal for a four-year-old, so if she wants anything, she would probably just tell you about it.”
“Good to know,” Riley said, her eyes glittering softly at him before turning away and heading into the living room with the girls.
“Daddy’s going to go, Erin,” Walker said. “Can I get a hug?”
“Yeah,” Erin said, though her tone made it sound like a hug was the most inconvenient thing he could possibly ask of her. It stung a little, but when he caught Riley’s eye, she smiled encouragingly at him. He felt a little better and picked Erin up in a sweeping daddy hug, causing her to giggle as he kissed her face.
“You be good and have fun with Lily, okay?”
“Okay!” Erin exclaimed, scrambling out of his arms and back to her friend.
“See you tonight,” Walker said, holding Riley’s gaze. She nodded, and he left with his heart feeling uncharacteristically warm, despite his daughter’s mild rejection. It was almost as if, coming home, he would have a whole family waiting for him again.
***
“You’re in early!” Marcus said, perched on the hood of his designer sports car. Marcus wasn’t the type to be modest about his money, and he had the cocky swagger of an entitled rich boy. Walker probably would have hated him if they hadn’t been friends for so long, but the guy had a good heart and that’s all Walker could ask for. Besides, their packs were in good standing with each other, and the alliance was important to maintain, for everybody’s benefit.
“That woman you mentioned to me before, Riley Maxwell? She accepted my proposal to watch Erin.”
“That’s great, man!” Marcus said. “That mean you can come out with me tonight?”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Walker said, exhaling. “I know the crowd you’re running with these days. They’re not really my kind of people.”
“I know, but it was worth a shot. So, how’s the pup like her new nanny so far? Riley’s great, right?”
“She is,” Walker said, lifting the hood of Marcus’ car and taking a look inside. “Erin loves her. And she really loves Lily.”
“Lily? Who’s Lily?” Marcus asked, frowning.
“You’re kidding, right?” Walker said, pursing his lips at his friend. “Lily! Riley’s daughter.”
“Ohh, the human kid. Right. I didn’t see her around much. Most folks weren’t really into having other kids around theirs. Especially humans.”
“Right,” Walker said, turning away to hide the disgust on his face. As much as he liked Marcus, the attitude of the royals never ceased to disgust him. They were always so judgmental of things that didn’t fall within their narrow dogma. He couldn’t imagine living in such a confining lifestyle. He probably would have ended up like Marcus, who was a thrill seeker and went out of his way to generate excitement in his life.
“Well, anyway, I’m glad I hooked the two of you up. The little munchkin deserves some joy after what that bitch did to you guys.”
Walker darkened. He hated talking about Molly when other people brought her up to him. It was shocking that he had opened up about her as much as he had with Riley. There was just something so kind and open-minded about the way Riley listened to him. It made him feel safe to express how he felt to her.
With Marcus, it was another story, though. Marcus hated Molly from day one and didn’t let him forget it when he turned out to be right about her. Marcus was the only person he had told the whole story to, and he had lived to regret it. Marcus loved being right, and knowing he had been right about something as devastating as Walker’s relationship gave him a little bit of an attitude. It was strange that someone like Marcus, a human, could sense something in Molly that Walker had completely missed. But then again, love was blind, as the saying went, and Walker had been just as blinded as anybody else would have been. It was the sad, humiliating truth.
“So, how’s business going?” Walker asked.
Marcus grinned. “It’s booming, man! You have no idea how many people out there aren’t able to even restart a computer, let alone deal with the serious IT stuff.”
“Well, you’re a genius. It’s a good business for you to be in, really.”
“Hell yeah, it is,” Marcus said, grinning.
For being a human, Marcus definitely carried himself like an alpha. He wasn’t actually as confident as he let on. Walker knew better, but confidence was the name of the game when it came to business ventures, and Walker was glad that at least one human as kind as Marcus was in Stonybrooke, helping the shifters in the city to get connected and understand the world they lived in just a little better.
“Any new projects going on?” Walker asked, giving the engine of Marcus’ sports car a little tune up. It was nothing major; he had done the same thing just a few weeks back as he chatted with Marcus about cars and the latest woman on Marcus’ radar.
“Actually, yeah,” Marcus said, beaming at Walker. “You know the Raders?”
“Who doesn’t know the Raders?” Walker replied.
“They’re doing something really intense for their company. They need a bunch of security shit set up, and guess who they came to?”
“Nice!”
“Yep. So, the team and I are going to get to work on that today, once I get out of here. It’s a serious thing too, man. I’ve never worked on something so damn secretive before. These guys don’t trust their security to just anyone, either. I mean, this is a multi-billion dollar industry, you know what I mean? They need it tight.”
“No doubt,” Walker said, slamming the hood of the car down and grinning at Marcus. “Congratulations, man! Sounds like that will bring you a lot of cash.”
“You have no idea,” Marcus said with a soft chuckle. “It’s lucky, man. If I wasn’t naturally talented at this stuff, who knows where I’d be.”
“Well, you are meant to be here, in Stonybrooke, with us,” Walker said. “You’re part of the pack.”
“Thank my stars every day for that, too,” Marcus said. “If I hadn’t been adopted by Kenga, I don’t know what would have happened to me. He took me off the streets, cleaned me up, and made me part of the family.”
“And we’re proud to have you,” Walker said, punching Marcus on the shoulder. “I’ve got some work to catch up on, but it was good seeing you, man.”
“Yeah! I’ll be around again soon.”
Walker nodded and watched Marcus drive off before heading deeper into the garage. Now that his friend was gone, the real work could begin.
***
Walker trudged through the yard, his entire body aching. It had been a rough day, and he’d had a car fall on him. Instead of going to the hospital, though, he walked it off. Nobody else had seen it happen, so he had managed to weasel his way out of a hospital visit.
“What happened to you?” Riley asked, her voice a hushed whisper when he pushed into the house.
“Is it that obvious?” Walker said with a pained laugh. He winced, and Riley came close to him, eyeing him sharply.
“You’re hurt!”
“It’s nothing serious,” Walker mumbled dismissively, pushing past her and heading into the kitchen. “I’m fine. Seriously.”
“You don’t look fine to me,” Riley hissed, following him on his heels. “What happened?”
“Nothing!” Walker exclaimed, wincing as he opened the refrigerator door. There was a bowl of leftovers inside and he took it out to microwave it. “I just had a rough day, is all.”
“Don’t lie to me,” Riley mumbled. “I can tell when someone’s lying to me. I’ve worked with kids for the past seven years.”
“Okay,” Walker grumbled, slinking heavily onto one of the chairs and taking a slow bite of his food. “I had a car fall on me today.”
“What?!”
Walker pursed his lips in annoyance and shook his head. “I told you. It’s really not a big deal. I’m just kind of sore.”
“Did you see a doctor?”
“No! It’s not the first time it’s happened. My kind are made like steel, you know. I’m really going to be fine.”
“You’re ridiculous. I’m drawing you a bath.”
Walker waved his hand dismissively and got back to eating the rest of his food as Riley disappeared quickly from the room and headed to the back. Soon, he could hear water running and sighed, shaking his head. As nice as it was to have someone worrying about him, it was pretty unwelcome. All he wanted to do was relax and enjoy his meal in peace without having to answer twenty questions all the time.
“You know,” Riley said, reappearing in the kitchen. “You owe it to your daughter to take the best care of yourself you possibly can.”
“Oh, here we go,” Walker mumbled, rolling his eyes.
“Yes, here we go!” Riley exclaimed. “You can’t take care of someone else until you take care of yourself first! It’s a common piece of advice that really makes a lot of sense. You have to put the oxygen mask on yourself before you can save anyone else. And it’s our job to care for these children. We can’t do that if we’re bleeding to death internally and think we’re too macho to go see a damn doctor.”
“I’m not bleeding internally!” Walker exclaimed.
“How do you know?” Riley demanded.
“I’d probably be able to smell it!” Walker said.
Truth be told, he didn’t know whether that was true or not, but he wanted to shut down the conversation and frankly, he was hoping that, being human, Riley would just accept his explanation.
But she didn’t. Instead, she continued speaking, her eyes passionate and fiery as she spoke to him. “You need to care for yourself, Walker. Just because sometimes it feels like you don’t matter doesn’t mean that it’s true. Your wife left you, yeah, but your little girl is with you until the end of time. And she needs you to be strong. Not a moron! Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
Walker nodded glumly, his mouth contorted in a pout. He hadn’t been spoken to like this since his mother had passed away, and now, with Riley here lecturing him on caring for himself, he couldn’t help but feel mildly ashamed.
“I’ll go to the doctor’s in the morning, all right? Just to be on the safe side. But really, I think I’m fine.”
“You’d better be fine,” Riley said, her intelligent eyes alive with fire. “Someone is going to need to be here for that little girl. Her mother sure as hell isn’t.”
Walker cringed, knowing Riley was right. It was stupid to be reckless with his life. Not when he had Erin to worry about.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t waste your time apologizing to me. What you need to do is be more careful next time. All right? That’s all this is about.”
Walker nodded, the wolf inside him conflicted. It wanted to win the fight at all costs, but at the same time, all he wanted to do was claim the woman who was stirring up such confusing and passionate emotions within him. She was unlike any woman he had ever encountered, and he wanted, more than anything, for her to be his.
But that wasn’t possible. And even if it was, this was a business arrangement. There was nothing he could say or do that would make his feelings for her okay. There was no justifying having an attraction to the nanny. An attraction that didn’t even make sense. She wasn’t even his type.
“I’m getting into the bath now,” Walker said, grunting in pain as he got himself to his feet and limped slowly down the hallway.
“Good.”
He hesitated outside the bathroom door. “Aren’t you leaving?”
“Oh no,” Riley said, eyeing him sternly. “I’m not leaving you alone. If anything happened to you, this poor little girl would have to be the one to find you and try to call for help. I’m not letting that happen.”
Walker scowled. “You’re being a bit dramatic, don’t you think?”
“I don’t think you’re being dramatic enough,” Riley countered.
Walker threw his hands up, at least as high as his limited mobility would allow him to, and went into the bathroom and closed the door. He tried to remove his shirt but roared in pain.
“What?” Riley asked, bursting through the door.
“Do you mind?” Walker hissed.
“Are you all right?” Riley asked, ignoring his protest and coming up close to him. She examined him closely and shook her head. “You need help, don’t you?”
“Even if I did, I would rather die than ask for it,” Walker grumbled.
Riley shook her head. “You’re a stubborn man,” she said softly, slipping her fingers quickly underneath the brim of his shirt and helping him to peel it off. She did it so easily and effortlessly that he was forced to remember she was a nanny. She had done it probably thousands of times to pups all over Stonybrooke, and he suddenly felt like the world’s biggest child.
“Oh, what are you moping about?” Riley asked. “It’s really not that bad.”
“No…,” Walker muttered.
She examined his torso, touching his bruised ribs gently. He flinched away and Riley sighed. “You’re going to have a lot of trouble climbing out of that tub.”
“I’ll manage!” Walker exclaimed. “And I don’t need help with the rest of this. I’ve got it. I’m a grown man.”
“And a stubborn one to boot,” Riley mumbled, shrugging her shoulders and heading to the doorway. “Suit yourself. But if you need me, don’t hesitate to call me.”
Walker nodded miserably, and she fixed another warning look on him before closing the bathroom door and leaving him alone in the room.
He undressed quickly, his mind a million miles away before finally sinking into the steaming hot water. It was exactly what his body needed after such a physically demanding day, and he had half a mind to call Riley in just to thank her for being considerate enough to think of a bath. He probably would have just showered as usual and then dropped into bed, waking up stiff as a board the next day. He wasn’t used to anybody taking care of him, but for once, it wasn’t so terrible.
“You doing okay?”
Riley’s gentle voice wafted into the room, and again, the wolf responded. It was eager for more of Riley, now that he was lying naked in the water. If she just came in one more time, he might be able to convince her to come into the tub with him…
No. He couldn’t allow himself to harbor such perverse intentions. She was there to take care of his child, for God’s sake, not take care of the wolf’s insidious needs. He couldn’t believe the level he was stooping to. It was embarrassing.
“I’m fine, thanks,” he replied, hoping his voice didn’t sound too strained. It would be even worse if the wolf gave away his innermost thoughts without being any the wiser. He wanted her to feel comfortable in his home, not like she was being pursued.
“All right. Well, I’m here.”
“I know.”
Did he ever. The wolf was begging him to invite her into the bathroom again; to feign some injury or pain that she could come in and rub right out of him. But he couldn’t allow himself to stoop that low. She deserved to work for an honest man; not a man so driven by desire that he would succumb to the inner trickster that was his animal self.
Once the water began to cool off, Walker decided he’d had enough of soaking. It was time to face the world again, whether he was ready or not.
He grunted painfully as he hoisted himself out of the tub and wrapped a towel around his waist. Usually, he brought in a change of clothes to put on, but the bath had happened so suddenly that he hadn’t had a chance to prepare.
Walker emerged from the bathroom, glancing nervously for any sign of Riley. Thankfully, there was none, and although the wolf was disappointed, he was relieved more than anything. He would be able to live another day knowing he had been able to resist the temptations of the nanny and allow her a safe and comfortable place to work, and if necessary, somewhere down the line, live.
He walked up the stairs and turned the corner to his bedroom, colliding with Riley as she came down the hall, presumably after putting the girls to bed in Erin’s bedroom.
“Shit,” he hissed, the wolf awakened suddenly by the smell of arousal wafting from Riley. She had seen him there, half-naked in his towel, and the wolf had caught the scent that she was a hot-blooded woman after all.
“I’m sorry,” Riley mumbled, averting her eyes and trying to suppress the aura of arousal that was emanating off her. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Walker said.
They both stood there, frozen, facing each other but not looking at each other, until Riley looked up into Walker’s eyes, fearless and bold.
“Good night, Walker,” she said, managing to walk away from the situation with dignity despite knowing full well that her attraction to him had been detected.
Everything in Walker told him to chase after her; not to let her go without letting her know just how strong the wolf’s claim upon her truly was, but if he did, it would have ruined that frail balancing act of dignity and respect they had been playing with from the moment she had first arrived in his home.
No, Walker wasn’t going to let the wolf have its way this time. Whether it liked it or not, he was going to live to fight another day.
At least, he was if his wounds didn’t kill him first.
He walked into his dark bedroom and painfully pulled on a pair of boxers before falling into bed with a heavy sigh. As annoying as it might have been, he was grateful that Riley was there with him, insisting, in her own small way, to make sure both he and his child were cared for in the event of the worst case scenario. If it were Molly, she would have taken off hours ago, as soon as she had heard his car pull into the driveway. In fact, that’s exactly what she had done.
Walker closed his eyes, half delirious with sleep as he considered the two women and their stark differences. Molly, with her model-like face and body and sour soul, versus Riley, who was beautiful in her own dignified way, even if a little mousy, and probably smarter than everyone he knew combined. He wished he would have kissed her, and fell asleep living a fantasy in his mind, of what might have happened if, in another time and another life, he had been able to love the right woman first, instead of the one he had so stupidly married.
“Are you all right?”
Riley felt really wrong about intruding in the dark, cool bedroom where Walker was slumbering.
He opened his eyes and sat up, the moonlight hitting his sculpted chest and making her breath catch in her throat. He was truly a beautiful specimen.
“Hmm? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.”
“Okay,” Riley said quickly, scurrying out of the room and back to the guest room where she had made herself comfortable for the night. Erin had insisted that she and Lily sleep in the same room, so both girls were on the floor in sleeping bags because Lily wasn’t comfortable on other people’s beds, and Erin had insisted on joining her.
She lay down quickly, angry at herself for checking in on him, even though it was the morally responsible thing to do. She didn’t want anything bad happening on her watch; the little girl had already been through quite enough with her mother abandoning her. The last thing she needed was her stubborn fool of a father killing himself for no good reason.
It was hard for her to sleep in such an unfamiliar room and she found her eyes wandering the walls. They rested on the dresser across from the bed, at a framed photo of a woman who looked like a model. She, like Walker and Erin, had glittering blonde hair, and smoky blue eyes. Erin resembled her in ways, but it was clear she was a combination of both her parents.
Riley suddenly felt embarrassed on her own behalf, and maybe even a little angry. Why would she think she had any right to be attracted to a man who, not only was paying her to take care of his child, but who was the kind of man who was romantically and sexually interested in women who looked like they could make money just on their looks alone? It wasn’t fair. And she was embarrassed that she had allowed herself to even allow the seed of hope to be planted in her mind. It was a ridiculous thought and she should never have allowed herself to have it in the first place.
She soon managed to fall asleep, her mind still rife with the possibilities of exploring her attraction to Walker more deeply. But when she woke up the next morning, she felt only disgust and contempt toward herself, and avoided the picture of his ex-wife as if it were the plague.
Riley would never be a supermodel. She was a decent, modest woman, and she would rather be seen as a mother and an intellectual than a model anyway. Those were much more important. She wouldn’t let anything bring her down.
***
“What did the doctor say?” Riley demanded as soon as Walker strode through the door that afternoon.
“He said everything is fine,” Walker said, his voice low and patient. “I told you you didn’t need to worry so much.”
“I wouldn’t if you worried more about yourself,” Riley hissed, slapping his shoulder with the dish towel she had been using to dry Erin’s plate from lunch.
“I know,” Walker said patiently. “I’m working on it.”
“Good.”
Walker moved past her and into the kitchen, looking at her evenly as he sat down at the table.
“Oh God, you’re going to fire me, aren’t you? I was too pushy. I’m sorry…”
Walker’s face broke out into a broad smile and he shook his head. “No, that’s not it. I was going to ask you how the meeting with your landlord went. You know, the offer to live here is still open. I know I’m lucky to have you.”
Riley’s cheeks grew hot and she stammered, sitting down as she attempted to collect her thoughts. She was already so bitter about Walker’s ex-wife that it was almost ridiculous to even consider sharing a home with the man. But truth be told, it had been unbelievably seamless to simply wake up and get the girls ready for their day, making everybody breakfast and checking in on the stubborn fool of a man to make sure he was all right…
“Well, they aren’t going to be changing their minds about the eviction any time soon, even though I already gave them everything you’d given me for the week. So, I will just have to keep looking.”
“When do you have to be out of there?” Walker asked, his handsome eyes alive with concern.
“Next week. But we will figure something out. We always do.”
Walker raised his eyebrow at me. “You don’t have to try very hard. Even if it’s just for a little while…it’s been kind of nice having an adult around to talk to.”
Riley chuckled despite herself. “Honestly, I know what you mean.”
“I’m sure you do,” Walker said, his face good natured. “It can be hard to have to change your vocabulary to suit that of a three- or four-year-old. And God help you if you say a bad word.”
“Tell me about it,” Riley said, smiling wistfully. “I haven’t cursed in seven years just because I had to keep up appearances with the shifter families I was working for. I don’t even think I would remember how to use them.”
“I’m sure you would if you got the chance,” Walker said, his eyes flashing.
For some reason, it sent a wave of powerful heat coursing through her and Riley looked away quickly, trying to suppress the feeling of longing she had surging within her. The last thing she needed to do was get caught up in them and have Walker sense those feelings within her. She was already embarrassed enough at herself without giving him a reason to make her feel ashamed of her as well.
“We’ll just go back to the hotel like we did when we first moved here,” Riley said decidedly.
“How long can you afford that?” Walker asked, frowning.
“That’s really not any of your business, is it?” Riley asked, prickling. “I’m a mother. I know what I can and can’t do when it comes to caring for my daughter. And if I couldn’t take care of her on my own, then yes, I might consider your offer. But…”
“Of cours, you can take care of her yourself,” Walker said, his voice calm and gentle. He stood and walked toward her, putting his hand on her shoulder. The heavy warmth of his body was immediately soothing, and Riley looked down at the table. Why did it have to feel so good to have this man near her? “I just know what it’s like to be a single parent with one income, and honestly, it isn’t doing you justice to knock your price down low enough for a guy like me to afford you. Maybe part of what I owe you could be considered rent. You know, just in case you want to save yourself some money. Like I said, we’ve got the room. And I know Erin would be thrilled.”
Riley opened her mouth, nearly ready to keep fighting him, and then thought better of it.
“Thanks,” she said instead. “I’ll think about it, if things get too rough, okay? I appreciate the offer.”
“That’s all I ask,” Walker said, winking at her. The gesture left her feeling foggy. It was hard to keep trying to fight these ridiculous feelings of attraction for this man. It was purely physical, surely, and it wasn’t like she could help it to be attracted to him. And yet, she couldn’t help but feel horrible about it.
“All right…”
“Well, I’m going to get to work. I hope you keep the thought in mind. Erin and I are both happy to have you two around, and it might do the both of us some good to have some company around every once in a while. Things can get pretty lonely around here, just the two of us. I mean…I think it’s really good for her to have a woman around.”
Walker looked unexpectedly vulnerable for a moment, but then a wolfish grin creased his face. “Can’t necessarily say the same for myself, but I can be a good boy. Put toilet seats down and whatnot.”
With that, he departed with a wave, leaving Riley in the kitchen looking after him as he hugged his daughter goodbye and left for work, despite the incident the day before.
Wolves were stoic creatures, she had realized early on in her career. The children rarely showed any signs of pain unless they were particularly fond of garnering sympathy. She’d had to begin to look for all the subtle signs of injuries lest the pup’s parents come home and demand what had happened to their precious spawn in the time they were gone. Usually, she was clueless until the pup pinpointed exactly when and how they had been hurt or started to feel sick, and soon, she had learned to master all the body language of young shifters.
It was lucky she had, too, or she might not have even noticed Walker was injured. Sure, he was walking slowly and had a minor limp, but the thought of not detecting his injuries made her feel sick. Even though everything had turned out fine, there was the possibility that it wasn’t, or wouldn’t have, and then where would his poor little girl be? The idea of losing him was awful…
Riley shook the thought away and sighed. He wasn’t hers to care for in that way. Whether she cared about what he was experiencing or not, she would have to keep her emotions as surface-level as possible. It wasn’t her place to worry about what happened to him, not to this extent. She couldn’t let her feelings for this man deepen. Not when she had two children to care for. She needed this job, more than she had ever needed anything in her life, and the security it promised her–even the potential for a home–was unbelievably comforting.
Of course, she would never be able to accept his hospitality. Not when she had such inappropriate feelings for him. But just knowing the offer was on the table gave her a sense of security unlike anything she had managed to feel ever since setting foot in Stonybrooke all those years ago. It almost felt as if she had something stable she could rely on; a place to call home.
That was ridiculous, though. She and Lily were on their own and probably always would be. She would never put her daughter’s future at risk for her own silly daydreams. She hardly even knew Walker. There was no way they could live there with him. It was out of the question.
Riley sighed and walked into the living room, where she spent the rest of the day half-heartedly playing the mommy in the girls’ games and trying her hardest not to think any more about the man who had offered her a place to live.
***
“Come on, honey, we have to get to the motel. I told them we would check in at noon and it’s already 11:45.”
“I don’t want to move,” Lily said, her brown eyes filling with tears. “I want to stay here. I have my own bedroom!”
“It’s just for now,” Riley promised, her heart breaking. She couldn’t help but feel like a horrible parent. Her child was at an age where security was incredibly important, and she was uprooting her to live in an uncertain future. “I promise. And you’re going to have a new bedroom sometime very soon! Mommy just has to figure a few things out.”
“I don’t like it when you have to figure things out,” Lily said, sadly stringing her backpack over her tiny shoulders and taking Riley’s hand. They walked to the car together, hand in hand, and then headed to the motel.
“You the girls gonna stay here a while?” the clerk asked once they walked inside.
“That’s right,” Riley said. “That’s still all right, isn’t it?”
“Oh yeah, I just wanted to make sure. Here’s your key. It’s to the left and up the stairs.”
Riley sighed. She had been hoping to avoid steps with Lily being so small. She was always paranoid about the littlest things. Still, Lily was the most important being in her life, it was hardly surprising that she would want to be extra cautious.
They walked slowly and carefully up to the room, and Riley smiled down at her daughter.
“I have to unpack,” she said. “Can you be a good girl and stay inside this room? Don’t let anybody come in even if they ask nicely. Only mommy will come in and I will let myself inside, do you understand?”
“Yes!”
“Good!” Riley said. “You promise?”
“I promise.”
“Okay. Let’s get some cartoons on the television. I’m going to be right back, okay?”
“I know, mommy,” Lily said impatiently, getting on the bed and making herself comfortable in front of the TV. “Can you bring in my blankie?”
“Of course. I’m going to bring in everything.”
Riley took off, hoping to make the move as painless as possible. She had learned, long ago, about the pleasures of being a minimalist. Moving around all over the state, and then from place to place in Stonybrooke, had meant she wanted nothing more than a simple life and only the bare necessities. It didn’t hurt that she also didn’t ever seem to have a lot of spare money to spend on frivolous items. She probably owned more toys for Lily than she owned much of anything else.
She hefted up one of the heavy boxes full of necessary appliances and carried it up the stairs, grumbling to herself the whole way. She had specifically requested a ground floor room, but she was just going to have to deal with this. It wasn’t the classiest establishment, but it would do for the time being.
“Mommy!”
The sound of Lily’s shriek nearly made Riley’s heart leap out of her chest. She dropped the box and scrambled up the rest of the steps, fumbling with the stupid hotel key to let herself into the room.
When she got inside, she froze, a chill creeping through her body. Inside the room were three wolf shifters, each of them grinning darkly at Riley and her daughter.
“It’s going to be okay,” Riley whispered, inching toward her child.
“Mommy…” Lily whimpered.
They had turned the television set off and were glaring menacingly.
“What do you guys want? Take whatever you need, just leave us alone!”
“That’s the thing, lady. Taking you is what we want.”
“What do you mean?” Riley asked, her voice wavering.
“Oh, we’ve seen you around, you know. We know you know something, there’s no way you don’t. So, you and your little brat there are going to have to come with us.”
Maternal rage prickled in Riley’s chest and she stood in front of her daughter, blocking her from the sight of the men.
“You’re not going to touch a hair on her head,” Riley said, her voice quaking with a combination of rage and fear. “I will kill you before you get the chance.”
Riley cried out in agony, her body flying backward and slamming against the wall. Lily shrieked and Riley, dazed and hurt, struggled to her feet. She would have to show her daughter that there was nothing to worry about. If she lost her composure, it would make the whole thing that much more traumatic for Lily.
“Is that the best you can do?” Riley gasped. “You’re going to have to do better than that if you want to get to me.”
The man leading the assault shifted into his wolf form, quickly and deliberately, and a sob caught in Lily’s throat.
“Stay back!”
Lily was shocked and relieved by the deep voice in the doorway, and suddenly, Walker appeared.
“Oh shit, are you serious? I thought I told you to make sure we were going to be alone!”
“I thought I had!”
“Well, you’re not,” Walker said, his dark eyes flashing menacingly. Riley watched, in a mixture of fascination and horror, as the man’s incredible body began to morph and sprout white tufts of hair all over it, until he was crouching in the doorway with his jaw clenched, a deep menacing growl emanating from his throat.
He looked at Riley briefly, every inch of his body seeming to tell her one thing. Run.