CEO's Runaway Mate and Her Cubs

Lara threw the trash and turned to go back home when she saw a group of people on her path. They were all tall, with trained physiques and pitch-black hair. Some of them had tanned skin, and they had dark-coloured eyes.

Her heart skipped a couple of beats, but she decided not to assume things. She stepped in their direction, clearly intending to pass by unnoticed.

There were four men in total, and they were all staring at her.

She smiled at the one blocking her path, trying to step to the side and leave. Yet, he didn't let her.

«Miss Clayton, can you come with us for a moment?» he said.

«I'm busy now,» she replied, but her brain stopped working the moment that man used her name. How could he know?

«It's very important,» he insisted.

She chuckled, nervous, and tried taking that delayed step.

What kind of thing would require her with so much urgency? Those men didn't ring her bell but seemed to have waited for her to come down. It was creepy, scary to some degree. What did they want?

Moreover, they gave the same vibes as Manager Cooper the first time Lara had talked with him. They were wolves: she could bet on that.

«What can be as important, to make you wait for me under my home? You should learn how to approach humans, for real...» She chuckled nervously, moving her eyes among the men and looking for anything familiar.

She was sure she had never met them before. They were not part of Nate's pack.

«Miss, please come with us,» repeated the first who had talked. He grabbed her forearm and pulled her towards the corner of the street.

«What are you doing?» she murmured, starting to sweat in fear. «Let me go!»

«Our boss would like to meet with you,» the man said. His voice was mechanical as if he was following a script. «He won't hurt you...»

«Let me go!» she screamed, and, in that same moment, her eyes caught her cubs running to her.

Her heart stopped beating altogether, and her muscles didn't respond to her anymore. She was planning to scream to attract attention, but the sight of the twins hurrying to save her filled her mind with panic only.

«No,» she moaned, struggling in the man's grip. «No...»

«Mommy!» Jaden said, reaching her and hugging her legs. He tried pulling her with him, but the man's grip was too strong. Jaden glared, growled, and he even bared his fangs. Yet, it didn't help.

Meanwhile, Scarlet had thrown herself on the man, trying to push him away from her mommy.

Somehow, the kids' plan worked. The man let go of Lara and focused on the meatball tugging at his trousers. He caught her with one arm and observed, a little amused, how she tried to hurt him with her sharp teeth. She wasn't strong enough to scratch an adult wolf's skin, but her attempts were amusing.

Jaden noticed the events and ran to his sister, growling and tugging the trousers in her stead.

After a few seconds of entertainment, the man returned to earth. His mission was still ongoing.

«Bring the pups with us,» he said. «The Alpha will be happy to have more leverage.»

«Leverage?» his companion inquired while pushing Lara towards a van parked behind the corner. «I don't think he wants leverage... Just revenge.»

«Whatever. Three hostages are always better than one, aren't they? These are Nathaniel Woods's pups. He will be destroyed by their loss.»

Hearing those words, Lara seemed to wake up. Someone wanted to hurt her cubs, and she couldn't allow it.

She pushed the man holding her, taking a step towards the other one. Before she could do anything, a slap made her vision blurry for a moment. She felt a hand pushing her inside the van and heard two weights being discarded right next to her.

Then, the doors were closed, and the engine started. They started a journey towards an unknown destination. One where they weren't supposed to come back from.

«How many times have I told you not to get out of home alone?» she scolded the cubs, her eyes filling with tears. «There's a reason if I set rules... And now? What can we do now?»

She sobbed, wiping her face and trying to look calm and composed. For her kids' tranquillity, if nothing else.

«Mommy,» Jaden cried, reaching his mother and hugging her. «We didn't want to be without you.»

«I didn't want you to be in danger, Jaden. What's the point of being together if we're going to be hurt?»

«We won't let them hurt you, mommy,» Scarlet added, crawling on her other side.

She hugged them, slowing her breath enough to talk.

It was late for panic. At that moment, they already were lost who knows where.

«Don't be stupid, Scarlet. If they let your two go, you have to, okay? You have to go look for your father if that happens. He will protect you.»

«He won't take us if we're without you, mommy,» Jaden pointed out.

«You two are so harsh with your father without any reason. He will love and protect you just like I do.»

«But we want to stay with you.»

She sighed, dejected. Her kids were so stubborn independently from the situation. How could they insist even when their lives were in danger?

«Mommy loves you,» she said. «I love you both more than my life, but I am not strong enough to protect you. You have to rely on your father for that, okay?»

As she spoke, her words hit her heart as well. She hadn't relied on Nate that much, she realised. He was ready to help her with the kids, or even without them involved. Yet, she had refused his offers, not to bother him.

After all, when her cubs' lives were on the line, she started to regret her choice.. Maybe, she should have accepted Nate in her life way sooner.