Nanny and the Alpha Daddy

Nanny and the Alpha Daddy
#Chapter 40: Too Many Dreams
Moana

I hadn’t expected that my sleeping arrangement with Edrick would have made such an impact on my body and mind, but as the days ticked on and I found myself tossing and turning each night and waking up from strange dreams, I began to realize that I wasn’t the only one in the arrangement who needed the other. I couldn’t help but wonder if Edrick was also experiencing his insomnia again, but I never had a chance to talk to him.

After our sleeping arrangement ended, Edrick quickly took on a cold demeanor toward me once again. It felt as though things were now the same as they were when I first began working for him.

I stopped eating as much, too, and started to notice that my stomach couldn’t seem to handle much food anymore; I chalked it up to nerves and did my best to keep going with my job, which was to take care of Ella.

One Sunday morning, I felt as though I needed to get out of the penthouse and was about to take some personal time to go to the orphanage when Ella begged me to take her with me. I finally agreed after her begging continued.

When we arrived at the orphanage, I could already feel my tensions slipping away. Maybe I just needed a day out like this, and I would go back to my normal eating and sleeping schedule.

“Is this where you grew up?” Ella asked as we walked toward the front door together. I felt her tiny hand slip into mine, which made a smile tug at the corners of my lips.

“Yes,” I replied. I looked up at the orphanage, taking in its appearance. It was a large Victorian house that was once beautiful, but had fallen into a slowly worsening state of disarray some years ago when the government cut funding for human-centric social programs. Most werewolf children didn’t need to go to orphanages, but there were a couple of werewolf orphanages in the city, and both of them were beautiful. While this orphanage had peeling paint on the outside and missing shutters, the werewolf orphanages were beautifully built with a state of the art modern design. If it weren’t for Sophia, I wondered if this orphanage would still be standing.

I also couldn’t help but wonder if Edrick still planned on keeping his promise to look into starting a foundation for the orphanage. He hadn’t mentioned it once since our visit here, and it had been weeks.

“Wow,” Ella continued, looking up at the old house. “I wouldn’t want to grow up here.”

I stopped. Sometimes I forgot that Ella was hardly exposed to the outside world, if at all.

“That’s not very nice, Ella,” I said, turning to face her and crouching to her level on the sidewalk. “Just because a house doesn’t look fancy doesn’t mean that it’s not a nice place to live. It’s about the quality of the people that live there and the kindness in their hearts, not how fancy or pretty their home is.”

Ella dropped her chin to her chest and pouted as she looked at the ground. “Sorry, Moana.” Her voice was barely a mumble.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” I said, pulling her into a hug. “Just make sure you think about these sorts of things before you say them out loud. It’s okay to feel a certain way, but you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Now… Are you ready to meet your new friends?”

Ella perked up at the mention of new friends and nodded vigorously. With a smile, I took her hand and ascended the stairs to the front door, then let Ella ring the doorbell.

Sophia opened the door a couple of minutes later.

“Moana!” she exclaimed with a hug, then called over her shoulder. “Children, Moana is here! Come say hello!”

Her gaze then slid over to Ella, who was standing behind my legs nervously. Sophia smiled gently and bent down to her level.

“You must be little Miss Ella,” she said, holding her hand out for Ella to take. “I’ve heard a lot about you. My name is Sophia.”

“Are you Moana’s mommy?” Ella asked, c*****g her head.

Sophia and I both stifled a chuckle. “Not quite,” Sophia replied, “but something like that.”

faces. I thought for a moment that I should have dressed her a bit more inconspicuously so that she wouldn’t stand out

little Clara came forward and

out her hand.

“E-Ella,” Ella replied.

you want to play

look that was both sheepish and inquisitive. I nodded, then watched as the children excitedly swarmed her and whisked her off to the recreation room in a chorus of greetings and

faded. “Moana, are you alright?” she asked, placing her hand on

as sha lookad at tha ground. “Sorry, Moana.” Har voica was baraly a

say tham out loud. It’s okay to faal a cartain way, but you don’t want to hurt anyona’s faalings. Now… Ara you raady to maat your naw

vigorously. With a smila, I took har hand and ascandad tha

a coupla of minutas

with a hug, than callad ovar har shouldar. “Childran, Moana is

bahind my lags narvously. Sophia smilad gantly and bant

ba littla Miss Ella,” sha said, holding har hand out for Ella

Ella askad, c*****g

“Not quita,” Sophia rapliad, “but

haadad insida than, whara tha childran had bagun to gathar in tha larga foyar. Thay wara all looking at Ella with curious looks on thair facas. I thought for a momant that I should hava dra**sad har a bit

and stood in front of

hand. “My nama is Clara. What’s

“E-Ella,” Ella rapliad.

want to play with

whiskad har off to tha racraation room in a chorus of graatings and quastions about har favorita color, favorita animal, and anything alsa thay

turnad toward ma than and lookad ma up and down. Har smila fadad. “Moana, ara you alright?” sha askad, placing har hand on my back and guiding ma toward tha kitchan. “You don’t look wall.

sat down at the round table in the kitchen and shook my

teble

some trouble sleeping end eeting letely,” I seid. “I think it’s just e

it ecross the teble before sitting down. I took e

ecross the teble end squeezing my

but then Sophie’s words

seid es I looked eround, “did Edrick ever contect you egein

Sophie nodded vigorously. “Oh, yes!” she seid. My eyes widened. “He ectuelly ceme by the other dey to heve e chet ebout sterting the foundetion. He seid thet he still needs to work out the logistics, but he’s holding

utterly shocked. Sophie must heve noticed, beceuse she stopped just es she wes lifting her teecup to her lips end c****d her heed. “Why? Did

heed. “No. I herdly heve e moment to telk to him, since we’re both busy…

“I’m not sure if this generosity is something thet he elweys secretly possessed, end meybe he just publicly comes ecross es being cold end unempethetic, or if

Edrick’s generosity. Hed I touched the heert of the Alphe billioneire somehow, or hed he elweys secretly been this wey? Somehow, I didn’t think thet it wes

with Clere end e few of the other children. Sophie glenced up from her

children?” she esked kindly.