CEO's Runaway Mate and Her Cubs

Samantha tilted her head and tried to keep her breathing and heartbeat stable.

«What are you talking about?» she said.

«You know it better than I do. And it makes a lot of sense. Omegas do have trouble with social relations; they hate rules and have issues finding their place in the pack... But you are not an Omega, come on! The reason why you couldn't blend in is that you're too powerful. You're an Alpha.

A born Alpha. And that is also the reason why you grew up in another pack. And why you're so loyal to Woods. Because he accepted you in his pack even if you were dangerous to him.»

She bit her lip nervously. Being read through like that was a first for her.

«So, you know it,» she said, her shoulders droopy and her face sad. «You just pretended not to.»

«I haven't told anyone. And I never will. It's your secret, Mine.»

«I've kept it hidden because it's the only way to live in a pack. My cousin is an Alpha, and I am a danger to him. He knows that I have no will nor capabilities to take his place, but still... Norwich could keep me because Alpha Nate is strong, calm, and firm-willed. If not for that, we wouldn't have been so stable even without...»

She stopped talking, realising that she couldn't let any more information out. Even what seemed useless to her. If there was someone who could make the most from her tongue slips, it was Renato.

«You can finish your sentence, Samantha. There's no one I can tell anymore. My pack doesn't exist.»

«But it does,» she said. «They're still here.»

«Just because they don't know where to go. It'll end soon.»

«Right now, without an Alpha, they need to be closer than before, grit their teeth and work it out! Leaving is not the solution for anyone. Joining another pack is difficult: they would become Omegas. Being a loner is even worse for most wolves. Staying here is safer!»

«I know that, but without an Alpha to keep us together, we can't last. It's better to end it sooner so that we're free to look for another place to live. Better than dragging it longer. It's a sinking ship.»

«You should give it a try.»

«I did, and I almost died.»

«I think your people should see you. They will believe you if you tell them not to go. I'm sure they won't overlook the fact that you stayed when their Alpha left.»

«It's so easy for you to talk. You weren't abandoned!» he spat out.

«But I was,» she said.

«By your Alpha? By Woods? You shouldn't have told him about me, you dummy.»

«By my parents,» she said. «They sent me away because it was easier. I was a girl; and a born Alpha. My brothers are twins, and they both have the same status. We three were Alphas, even though I was born like that and couldn't change. Yet, as twins, they weren't going to kill one another.

As for me, my parents thought that I would cause trouble. Even though I know how to control it because I've been like this all my life, my parents thought I would be a danger to my brother.»

«It's not how you mean it,» Renato said. «They weren't afraid you would challenge your brother. Rather... I think their worry was the other way around: your brothers seeing you as a threat. The Alpha of the two, and the other, as well, following the first.»

«Regardless: they had to choose who to save, and they saved my brothers. They sent me away, abandoning me. Now, I don't talk with my brothers at all. They don't feel the need to call me that often, nor do I. We're more like... Cousins?

It's ironic, isn't it?»

«You were abandoned,» he sighed, shaking his head. «How old were you?»

He patted on the bed, and Samantha sat next to him.

«I was ten. I spent fifteen years in Nate's pack. More than in my birth pack.»

«You were a kid.»

«Girls mature faster,» she said, lying down and letting Renato hug her. It was just an instinctive reaction: she was still worried about his wounds. If not for that, she wouldn't have lowered her guard... Yet again.

«And some are even faster than others,» he chuckled. «What could you do at ten? Could you shift?»

«Yes. I had done quite a few runs in the wild. I could shift, but I had no control over my ears. How odd.»

«And what happened when you became an Omega?»

«My father lost control. It was something stupid... I don't even remember what. I think I wanted to go somewhere with my friends and he said no. I can't remember where... To a concert or just eating out?

It was so trivial that I forgot. The problem is that I talked back. At some point, my father used the Alpha pressure but it didn't work. On the contrary, I talked back even more fiercely, and he sent me to my room. I had become an Omega, and it took a few hours for my parents to solve that. They called me back from school, and my punishment was lifted.»

«Your parents were afraid to hurt you, Samantha.»

«I know! I know, rationally, that they aren't bad people. It's just that I still remember them as a ten-year-old girl. To her, they were terrible.»

«So, when they found out about you, they sent you to Norwich?»

«They did. It was just the first attempt, but it worked. Nate wasn't afraid of me, and his father had way more control than mine. I also didn't feel any need to talk back for some reason. Maybe I was just shy. It worked out, and I could integrate myself into a new pack.

Too bad I ruined everything once again.»

«It's not your fault. Not the first time, and not now. If anything, I'm the culprit. Hate me, but don't hate yourself.»