Chapter 6 Responsibilities

Sarah POV “What?” I demanded, looking at my new employer with shock. I supposed I looked like a fish, mouth agape, eyes bulging, but seriously? I was supposed to sign a contract that I wouldn’t throw myself at Mr. Cavendish? Just what sort of idiots did werewolves think humans were? What sort of narcissists were they? I choked slightly on the words at first, but I got them out: “I have no idea why you would think for one second that I would ever be so unprofessional, to say nothing of so socially inept, as to attempt to ‘seduce you.’ You’re not even, er, well, I suppose what you are or are not doesn’t matter.” I took a breath, trying not to think about how everyone was staring at me. “I perfectly understand my role here as the children’s nanny, the mother who adopted Chloe, and a new friend to Grace. I intend to behave appropriately in all ways, I assure you.” His rather stony expression, rather than his eyes, looked back at me. “And I assure you that this contract was drawn up with the assistance of my corporate legal team. I have a position to maintain as CEO and as a social figure who’s well known in the charitable and civic matters of my pride.” “I understand that.” “Do you? Then you must realize that even a hint of impropriety with a human would damage my reputation as an alpha werewolf.” He held up a hand in anticipation of an objection I wasn’t actually going to make. “Your reputation would suffer as well.” “Also understood,” I said, though my anger was draining away as I saw what he was getting at. “This legal document with both our signatures protects us from all manner of public innuendo. You would, for example, be able to sue any publication that suggested your position in this household is anything other than it appears to be.” I nodded, wanting to suggest that the contract also state he wouldn’t try to seduce me, but I knew enough about werewolf culture to know I could never suggest that for an alpha. I looked down at the contract and read it through carefully once more. “I need a pen, please,” I said, looking at the beta, whose name I needed to learn. He pulled a plain but obviously high-quality fountain pen from his breast pocket and handed it to me. I used Chloe’s little nightstand as a desk and signed the paper, and then handed the pen back to the beta and the contract to the alpha. They both took the items with a little nod. “Now, I obviously don’t have a legal team to help me draft a contract,” I said, “but in accepting both your written terms and the intentions behind them, I want to make my own situation here. I am being employed as a nanny, not a slave or a doormat. I have lived on my own and made my way through my life on my own terms, and I expect to be treated as an independent employee by a fair employer who respects my rights.” Zane raised an eyebrow at me, but said without amusement or condescension, “Your conditions are more than reasonable.” I kept my surprise off my face. Was he really not going to thump his chest and make some remark about my being an “uppity human”? Well, so much the better for us both. The rest of the day passed quickly and surprisingly pleasantly. Mr. Cavendish ordered up some late dinner for us all, and Chloe, I was proud to see, praised the quality of the cooking and said she was looking forward to meeting the household’s chef. I managed to learn her name was Chef Emelia, the chauffeur was Ollie, and the head maid/housekeeper was Ms. Liesel. I gathered there were also some gardeners, a linen maid, and some others about the ground. I had hardly noticed the outside of the stately house when we came in, as it had been quite dark. I planned to explore everything I should know about the place tomorrow, then I hugged Grace goodnight, helped Chloe into her PJs, and basically face-planted into my own bed. It was still dark out when someone knocked on the door. My first thought was that my visitor would wake Chloe up, so I slid quietly out of bed and padded to the door with a frown. Grace was standing there with her pillow, wanting to sleep in my bed. I would have been able to say no, but then Chloe was standing next to me, and two pairs of bright, pleading eyes was too much. Much louder knocking woke me the second time. It was quite early, with only the dawn light coming through the window. I looked at my watch and saw it was 5:30 a.m. Scowling this time, I opened the door and found Ms, Liesel standing there, looking as impeccable as the day before and just as scornful. She looked me up and down with a snort. “Typical human, lazing about all day. Clean yourself up!” she hissed. I motioned for her to be quiet and gestured to the children. She learned in, saw them still sleeping in my bed, and glared at me in disgust. “I’ll be telling Alpha Zane about this!” she sneered, though quietly. “OK,” I said, still half-asleep. She pointed at the small timepiece pinned to her white shirt. “You have three minutes to be out in this hall, dressed and ready, or I will wake up those children to tell them how lazy you are!” I blinked at her, gently closed the door in her face, and thought about going back to bed. But I believed her threat, and the children needed to sleep. I washed my face and put on some jeans, T-shirt, socks, and shoes as quietly as I could. When I left the room, Ms. Liesel snorted again, turned around, and walked away from me. I followed her in confusion. “If you think you’re going to lay about all morning while the rest of the staff work, you’d better think again, human,” she told me as we walked. “I’m the housekeeper and a beta. The lowest servants under me are gammas, and you’re not even that. You’ll take on the tasks I have to listen to the others complain about, which will make you useful despite being human.” “That isn’t my job,” I snapped, furious at her treatment. This was exactly what I told Mr. Cavendish I wouldn’t tolerate. “I’m here to—” “You are here to serve the household of Alpha Zane,” she said, jerking open a door that led into the garage. I stood in the doorway, glaring in disbelief at the bucket of dirty water and the mop beside it on the concrete floor. She looked back at me, lunged forward, and grabbed my hair. “In here!” she all but shrieked, taking advantage of her werewolf strength to drag me over to the bucket and knock me against it so dirty water splashed me. Then the pain from having her yank on my hair put me on my knees. “Show your respect, human! I am the beta in charge here. You are a servant, and you will act like one!” Her arm jerked even as I brought my hands up in an attempt to free myself, and I realized she was going to dunk my head in the bucket. “What’s going on here?” an angry and familiar voice demanded. With a wolf’s hand in my hair, I couldn’t turn, but I knew Zane Cavendish was standing there. What I didn’t expect to hear was Chloe’s whimper of fear and little Grace’s gasp. “Sir,” Ms. Liesel said with a little curtsy, all demure now. “Miss Sarah dirtied the floor and refused to clean up her mess. I was just explaining to her how things work around—” “Let go of her,” he said in that weird voice that made me feel a little weak. The hand holding my hair disappeared, and I fell back on my hands before getting to my feet. I turned to see the children and opened my arms. They ran to me, and we hugged each other. “Alpha Zane,” the housekeeper said. “I’m only keeping order.” “Sarah is not a maid here or a servant of any kind.”