THE ALPHA’S CURVY NANNY

CHAPTER 1 Are you sure about this?” Rosa’s voice crackled through the phone, tight with worry. I leaned my forehead against the cool bus window, watching gray city streets blur past. “No. But the money is.” My chest squeezed at the number that had lived there for eight months like a second heartbeat. Rosa’s home care costs. Triple the market rate would finally cover it without me choosing between rent and her meds again. “I’m already on the way.” “Demi, you don’t even know these people. What if it’s weird?” “It’s a nanny gig for a rich guy’s kid. How weird can it be?” I forced a laugh, the dry one I used when everything felt too heavy. “Besides, weird pays better than my last three jobs combined. I’ve got this.” Rosa sighed but didn’t push. She never did when she heard that tone. I was the one who had been making the calls since I was nine doctor appointments, late rent notices, grocery runs when Mom couldn’t get out of bed. Humor was my duct tape. It held everything together so I didn’t have to feel it all at once. The bus hissed to a stop at the end of a long private drive. I grabbed my duffel bag , thanked the driver, and stepped out. The estate stretched in front of me, all clean lines and dark glass. Massive, sure. But big houses didn’t impress me anymore. They just meant more corners to keep clean and more rules to memorize. No warmth leaked from the stone walls. I filed that away practical, accurate, useful. I made my way towards the front door, phone back in my pocket. My sneakers felt cheap against the perfect gravel. By the time I reached the front door, a woman in a crisp black uniform had it open. “Miss Vale? Mr. Voss is waiting.” She led me through echoing halls that smelled faintly of leather and something sharper, like metal. We passed a half open door to what looked like a nursery. Soft light spilled out, and a little voice drifted into the hallway. “…and the dragon said bedtime is stupid and unfair, because wolves don’t need sleep anyway. Right?” I slowed without meaning to. A small girl sat cross legged on a rug, dark hair in messy waves, clutching a stuffed wolf like it might fly away. She looked up and met my eyes through the gap. Something sharp and knowing sat in her stare for a kid who couldn’t have been more than four. The woman cleared her throat. I kept walking. Roman Voss waited in a study that felt more like a command center than an office. He stood when I entered, and the first thing that hit me was how little he performed. No power pose, no expensive watch flash, no fake smile. He just had it. Tall, broad through the shoulders, dark hair, colder blue eyes. The kind of presence that made the air feel thicker. My stomach did a quick, unwelcome flip. “Miss Vale.” His voice was low, even. “Sit.” I sat. He asked the usual questions, experienced with toddlers, qualifications, availability. I answered cleanly and honestly. Then he leaned back slightly. “Why this job specifically?” The words left my mouth before I could stop them. “My sister Rosa needs full time care. The pay here covers it exactly. I didn’t plan to say that, but… there it is.” He didn’t react. No sympathy tilt of the head, no questions. Just studied me for a long second, then nodded once. “You’re hired. Start immediately.” That was it. No negotiation, no second round. The knot in my chest loosened a fraction. I followed the same uniformed woman upstairs, passing the nursery again. The little girl, Aria, was still talking to her wolf. My room was simple, almost too simple for a place like this. Bed, dresser, attached bath. I dropped my bag and let out a long breath. The weight of eight months of scraping by sat on my shoulders, but lighter now. I could do this. Keep my head down, care for the kid, send money to Rosa, and stay out of whatever shadows lived in this house. I wandered back toward the nursery before I could talk myself out of it. Aria looked up from the rug. Her eyes were the same icy blue as her father’s, but softer around the edges. “Are you staying?” she asked. Hello. Straight to the point. I leaned in the doorway. “I think so.” She nodded like I’d just confirmed the sky was blue and dragons hated bedtime. Then she turned back to her wolf and kept negotiating with the dragon. A small smile tugged at my mouth. Tough little thing. I could work with that. Later that night I lay in the new bed, sheets crisp and cool against my skin. My body ached from the long day, but my mind wouldn’t settle. I grabbed my phone out of habit and opened the security app I used to view my digital footprint. An old habit from years of making sure bills didn’t slip through cracks. Two accesses tonight. One from the household system. Expected. I’d signed the consent in the contract. The second one hit differently. Personal device. Two hours after the first. Not listed on any household network I could see. Someone here had run a deeper check on me. Personally . Off the books. I set the phone face down on the nightstand, my heart beating harder than it should. The ceiling fan spun lazy circles above me. This job had teeth I hadn’t seen coming. Fine. I’d been careful my whole life. I’d just have to be more careful than I planned. I closed my eyes, but sleep stayed far away. The weight of the house pressed down, and somewhere down the hall a little girl dreamed about dragons and wolves while her father moved through these halls like he owned more than just the walls. I am in it now. Triple pay or not, something told me this house was full of teeth, secrets, and a man dangerous enough to make me stay anyway…