The Nanny and the Alpha – Shifters Series

Chapter 4

Gabriela



I didn’t wake up.

I felt.

Even before I opened my eyes, something in the air was different. It wasn’t noise. It wasn’t scent. It was… awareness. As if someone was there.

My fingers were still tangled in Victor’s small shirt when I slowly opened my eyes. I let out a long breath; the air felt strange.

Ethan was leaning against the opposite wall of the room, simply watching.

There was no threat in his posture. No rigidity. None of the crushing weight from the night before. He was just looking. Looking at me, looking at little Vic.

— Have you been there long? — my voice came out rougher than I would have liked, and I felt a stab of embarrassment for looking so disheveled from sleep.

— Long enough. _ he said, his voice slightly rough as well.

I still don’t know what Ethan’s normal tone sounds like, since every time we’ve met his voice has been extremely hoarse or strange.

Victor shifted against me, letting out a sleepy little sound. His body was warm, but not feverish, and his breathing steady.

He slept through the entire night. I knew because I did too. No nightmares, no howls echoing in my mind, and honestly, that was strange.

Victor opened his eyes for me first. His tiny fingers touched my chin, as if confirming I was still there.

Only then did he look at his father, and he didn’t reach out his arms. He simply snuggled back against my chest. I felt Ethan’s gaze change immediately, and a slight unease struck me—but it wasn’t jealousy, it was perplexity.

— He hasn’t slept like that in months — he said, more to himself than to me.

I swallowed hard.

— Maybe he just needed routine.

It was the most logical explanation. I clung to logic. Ethan, however, didn’t respond.

After I got up and helped Victor get dressed, I gathered my courage.

— What happened last night?

He was silent for a few seconds.

— Darius. Alpha of the northern territory.

— Wow, from the howls and the tension I thought it was something serious. _ I said a little awkwardly, remembering the distress I felt the night before.

Ethan briefly looked away.

— Wolves like to dramatize. There are rumors of tension along the borders. Nothing beyond that.

Nothing beyond that? But he looks so tired. I believe he must have spent hours in that meeting.

— If there’s a phone, why did he come in person? — I asked.

The corner of his mouth moved, almost a smile.

— Because some things shouldn’t be said over a call. And because we prefer to look into the eyes of the one bringing bad news.

That made sense. I had always heard that wolves have a more ancient and territorial way of handling things, much more than other shifters of different species.

— You don’t seem worried. _ I murmured. I barely knew him, yet he seemed far too relaxed for someone who had received bad news.

— I am prepared. _ he said simply.

That wasn’t the same thing.

He took a few steps closer, and the air shifted temperature. Or maybe it was my imagination, since this place is completely different from anywhere I’ve ever been.

— You still have a lot to learn about how things work here, Gabriela.

Ethan’s words didn’t sound like exclusion. They sounded like a warning. Actually, I couldn’t decide, because the scent of his masculine cologne invaded my senses, sending shivers through my entire body.

Ethan let out a long breath and left the room, leaving little Vic and me alone. I distracted myself with the child, and after feeding him breakfast, we decided to play for a while.

Later, while looking for the playroom Valeria had mentioned, I got lost in the east corridor of the mansion.

Victor was restless in my arms, looking around as if he knew the way better than I did—and maybe he really did, since pups like him are very clever.

As soon as I found a door very similar to the one Valeria had described, I opened it without knocking and froze.

It wasn’t a playroom.

It was an office.

Ethan was standing behind a large dark wooden desk.

And in front of him, a man I immediately recognized from the description Valeria had given me earlier: Darius.

He was different from Ethan.

Where Ethan was restrained, Darius seemed expansive. Broad shoulders, but a relaxed posture. Light, attentive eyes. A less dense kind of energy… but no less powerful.

— I’m sorry, I thought it was—

He inhaled in my direction, nostrils flaring, and then stopped.

The silence shifted.

Darius’s eyes fixed on me with genuine interest. Not invasive. Just… curious.

— So you’re the new caretaker — he finally said.

I nodded, slightly embarrassed. Suddenly, I felt exposed. Not judged. But as if something was being evaluated.

— Interesting — he murmured.

Ethan took an almost imperceptible step forward.

But I saw it.

It wasn’t aggressive. It was… territorial.

— She’s human — Ethan said firmly.

I frowned, not understanding the reason for those words.

Darius tilted his head slightly.

He inhaled again, but this time deeper.

His gaze shifted subtly.

— Perhaps not entirely.

My stomach twisted.

— I am completely human — I replied, more defensive than I intended.

He smiled faintly, not mockingly, but gently.

— Of course.

But he didn’t seem convinced.

The air grew heavier.

And for the first time, I felt something different coming from Ethan.

Not command, not threat. Something more primitive, as if an invisible line had been drawn between me and the rest of the room. Darius noticed, and I saw his eyes gleam with understanding.

— Don’t worry — he said to me. — I only came to bring a warning. Nothing that will affect your routine.

— What warning? — I asked before thinking. Was that my business? No, it shouldn’t be, because I wasn’t even part of the pack, and I didn’t want to be. My only interest there was the job and taking care of little Victor. Yet the words seemed to slip from my lips.

Ethan cast me a look—not harsh, but cautious.

Darius promptly answered:

— Some Alphas are moving beyond what they should. When that happens, we all need to stay alert.

That sounded much more serious than “nothing beyond that.”

Victor shifted in my arms, restless.

Ethan looked at his son, and then at me.

His jaw was rigid now.

— Gabriela, the playroom is in the opposite corridor.

It was a request—and an order.

I nodded, completely flustered. I don’t understand this effect Ethan has on me, that makes me embody another Gabriela—someone less cautious, more incisive and outspoken.

Before leaving, I heard Darius say, in a lower voice:

— Protect what is rare, Ethan.

I didn’t know what that meant, but it sent chills down my spine.

I walked slowly down the corridor, focusing on my own feet for a few moments, but the small hands of the child in my arms pulled me from my trance, bringing a smile to my face.

As soon as we reached the playroom, I set him down on the floor and watched him.

I’ve had a difficult journey to get here, and things seem to be getting more complicated by the day.

I’ve never been a woman to get involved with men. I’ve always struggled with that, and after losing my parents, the only thing I focused on was surviving—even without knowing the reason behind the scar.

Now this job appears. Ethan appears. And this mark starts bothering me again, as if it’s reacting to Ethan…

Could it be destiny?

No…

Destiny is just a beautiful word people use to define patterns.

So far, a giant arrow is pointing straight at Ethan.

But I still can’t understand why.