CEO's Runaway Mate and Her Cubs

Chapter 396: Connections

«What reason is there to challenge me?» Samantha asked.

Renato tried, in vain, to distract her by massaging her knuckles, but he failed. She still looked at him in search of an answer.

«Do you know it?»

«You fought a lot today, and you hurt your hands, Mine,» he said. «You should get treated.»

Samantha didn't reply, still waiting for the response to her doubts. She didn't dislike it so much that those kids challenged her. On one side, she had been annoyed by their arrogance. But, on the other hand, she was excited they deemed her worthy of a challenge. Even though it made no sense.

«Let's go,» Renato added, picking her up, one arm around her waist and the other behind her knees. She had fought... hence, she didn't need to do tiring things like walking.

He carried her for barely two steps before she opened her mouth.

«Stop right here,» she said, and he couldn't help but obey.

Not because she was ordering him, but because hiding it any longer would have been stupid. They thought they could trick her forever, but he had already made such a mistake before. And he had promised he wouldn't lie to her. Yet, he'd done it.

«You're our Alpha,» he said.

The whole pack gasped, surprised by his sudden confession. And now? What if Samantha left them?

Renato let her stand on her feet before continuing.

«I wasn't trying to hide it because I wanted to trick you. Rather, we weren't sure.»

«We?»

«My pack and I.»

«What weren't you sure about?» she said, frowning.

She was even more confused than before. She continued with her questions, trying to solve that misunderstanding.

«I am an Alpha, but the simple fact that I live here doesn't mean I am your Alpha. Your pack has just lost one, but I haven't... ehm...»

She stopped blubbing, letting Renato continue. Differently from the first time she had found out he lied to her, this time it didn't hurt. Maybe, she was growing used to being swindled.

«I couldn't be sure because it makes no sense, right?» Renato said.

He swiped his gaze over his pack, and he witnessed their pleading expressions. They put all their hope in him, so he couldn't disappoint them.

«But, since the moment you came here, the pack stopped disbanding. It survived days, and then, all of a sudden, we could feel the connection. We were one again. But how? Who made us a pack? You were the only variable we didn't have before... Explore more at M V L

Moreover, you did beat Luciano in a battle. You're rightfully the Alpha of the Mayford pack.»

«It's too much to swallow at once.»

«I know... But I wanted to understand it better before telling you. Also, we were afraid you would run away. We couldn't survive a second Alpha abandoning us.»

Those words hit Samantha's heart. She knew they were playing with pity to make her stay. She rationally knew it.

However, at the thought of Luciano's flee and the effects it had on the pack, she felt pain. They didn't deserve to disband, to be scattered in the world and struggle forever. Those staying, by some luck, were those who deserved pain the least!

The difficult members of the pack had left already, exiled or by their own decisions. Those who remained were weak and had no other choice.

«But... Are you sure? Me?» she said. «How can you trust me?»

«You can't do a worse job than our previous Alpha,» Renato pointed out. «This is enough to know for us.»

Their low requests and lack of any hint of expectations made her feel even more pain. They were desperate, and - for the first time in her life - she could feel it. As if she was connected with every one of them. Everyone separately, and the pack as a whole.

There was something, tickling her brain and making her heart beat, that made her know what they meant and felt.

Her eyes filled with tears at the amount of pain. Why were they suffering so much when they hadn't done anything?

«Don't... Don't abandon us,» said the young man at her feet. He hadn't gotten up from the beating yet. He looked up to his Alpha with wide eyes, lowering them when she returned the gaze.

«I... I don't want to abandon you but have some understanding. It's the first time I hear of this. I have never known a stranger could take over a pack like this. Shouldn't it be someone from inside the pack to challenge your Alpha? Shouldn't it be more gradual?»

«We had a great shock, Samantha. It's not like normal rules work for us,» Renato explained, daring to come closer. He held her hand, looking for words to convey his complex feelings.

He knew being an Alpha was dangerous. He knew she would be sitting opposed to her cousin for the rest of her life. He knew a lot, yet it didn't stop him from wishing that she stayed, that she sacrificed her peaceful dreams for them. He didn't have anything to offer except for a lot of work, headaches and a pack always in need of care.

Yet, he couldn't let her go without even trying.

«We need you.»

«No one has ever needed me before,» Samantha said. «I'm sure you can do j

He sighed, bowing his head. It would have been wrong to use any of his wiles to his advantage.

He peeked at her, trying to hide his expression with his hair. He wasn't ready to forget about it, but he didn't want to press that decision on her. His mating instinct to protect her was battling with the love for his pack.

However, instead of fearful eyes, instead of an angry expression, he saw a blushing face. Samantha was standing there, her hands pressed on her heart and her eyes shining.

She didn't seem so reluctant and unhappy. Maybe, just maybe...

«It's the first time,» she said. However, she seemed lost in her thoughts. As if witnessing a novelty, something that had always been under her nose but she couldn't sense.

As if she had just woken up from a long dream and found out her family had always been waiting for her.