CEO's Runaway Mate and Her Cubs

The articles about Lara didn't decrease in the following couple of days. Contrarily to her expectations, the press didn't let go of her after a little scoop or two.

The interest wasn't fading away, apparently. But, why?

«Why do they write about me so often?» she asked Roxy.

They were in the HR department, in the Manager's office. Lara had done her Alpha female's job for a couple of hours, but then the line of wolves with issues had decreased. At some point, they would say it wasn't so urgent, and they had turned their back and left, murmuring they would return tomorrow or another day.

To her surprise, she could find some time to study. Or even just take a break!

Had it been Nate's work? Had he warned the pack about her business?

«They're so cute!» she had commented, and Roxy had just shook her head.

«We know a human can't work twenty hours a day. We will take care of you, Lara.»

Then, she had revised math for a while until she needed a break. During the break, she had read some newspapers and tabloids, in search of anything about Nate. She would have brought the articles to Scarlet and - only if they were nice - the titles to Jaden to read.

But then, instead of Nate, most articles she could find were about her.

«It's because they know nothing about you,» Roxy said. «Since you don't appear in public and neither you nor Nate declare anything after big scoops, they're curious about you. And, if I may say, the more you avoid public places, the more they'll want to see and talk with you. A couple of journalists had called during the last week to ask for an interview, but we were instructed to refuse.

However, since you're the Alpha female and not Nate, you can decide to still talk with them.»

«Wait, I can't go against Nate's order!»

«He manages the pack, brings food to our tables, and protects us from danger. Everything about relationships within the pack and with the outside world is up to you. If you want us to be seen as nice and happy, you can do it. If you want us to avoid talking with the outside, you can give that order as well.»

«I still prefer following what Nate decided. At least until talking with him about it. There must be a reason if he made this specific decision.»

«He just wants to protect you; there's not much mystery around his decisions, Lara. He wants the best for the pack. And he wants you to feel safe with us. Safe within the pack, sure. But also protected from the threats from outside.»

«I do feel protected. But it doesn't mean I need to hide as if I made some mistake. Especially because I didn't, right? Dating Nate Woods isn't wrong, in the end.»

«Of course not, you're his mate!»

«Humans know nothing about mates,» Lara chuckled.

«No, but they have that soulmates talk. You can tell them this.»

«No, it's not how it works. Humans date because they like each other, period. As such, if Nate likes me as much as I like him, we have every right to date, get married, and have kids... We have every right for it.»

Roxy tilted her head, surprised. It was so nice to listen to such words from Lara's lips. It was nice to hear how she knew she deserved her happiness, her family.

«And the twins aren't a mistake either,» Lara added. «But we don't want to expose them to the press. Not yet, at least. We're doing it to protect them. Not for ourselves.»

«Oh, sure. But how are you going to explain it?» Roxy murmured. «When they hear about it, they will ask a lot of questions.»

«We'll tell the truth without going too much into detail,» Lara said. «I don't think anyone will blame a woman for giving birth to her babies, either way. I just don't want anyone to look at them in any weird way. I want them to be accepted fully, and it's just simpler if no one knows Nate and I weren't together at the time.»

«Do you have a plan?»

«A plan?» Lara repeated. «No, I have nothing of that sort.»

«We know about it,» Roxy said. «Every single wolf in this pack knows that you and Nate weren't married when you had the pups. Yet, I can guarantee there isn't a single wolf who cares about formalities. You two love each other now, and we have an Alpha female after years. Not to mention how cute the twins are. I'm sure it will be the same with everyone else.»

«Humans don't have the same concepts of mate, fated love... They don't have a pack guiding them to accept each other. It's a lot more difficult. Just think about my family, Roxy. They were my blood family, but it didn't help them to accept it.»

She leaned back on the chair, feeling the sting of pain she was used to. It would appear every time she thought of her birth family. But it was less and less painful every time.

One day, maybe, the last remnants of affection would disappear. She would be free from any attachment to the Claytons.

«If my parents couldn't accept it, how do you think the rest of the world will? Especially the ladies from high society... They have their standards, after all.»

«Huh? What do you know about them?» Roxy murmured.

«I know what my mother told me,» Lara confessed, slightly embarrassed for that admission.

«I think you should meet them first. It's unfair to have an opinion just like that. I also think you need human friends.»

«I feel fine as I am. I have many more friends than a few months ago.»Nôv(el)B\\jnn

«You need humans, Lara. And we won't feel abandoned if you have other friends. Nate might whine a little, but he'll accept because he knows it's for your good. Also, you seriously need to meet the women in high society. Like, for real... Don't just believe what your mother told you.»