After failing at convincing the little boy, Nate decided to postpone his plans. The scent of Lara's blood had filled the apartment, yet she hadn't come out of the bedroom yet.
She was fine, Nate knew it. She was calming the pup.
But he was worried about her wounds.
«Do you have a first aid kit?»
«In the bathroom.»
«Can you show me where exactly?»
«Yes, but why do you need it? You are not hurt.»
«Your mother is,» Nate pointed out.
«She knows how to treat herself.»
«Where is it?» Nate repeated, calm and unmoving. He even leaned back on the chair and looked at the little boy with an expression that didn't admit stories.
The little one jumped off the chair and brought him the kit.
«Good boy,» Nate said, trying to pat his head.
Jaden jumped away in time and sat back at his place.
«How often does it happen?»
«What?»
«Your sister, going on a rampage.»
«Not that often anymore. Scarlet is calmer now.»
He had noticed how the wounds passed almost unnoticed to both Lara and Jaden. Not to mention the other pup.
«How often was it before?»
«Scarlet was untreatable during the full moon. But now it's better.»
«Did she attack your mother once a month?»
«I... I don't remember,» Jaden whispered.
He was unresting and nervous as well during those times.
His eyes filled with tears, and he started sobbing in front of a stranger. Shame made his face turn red, and that caused another wave of crying.
The more he tried to stop, the more he couldn't.
At first, Nate was surprised. But then, he started to feel guilty.
It wasn't the pups' fault. It was Nate's, for he wasn't there to guide them and help Lara.
Yet, he didn't know how to reassure the crying pup. Jaden's ears had bent down, and his hands were wiping the tears that tickled the cheeks.
«Hey,» Nate whispered, approaching the little one. «It's not your fault. It's an incident: it happens. Next time, you have to call me. I know how to help you because I am like you.»
«Are you like us?» Jaden repeated, stopping to cry for a moment alone. «So it's your fault if we hurt mommy?»
Replying to that question was dangerous. And there wasn't a right answer.
«I can help you,» Nate said.
«How?»
Talking about bringing them to another place would have made the little boy step back and distrust him forever. For the moment, it was better to direct his tries where he had some hope.
«I can explain to you how it works. And I can teach you how to turn on command and not when you lose control.»
«Mommy said my ears are cute.»
«Definitely. But humans would find it weird.»
«That's why mommy said not to play with other children for a while. She said she'll let us when we control our ears and tail.»
«The tail? And not the claws?»
«That too. But we don't need other children. We already are two, after all.»
Nate sighed again. The pups' attachment to their mother was bothersome. He couldn't find a way to breach into their heart, nor to offer his presence as acceptable.
He was doomed to lose his soulmate again if he couldn't find a way to convince the pups to accept him. At least, as a familiar figure.
«So, your mommy doesn't make you lack anything?» he continued. Was there something he could help with?
He was sure that a human would overlook the needs of a wolf. There was no way she could know what they needed.
«I love to eat meat as well,» he said. «But this one is too cooked.»
«I love well-cooked chicken. It's my favourite,» Jaden said.
He didn't add anything, but Nate started to realise what was going on.
«Your mother doesn't like rare meat, does she?»
Jaden shrugged.
«Mommy likes vegetables. She also forces us to eat salad. A lot.»
«That's good. You need vegetables as well. You can't eat meat only!»
Moreover, as a human, Lara couldn't survive a diet made of meat. She must have had a hard time preparing two meals every time.
«I prefer to eat together with mommy. Even if it's too cooked.»
Nate nodded. He was surprised at how that chicken smelt good. He felt the itch to try, even just a tiny piece of skin.
The pups weren't playing when they drooled in front of the oven. It smelt and looked delicious.
Studying the children, he could tell they were taken care of.
They were healthy, meaning they ate enough and never too much.
It wasn't an easy feat to feed a pup. They could overeat and have stomach problems later.
That didn't seem to be the case with Jaden and Scarlet.
They were clean and dressed. Even if their clothes were cheap, they were washed and whole.
The place where they lived was too small. They didn't have a living room, let alone a single room for the kids. Yet, it was clean.
There were boxes in the hallways and the room, as much as Nate could spot from the entrance. They had moved in at most a few days before.
«Do you change houses often?» he inquired.
Jaden nodded, moving on his chair and constantly looking at the chicken. Nate could tell it was hard for the pup not to bite a leg and bring it away in a corner to chew.
So, they did move often.
Was it because people found out the nature of the pups? That would have been a problem, indeed. How long have they been travelling?
It was no surprise that Lara couldn't keep a job for too long. She didn't have any intention from the start: why sweat over it when a single mistake would have forced them to leave?
At that moment, Nate thanked all the gods, fairies, and divinities there were. He missed six years of his mate's life. He missed the birth of his children.
But, in the end, he could meet them again. They wouldn't need to run anymore, for he would protect them from any danger.
«That needs to change,» he said. «You can't continue switching home and city. Am I right?»
Jaden shrugged. He didn't care what name the city where they lived had. For him, all places were the same.
A second attempt from Nate <3
Nate and Jaden were sitting in the kitchen without growling at each other. They reached some sort of peace, maybe helped by the scent of the food.
They heard Lara reaching the bathroom and rummaging in the drawers for a while. When she sighed hopelessly, they both understood she was looking for the first aid kit.
The running water made Nate realise she wouldn't think of looking for the medicine in the kitchen.
He got up and brought the kit with him.
When Jaden moved to follow him, he turned back and used all the calm he was capable of. His aura turned dark as he ordered him to sit back and guard the food.
He didn't like using his Alpha abilities, but he wanted to have a word alone with the woman.
He knocked and stepped into the bathroom without waiting for a reply.
He found Lara, shirtless, tapping on the wounds with a towel.
«Yes?» she murmured at first. Then, she covered herself with that same wet and stained towel.
Her eyes widened as she took a step back.
«I was waiting for you in the kitchen,» Nate said. He showed her the emergency kit and reached the mirror. «Let me help you.»
«I can do it alone.»
«It would be fun to stay here and watch how you patch yourself,» he sighed. «How are you even going to reach the cuts on your back, ah? It's easier if someone helps you.»
He took a clean towel from the washing machine and offered it to her.
«Cover yourself with this one if you're so afraid of what I could see,» he said. «But I already know everything, Lara. I saw everything.»
His memory was so clear that he could tell the small changes in her body. After pregnancy, her hips were slightly wider. Her bosom was softer, but her flat stomach was the same. Her legs were as long as he remembered, sexy and alluring. Even through the jeans, he could notice.
She was twenty-five, according to the data he read in that mail. The perfect age to go out and have fun. Yet, she was stuck at home with two pups and had no clue about how to raise them.
«Stop looking at me like that,» the girl murmured.
She stepped back until her aching back hit the wall. Blood splattered on the tiles, so she turned to clean before causing even more damage.
«Damn it,» she whispered, using part of the wet towel. It was becoming difficult to control her body enough not to mess around.
Why was that stranger's gaze so powerful?
«Look like what?» Nate asked, ignoring the show and moving his blue eyes on the first aid kit.
He opened it on the washing machine. He found all he needed, placing it so that everything was reachable with a single movement.
«As if you wanted to eat me,» she replied. «It's frightening.»
«I don't want to eat you. But I've missed you for six years. Have some understanding, please.»
«What are you talking about? We don't know each other. We might have slept together, but it was a one-night thing. How could you miss me?»
He chuckled, applying some disinfectant on a cotton pad.
«Come here and let me help,» he said. Without noticing, he used the Alpha's pressure.
If Lara was a wolf, she would have lowered her eyes and followed his orders. But she was not.
As a result, she trembled in the corner, scared by the dark aura around him. Their eyes met, and Nate saw that she was terrified.
Thankfully, he closed the door after walking in. It would have become problematic to deal with the pup defending his mother, especially since Lara's instinct was faster than her brain when the kids were involved.
«I won't hurt you, Lara. I'm here to help,» he said. «I want to check if the wounds are infected. It's dangerous to leave a claw's cut untreated. Please...»
He lowered his eyes, wondering if they started glowing. He didn't want to scare her any more than that.
«I have no intention of hurting you. Nor your children.»
Since she didn't move, he walked forward. It took him only two steps to reach her.
Slow and careful, he reached out to her. His fingers first touched her arm, then wrapped around it. He dragged her back to the mirror, and he started disinfecting the wounds.
Little by little, Lara stopped trembling. The burning sensation of the medicine on her wounded skin woke her up from the panic.
She watched herself in the mirror and the man behind her. His attention was all on her shoulders, so she could look at him, unbothered.
«These aren't deep cuts,» Nate commented. «They should stop bleeding soon.»
His eyes analysed the skin on her shoulder, and he could spot a few pale scars from the past.
«It's not the first time she hurts you, is it?»
Lara didn't know how to reply. She didn't want to.
Yet, her skin was already too sincere. The small cuts from Scarlet's claws were there, and she couldn't hide them.
«Do you think you'll be able to continue like this?» Nate spat out, annoyed and desperate. «What will you do when she becomes stronger than you?»
Lara didn't know what to say. She knew that it wouldn't be easy to raise two non-human kids. But she didn't care much as long as they were safe and healthy.
She wasn't scared by them, even if they already were powerful enough to hurt her. They weren't human kids, but they were hers.
Sensing her tense shoulders, Nate stopped blabbering and sighed.
«It's my fault for not finding you earlier,» he admitted. «But now, it won't be like this anymore.»
«We don't need help,» Lara pronounced, raising her chin and finding some courage. «We did fine till now!»
Just the thought of being separated by her cubs broke her heart.
She wouldn't allow it. No matter the price.
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