The Nanny Wages

I was only here for the honey-candies. They were shaped like stars. Aian always licked the spun sugar from his fingers before taking a bite. The Royal Summit had filled the capital's market with merchants from every territory. Their calls overlapped beneath the awnings. I had almost reached the candy stall when someone called my name. “Sera? My Goddess, is that you?” That voice stopped me cold. I had spent four years trying to leave it in my bad dreams. Caleb, my former fated mate and the Alpha of the West, stood behind me. Ruby clung to his arm. She was the noble's daughter he had chosen on the eve of his ascension. Her family name had bought him the alliances he wanted. A moonstone vial hung from a silver chain at Ruby's throat. I had carved every line in that healer's charm myself. It had been a sacred gift, made to rest against my skin after Caleb named me Luna. He had given it to the woman who took my place. Then I noticed the boy holding Caleb's hand. His small fingers were lost in Caleb's grip, and his eyes barely stayed open. The gray under his skin came from land-sickness, the draining plague I had held back from Western soil every full moon. Now the illness had reached the Alpha's own son. Four years without the land's healer had brought it into his house. Caleb looked over my plain gown and put on the expression he used when granting favors. The moon-silk cost more than gold, but it had been cut for comfort. Kaelen had woven protection into every seam. Caleb saw plain cloth. “My, my, look at the state of you.” Ruby sneered. “Is that what rogues wear now? Rags?” Caleb raised a hand. “Be kind, Ruby. Sera has clearly fallen on hard times.” He stepped close enough for the old scent of oak and damp earth to reach me. Once, it had meant home. Now my stomach turned. “I know things ended badly between us,” he said. “I'm not a cruel Alpha. I'm willing to overlook your tantrum.” I said nothing. Caleb had always needed me to play a part in his version of the story. Left to perform alone, he began shifting his weight. “My son, Lyam, has been unwell,” Caleb continued, gesturing to the pale boy. “The pack healers are useless. He needs constant care. A nanny, a dedicated healer.” “I’m offering you a position, Sera. Come back to the West. Care for my son. I will even grant you the wages of a pack Omega. It’s more than you could ever hope for out here, alone.” “Don’t be ridiculous, Caleb,” Ruby scoffed. “A rogue tending to our heir? She probably carries all sorts of diseases.” People nearby slowed to listen. Some frowned at me. Others craned their necks for a better view. All they saw was an Alpha offering work to the woman he had discarded. I had loved Caleb for a decade. I poured magic into his soil, purified his wells, and planned a future beside him. He accepted every gift. Then he chose the political alliance and the Beta bride who secured his rank. Now he wanted to buy my labor and my life for an Omega's wage. He paused to let the offer land. When I did not thank him, his smile tightened. “You want me to be a nanny?” Caleb smiled too quickly. He had heard a question and mistaken it for surrender. “Caleb, your entire pack's lifeblood couldn't afford my price now.” I turned toward the candy stall. Caleb stayed where I left him, too shocked to answer. Behind me, the market whispers stopped for half a breath, then doubled. His stare followed me across the square. Caleb did not bother lowering his voice. “That ungrateful b***h will regret this. The King's banquet has the tightest security in the kingdom.” “When the guards catch a marked rogue trying to sneak in, they'll throw her into the deepest dungeon.” He laughed. “Let's see how proud she is when she begs me to get her out.”