“Good morning, Emma!” Oliver cheered. They had been away for a few days, but already, the boys missed their copper-haired caretaker.
“Good morning, Oliver!” Emily greeted and was promptly tackled at her legs by the shortest kid.
In a few days that their grandfather visited, Emily worked on improving the side house so that they could have their home lessons adequately conducted. The patch in the garden was cleared, the stationery supplies were rearranged, and a reading corner was created in one of the spare rooms upstairs. Most importantly, they had a few more child-friendly furniture for the children to use.
Seeing how Oliver beat them to the punch, Ludwig and Darren sulked. They were tasked with carrying the gifts Ambrose prepared and could not afford to damage them. The Fenrir insiste
With Ludwig’s tutoring, the boys completed all their assignments in time for lunch. Emily occasionally walked over to give the boys some pointers. Oliver’s grip on the pencil was getting better, but he still kept colouring outside the lines. Emily taught him how to colour slowly closer to the edge of the lines before filling the colour on the inside of the picture. At the same time, she taught the young child how to shift the paper’s angle and colour in different directions to speed up his colouring progress.Ludwig was reading a book when he wasn’t helping his brothers with homework. He also sharpened the dulled pencils for Oliver and Darren, earning praise from Emily. The home tutor challenged Ludwig to find five words with meanings he did not know from the book to write down. She knew that the blond child was smart and taught him to use the internet to facilitate his learning. Th
Receiving a text from Emily during working hours started becoming normal for the busy secretary. Hence, he ignored the first text from the caretaker. They were in a meeting with the managers of the company.However, when his phone kept going off non-stop with Ludwig sending him messages, the shifter in him knew that something was wrong at once.“And now, I shall pass the time to Richard to let everyone know the direction for our next six months.”The change was so abrupt that many managers showed concern for the secretary, who dropped everything onto the CEO and excused himself to make a call.After checking his email and messaging app, Favian did not know who to call first. He read Emily’s text spam and realised that something huge had happened. It sou
Dressed in little gardening hats, gardening gloves and little green gardening boots, the boys stood in the garden holding up spades, watering cans and rakes.“Smile for the camera!” Emily grinned and snapped a picture. This would be an adorable addition to the collection of their growing years that the CEO and his secretary could look back on.After getting dressed for their late afternoon gardening, the shifters looked at each other. They smelled like Emily now with this outfit. The smell of wet soil felt more natural to them. It was as if they were taken back to the forest behind Blue Moon Mansion, and their excitement could barely be concealed.“You look funny,” Oliver commented to Ludwig, who struggled to keep the hat out of his eyes.“Y
“If you don’t feel qualified to be these boys’ tutor, I don’t think there would be a more suitable candidate,” Favian sighed over the phone after receiving Emily’s new report about the boys.As it turned out, Ludwig was the brain type of werewolf. His ability wasn’t rare among the shifter community, but it was one of a kind in the human society. As for Oliver’s marksmanship, it was rather surprising. Most would display talents among the shifter community like Darren’s or Ludwig’s. Shifters were primarily close combatants. Ranged combatants and magicians were rarer and were usually assigned the roles of scouts or shamans.Richard’s magic abilities were slightly higher than other wolves, and Oliver’s talent was the first they’d seen in three hundred years. If Ambrose learned about
Life changed drastically since Annie recommended Emily’s job application to the werewolves. Her steady presence took a load off everyone’s shoulders, and the shifters started relying more on her.Thanks to the improved education and change in the rowdy boys, Richard and Favian managed to get more sleep. Gradually, the company’s performance increased with the CEO and his secretary back in shape. Favian started flying to different branch offices around the country while Richard was seen attending more social functions. Emily stopped questioning if she was the right sitter for their family and took her job seriously, learning what she did not know and presenting lesson plans a week in advance to keep the busy guardians updated.The first time it happened, Richard felt terrible for Emily. Favian was away in a different state, and there was a
After spending yesterday off, Emily felt restless. Working was the meaning of her life. Having a day off with nobody to spend it with and no errands to run made Emily feel empty. The nursing graduate had no idea what she should do, and she found herself missing her students. Was Favian punishing them too strictly?The company’s welfare policy was great, and most people would appreciate the time to catch up on sleep and recuperate after a shocking turn of events. However, Emily was more concerned about the welfare of her students. According to Annie, who heard it from Richard, the boys were severely grounded for a week by a furious secretary who took the first plane back after hearing about the accident.Rolling around in bed, she checked the time. It was only nine in the morning, and the CEO would have started his day by now. The deep cut on her forearm d
“Hello!” Annie greeted with a huge smile. “Thank you for volunteering. The department is severely shorthanded without Mr Beowulf around.”Not expecting such an enthusiastic welcome, Emily flinched and plastered on a polite smile. She knew that Kendra sometimes came over to her room to share their off days and some dinner with stories about work. However, the caretaker still felt like a stranger in the office her boss worked at.“Good morning,” Emily returned the greeting as the HR manager dropped a huge stack of folders in her arms.Emily winced at the weight as the wound on her forearm stung. The enthusiastic HR manager saw her reaction and gasped in horror, apologising profusely for the damage she caused, but Emily reassured her that the wound did not reopen. Annie felt guilty,
They pulled up at a humble steak and pasta restaurant, contrary to Emily's image of rich CEOs. Didn’t wealthy bosses usually try to flaunt their wealth? She wasn’t disappointed by Richard’s choice. Honestly, she would have felt out of place if he had taken her to an upscale restaurant. This family restaurant had a cosy atmosphere, friendly employees and food that smelled like a mother’s cooking. It was perfect! Seeing the light in Emily’s eyes, Richard knew he had made the right decision. Other socialites and hotel heiresses might be charmed by the glamour of candlelit dinner with a city view from a seven-star hotel but not Emily. The caretaker was the most down to earth lady he knew, and she knew how to appreciate the simple things in life. They entered the restaurant together, and Richard held the door for Emil
In a blink of an eye, two years passed quickly. Richard and Favian deliberately took some off time from work to attend the important occasion that afternoon with the boys who took special leave from the boarding school.Oliver, William, Ludwig and Darren sat proudly on their chairs as the presenter announced the names of the graduates. One by one, they watched the cohort’s graduates walk up to the stage and shake hands with an old man before posing for pictures and walking down the stage with their certificates.“Where’s Emma?” William asked, and Oliver pulled his brother to sit on the chair properly. The youngest of their pack was still rather ill-mannered.“Patience,” Ludwig smiled. “They will call her name soon. You’ll see.”
The purple sunset on the horizon made a beautiful backdrop for their candlelit dinner date. Richard outdid himself and arranged for a romantic beachside set up on the sand and under the sky so Emily could enjoy the sea breeze and sound of waves during the low tide. The venue looked like something out of a magazine, giving off a magical atmosphere.“Enjoy your meal,” the waiter smiled and left after serving the couple some fancy seafood pasta.Richard grinned at how Emily marvelled at everything. It took him a few days to organise this with some string-pulling after Ambrose insisted he put more effort into wooing his mate. Things were gradually changing in their lifestyles for the better with each day Emily was around in the Blue Moon Mansion. The Fenrir changed so much around Emily. The werewolves could hardly believe their lazy and bigoted founding
Two months passed quickly after the family meeting. Emily was slowly getting used to the shifter lifestyle, although there was a lot of compromise and arguments between her and Ambrose over the children’s education.Today, it was no different.“They need to learn how to defend themselves!” Ambrose growled, and Emily raised a brow.“There will be no robbers with guns in the boarding school that they need to disarm or kill,” she reasoned. “Rich- Mr Taleman doesn’t choose schools with poor security. If it happens, they will have to go out of business. If anything, they need to learn how to eat with proper dining etiquette more than disarming a robber. You might not care about it, but bad dining manners signify inferior upbringing among humans.”
“She’s here!” Ambrose announced tipsily as Favian sighed in frustration at the chaos.In the short span he left to find the home tutor, Richard managed to engage in a drinking competition with the other alphas. They might be going easy on him by choosing a less destructive method of competing as alphas but dealing with a drunk Richard Taleman was almost as troublesome as having ten Ludwigs high on sugar.“Emily!” Richard beamed and waved uncoordinated to the copper-haired human.Almost at once, everyone turned their attention to the little protection squad around her. Emily nearly froze on the spot. If it wasn’t for Favian acting as a shifter barricade, she might have suffered a heart attack from how predatory everyone looked.Ev
“Stinky one-eyed bastard!”“Old furless mutt!”“Bring it on, you fangless faggot!”Of all the things Emily mentally prepared for, the slew of vulgarities and flying furniture was not one of them.The front yard that was brilliantly decorated was reduced to a mountain of trash with shifters growling at each other. The expensive handmade tapestry was torn, the special ordered outdoor carpet was ruined with mud, the steel chairs were bent at different angles, and Ambrose was organising a gambling den for the makeshift fight ring full of rowdy shifters.Emily wasn’t even fazed by the sight of wolf ears, swishy tails or exposed fangs during the day. They reminded her of the boys when she f
Escorting Emily from the beauty parlour was a whole new experience. Although she looked wonderful whenever he saw her, the beauty parlour lived up to its reputation and turned Emily into a goddess. Richard almost dropped to his knees there and then to worship her but remembered that they were still among humans.He stood before her and said nothing, taking in her scent and appreciating the difference good clothes and makeup did to her. Wolves were particular about strong human scents, so Richard was happy how the beauticians did not use products that hid Emily’s earthy scent. He liked how the colours complimented her natural beauty without changing who she was. It was perfect!“You look stunning,” Richard finally breathed after his mind caught up. The wolf inside was howling in delight at the fine mate they had.
Richard was nervous. He had reasons to be. Favian shared his pack brother’s feelings as well. Ms Gwayne was more than a roommate. According to the more detailed private investigation, the older lady took Emily in when she was homeless for months and treated her like a daughter. Ms Gwayne was Emily’s foster mother in some ways, and making a good impression on the future mother-in-law was a higher hurdle than winning the approval from all the packs at the family meeting this weekend.“Are the preparations ready?” Richard whispered, fiddling with his seatbelt.Favian sighed. The excitement from the pups through the bond did not help Richard ease up. If anything, the CEO checked his hair for the fourteenth time since they left the company. He texted Emily to let her know they would be back soon, and she replied that her foster mother was get
Family meeting…Emily had no idea what she should do at the meeting. As someone who was considered an outsider to their secret society, Emily did not want to make enemies. Richard was the prophesied child who was constantly under Ambrose’s protection. There would be countless shifters who might be envious or simply unhappy with Richard, right? Would it truly be alright for her to attend such an event when she wasn’t fully ready to give Richard her reply? What if she could not give him a reply to his confession before this weekend?The more Emily thought about it, the more confused she became. Even if she liked her boss in a romantic sense, Emily did not know what to do with those feelings. Richard had children even if they were not biologically his. Ignoring the supernatural secret, they were too different. What kind of funny fate tied
As whimsically as he decided to come, Ambrose finished his promised egg tarts and disappeared into thin air. He kissed her copper strands and promised that they would be seeing each other again rather soon over the weekends at the family meeting.“Don’t forget to bring some treats. I’m sure the other packs would appreciate your gifts!”As Ambrose dematerialised, Emily stood dumbly in the kitchen. The fridge door was still wide open, so she closed it, feeling as if she had aged ten years from the brief encounter with the mysterious Fenrir. Exhausted, even if it wasn't even time for dinner, Emily dragged herself to the living room to check on the boys’ homework.From upstairs, four pairs of curious eyes studied Emily. Their tutor had been staring at the same page for the last five minutes