Lara observed the tall man for a while. Nathaniel, he said.
She didn't think he would say a fake name, so she decided to believe him.
«Dead? Dead to you?» he murmured, wondering about the pups' dead father.
Was he too fierce that night? Why did Lara hate him as much as to consider him dead?
He tilted his head, looking for any trace of antipathy. Yet, his woman didn't even flinch.
She stared back, waiting for him to turn on his heels and leave. Too bad it wasn't going to happen.
«Do you think I wouldn't recognise my own blood?» he commented.
Lara took a step back, surprised.
«I don't know what you are talking about,» she chuckled, tense.
«You might have forgotten me, but I remember every single detail of you. You've visited my dreams many times during the last six years. Yet, every time, I would wake up alone and miserable.»
He turned his eyes on the floor, trying to look sorrowful. As much as a six and a half feet tall man wearing an expensive suit and the most luxurious cologne could look miserable.
Lara's heart stopped beating for a moment. He reminded her of her cubs after they finished their steak but were still hungry.
It was so similar that she couldn't help but move to the side.
«Do you want to talk?» she asked, hoping she wouldn't regret her haste later. «I didn't know how to contact you six years ago. When I found out I was pregnant, it was too late. I went back to the club where we met, but you weren't there... It wasn't my intention to keep it a secret.»
He nodded, seeing how she dropped the act and finally acknowledged that blissful night. Blissful for him, for she didn't seem very satisfied.
He should have been more careful, especially with a human mate.
He hated that last part. Her human nature meant she couldn't feel the bond between them. She didn't feel the urge to touch him as much as him. She didn't want to leave signs to make everyone know he was hers.
At least, that's what he thought. If Lara were a wolf, she wouldn't have left.
Yet, when he saw her reaction at the door, he started to hope she could feel it. At least a bit. Even just to allow him in her life. It would have been enough as a starting point.
«Can I see them, for now?» he asked, unsure about how to proceed.
«Sure,» she sighed. «But I won't let you take them away from me. I can bring them to you, but I won't leave them.»
«They're wolves,» he pointed out. «They will have everything they need with me.»
Lara winced, surprised by his tender voice. She was expecting him to claim he had nothing to do with them. Or, in the opposite case, to want her children all to himself.
Yet, he wasn't as forceful as to take them right away. He was talking with her.
«I can't leave them,» she said. «I wouldn't have anything to fight for without them. We lived alone for five years, only them and me. We can survive just fine.»
Her voice was broken by the emotions, but she didn't move her eyes away from him. She even stopped at the door to protect her children from him.
«I don't want to take them away from you,» he said.
He considered reaching out to her face, caressing her delicate features after so long.
Yet, he knew human girls weren't as easy to approach. What if she was scared? After all, she knew something about his nature through the pups, but she couldn't be as untouched as she was with the children.
They were hers; he was not. Not yet.
«I couldn't be there before, but let me help now. You don't need to work if you don't want to. I can find a good place for us all to live, and I'll buy what you and the children need. You won't lack anything, I promise.»
Lara took a deep breath.
«We are fine,» she replied. «You can come here and meet them every time you want. But we don't need anything.»
He nodded, taking a step forward.
In the end, the shortest path to her seemed to be through the pups. He could try befriending them and then, with time, conquer his mate.
It shouldn't turn out too difficult. Pups are simple to win over...
As he passed the kitchen door, the two heads turned at the same time.
He met two pairs of eyes, one blue and one brown. His heart skipped a beat at that sight, but he soon realised there was no friendliness in their gazes.
The boy stood there, glaring with hatred. Yet, he didn't move.
As for the girl... Just like that afternoon, she growled. Yet, this time, she didn't stop at that. Her eyes glimpsed for a moment, and her nails became sharper. She jumped forward, intending to attack him.
He could smell the killing intent. It was actually cute, coming from such a little thing.
He smirked, amused by her courage. Or stupidity, he couldn't tell. Wasn't she the least intimidated? He was an Alpha, after all.
Before she could reach him, though, the body of his mate stood in between.
Lara caught her daughter and hugged her tightly.
«Hey,» she said, ignoring the pain in her shoulders. Scarlet tried to break free from her mother, to reach that man and tear him apart. Yet, she couldn't.
Lara talked to her, picking her up and disappearing behind the bedroom door. She whispered calming words until Scarlet stopped fighting, and she sighed when the girl hugged her back, hiding her face in her neck.
«Mommy is here,» Lara whispered. «You don't need to be afraid.»
«That man wants my mommy,» Scarlet complained, almost sobbing. She tightened her grasp around her mother's neck and decided not to let go.
«That's not true,» Lara pointed out. «He's not here for me.»
«Don't trust him. He wants to take you away!»
«Don't worry, mommy's girl. I won't let anyone separate us. Do you hear me? No one!»
At those words, Scarlet seemed to calm down a little.
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Nate leaned on the doorframe, trying to control his temper. The wounds on his mate's shoulders troubled him more than anything.
He wanted to grab the little girl and shake her until she realised what she was doing.
How did she dare hurt Lara?
He took a deep breath and tried calming down.
He was in the kitchen, alone with the calmer pup.
That one didn't try to kill him. And he didn't hurt Lara.
Moreover, he had her eyes. It was enough for Nate to decide he was his favourite among the two. Even if he was glaring and visibly unhappy about him.
«We won't let you get mommy,» the little one commented. «If Scarlet doesn't kill you, I will.»
Oh, awesome. Nate sighed in his heart.
Not that he couldn't understand them. He was unhappy about sharing his mate with them as well. But he was an adult and knew it couldn't be helped.
If the deal to have Lara was to accept the whole family, he was ready. He would have learned how to be a proper father if needed.
As long as the void in his heart could finally be filled.
«Aren't you the least frightened by me?» he asked, curious.
He was an Alpha. Other wolves would feel threatened and wouldn't dare to meet his eyes. Yet, both his pups didn't react like that.
Was it because they grew up without a pack? Maybe, they didn't know the rules. Or, being half-human, their instinct wasn't at that level yet.
Or they simply didn't care. After all, he could understand their worries. In their place, he would defend Lara as well.
Nate blinked, calming down his nerves. When he thought he was okay, the timer of the oven rang, and he winced in place.
He walked to it and turned off that annoying sound, using all his wits to understand how that thing worked.
He turned off the temperature, but the light inside was still on. He looked at the options for a minute before finding the right button and turned it off.
«Mommy always takes it out to cool,» the little boy said.
«It's burning, step back,» he murmured, but then he realised the little boy wasn't anywhere nearby.
He turned to check, and he was in the corner, jumping in place and drooling a little. Yet, he didn't move forward. Like a dog on a leash? Or, rather, domesticated.
He took out the chicken and left it on top to cool. He turned to the little boy and gestured towards the table.
«Shall we talk?» he asked.
His eyes stopped for a moment on the fluffy ears, but he didn't find anything amiss until he remembered the little one was five.
Five. His pup was five and already turning halfway. Even a tail was visible from under his shorts, wagging.
«Are you a dog, perhaps?» he spat out. «Why are you wagging your tail?»
The pup wasn't offended by his words, but he stopped observing the chicken and turned back to Nate.
«Am I?» he inquired. «I don't like dogs.»
«No, of course,» Nate sighed. «Dogs are stupid and stink.»
«Right. But at least they don't bark when you tell them to shut up.»
Jaden reached a chair and climbed on top. He sat there, solemn like an adult.
«You are not a dog. You are a wolf. And my pup. As such, you should conduct yourself as a wolf...» Nate tried, testing the waters.
«I am not,» Jaden replied, shaking his head in denial. «I am only of mommy.»
«Still, you're a wolf. Didn't you know it before?»
«No.»
«So, does your mother know you're wolves?»
The little one shrugged, not knowing the answer.
«Does your sister turn like you?»
«What turn?» the one murmured.
«Does your sister have a tail?»
«She does, but not always.»
«So, she doesn't transform like you. But she can't control her urges... It must be tough for your mother. She's just a human: how could she raise you for so long?»
Jaden bit his little lips, feeling under scrutiny. It was true that their mommy suffered because of them. But she never once complained.
And they couldn't live without her. They wanted to have her close for the whole time.
«Ah, we can talk later,» Nate sighed.
«Are you our father? Our real father?»
«I am,» he said.
Unless their mother had an affair with another werewolf, he wanted to add. But the simple thought was painful. He couldn't bring himself to word it.
Moreover, the little boy was similar to how Nate was at his age. Except for the black eyes.
The girl did resemble Lara to some degree, but the similarities were still more in favour of Nate. Both his pups had more in common with him than their beloved mommy.
«Are you here to take mommy away?»
«I won't take her away,» he said. «We can move together to a better place.»
«I like it here.»
«Then, I can move here.»
«There is no place for you. It's too little.»
«That's why I said we could move somewhere else. You would have your own room and a mountain of toys. Isn't that good?»
«I don't need my room. I want to sleep with mommy forever.»
«That won't be possible,» Nate cut it short. Before realising he was arguing with a kid.
He passed a hand through his hair for the umpteenth time that day.
«Won't your mother be happier in a bigger place?»
«We won't let you get closer to her. You are dangerous.»
«I am your father.»
«So what? We don't need a father.»
«Your mother is young,» he pointed out. «Do you want her to be alone for the rest of her life?»
«She won't be alone. Scarlet and I will always be with her.»
A moment of bonding among father and son! Nate thought Jaden would be easy to convince but... not so fast ;)
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