CEO's Runaway Mate and Her Cubs

Lara had finished dealing with the documents for Nate, so she decided to take a break. He was at the company, talking with representatives from the Government and checking the accounts with Roxy, while most of the pack was at the base.

That place was huge, but there were also hundreds of wolves, nearly a thousand, living in it. Lara had been assigned a room, but she hadn't used it much yet. She could free it for another person.

Nate had planned to stay in the base for a few days only but, since Luciano Polenta was nowhere to be found, Lara thought they would stay there a little longer. Contrarily to Nate's expectations, the Mayford pack was still living at their headquarters. They hadn't disbanded yet, except for a few wolves leaving on their own. It was taking too long.

Lara ordered the documents on the desk, drew a heart at the bottom of the last note, and went out of the study. She took a stroll in the base, enjoying the half of an hour left before her cubs would get out of school and look for her and for food.

She reached the central hall. There were tables next to three walls, making it good for eating or just taking a break. It was connected to the canteen, and one could have a cup of tea or a mid-morning snack there.

Packs reminded Lara of college life. They would sleep in the same building, eat together, and have every need served within a few steps. And they knew each other well.

She was still working hard on names, but it was getting better. She would remember someone once she had a meaningful conversation with them, and the pack was less of a mystery each day. She could understand them, little by little, and their oddities started to make sense.

She noticed a girl sitting alone at a table. She was looking at a point in front of her without actually seeing anything. She was one of the secretaries, one of those who didn't pick on Lara. She seemed... sad? Conflicted?

«Hello,» Lara said, startling the girl.

«Oh, Alpha...» she murmured, panicking for a moment.

She stood up, surprising Lara. Was there any need to stand up? She wasn't the President, after all...

«I didn't mean to surprise you. I thought you heard me approaching,» Lara said.

«I was a little distracted,» was the reply. The young woman moved her eyes down, and her lungs let out a silent sigh.

«What's the matter?»

Lara sat down, tapping on the bench until the woman followed.

«I am in trouble.»

«What kind of trouble?»

«I want to mate like the other girls, but... I don't know how. All the males are handsome in Norwich, and they don't have time to look at me with so many pretty females around.»

«Oh,» Lara realised.

It was a crisis of self-confidence. She was a pro with those! She had had enough of them, even though she couldn't always find a way out... But she could try helping that girl.

«It's not all about handsomeness and prettiness. You should look for someone you can have a chat with. Someone who will understand you. And you're so pretty; why are you afraid?»

«A... Am I?» Experience tales with m_vl_em_p_yr

«Yes, of course!»

All the girls in the pack were beautiful! It was a common trait for wolves, apparently. Even more: Lara found the girls more beautiful, on average, than the sales agents. They were handsome, of course, but less than the girls.

Not that it mattered, all in all. Also, she was a plain human and was mating with their Alpha, the most handsome of them all. She wasn't the right one to judge.

«But then, why doesn't anyone approach me? I don't expect crowds of suitors, but... I mean, I have zero!»

«Oh, that is because women in Norwich are quite the type,» Lara said, chuckling. «I've never seen a place where women are more assertive than here. They just get what they want, right? Males, on the other hand, are more reserved.»

«But in all the romance movies...»

«Oh, no,» Lara said, «don't take those as reference. Here the situation is different.»

«Is it?»

«Don't you believe me?» Lara asked, smiling wily.

The other woman shook her head, afraid. How dare she not believe the Alpha female?

«So... What should I do?»

«I was going to tell you to approach one on your own, but that's not right. You are the way you are, and changing just to accommodate the situation is a little... I don't think there's anything wrong with you. You'll find yourself a good man one day. How it happens, however, depends on you only. Don't force yourself to do anything, but also don't back away because of fear.

You should take your life into your own hands.»

The woman nodded, charmed. It felt so right and so beautiful when Lara said it.

«But I'll be alone forever!»

«You won't,» Lara said. «And you should love yourself before being able to love. I once thought I would be alone for life too, you know? But look at me now: I have a family, and also a pack! That's more than any human woman can have, isn't it?»

She chuckled, amused at the girl's red cheeks and amazed expression.

«To be like this, however, I first need to accept myself. Once I learn to love myself, to be sure of my own worth, it will be easier for others too.»

She was still far from that point, but she couldn't tell that to a girl she was trying to comfort.

«And... Are you happy now, Alpha?»

Happiness was such a strange word. Weak, feeble, and easy to generate and destroy.

«I am.»

Was she happy? Yes, of course. Even though worried about the situation, even though there was something terribly wrong with her, she dared to be happy with her cubs and mate.

However, she knew such happiness was easy to erase.

«But you can't be happy because of other people. It's easy to be disappointed like that. It's a moment. You should learn to start being happy from your heart, by yourself. The rest will follow suit.»

Oh, if only she could learn to follow her own advice...