Chapter 1

Keegan POV:

Why did the Moon Goddess hate me so much? She had Clement send the one element that would break me down—the woman of my dreams. Yes, I knew that it sounded cliche, but what kind of man wouldn’t dream about the woman?

There she stood, with her hands on her hips, smiling at her daughter, and all I could think about was how long it would take for me to get her sweating.

The woman before me was petite, slender, and breathtaking. Her hair was dark and long, flowing past the middle of her back. Her face was small and with lips that many women would pay for. Then her, body, I didn’t have to comment about how I reacted just by looking at her.

Couldn’t she have some Clement in her? It definitely would have helped me remain professional if she was a hulking asshole like her father.

I felt lightheaded. What was this woman doing to me? Easy. She was making me lose my senses and making me think about things that should be illegal.

I didn’t need to check if those things were illegal. If Clement got wind of my thoughts, I would be dead and buried six feet under.

“If you touch my daughter, and you know what I mean, Cox, I will kill you.”

I couldn’t touch her. Hands off, I constantly had to remind myself. That lasted for about a split second. Unfortunately, my brain reminded me that my hands weren’t the only things that wanted to touch her.

I had no idea how long I stood there gaping, but it must have been a while because Edwin cleared his throat.

“Hello,” I said, looking down at the little girl. She smiled at me and then ran back to her mother and jumped into her arms. I couldn’t help but notice Vianne wince slightly from the impact of Claire’s tiny body. I looked over at Edwin and found him looking down solemnly.

The extent of her injuries was far greater than what Clement had mentioned on the phone. I had a feeling they weren’t just skin deep. Before any type of exercise or training could occur, I needed to assess the extent of her injuries.

That meant one thing: I would have to look at her behind closed doors, with little clothing. I wasn’t going to be easy on either of us.

Clement had mentioned on the phone earlier in the week that the little girl had no memory of what occurred between Vianne and her husband. However, I felt in my gut that there was something more to the ‘monster’ than she was letting on about her father.

“Hello, you must be Keegan,” Vianne said, extending her hand. I smiled and shook it. “I’m sorry about Claire.”

“It’s quite alright,” I replied. “And you must be Vianne. Welcome to my home.” I stood aside so that she could come in.

Edwin took out two bags from the back of his car. I eyed him curiously and he shrugged his shoulders. Vianne looked at what drew my attention and she blushed. “We left in a hurry, literally with the clothes on our backs, so we don’t have much.”

I nodded before stepping back to help Edwin to take one of the bags. Claire quickly brushed past me and started squealing and twirling in the foyer. “Is this a castle, mommy?”

I chuckled and put the bag down beside the stairs as Edwin closed the door behind me. Vianne’s eyes were wide as she looked around at her surroundings. It was at that moment, I realized the most striking feature in Vianne’s beauty was her blue eyes.

Yes, I would be dead in a week. I looked at Vianne, who was looking out of my living room window with a smile on her face. Her daughter’s head was on her shoulder while she sucked on her thumb. They looked serene and ethereal.

I gave myself three days. I should call up my lawyer and draw a will. Hell, I should just call the cemetery the following morning and plan out my funeral.

Clement was going to kill me. What I was feeling for his daughter was exactly why he had avoided having children. He would never have approved one of his men courting his daughter. With centuries of dilution of our wolf blood and evolution, the remarkable ability to find your one true mate in one glance had dulled down. Therefore, a wolf never knew if they were attracted to the wolf or the woman or man.

“Would you like a tour of the house?” I asked, looking for any type of distraction.

Vianne turned from the window. The sadness in her eyes was evident but a smile played softly at her lips as she nodded.

“Hey, Keegan, I have to get going. Do you mind if I have a word with you?” Edwin asked.

He was still there? I had to remember that anybody associated with Clement could report back to him. Hopefully, since Edwin thought Vianne was nothing more than some random girl Clement knew, he wouldn’t report my reaction in her presence.

I had to remind myself that there was a little girl to consider and I was not a piece of turd.

“Excuse me, ladies. I will be right back,” I said, giving Claire a wink. She giggled.

“Mommy, he called me a lady,” she whispered just a bit too loud.

I walked out onto the patio, followed by Edwin. “She looks amazing, does she not?” Edwin asked, raising his brow.

I growled. “You have a mate, asshole.”

“Relax. I was talking about you, not me.” He raised his hand defensively. “But seriously. She is amazing. I feel like she can be your Tess. You looked at her weirdly. Besides, the pup is cute and so smart.”

“I really don’t think she is in a mood to bond. She just got hurt by an asshole. I am sure me pursuing her is the last thought on her mind.”

“I guess you are right. It took me weeks to get through to Tess. Look, I have to head out to Darwin. Alpha wants me to do some snooping for him. I am not sure why this is so important to him.”

I shook my head. Clement hadn’t told him who Vianne really was and it definitely wasn’t my place to tell him. Clement had made it clear that her identity had to remain a secret.

Instead, I shrugged. “I have no idea. You know Clement. I just get them, train them, and send them their own way. I don’t have information.”

“Yeah. But this one is different. I know it and I am pretty sure you know it, too.”

“Look, I have to go,” I said, looking back towards the house. “I need to settle them in and then make an assessment.”

“Assessment?” Edwin grinned. I punched his arm and waved him off, walking back toward the house. “Are you going to do that in the dark or with the lights on?”

I shook my head and slammed the door shut behind me. I made my way into the living room, where Vianne and Claire were sitting patiently on my couch.

Vianne looked up and I noticed that the bruise just around her left eye was yellowing, but the one along her jaw was still bluish in color in some spots. The husband had really done a number on her.

“Let me show you to your rooms so that you two can settle in,” I offered. “Then I will give you a tour of the house when you are ready.”

Vianne nodded and put Claire on her feet, taking her hand. “Lead the way.”

I grabbed the bags easily and led them upstairs to the second floor. “The main living areas like the kitchen, living room, and office are on the ground floor. The first floor consists of three bedrooms and a small library. The second floor has only one room and it's a huge gym. The top floor is just one room and a conservatory.”

I stopped at the first-floor landing, gesturing towards the first door on the left-hand side.

Claire’s room was covered in lilac, light blue, and pink. I had followed Tess’ advice and done this. It was to my delight that little Claire liked it. “Tinkerbell!” Claire screamed, running into the room and plopping down on the bed. “Thank you. It’s so pretty!”

“I am glad you like it, Claire,” I said, watching as she started to jump up and down.

“Claire, stop jumping,” Vianne scolded.

“It’s alright,” I said calmly. “It’d her bed now.”

Vianne cocked an eyebrow and her eyes narrowed. “Could you show me to my room?” She walked over to one of the bags and placed it on Claire’s bed. “Baby, start putting your stuff away in the closet.”

“Okay, mommy.” She bounced off the bed and started opening drawers in her small closet.

“I’ll be in the next room, okay?” Vianne said, walking back into the hallway.

I followed her and made a rush to grab the other bad but she beat me to it. “I can handle a bag,” she hissed, glaring at me. She winced as she lifted it with her right hand.

“Really? Because it doesn’t seem like you can,” I countered, following her into the next room.

“Look here, Keegan,” she stated in a no-nonsense tone that sounded very much like Clement. “I know exactly what you did for my father and I want no part of it. I just want to be able to protect my daughter in case that bastard finds me again. So, cut the nice guy act. I have seen it before.”