CEO's Runaway Mate and Her Cubs

As promised, Samantha did call him.

She composed that damned number imprinted in her memory, and she waited half a minute before he picked up. He loved to make her wait or hope in vain, didn\'t he?

«Hello,» she said when she heard his breathing on the other side. «I want to make things clear before proceeding further.»

«You\'re so cold, Miss Trouble.»

«All we\'re going to do is sex. No dates, no feelings. I don\'t have time for a relationship at this moment in my life. And I won\'t in the future either. I\'m happy alone, but my body does happen to like you. Is that all right with you?»

«Could you be more perfect?» he chuckled. «Not just that you\'re gorgeous, but you also don\'t like commitment? The perfect woman for a man like me.»

«A man like you?» She mimicked him. «You think too highly of yourself.»

«What are you doing this weekend?»

«You\'re so fast, Mister Rider. Shouldn\'t we avoid seeing each other too often? I don\'t want to risk getting bored right at the start.»

«Bored? Oh, I dare you to come to meet me. I\'ll show you how bored you will get!»

«Where?»

«There\'s a motel on the road from Mayford to Norwich. It\'s in neither of our territories, so it should be safe to meet there. It\'s a cheap place, though. I\'m not sure Miss Trouble can withstand such poorness.»

«You saw it on the way back?» she murmured. «Were you looking for places where to meet?»

«Ah, don\'t get ahead of yourself. I just happened to spot it. It\'s very shabby, but I feel like it could be an interesting experience. You should get a grasp about how the rest of the world lives.»

«I\'m not a snobby lass,» she exclaimed.

«This time, it will be my treat. You better not complain, or I\'ll change my mind to let you settle scores.»

«As if. Do you think you would stand a chance to do that? I\'m pretty stubborn, Rider. Once I decide, there\'s no going back.»

Too bad she was so slow at deciding when it came to him. She observed the red wine in the crystal glass. It smelt good, and it helped her relax enough to talk with that man.

«This time, I\'ll come prepared,» he added.

Samantha didn\'t know how to reply, so she just sipped and counted the hours before the weekend.

«Saturday night?» she inquired.

«Friday. Then, we\'ll go back once you can get up.»

«Oh, you,» she sighed. «You\'re so good at teasing from such a distance. We\'ll see who won\'t be able to get up.»

When the call was over, she wrote to her mechanic. She needed her bike checked before taking a ride after so much time.

She had stopped using it a couple of years before. It didn\'t feel thrilling driving alone. Sometimes, she would still go on an adventure and have a good tour of the city or a nearby panoramic road.

Yet, alone, it felt as if she missed something.

For once, she could show her baby girl to someone who could appreciate her beauty.

Her getaway was twenty-four hours from that moment. She should take care of her image before going... What about cutting her hair?

Oh, what for? That man would have messed up her locks as soon as he could get his hands on them. It was a waste of her time.

Just as Samantha was pondering about her secret meeting, Nate was in a similar situation. He had triple-checked the luggage with his butler.

He went home for the day because he couldn\'t get ready all by himself. His mother had been happy to see him for a few minutes, but then she had started inquiring.

«I heard she\'s human,» she had said when she understood what her son was up to. «Are you sure you want to do this?»

«You already know everything, mom. I see... Is there a need to answer?»

The woman was in her mid-fifties. Her hair was still of its original colour: ash blond. If anything, her rare white locks gave it an overall more interesting shade.

Her face had only a few wrinkles around her eyes and lips, but her features were as fresh as a young lady\'s.

The former Alpha female of the Norwich pack was known as a beauty in her early youth, and she never did lose that title. Even with her years evident on her skin, she was still pleasing to look at.

«You\'re just as stubborn as your father was,» she sighed.

«It\'s not the same thing, mom. I don\'t have a choice.»

«Lara Clayton, right?»

«Shall I answer? Really? You know more than I do right now.»

«You should give it a thought. And be rational. Know that it won\'t be easy for her if she accepts you.»

«We already have two pups, mom. Isn\'t it late to change my idea? Moreover, she\'s my only mate. It\'s either her or no one.»

Those few words forced Madam Woods to look away. She was surprised, twice in a single breath.

«Pups? Mate?»

She knew her son was suffering because he had lost his mate six years before. He couldn\'t run after her because he was busy with the pack. Once things were settled, that woman\'s traces had dissipated.

Never could she have imagined she would appear again like magic. Nor could she guess she was human.

«I have grandchildren? More than one?»

«Twins,» Nate sighed. «But how is it you didn\'t know earlier? So, it was not Samantha who told you.»

«Samantha knows and didn\'t say a word?» the woman rebuked. «I\'ll hear her out next time I see her.»

«Oh, better not. Samantha is also a little... busy lately. You\'ll scold her when things get better, okay?»

The woman walked to an armchair and sat there, observing the luggage Nate was checking for who-knows-which time.

«I\'ll keep it in mind,» the woman declared. «Now tell me about the pups.»

Nate sighed, dropping his shoulders and sitting next to his mother.

«A couple of twins,» the woman murmured with a kind smile.. She couldn\'t wait to meet them.