CEO's Runaway Mate and Her Cubs

Chapter 368: Problems in the present, problems in the future

Nate stopped the car in the centre. He wanted to accompany Lara even further, but he also knew she was in a difficult period.

The centre was crowded, there were cams everywhere, and the overall security the humans provided made him assured no wolf would try anything. First of all, there would be a risk of being exposed, which was against any rule they followed.

«Have a nice day,» he said. «And be careful.»

Lara nodded, collecting her purse and checking her phone had enough battery.

She had done so seven times during the journey alone, but she couldn't stop but check over and over again, as if afraid something would go wrong if she wasn't careful enough.

Then, before getting off, she reached out to Nate. She moved on the seat until she could reach him, and she left a peck on his cheek. She smiled before getting off and walking towards the city. She didn't turn back, but she didn't need to. She heard the car leaving quite a while later, a sign that Nate was watching her until a moment ago. Read exclusive adventures at m_v-l'-NovelBin.net

And he was. He was looking at Lara's back, a hand on the place she had kissed. He was also attentively following every movement of hers, searching for any trace of anxiety. Yet, that peck didn't make her sweat or worry, let alone panic.

It wasn't him that made her afraid, apparently. He sighed, driving away with a light heart. That simple discovery was enough to turn that day into a bright morning.

He thought again about Lara's attacks, and he did find a common trait. She had panic attacks, or similar events, only when they seemed to grow closer physically.

After they spent the night together, then after their passionate kiss that morning. But, digging back, he also remembered how she had reacted when he had invited her into his room. They were watching a movie together, and he was going to move their relationship a step forward when she had turned gloomy. Her mood would be unstable only after an intimate moment, which meant he wasn't the problem.

Not directly.

Did Lara have some trauma? Was it related to their first night she forgot? After all, that had been the beginning of the end for her.

Was she afraid of being abandoned because it had happened once? And, at the same time, she did feel the need or the wish to be a couple. He knew it: she couldn't be so assertive if that wasn't true. She knew how to kiss him, and she seemed to be working very hard at keeping the pace of their affair. As if... As if she thought she had to?

He scratched his hair. What if she hated it but was afraid he would leave if she didn't accept to be intimate? That felt even worse than the other option - that she was afraid of him because he was a wolf.

«Oh, damn it,» he cursed while parking. He had finally reached the company building.

Having realised that, he couldn't act the way he did anymore. How could he ask Lara to be with him if he knew she would have a panic attack later? No, there was no way.

They didn't need physical intimacy that much, either way. For him, being close was enough. Sleeping together - as in: in the same bed - was already blissful. He could hug his mate and make up for the long years spent apart. He didn't need to do something that would eventually hurt her... Even if it felt so good, he didn't need it.

He walked into the elevator and pressed the button on the floor of his office. Secretary Jack was already waiting, and Roxy would start around that time as well.

They had to work with the human officers and convince them they didn't evade any tax and, more importantly, that they weren't involved with Luciano Polenta's disappearance.

The Government had been clear: they couldn't fight their wars on human territory. They couldn't break the law to take revenge on one another.

Regarding the business part, Nate had followed human laws. He wasn't too worried. The only crime was barging into Mayford headquarters and beating the wolves until they surrendered. But that was a crime no wolf would denounce to human authority.

He found a newspaper on his desk. Samantha's face was on the front, with Renato Cannella right next to her. That reporter was going all out, using all in his pocket to sell more copies.

It was more a source of worry for Nate. Nothing made him think that, once things returned calm, that man wouldn't publish something else about Lara. However, it was a battle for another time.

He read the article, paying special attention to the parts highlighted by one of his assistants. Samantha and Cannella were a couple; that was clear. The reporter had finally found the name; was it Samantha calling to tell him?

Was she going to sacrifice her own image to save Lara?

Nate shook his head. His cousin was being a little unreasonable. But he was grateful. Samantha could survive any scandal unscathed: she was that kind of person; she simply didn't care. On the other hand, Lara was so delicate, and her mind was even more frail than usual lately.

«Where is Luciano Polenta, CEO of Blue Moon?» he read. It was somewhere at the end of the article.

The reporter theorised that Samantha's relationship had something to do with Polenta's disappearance. That already was worse than a love affair scandal.

«Oh, I can't let this happen,» Nate said.

He couldn't let his cousin, his little sister, be involved in such a story. It might evolve into police investigations, and she didn't deserve that. He had to protect her even if she had chosen not to be one of Norwich anymore. Even in another pack, she was still family.

Also, Polenta's disappearance had to be treated carefully. Public opinion was relevant for business, and even more relevant for politicians. The Government would ask for explanations, sooner or later, and Samantha's new address did sound suspicious.

He had to come up with a story good enough for everyone.