One night only

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.