CEO's Runaway Mate and Her Cubs

Nate and Lara strolled in the small town before dinner. The sun was setting, and they could observe the houses turn orange because of the light. It was a warm day, but not as hot as in big cities. It was refreshing to take deep breaths of the chilly breeze and shiver: it was something they couldn't feel in Norwich.

The hotel was in the mountains, surrounded by three sides. The fourth side faced a valley, and the wind would flow from the mountains at any hour of the day.

Even while bathing in the pool, they had to be careful not to catch a cold - precisely, Lara had to be careful. Being surrounded by wolves made her forget her own human delicate body.

At least, the high walls surrounding the garden would protect them a little.

But in town, there was nowhere to hide. Every corner was windy, but they didn't dislike it.

They strolled hand in hand, their eyes caressing every detail of that picturesque place. The houses were white, originally, so the sunset light set them on fire. The streets were paved with dark stones; even the street lights looked old-fashioned.

It was a romantic place, Nate thought. Good choice for a holiday together. That was kind of the run-through for their honeymoon. A test before actually getting married and travelling anywhere.

«What do you think of spending more time here?» he inquired.

«We have to go back, Nate. We can't leave the twins for Samantha any longer; it would be too much.»

«Next time, we can come together and stay longer,» he said, surprising even himself.

He wanted to be there with Lara so much that he would bear with the pups. How odd.

Or was he actually missing them? It had been a day, and he had been so busy thinking of the heavy wait in his pocket to think about them. It surely wasn't that! He just wanted to travel the world with Lara. Sure. That was it.

«It would be nice,» Lara said, and every worry of his disappeared. Who cares what was the reason behind his words if they made his mate happy?

«But now that we're alone, we should enjoy this holiday thoroughly!» he added. Enough thinking about the twins.

«Aren't we, already?» Lara chuckled.

«We haven't got out that often.» Except for that stroll in the woods, they had been inside all the time.

Mostly, rolling in bed or cuddling in the pool.

«That's what one is supposed to do in a thermal place. Relax,» Lara said. «If you want to go out and have fun, change location.»

«I like relaxing, Lara. But aren't you bored?»

«No. And you?»

«Absolutely not! I was just worried you would be disappointed.»

«It's not bad,» she breathed. «I don't need many distractions, you know? One is enough.»n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

«One?» he hummed, confused.

«You are enough as a distraction, Nate. I can't feel bored if you're next to me. Even if we do nothing, it will feel good. That's all I wanted to say.»

«Oh.»

He didn't have a reply ready, so he stayed silent. His expression heartened Lara, so she chuckled when he thought hard to find something to say.

She could watch him struggle with words for hours and never get bored. How could he think she didn't like their vacation together?

The sun had already set, and the shadows started their conquer of the city, starting from the corners and slowly moving towards the main streets. They had walked longer than planned, but neither was as hungry as to interrupt the stroll.

They had eyed a few cosy places for dinner, and they would go back to one of those when they had enough of the walk. But, for the moment, they continued their chat.

They reached a small bridge made of dark stones, narrow and curved. It did look old, antique.

They stopped on top of it and observed the river flowing under it. The sound of the water was calming. It was black at night, reflecting the street light in certain spots.

At that moment, Nate remembered the ring.

There weren't many people around. The place was nice and somehow unique.

Perfect for a proposal, wasn't it?

The ring weighed so much that he wished to get it over with. At the same time, something stopped him.

What if there was an even better place? Oh, there surely was.

He had another day, after all. He would come up with a better idea.

But he couldn't afford to return home without that ring on Lara's finger. First of all, because the twins would have ruined the surprise. He had been lucky they hadn't told her everything just yet, but it had been a few days only since they bought it. At some point, they would betray him.

He moved his fingers to the pocket, thinking about actually getting it over with. But his hand froze, and he stood there like a statue. He couldn't move for a long, long moment.

What was wrong with him? Why was he so nervous?

The worst that could happen was Lara saying no, that she wasn't ready yet. In that case, he would have just put the ring away and waited longer. It wouldn't have been such a surprise the second time, true, but what of it? As long as she stayed with him.

So, why couldn't he just do it?

He even felt his knees trembling, at some point.

He decided to wait.

The exact moment his hand was out of the pocket, he returned functioning. Was that ring magical? Was that why he felt ill every time he touched it?

If that was the case, he couldn't let Lara wear such a dangerous thing!

He scoffed at his own thoughts. Lara winced, next to him, but she said nothing. She noticed his complex expression and let him stay with his thoughts. He was pondering, so she let him be.

As for Nate, he was angry at himself. Since when would he look for excused like that? He was a coward, wasn't he?

But he couldn't do it. He wasn't ready, not Lara. She was calm, next to him. She was fine while he was not.

What a coward, he repeated to himself.