Chapter 14

Sarah POV

Hoping no one else had heard Grace’s voice, I beamed at the girls, planning to have a little talk with Zane’s daughter later. I could perhaps be “Mommy Sarah” to her. Meanwhile, their hands were up in their elaborate hairdos that showed off my hand-sewn presents. I knew the headbands weren’t as nearly chic as anything else in the room, but I think it showed they were made with love and affection.

“Our dresses match!” Chloe announced with pride.

“They do indeed.” Goddess knows where they got them from. Or rather, Zane knew, and his eyes twinkled at me when I stood back up. He probably waved his gold card around and the dresses magically appeared.

I stifled a laugh and said to the girl, “Happy birthday, my cherubs. You both look so pretty.”

They laughed, and Zane led us all over to the main buffet table, which was absolutely groaning under the weight of the food on it. “I’m sure you know not to eat the baneberries on the cake,” Zane told me quietly. “You’ll also want to stay away from the fugu.”

“The what?” I asked, looking over the display.

He pointed to some pale sashimi. “Pufferfish. Humans can eat it, but only if the chef knows they’re preparing it for humans. I’m not sure they got the memo.”

“I’ll think I’ll stear clear. I certainly have quite enough to choose from,” I said.

He nodded and took a plate. I watched as he selected several items, noting what sauce went with what. He took the scallops from their shells to put them on his dish. The empty shells were whisked away by a gamma in white tie and replaced by another.

There were these little smoked salmon quiches topped with caviar, lobster tails with flash-fried nasturtiums, bruschetta with prosciutto crudo, watermelon radish wraps, and—oh, of course.

“Mushrooms,” I muttered when we reached that section of the table. I recognized white buttons, portabellas, morels, shiitakes, and an array of black truffles.

“Of course,” Zane said, then motioned to some white mushrooms swimming in a clear broth. “Stay away from the angels.”

“Got it,” I said. Soon, I had piled my plate, along with the girls’, with more delicacies than I could count. We found places to sit at the head table. Zane fetched me a glass of champagne and got sparkling cider for his daughters, then excused himself to great two alpha females who were practically wearing their weight in diamonds.

“Didn’t Zane give you any money for the girls’ presents?” Ella demanded, and I looked up to see her perfectly made-up face looming over us. “Such cheap little gifts for the alpha’s alpha daughters.”

In a blink, she had snatched off Grace’s headband then held it up to sneer at it. She looked at me with scorn. “This really isn’t the place for arts and crafts, Sarah.”

I looked in alarm at Grace, who seemed ready to cry. Chloe shot out of her seat and demanded the return of her sister’s present.

“Of course,” Ella said with a shrug, going to hand it back but managing to drop it in my champagne instead.

“Oh, goddess,” Ella cooed, red-tip fingers going to her perfect lips in distress. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

Chloe growled, low and furious, while I fished the headband out of my glass. But before I could turn to my daughter, Ella was in my face. “Half the people in here think you’re Zane’s human piece. Do you know what that’s doing to his reputation in the pride?”

She tossed back her perfect hair. “He can play with you if he has nothing better to do, of course, but don’t get any ideas. You need to watch yourself and not chase after things you have no business wanting.”

“I’ve never chased after anything in my life,” I said. “Or anyone.”

“You tell yourself that, human piece,” she said, then turned and walked off, her perfect gown shimmering around her.

Perfect, I thought.

I took a breath and held it, holding up the headband while it dripped on the table. The last couple of days had been a wonderful dream, but as cruel as Ella’s words were, they were also the truth. Zane could never be more than my employers. It was time to wake up.

I turned to reassure the children, who immediately hugged me. “I’ll make you another headband, Gracie dear. Don’t worry.”

I looked around us to make sure we weren’t making a spectacle and saw the hastily averted eyes full of derision and even disgust on the faces of some of the female werewolves. The men didn’t look much kinder.

“Excuse me,” a male voice said to my left, and I looked to see the beta butler standing there in white tie complete with gloves. He held up a hand. “If you’ll give that to me, I’ll have it cleared and returned to Miss Grace.”

“Thank you very much,” I said, handing it over and hoping it could be saved.

Grace sniffled slightly, and I looked into her sad eyes with a broken heart. And she had been so happy just a few minutes ago.

The quartet hit a few end notes and stopped playing. Everyone turned to see Zane step up on the platform. Ella was standing close by, as though to make her rank in the room clear to everyone. Frankly, I thought she looked pushy.

“I want to thank you all for coming,” he said to the room. “Since the birth of my daughters, I have been lucky enough to have Grace in my life, and she has brought me so much joy.”

People looked at us, and Grace hid her face in my skirt. There were some indulgent chuckles.

“But as you know,” Zane continued, “my daughter Chloe was taken from me and from her sister, and for five years I looked for her.” He held up a glass of champagne. “Praise to the Moon Goddess, she has been returned to us all.”

“Praise to the Moon Goddess,” the room echoed.

“Chloe,” he said, looking at her directly. “I am so grateful to have you back with us, with me, with your sister, and with all the friends and family you see around you.” He gestured broadly to the room.

“And as thankful as I am to the goddess, I would be sinfully ignorant to be unaware of the incredible good fortune that you ended up under the care of Sarah Astor. Her bravery in taking in a seemingly orphaned, penniless pup and raising her as her own cannot be overstated.”

He looked around the room with a smile. “And so I hope it comes as a surprise to no one that I want Sarah to continue to be a part of my daughters’ lives. As a human, her role as simply the girls’ nanny will always come into question, so until I am confident that humans are treated as equals in my pride, I am asking her today, before you all, if she will consent to being the girls’ goddess-mother.”

People gasped, some looked angry, while others looked proud and pleased.

“Please come here with me, Sarah.” He held out a hand.