CEO's Runaway Mate and Her Cubs

They had never stood a chance. Not with their Alpha on the run.

Renato knew it, but how could he surrender? The others were fighting, and he couldn't convince them to stop because he had no power. He was just a Beta, even if he felt no different than during the afternoon he had spent as an Omega.

Since everyone else was gone, he had to face Nathaniel Woods and create a chance for his people to escape.

«Let... Let those from the outer circles go,» he offered. «You can take the main residence as long as no one gets hurt for no reason.»

He could make sure everyone left before allowing Woods inside. That way, the pack would be safe.

He just had to go back and drag Lucretia out of her room. If only Norwich could accept a peace offering... But they seemed pretty pissed off.

After what they had done to Woods's family, Lucretia was in danger in the residence. She was the closest family of their Alpha. Nathaniel Woods would have taken revenge on her if he didn't find Alpha Luciano...

Renato clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. If only he had had the chance to bring her out, but there had been no time. He had been late to everything: to organise a defence, to convince their Alpha to stay... To everything.

Oh, at least Amanda was safe. He didn't need to worry about his sister. And judging from the people around Nathaniel Woods, Samantha wasn't there either. It made things easier for him.

He didn't need to worry about her too, and that would have been difficult. Even though he had no reason for that: she was stronger than him, and only the Alpha could hurt her. But the Alpha was gone.

«Where is Luciano Polenta?» Nate said, his hands in his pockets and a mocking expression on his face. «Tell your people who they're fighting for. We have no reason to hurt you, after all. Tell them the truth, and this war ends here.»

«You've come this far. It doesn't matter what happens next; we'll need months if not years to recover from this. We won't be a threat to you. There's no need to ruin our pack for good.»

«No? And who decides the reasons? You?»

Renato stood there, alone in the garden of the huge residence, with no answer to Nate's questions.

He couldn't decide, and he had received the order to defend the residence with all he had. His guards were already fighting, and they were losing. It was difficult, but what could he do? Tell everyone the Alpha had abandoned them? That would have destroyed the pack for good.

Such a shock would have transformed the Mayford pack into a group of individuals, and they would have taken their own paths sooner than later.

An Alpha leaving his pack was the worst that could happen. And theirs was gone, already. Too far to follow and convince him to come back.

Once, Renato would have hoped for Alpha Luciano to change his mind on the way. But lately, he had learned that people don't change ideas just like that. And that Alpha Luciano didn't care about his pack as much as the pack cared for him.

That was part of the reason why Norwich was more powerful. That was why Mayford would lose any face-to-face battle. They weren't weak, taken one at a time, but they couldn't fight like a single wolf.

Still, that didn't mean he could abandon his pack as well. He had to stay and take everything coming his way. For his parents, for the place where his sister would return one day. For the others, even those who didn't like him that much.

For every single one of them, he had to fight.

«Since you refuse, I can't let you take a step further,» Renato said.

The fall of the residence would have meant the end of the pack, the discovery that they were alone.

«You're stupid,» Nate pointed out. «It would end sooner if every guard stops fighting. And it's enough to let them know for that to happen. Your loyalty is famous among wolves; you would die for your Alpha. But it's so stupid, isn't it? What kind of Alpha would want his people to die for him?»

«Shut up!»

Renato moved forward, running towards Nate with the clear intention to attack. Too bad that, when he reached the place, Nate wasn't there anymore.

«I told you: I don't fight with Betas. It would be unfair,» he explained.

«You're just running away. Not fighting means not showing your true powers. What if you're actually weak and don't want to show it?»

«Don't be a fool.»

Since the black wolf didn't seem to understand nor back off, Nate waved at the two guards with him.

«Deal with their chief of security. I'll go drag Luciano Polenta out. Of course, not really since he's not there.»

He couldn't take a step because Renato stood in front of him.

«No way,» Renato spat out, but he couldn't attack because the two guards surrounded him.

«We'll take care of him, Alpha,» they said.

Renato observed their synchronised movements. Those were professional soldiers, not just guards. They had been taught to work in sync and fight together, and they were trained. Still, Renato wasn't weak either.

The problem was that he couldn't waste time. He needed to knock them out fast if he wanted to prevent Woods from reaching the residence door.

He wasn't fighting against the wolves but against time.

«Show me what you've got,» he said.

His eyes followed the first attacks, attentively memorising the patterns and techniques before dodging. It was just the beginning, but he felt hope abandoning him.

Even if he won, what for? There would have been others joining in.

Still, surrender was out of the question.

The other Mayford guards glanced at him, seeing how he was fighting - better said, dodging the attacks - with two wolves at the same time.

That sight heartened them a little, and they shouted before focusing back on their side of the battle. They howled at the black moonless sky, and the mood improved a little.