Chapter 21

Nan’s POV

Now that I knew I didn’t want to leave, it was all I could do not to bed Lionel to change his mind.

I wanted to stay.

I wanted to be with the girls. I wanted to keep the little family I was building. It made me feel foolish, but I wanted…Lionel.

It was all I could think about. As I passed him in the hallway, my brain screamed to be closer. Whenever we exchanged domestic words and warm smiles, my heart thundered, and my cheeks burned.

The thought of leaving all of this behind caused my chest to ache with pain. A squeezing vice around my heart that stole my breath. The pain only got worse over time.

Cora’s words echoed in my head. ‘Once Lionel finds out that you're just a lowly wolf-less, he will never choose you.’ He will never choose you….

It scared me. Sometimes Lionel was so good to me. So nice.

But then I remembered his coldness. That in the end he would take Patti and I would never see my girl again. I was terrified that Cora was right.

The shriek of my cellphone interrupted my thoughts. It was a number I did not know. “Hello?”

A friendly voice replied, “Hello, are you Ms. Nan Lupa?”

Who was this person? I felt confused and cautious. “Yes, I am.”

“My name is Nadine. I’m from a rather new and upcoming wedding design business. We have been looking for aspiring wedding planners and Alpha Lionel reached out to us about you.”

Hope bubbled in my throat. I couldn’t believe it. Getting back into the wedding planning was my dreams.

Hearing that Lionel had arranged this flooded me with a fresh wave of admiration. Just when I thought I could not like this man more…he pulls this.

The woman continued. “He sent us a portfolio of that birthday party you planned a few weeks ago. We were impressed. We wanted to offer you a job if you are interested.”

I managed to beat back my excitement. I calmly said, “I am very interested.”

“That’s great. I’m sending you a text with our address right now.” My phone vibrated. “Please come by this address tomorrow, and we can get you started right away.”

She ended the call. I stood there in shock. Staring at the text.

“Nan? Are you okay?” Lionel’s deep voice called from behind me. I shivered slightly.

I turned around to face him. He stood there looking as handsome as ever. His head tilted as he met my eyes curiously.

“I just got a job offer as a wedding planner.” His eyes cleared as a slight smile ghosted that red mouth. I cleared my throat awkwardly.

“They said that…they said you recommended me. I just wanted to say thank you. So much.”

He shook his head. “That was all you. I just pointed them in your direction.”

I desperately fought the blush threatening to turn me into a tomato. Why did he have to be so considerate and generous?! It only made my chaotic thoughts into a tornado.

“When do you start?”

“Tomorrow.”

He frowned a little at that. “Isn’t that a bit soon?” I shook my head.

“It’s fine. Besides, you can spend a little more time with Patti. Get her used to me being…not here.”

The silence was heavy. Lionel looked thoughtful. The pain in my chest got worse as I grew disappointed because he did not disagree.

I suddenly felt like I needed to get away from this conversation. Away from the pain. Away from Lionel.

“Well, it’s kind of late. I need to get ready for tomorrow. Good night.”

I slipped past him. Heat radiated off him as I did. I wondered just how warm his arms would feel up close.

Maybe this distance would be a good thing. I couldn’t afford to be so close to Lionel with how I felt about him. Not when he clearly did not feel the same.

I ignored the twinge of pain at that idea.

The meeting the next day went well. I liked the team I had. The work I did was busy but satisfying.

My own dedication and the bride’s very specific request kept me busy for the next few weeks. We were a new business, so we were trying to make the best impression possible for our clients. I barely had time to sleep.

I certainly had no time to think about Lionel or the feelings bubbling in my heart. There was no room for contemplation. It was for the best.

Unfortunately, I also had no time to spend with the girls. I always got home too late to make dinner for the girls myself or to do our nightly story times. I missed my girls a lot.

I told myself that it wouldn’t be for much longer. I would make it up to them. Besides, they had Lionel to spend time with them…

Lionel’s POV

I was not happy. At all. And neither were my girls.

Nan had been busy with her new job lately. It hadn’t been so bad in the beginning. Seeing Nan so happy had made me happy for her.

At first. But then her days got longer and longer. The girls saw her less and less.

I saw her even less than they did. When I did see her, I could see the dark circles under her eyes. Even if she had stopped meeting my eyes.

I could not understand why. I thought we were getting along. But all of a sudden she seemed to be ignoring my very presence.

It made me pissed off. Irrationally so. As an alpha in my position, I simply was not to be ignored.

Especially when I hadn’t done anything worth being treated this way for. If she was angry, she could tell me to my face. At least then we could solve whatever was upsetting her.

“Dad?” Vera and Patti were waiting by my door. I waved them in.

“What’s wrong?”

Patti spoke. “Is mommy coming home tonight? I wanted her to read Goodnight Moon.” Vera nodded her head.

I pursed my lips. “Not tonight. She said she won’t be home until late.”

Both girls’ faces dropped. I sighed. This was another reason I was not happy.

Vera and Patti hadn’t gotten to spend any time with Nan recently. It made the girls sad. It made Nan miserable.

Inwardly, I admitted it made me miserable too.

“Here, I know it’s not as good as Nan’s, but I’ll read to your girls tonight. You can even tell Nan how bad my voices are.” This made the girls giggle a little.

“Go upstairs. I’ll be there soon.” The girls left and I deeply sighed again.

This could not go on much longer. No one was happy. Not even Nan.

She may pretend to be. But I knew better. Her slumped shoulders and almost diminished demeaner were obvious to me.

Nan was many things. Strong, outspoken, steady. To see her not herself upset me.

Even her scent was fading from the house. I often found myself seeking it out. I did not know why, but that upset me most of all.

I had gotten used to her delicious scent everywhere I went in our home. The walls were practically saturated in it a few weeks ago. It soothed me.

Having that scent taken away aggravates me. Puts me on edge. Makes me grumpier.

Even now I can see my nails sharpening into claws. This loss of control is confusing. I have always had impeccable control over my instincts.

That is what allowed me to rise the ranks. To be the Alpha. Nothing was going right lately.

And it all leads back to Nan’s absence. I am unsure of the reasons. But I just know that was the trigger.

Yet I would never tell another person about this. I know how it sounds. Someone would simply say I just miss her.

But they would be wrong. It’s not about me. I’ve lived my entire life without craving another person’s presence.

I don’t need anyone. I just got used to Nan being around, that’s all.

A routine. And I don’t like my routine being disrupted. People should stick to their established routine.

It’s the girls that miss Nan. I don’t like seeing them upset. That’s all.