CEO's Runaway Mate and Her Cubs

Lara couldn't see how the attention of every single wolf in the hall had turned to her and Nate. More to her, for they wouldn't dare to openly stare at the Alpha. Not everyone had enough wits to look him directly in the eyes, to begin with: being caught while staring was out of the question.

The pups were happily eating, their worries forgotten in front of the mouth-watering roast beef. Nate and Lara were conversing about trivial matters, their expression relaxed as if it wasn't the first time they appeared in public together.

Most of the employees would collect their food on a tray and sit down, serving themselves on their own. The managers' tables were served by a teen girl who had just started to work in the company. It was one of the first tasks new employees usually had.

The girl that day was named Grace. She had been convinced her first weeks would have been boring, difficult, and without any event to lighten her days. Instead, she had stumbled upon the Alpha and had the privilege to serve him food!

At first, she couldn't think straight. After all, she was a youngling, barely visible to her seniors. How could she stand next to the table where their Alpha was eating? It was a thought out of this world.

She would have kept that memory for the years to come, for she doubted she was going to meet Alpha Nate from this close ever again.

But then, as Grace calmed down and delivered the food, she started to realise that the people around that table oddly felt like a family. Not only that: the pups did have so much in common with the Alpha.

The way Alpha Nate cut the meat for the female pup was also odd. He was keeping some distance, but his gestures were all kind and full of warmth. As if he was helping his daughter with her meal.

The pup would choose the bites from the plate, the best pieces she could see, and then she would deliver the rest to Nate and ask for more yummy things with her blue eyes staring at the man.

If not for the fact that the Alpha was following her orders without complaint, Grace would have never believed their pack leader already had children.

Then, while bringing the desserts, she glanced at Lara. The woman was pretty, with her black hair and dark eyes decorating a pale and delicate face. Her lips were thin, red like cherries. Her nose was small, like the twins'.

Her arms were thin and weak, and her fingers long and elegant.

All in all, she didn't give off any special vibe from the first impression. Yet, the more one stared, the more they felt amazed or attracted. It was a kind of beauty that didn't hit at the first impact, but it would leave a long-lasting impression with time.

The calm with which the woman talked with Alpha Nate also was admirable. What wolf could do that in the world? Other than a few exceptions, everyone in the pack would tremble in anxiety in front of Nate. That was the effect of the aura of an Alpha.

How could that woman be so smooth? She could even smile sweetly or chuckle amused without a single trace of nervousness.

Was it because she was human?

Grace delivered the last piece of cake and turned on her heels, leaving the four to the last part of their lunch.

Just as she retreated in the kitchen, Bass Cooper made his appearance in the hall. He spotted Nate in the same exact moment he stepped in, and he walked to the table and dragged a chair next to his friend.

«Hello!» he said, smiling at Lara and the pups. «I see you're having lunch all together.»

Among the few exceptions Grace thought of, Bass Cooper was the louder one. He had no shame and didn't fear the Alpha. He could go as far as to pat on his shoulder or laugh out loud in front of him. Not that he would ever challenge Nate's leadership: it was just his way of expressing his - rare - thoughts.

«What's up, Bass? What are you doing in the canteen?» Nate inquired.

How could Roxy let her husband come to such a crowded place all alone? Wasn't she worried about the glances from the other she-wolves?

«I heard some juicy gossip and came to check,» he said, in fact.

So, it was not that he escaped from Roxy's watchful eyes, but he was sent by the latter to control the situation and report back to her.

«How do you like working in the company, Miss Clayton?» he asked, turning to Lara and forgetting the Alpha for a while. His wife told him to make sure Lara was good and healthy, and that she wouldn't quit for whatever reason.

«It's nice,» Lara said, smiling politely.

Her cheerful side had disappeared, and she was suddenly composed and proper. Just like an employee in front of the boss. Even though her boss was Nate. But that part of their relationship was difficult to keep in mind, no matter the situation. Even while sitting in his office and ordering documents for him, she struggled at imagining him as the CEO.

It was firstly Nate, her cubs' father. And, recently, the man she was dating.

Keeping things professional at work was harder than imagined. She was starting to realise what Roxy meant when she explained how hierarchies and relationships couldn't be kept apart in a pack. One was at the same time an employee and a family member, and the two things could coexist, in some way.

Still, with the rest of the people in the company, she would feel awkward. She still felt like Lara Clayton, the new girl, rather than Nate's girlfriend.

«So, we don't need to look for another department, right?» Bass Cooper inquired.. He sighed, relieved he didn't need to do that brute thing he hated: thinking.