CEO's Runaway Mate and Her Cubs

Nate and Lara went to pick the pups up just in time. They had promised to be there before lunch so they could eat together, but they delayed every little thing until the very last moment.

Having breakfast took longer than usual. Packing their things even more... Leaving from a holiday place was even more difficult than leaving the pups for a couple of days.

«We should have taken more days,» Nate sighed while parking in front of Mayford. He couldn't walk in there just yet, so Lara had to fetch the twins - which made it even more hateful to be there.

«We can't leave the kids to Samantha forever,» Lara pointed out. «She has her own life, after all. I can't imagine how hard it is for her to be the Alpha.»

«It's hard for me too!»

«Oh, Nate,» she chuckled, bowing over to peck his cheek.

She caressed his cheek with her left hand, and the shining stone caught her attention. She really loved that colour! Her family had a good eye.

«You're Alpha in your birth pack, not in one you were enemies with up to a few weeks ago. And you're not pregnant, now that I think about it.»

«No, but...» he pouted. «It's hard for me too!»

«Oh, sure.»

She rolled her eyes, cuddling a minute more with her mate. Then, when she could bear to get out of the car, she opened the door and stepped out.

On the other side of the road, her cubs were waiting. Samantha and Renato had reached the outer layer and were chatting with a few wolves while waiting at the entrance.

Neither Lara nor Nate needed to cross the gate, at that time. It wasn't about Alpha power struggles, though. Samantha wasn't too much afraid of consequences.

«Hey,» Lara said after crossing the road. «You're already here!»

Renato was standing next to Samantha, lazily watching over the pups. His attention was drawn to the woman, at that moment, and he instinctively liked her.

Norwich was lucky. That thought crossed the back of his head, but he didn't put any weight on it. Mayford would not have an Alpha female, but they could manage. They didn't need a pretty human with a kind smile and a pleasant scent.

«Mommy!» the pups said, running to her and hugging her thighs. «Mommy, we missed you.»

At their words, Renato felt a little offended. When had they had time to miss their parents? Those two days were full of events, food, and new people. How could they reserve a part of their brains for longing?

«And your father?» Lara inquired.

«We missed dad, too,» said Jaden. «A little.»

«I see. Did you have fun with your aunt?»

«Oh, yes,» Scarlet exclaimed. «We played with aunty and uncle. And with other kids. I taught them how to play pretend.»

«That's good. Shall we go have lunch, now?» Lara said.

She smiled at Samantha - who had ended the chat and reached the entrance. She nodded her head to Renato.

«Thank you for this. I won't forget. I can keep your kid too when you need some time alone.»

If she had said that before the weekend, Renato would have just scoffed. What need was there to leave the pup to someone else? They would manage, right?

But after two days with the twins, he wasn't so sure anymore. Somehow, he understood why Woods had dropped the kids off for the weekend. What kind of holiday could mates have with two clingy pups by their side?

«It was our pleasure,» he said, though. Samantha loved her niece and nephew. And they were fun, all in all.

Samantha closed her mouth when Renato talked, surprised but not too much. Somehow, Renato had felt the need to reply instead of her.

Was it because of their situation? Samantha was an Alpha while Lara was an Alpha female. In their odd situation, Renato was Lara's counterpart.

She stopped thinking about it when she realised she already knew nothing about pack dynamics. There was no point in overusing her brain if she couldn't understand.

Thankfully, Mayford was as messed up as her so they could understand each other.

«Let's go, kids,» Lara said. «Say bye.»

«Bye, aunty,» they said, running back to Samantha and asking for hugs.

The woman bent down and picked up one pup at a time, giving them a long hug as a greeting.

«They're heavy,» Renato murmured, but she didn't listen to him.

He eyed Lara's reaction, and he kind of felt understood. She was smiling kindly at him, in silence, but he would swear she understood him.

When the kids were done greeting their dear aunty, they also turned to him.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

«Bye, uncle,» they said.

Somehow, it wasn't just a greeting of convenience - not just because their mommy told them so.

Jaden waved his hand, his eyes showing no trace of antipathy. They had their own secrets, kind of. They had exchanged advice about love, which was enough to tie two men forever.

As for Scarlet, she strolled to him and raised her hands.

He blinked, stupefied. But then he picked her up. Her hands circled his neck, and she hugged him. That girl knew how to act cute, sometimes.

He felt the dark energy coming from the car parking across the road, but he was too distracted to pay any attention.

«It was fun, uncle!»

«Sure, to me too,» he replied.

He let the girl down on her feet, and she returned to her mommy.

The twins held her hand while crossing the road. There, before getting in the car, they turned once more to wave to Samantha.

Nate had gotten out of the car and was helping Scarlet with her seatbelt. On the other side, Lara was taking care of Jaden.

«Twins are a lot of work, aren't they?» Samantha commented while observing the scene. She was smiling as if missing her old pack. But she was still next to him, on that side.

«A lot of work,» Renato confirmed with a sigh. «But they're also a lot of joy.»