NOVEL WEB Chapter 434: Waking up
The couple woke up from their dazes.
Remembering was so difficult and energy-consuming, especially when they looked for every single detail. To Nate, it was clear as day, and every bit was in its place. For Lara, not so much.
«I remember now,» she said. «How we met, your car... I remember that we kissed...»
She didn't say anything more. She did remember up to that moment. But then, she still had a void. She wasn't afraid of it; likely, she just needed a break to rest. And their night together wasn't as relevant of a detail as the rest.
She could feel something similar to back then, deep in her heart. It was mixed with her own feelings, but it was clear as day: something was pushing her against Nate, literally all the time. Like a magnetic force trying to glue them one to the other.
But it wasn't scary. Just like the first time, she couldn't control it. However, while feeling it, she wasn't bothered to explain.
Maybe, she would later have her usual panic attack. For the moment, though, she was more than well. She felt perfectly fine. Never been better.
Just looking at Nate was enough to calm and think brightly about the future. His presence alone blocked any fear or worry. She just had to make sure she was never alone, and she would be fine.
That new emotion - not so new, just mysterious - wasn't a threat to her. She was so lucky that her mate was Nate: he wouldn't ever use it to his advantage! He would take care of her, for sure. Anyone else might have been tempted, but not him.
«I've never felt like this,» she said, pressing a hand on her chest, right where her heart was beating like crazy.
Knowing how he could convince her to anything but wouldn't even try made her blush to the tip of her ears. She should focus on the problems at hand, but she could see nothing but Nate. She had even forgotten about Ebony - for the third time in a few minutes. Minutes that had lasted hours, but still...
Fortunately for them both, Nate was in control. He could feel what was going on with Lara. He could guess, and he could sense it with his body. Had he known that remembering would cause such a turmoil... Oh, he didn't know what he would have done.
The way she was looking at him, as if they shared some secret, was so alluring. Had she ever glanced at him like that? Maybe just before assaulting him with kisses.
The difference was that she was in control, that she agreed with her instinct and the bond. They were linked together, and she seemed happy because of that. Almost as if she liked it. As if she agreed.
He didn't dare sigh in relief but kept his composure. He had to deal with Ebony and send her away before losing himself to his mate.
«So, this is it,» he said.
Ebony nodded, not knowing what to say. It had been interesting, from her point of view. The two had looked each other in the eye after a long moment of silence and then started acting like teens in love. Nothing had happened, but it seemed like they had met after months of travelling apart.
Was her presence still needed?
«I'll stay in Norwich; in case you need me,» she said. «And I'll come back to meet my mate again. I'd like to talk with her a little before leaving. Just to know her better and say goodbye. I don't want to ruin her marriage; she wouldn't forgive me for that.»
«Is that it?» Nate inquired, suspicious. Was that all?
«I'm a warrior of the Moon Goddess,» Ebony explained. «I go where she sends me. Now that I'm done here, I'll go back home and wait for the next call. That's what we wolves from Oldgate do.»
«Thank you for your help. I won't forget it.»
«I count on it!» she exclaimed. «You promised me I won't be chased, right? I can come back tomorrow!»
«Yes, sure. But be careful not to hurt Roxy,» Nate said.
«Or Manager Cooper!» Lara added, snapping out of her daze just to worry for her pack.
«Manager Cooper? Isn't that Roxy?» Ebony asked.
«Hmm... Well,» Nate murmured. «It's not written anywhere. She's the one doing most of the work while Bass appears in front of humans and outsiders. It's how we protect her. She has been managing the pack for years, so we couldn't allow anyone to reach her too easily.
One day, when someone from the Government asked about our HR Manager, the girl from the reception said Manager Cooper. They misunderstood and thought we were referring to Bass, and we kept the misunderstanding continuing because it was safer for everyone.»
«So, Manager Cooper is Roxy?» Lara inquired, confused. She had been so impolite to her! How embarrassing!
But the pack had done everything to help her misunderstand!
«Human names are not meaningful for wolves,» Ebony said. «I just thought that, being a company and all, you were adapting to it.» Find more to read at empire
«Manager Cooper doesn't really exist,» Nate explained. «We don't hire. Except when there's something going on... Like, ehm, a mate showing up out of the blue or... Pups. That kind of thing.
We don't hire humans, you know? We don't need a Manager for Human Resources.»
«Oh,» she hummed, blinking. «So, Roxy is the WR Manager?»
«Wolf resources?»
Nate chuckled, Ebony hid her expression by looking to the side, and Lara blushed when she understood how stupid it sounded.
«You are the WR Manager,» Ebony said. «You're the Alpha female.»
«Am I? Already?»
«Yes.»
«Just like that? Isn't there anything I need to learn first? Do the others agree? Isn't it a little too sudden?»
«It's been slower than it would usually be, I can bet on it,» Ebony sighed.
«So, I am the Alpha female,» Lara repeated. Did it sound wrong? Not so much.
Still, she had so much to learn before being worthy of Nate's pack.