CEO's Runaway Mate and Her Cubs

«Where is Luciano Polenta?» Nate asked his team.

The Alpha had been missing for the whole day, and no one had any clue where he had been hiding. Not that it mattered: he couldn't go back to his pack.

Yet, Nate wanted to be sure there was no danger before returning to their normal life. Only essential personnel would have gone to the company on Monday, and only because they had to deal with the humans hunting for signs of tax evasion.

Without Polenta backing them and sending new information, they would have left after their work was done.

«I want you to find him,» Nate said. «He won't be able to cause trouble, but I want to know where he is and what he's planning.»

«Yes, Alpha!»

Lara listened in silence, holding back any questions and scribbling in her notebook. She was glad that the war was over, but she also worried about Polenta's disappearance. That man was crazy, and she feared he would do something as crazy as him when cornered.

«If... If he's somewhere far from here and seems not to come back, I think we should let him be,» she said. «There's no reason to hunt him down unless he's dangerous. Maybe, he has realised he can do nothing to us.»

«He'll try,» Nate replied. «He has always had. And he'll do something unpredictable or stupid just to bring us harm. I need to know where he is... But you're right about letting him be if he's far enough. Until he comes back.

He will do it, one day, and I want to know when it happens.»

«Oh, I see... But the war is over, right? People from Mayford won't come here to make our lives difficult. They won't try kidnapping us again...»

«No, they won't. Mayford isn't a pack anymore. In a matter of a few hours, they will start leaving. They will disband, and Blue Moon will crumble down without the guidance of their directors. I couldn't see any of them, meaning they're also on the run. The only one staying was their chief of security, but he can't take care of a company.»

«Their higher-ups fled?» Lara murmured. «Not just the Alpha, but also the others? Poo

«They kidnapped you,» Nate pointed out.

«I'm still convinced that not the whole pack was involved. It wouldn't make sense... They had so many problems even without the war. Don't you remember the teenager hiding in Samantha's home? Or the way you said they couldn't fight together? They weren't one pack, but a group of people coincidentally living together.»

Nate blinked, surprised.

«That's right,» he said. «How did you notice?»

«It's kind of obvious,» she said, blushing.

Nate's proud smile made her heart skip a beat. What was that for?

«That's correct, Lara. But it's obvious to a wolf.»

«I'm starting to understand some things, too,» she pouted. She'd been living with wolves for a month! And with her cubs for years.

She had learned how to understand them better.

«I think we need to call Samantha back,» she added. «I am worried. And she was tricked! She doesn't deserve to be exiled.»

«She chose it.»

«But she's alone now!»

«She's not home, Lara. And she's not replying to texts. She might be busy with something. Let's wait for her reply, okay?»

«Okay... I'm just worried for her. She's having a hard time. She fell in love with her mate without realising, and now she's alone. Far from him but also far from her family.»

«She'll survive it. If there is someone who can do it, it's her.»

«Nate...» she whispered, sighing annoyed. How could he be so heartless with his sister?

«Give her some time. We'll talk with her again when things calm down, okay? No one exiled her; she just chose not to be one of us.»

«Because of guilt!»

«She's an adult, Lara.»

«I don't want her to feel abandoned by her family.»

«We are not abandoning her,» Nate pointed out. «She chose to leave us.»

«Oh, Nate!» she murmured again.

Then, remembering they were talking about vital topics with the other Managers, she closed her mouth and decided to resume the discussion later when they were alone.

No one seemed to mind her interference, and she was getting used to telling her opinion just like that.

«We shall find Alpha Polenta and his followers and make sure he can't come back,» he said. «Only when his whereabouts are known can we relax.»

The others nodded, already thinking of their part of the work.

«What about the reporter?» Nate asked.

«Samantha found him,» Roxy said. «She talked with him and said he won't publish anything for a while.»

«How?»

«She didn't say how. But she didn't offer money, so I'm not sure. But she was certain she solved it for the time being. She gave me the contacts of the reporter, so we can find him if something else comes out in the newspapers.»

«So, it's under control.»

«It is. The Public Relations department is checking every newspaper, tabloid, and Internet. As soon as something with Lara's name comes up, they notify me. Till now, nothing much.»

«Nothing much?» Lara asked.

«Just some old articles about your work as a volunteer and some competition you attended when you were in college.»

«Oh, so old!» she exclaimed.

«Yes... Other than that, only a few articles about your appearance next to Nate. And that one article with Polenta, but it has been taken down from the sites already. We called the redactions and pointed out they were playing with fire. A little gossip isn't worth having trouble with CEO Woods. And they have sold their copies already.»

«I'm glad it's over,» Lara sighed. «I don't like my name on titles.»

«You will get used to it,» Roxy said.

«I hope not too soon.»

They had a lot to work on; tabloids should have been the last of her worry.

She closed her notebook, noticing the meeting was over. The pack was slowly getting out of the emergency mood, meaning she would have to do her part of the work soon.