The cubs' father
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.