CEO's Runaway Mate and Her Cubs

«Decision?»

«Yes,» he said. «I know this is all so complicated for you, and I understand that you won\'t take on duties no one asked whether you wanted. I know all of it, but please... Don\'t disappear like the first time.»

«I won\'t,» she said. «I knew nothing about you back then. Not even your name! You can\'t blame me for leaving like that. I thought... I thought we just had a random one-night stand.

Nothing more than that.»

«I\'m not blaming you. If there\'s someone I\'ve learned so far, it\'s that humans need to talk if they want to understand each other. So, that I will do. I will talk to you and ensure you won\'t have any reason to leave. Ever.»

«Oh, Nate,» she sighed. Could he be more understanding? Could he make her feel more treasured than that?

Even if he was the mighty Alpha of the Norwich pack, he allowed her enough freedom to make her decisions. And he wasn\'t even trying to make her stay with any trick or his power. Oddly enough, she felt it: he was treating her like his peer.

She wouldn\'t have thought about it if they were an ordinary couple. Yet, knowing what she knew about wolves, she could understand what it meant: she wasn\'t just his woman, she was his partner. She did need him so much that it hurt, but he also needed her.

She opened her mouth to say something, but any word flew away from her mind. She stood there like an idiot, her eyes fixed on an empty spot.

He needed her.

How sweet did that sound? Could it be true?

Could she be sought after like that? For real? The Moon Goddess did bless her, after all. It was no curse, no illness. She had been given a gift, and she was going to treasure it.

«Nate,» she said, «let\'s go on a date!»

«Date?» he said.

Her smile made him wince.

«Yes! We should take it slow. I\'m not yet ready to marry you straight away. But I want to be with you more often, to meet you without the twins stealing our attention. I want to do everything right before accepting to be your mate forever. You talked about that gala: let\'s go!

And let\'s have fun.»

«Are you sure?»

«Yes. Your mother will keep the kids for a single night, won\'t she?»

«A night?»

«Yes,» she chuckled. «It\'s easier like this, isn\'t it? We\'ll fetch them in the morning.»

«Oh, yes,» he said, nodding. He would have agreed to dancing in the flames for her, let alone get rid of the pups for a whole night.

It did sound like she had plans, but he did not dare imagine anything. After all, they had just solved something big, and Lara was still emotionally unstable. He would have been patien...

«And, after the gala, you can tell me the details.»

«D-details?»

«You can show me,» she said with a witty smile. «I do remember meeting you. But the night we spent together was kind of blurry. I\'m sure showing me will help.»

«Oh,» he sighed. To hell with patience. He could sell his soul to her and get it over with.

But, at least, she was consciously being naughty. It wasn\'t something happening deep down in her subconscious. Accepting didn\'t mean exploiting a woman\'s weakness.

«I can show you,» he murmured.

«Only if it\'s not too much to ask for,» she said. «I mean, it\'s okay if you don\'t remember very well.»

Your next journey awaits at empire

«I do. I remember every single detail.»

«I\'m relieved,» she sighed. Her grin hadn\'t lost any trace of wittiness.

«Are you sure, though?»

«A hundred per cent!»

He was worried she would be scared, that something he did had made her uncomfortable... He was so frightened that it hurt. But, still, he didn\'t have any strength to say no.

Especially when she placed her palm on his chest, not far from his heart. What was he even thinking about? Resisting? To what?

«We can talk about it once we come back from the gala. It will be another appearance together... I believe it\'s enough to be officially recognised as a couple by humans. Don\'t you think so, too?»

«Yes,» he hummed. Not that he minded what humans thought, but having their link clear to the world was comforting. No human man would make any attempt if they knew she was his.

Finally, he also beamed. His lips curled up, mirroring Lara\'s expression. They stared each other in the eye, agreeing that remembering every detail was important and that humans needed to know.

For the first time in a long while, he felt the link between them. It was a rare moment, and he could sense what she sensed. It was close to what other wolves would feel, but not that clear. Still, it was better than nothing.

Without Lara rejecting that part of her she couldn\'t comprehend, he could almost physically witness their connection. She wasn\'t blocking him out of her heart, and that made him even happier.

«Thank you!» she said before he could find any word to break that silence. Not that they needed to talk that badly, but she had been the first to do it.

«Thanks? For what?»

«For letting me talk with Ebony. For helping me remember and accept. It\'s still far from over, and I\'m afraid I\'ll wake up tomorrow and realise I haven\'t healed yet. That I\'m just the old, weak me. But thank you for trying, Nate. I wish this moment would last forever.»

«Even if you do wake up like before, I\'ll find a way to help you again,» he said. «I\'ll make you remember over and over again until you accept it with your heart. I\'m not letting you go, Lara Clay

He closed his mouth before saying something too much, but her red cheeks witnessed that she already knew what he wanted to say. She was human, and he was too territorial. But she wasn\'t scared of him.

«You\'re mine,» he whispered, ending the sentence he so much had wished to say.