Chapter 3
Chapter Three
As Jayce carried her into the nursery, Sienna held her breath.
She’d spent weeks trying to wrap her mind around this odd custom.
No matter how many times she saw this exact room or any of the other nurseries she was acquainted with in other homes, she couldn’t wrap her head around the odd expectations.
Jayce strolled over to the rocking chair and lowered onto it before setting her on her feet in front of him. He grabbed her hands and lifted them to his lips to kiss her knuckles. It was so intimate and warmed her heart.
Even though she’d never been more nervous in her life, she felt the bond he spoke of. It was a presence between them, surrounding them, magnetically drawing her to snuggle up to him.
“I’ll let you explore, Baby girl,” he said as he released her hands.
She felt the loss and wanted to crawl up onto his lap instead, but she wouldn’t disobey his request.
“This is your playroom, Little one. Nothing is off limits to you in here. If there’s anything you don’t see that you want, let me know, and I’ll get it for you. There’s an ereader on the shelf. It’s filled with books, but all you have to do is ask, and I’ll add more.”
At the mention of an electronic reading device, she shifted her attention to the shelf. “I’ve never had an ereader.”
“Do you like to read, Little one?”
“Yes, Sir.” He’d asked her to call him Daddy, but that idea was so foreign to her that it wouldn’t slide off her tongue yet. He didn’t seem upset by it.
Daddy… How odd. A part of her wished she’d also had audio while she’d been an unsuspecting witness into the lives of everyone around them. Strangers she would eventually meet.
The thought of facing any of the other Alpha Protectors and their mates made her so nervous she was afraid she’d pee herself. Did they know she had the ability to basically spy on them? Were they angry about it? She would be.
She didn’t want to meet anyone. She would be content if she could stay here in this house for the rest of her life. Live like a hermit. She’d do almost anything not to have to face other shifters. Socializing wasn’t really her thing. It never had been.
Perhaps she’d been born an introvert, but she suspected the main reason she was so shy had nothing to do with biology and everything to do with the fact that she’d spent twenty years hiding the most important part of her identity from others.
She’d hated lying even by omission, so it had been easier to simply not talk to people. She hadn’t fit in with either the marked or the unmarked girls. She’d kept to herself, interacting with them only when it was expressly necessary.
Now that she was here, she still didn’t want to face people. No matter how nice they were. They would be frustrated from either knowing or discovering that she could spy on them. She’d give anything if she could stop the visions, but they weren’t in her control.
Stepping away from Jayce was difficult. She truly didn’t want to. But she did it because he’d asked her to. She was trembling, though. Ignoring the changing table and crib, she headed for the shelves. They were filled with toys and games she was already familiar with.
Drawn to a particular doll, she picked it up. She’d been curious about it since it had first arrived.
“I had it ordered to look like you,” Jayce said. “Amber helped me.”
“That was very sweet of her.”
“She has a power, too. Did you know that?”
Sienna turned her head toward Jayce. “No.”
“Yep. She can see better than anyone. Great distances and through walls.”
“She can?” That intrigued Sienna. “All the time?”
“Yep. She could be watching us even now. All she has to do is face this direction and focus. Even from miles away, she can watch us moving around in our home.”
Sienna pulled the look-alike doll to her chest instinctively as she wandered back toward Jayce. “Doesn’t that make everyone mad?”
“Nope. It’s not her fault, Little one. Just like it’s not your fault you have visions. Plus, she’s not the only recent mate to have powers. Her friend Rylee can smell things. Not just food but emotions. Fear, anger, even death.”
Sienna shuddered.
Another mate, Molly, can hear things. Everything. Noises bombard her at all times. From wherever she is, she could listen to us talking right now if she wanted.”
Sienna stared at her mate, dumbfounded as she continued to return to him, drawn as though he were pulling her.
“Felix’s mate, Khloe, has visions of things that will eminently occur. She can alert all of us if danger is approaching. Leah, Elias’s mate, has started having dreams that foreshadow upcoming events, too. Olivia, Damon’s mate, can communicate telepathically with bear shifters.”
Sienna gasped. “Bear shifters?”
Jayce nodded, grinning. “Yep. See? There’s a lot you don’t know, isn’t there?”
“But bears?” she repeated.
“Yep. They moved into the area months ago. Most of them are peaceful. A few are rogue and would prefer to push us out of this territory.”
Sienna’s eyes widened. “Can they do that?”
“Nope. Do you know why?”
Sienna shook her head. She’d reached her mate and was soothed when he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her between his legs, supporting her.
“Because Fate gave so many of the recent mates an array of powers that keeps everyone safe, including the inhabitants of the valley.”
She stared into his eyes, trying to process this information.
His smile was addictive. She could watch him looking at her like that all day.
“If any bear shifter decides to make a move on us, Khloe will know it ahead of time. Her warning will be sent to everyone. Molly will step outside to listen to him. Rylee will scent his intentions. Amber will watch as he approaches. No one can sneak up on us now that we have such powerful mates.”
“What will I be able to do?” The thought that her weird ability might be useful had never occurred to her.
“We don’t know yet, Baby girl, but I suspect we’ll find out in the coming days. Your gift is very powerful. I’m certain of it because it made itself present even before your first shift. After you’ve shifted to wolf form for the first time, you will undoubtedly come into your full powers.”
Her breath hitched. “You think I’ll be able to do more than suffer through the visions of people’s private lives?”
“I’m certain of it, Sienna. And it will probably be scary for a while, but you’ll adapt. I’ll be with you every step of the way. I promise.” He slid his hands up and down her back, soothing her.
Exhausted by the bombardment of information, she leaned into him, smashing the doll between them as she pressed her cheek against his chest.
He’d removed his suit jacket, which meant she could feel his warmth better through his white dress shirt. When he kissed the top of her head, she relaxed further.
There was no reason to be afraid of him. He’d never done anything to indicate he was an angry sort of person any of the times she’d watched him in her visions. And since meeting him this morning, she’d also had no reason to think he would shun her for leaning into him.
Suddenly, he lifted her by the hips and settled her on his knee between his thighs.
Wrapping both arms around her, he leaned back and started rocking.
“I know you’re scared, Baby girl. I’ll do everything in my power to help you learn to trust me and everyone around you.
You are so loved. I feel that emotion multiplying by the minute inside me.
You’re my world. My everything. Do you feel it, Little one? ”
“Yes, Sir.” She did.
“Why don’t you try calling me Daddy? See how it feels.”
She snuggled deeper into his chest. “Yes, Daddy,” she murmured.
“Mmm. That sounds nice.” His hand ran up and down her arm and then her thigh. “I know you haven’t eaten well for a long time, but have you slept?”
“No…Daddy.” It was an odd endearment, but it pleased him, so she would give it a try.
“Nerves.”
“Uh huh.”
“How do you feel about taking a bottle and then napping for a while?”
“Nervous,” she admitted.
He chuckled. “That’s normal. Every new mate feels stressed when faced with this unexpected way of life. At least you had a warning. No one before you has had a single clue what their new world would entail.”
“Still scary,” she muttered.
He kept rocking and stroking her. “I know, Little one. It’s daunting. I’m sure you’ve seen what the mates of Alpha Protectors wear, right?”
“Yes, Sir…Daddy.”
“How do you feel about pretty dresses?”
“They’re so short, and they don’t cover anyone’s arms,” she admitted. “But they are pretty.”
He chuckled. “Yep. We don’t force our mates to keep their skin covered as is the custom in the valley. You’ll have more freedom to move and play without so many layers of material reaching down to your feet and wrists.” He fingered the hem of her skirt that extended to her ankles.
A pressing concern gave her the courage to ask what was on her mind. “Why do so many mates wear diapers? Are you going to make me do that?”
“Being diapered is one of the ways you will let me take care of you, Baby girl. It’s not mandatory. Some mates only wear a diaper occasionally. Others wear them all the time. Sometimes it’s by choice. Other times it’s out of necessity.”
“Necessity?”
“For example, when Khloe has a clairvoyant experience, she goes into a sort of trancelike state and tends to lose control of her bladder. She’d rather be diapered than risk wetting her panties.”
“Oh. That hasn’t happened to me.”
“And maybe it won’t. We’ll find out. But I don’t want you to fret if you have a powerful vision that causes you to wet yourself, Baby girl. We’ll clean it up and deal with it.”
Sienna leaned back, tears running down her face. She couldn’t stop them. Her emotions were all over the place. Probably because she was so exhausted. She’d cried so much lately that it was a wonder there were any tears left. “I don’t want to pee myself, Daddy.”
“I know, Little one. It’s a daunting possibility. But it won’t change how I feel about you. Or anyone else for that matter.”
“It would be embarrassing.” All the more reason she didn’t want to face other people. Ever.
“Lots of people have accidents, Baby girl. No one would say a word. Khloe isn’t the only one who wears a diaper nearly always.
Olivia does because she’s blind in her human form.
It’s easier than trying to find a bathroom when she’s not at home.
Molly started wearing diapers when her Daddy built her an insulated room inside their home to block out sounds.
Even though he has since insulated the entire house, she’d already grown accustomed to being diapered and prefers to be most of the time.
All the other mates let their Daddies diaper them from time to time as a show of submission.
It can be a very freeing experience. You’ll find you can fully relax and even sleep sounder when you don’t have to focus on controlling your bladder. ”
Sienna shook her head. It wasn’t that she wanted to be defiant. She simply couldn’t stop herself. The concept was so foreign to her.
“It’s not something you need to worry about this second, Little one.
I will expect you to nap in your crib, though.
It will ease my mind, knowing you can’t accidentally fall out of bed during naptime.
I also expect you to stay on your bottom or lying down in the crib.
Same goes for the playpen in the living room.
When you’re in either location, no standing, no walking, absolutely no climbing over the sides for any reason.
” He lifted a brow to emphasize his directive.
“Yes, Sir,” she managed to murmur. Part of her was unsettled by this concept, but another part of her could feel his intention.
He wasn’t ordering her to stay seated in her crib or playpen because he was a controlling meanie.
The rule existed to keep her safe. A sense of protectiveness enveloped her.
“Now, how about if I change you into something more comfortable so you can nap without all this restrictive clothing after your bottle?”
“You’re going to change me yourself?”
“Always, Little one. It’s part of taking care of you.”
She’d known this. She’d seen inside a lot of homes. She’d never once witnessed a woman taking off her own clothes or getting dressed. Her mate always did it for her. There were other things she’d noticed, too. “Will I be doing the cooking for you, Daddy?”
“Nope. No cooking. No cleaning.”
“That’s so weird…”
He chuckled. “It’s just different. Not what you expected. You’ll get used to being doted on. We cherish our mates more than life itself. My instinct is to take care of your every need. That’s why it will please me so much for you to let me do so.”
“Okay, Daddy. I’ll try.”