Holy shit.I’d honestly expected the wolves to consider me a failure with how badly I’d been hurt. This was… It was something else entirely.“That doesn’t mean wolves from the outlying packs in Fire and Fluorite won’t come sniffing around eventually, but the position is yours if you still want to stay here.” Jack smiled proudly. “You’ve earned it.”I snorted very un-queen-like. “Of course, I still fucking want it.”Sammy gasped. “Language, Elena.”His response had me laughing until my sides ached, and I had to lean into Atlas to keep upright.This was really happening.I was home, and I had a family, and I was going to rule an entire fucking House.As hard as some of that was to grasp, I couldn’t have been happier in that moment.“You told her without us?” Amy gaped with her fists on her hips. She and Mark were standing behind Jack, and I hadn’t even seen them approach.Sammy flinched. “Sorry.”Atlas kissed the top of my head. “And we wouldn’t have come together without you.”Even wit
“Only if you join me,” I quipped, sliding my hands over his chiseled chest and farther down until I shoved his towel down to the ground and gripped his growing erection.“I just got out of the shower,” he replied, moving his mouth lightly over my collarbone.I unashamedly panted. “And yet you’re still a dirty boy.”His head lifted and he cocked a brow. “‘Boy’?”With my hand still around his hard cock, I squeezed. “Oops. Maybe you need to remind me just how manlyyou are again.”“Or maybe I need to punish you for forgetting.” He bit into my shoulder. Not enough to break the skin, but enough that I’d be feeling reminders of his touch for the rest of the day.I was tempted to beg him for whatever punishment he wanted to give me, but I’d learned the hard way that only led to him denying me for longer than I liked. So I kept my mouth shut while he kissed over the bite mark, then back up my neck.His fingers pinched my chin until my lips bunched together. “Naughty, naughty woman.”I smirked
SEQUELELENA“Wasn’t there anything else you could have done?” came the all-to-familiar question from grieving parents.Elena always thought she was mentally ready for it and knew how to answer, but she had never gotten used to seeing the loss mixed with disbelief in each parent’s eyes, leading up to her having to tell them the worst news imaginable to a parent.Your child has passed, and there was nothing we could do.It never ceased to cause tears to lodge in her throat, and she wished she could say anything but that.Elena forced down her own emotions. “No, unfortunately not. The infection spread too rapidly, causing Valerie’s system to shut down.”She watched the mother fall apart in her husband’s arms as the realization sank in. And all Elena was allowed to do was stand there and say she would give them a moment.This was a picture Elena had seen more than her share of times.After she said her practiced line, she turned and went around the corner to shed her own tears for the fa
It was brief, but Elena got the gist of what may be required.Caring for one child who wasn’t terminal looked right up Elena’s alley. Not only that, the location was not far away. But what really stood out for Elena was the pay. It was almost double what she made now. Yes, it was around-the-clock work, but to Nora, it seemed like her savior.She was trying not to get too far ahead of herself, knowing how hard these jobs were to come by and how many others were probably applying at this very second.The only part that she wasn’t sure of was how old the child would be. But that was neither here nor there, especially given the array of children she’d dealt with throughout the years. If she was offered the job, she was sure she would be more than capable.It was everything she was looking for. This might be the change she desperately needed.Elena checked her resumé to make sure it was up to date, and everything was in order. She couldn’t fuck this up.It didn’t ask for a cover letter, bu
Her curly brown hair was scattered over her face and pillow with a drool spot where her mouth was.Atlas smiled, happy that she was sleeping so well. No one deserved rest more.His smile faded as his eyes skimmed over her room and landed on the large wheelchair parked near her bed.Looking at the clock, he saw it was still early, so he let her continue her slumber.He shut the door to a crack and returned to his cooling coffee and waiting laptop.He sat with a heavy sigh, hoping that he was doing the right thing by giving her a home where she knew no one and had no immediate family.If he were honest, and he always tried to be, his confidence in the whole thing had quickly waned. Of course, he wasn’t going to give her up. He just hated admitting he needed help. It wasn’t in an alpha’s nature.If anyone besides Logan had recommended that he get help, he wouldn’t have taken it so well. Atlas might be prideful, but he knew when his beta was right. He usually was, whether Hudson liked it
A glance told him it was a reply from Elena, the applicant to whom he had just more or less offered the job.Without sitting, he leaned forward and clicked it open.That sounds perfect. Please let me know when and where you would like to meet or if there is anything else you may need from me. I look forward to meeting you and Hannah. ElenaAtlas smiled as he looked over the calendar and sent appointment times back to Elena, letting her know they would meet at his home since she would want to see her new place of employment.He stood and hoped this was going to be beneficial for Hannah, who had always been shy and withdrawn but was even more so after the accident.Atlas prayed this would go well. He only wanted to do what was best for Hannah, and he hoped Nora hair behind her ear, adjusted her blouse, and took a deep breath before knoc was the answer.ELENAElena tucked her blondeking. “Just smile and be yourself,” she muttered before internally chastising herself for talking to hersel
Marigold told her story of losing her parents in a plane crash where all aboard had died. Parts were hard for her to want to talk about, but she did, nonetheless.It never ceased to surprise Elena that the bravery of children was so much greater than they were given credit for.Still, MariGold got through it and talked about her being left unable to walk while she still recovered and what she had done so far. Her now-guardian chimed in occasionally to provide more details when necessary.It was obvious to Elena that not only had Marigold sustained physical trauma but emotional as well, which she had already suspected.But the more she watched Mr. Atlas ebb in here and there, the more she noticed he had emotional baggage tied into this as well.She turned her attention to him after a moment. “Mr. Atlas…”“Please, call me Atlas.”She nodded, taking it as a good thing that he was moving to be more casual.“What made you decide to take in Marigold?”He cleared his throat, pushing back any
He ran a hand over his face, realizing he needed to do better. He needed to work harder, too, so she had someone she could lean on. Her parents were gone, so he was responsible for making her feel safe."Hudson," Hannah called out to him, giving him a big smile. "Did you see that? I moved my foot. I moved it!"Hannah giggled, looking back at her feet. "I moved it."Tears burned in the back of his eyes. Just a couple of months ago, she was as normal and happy as could be, and now she was so giddy that she could wiggle her toes.Nora looked at him, giving him a gentle smile. She walked over to him, patting him on the shoulder. "She's doing good. This is progress. This is all going in the right direction."Marigold looked back up at him. "What's wrong? Why do you look sad?"He quickly hardened his face and gave her a nod. He didn't need her feeling the emotions he was feeling. She was happy, and he wanted her to stay that way. "Nothing. This is good, Marigold."The PT nurse nodded. "I ag