After failing at convincing the little boy, Nate decided to postpone his plans. The scent of Lara’s blood had filled the apartment, yet she hadn’t come out of the bedroom yet.

She was fine, Nate knew it. She was calming the pup.

But he was worried about her wounds.

«Do you have a first aid kit?»

«In the bathroom.»

«Can you show me where exactly?»

«Yes, but why do you need it? You are not hurt.»

«Your mother is,» Nate pointed out.

«She knows how to treat herself.»

«Where is it?» Nate repeated, calm and unmoving. He even leaned back on the chair and looked at the little boy with an expression that didn’t admit stories.

The little one jumped off the chair and brought him the kit.

«Good boy,» Nate said, trying to pat his head.

Jaden jumped away in time and sat back at his place.

«How often does it happen?»

«What?»

«Your sister, going on a rampage.»

«Not that often anymore. Scarlet is calmer now.»

He had noticed how the wounds passed almost unnoticed to both Lara and Jaden. Not to mention the other pup.

«How often was it before?»

«Scarlet was untreatable during the full moon. But now it’s better.»

«Did she attack your mother once a month?»

«I… I don’t remember,» Jaden whispered.

He was unresting and nervous as well during those times.

His eyes filled with tears, and he started sobbing in front of a stranger. Shame made his face turn red, and that caused another wave of crying.

The more he tried to stop, the more he couldn’t.

At first, Nate was surprised. But then, he started to feel guilty.

It wasn’t the pups’ fault. It was Nate’s, for he wasn’t there to guide them and help Lara.

Yet, he didn’t know how to reassure the crying pup. Jaden’s ears had bent down, and his hands were wiping the tears that tickled the cheeks.

«Hey,» Nate whispered, approaching the little one. «It’s not your fault. It’s an incident: it happens. Next time, you have to call me. I know how to help you because I am like you.»

«Are you like us?» Jaden repeated, stopping to cry for a moment alone. «So it’s your fault if we hurt mommy?»

Replying to that question was dangerous. And there wasn’t a right answer.

«I can help you,» Nate said.

«How?»

Talking about bringing them to another place would have made the little boy step back and distrust him forever. For the moment, it was better to direct his tries where he had some hope.

«I can explain to you how it works. And I can teach you how to turn on command and not when you lose control.»

«Mommy said my ears are cute.»

«Definitely. But humans would find it weird.»

«That’s why mommy said not to play with other children for a while. She said she’ll let us when we control our ears and tail.»

«The tail? And not the claws?»

«That too. But we don’t need other children. We already are two, after all.»

Nate sighed again. The pups’ attachment to their mother was bothersome. He couldn’t find a way to breach into their heart, nor to offer his presence as acceptable.

He was doomed to lose his soulmate again if he couldn’t find a way to convince the pups to accept him. At least, as a familiar figure.

«So, your mommy doesn’t make you lack anything?» he continued. Was there something he could help with?

He was sure that a human would overlook the needs of a wolf. There was no way she could know what they needed.

«I love to eat meat as well,» he said. «But this one is too cooked.»

«I love well-cooked chicken. It’s my favourite,» Jaden said.

He didn’t add anything, but Nate started to realise what was going on.

«Your mother doesn’t like rare meat, does she?»

Jaden shrugged.

«Mommy likes vegetables. She also forces us to eat salad. A lot.»

«That’s good. You need vegetables as well. You can’t eat meat only!»

Moreover, as a human, Lara couldn’t survive a diet made of meat. She must have had a hard time preparing two meals every time.

«I prefer to eat together with mommy. Even if it’s too cooked.»

Nate nodded. He was surprised at how that chicken smelt good. He felt the itch to try, even just a tiny piece of skin.

The pups weren’t playing when they drooled in front of the oven. It smelt and looked delicious.

Studying the children, he could tell they were taken care of.

They were healthy, meaning they ate enough and never too much.

It wasn’t an easy feat to feed a pup. They could overeat and have stomach problems later.

That didn’t seem to be the case with Jaden and Scarlet.

They were clean and dressed. Even if their clothes were cheap, they were washed and whole.

The place where they lived was too small. They didn’t have a living room, let alone a single room for the kids. Yet, it was clean.

There were boxes in the hallways and the room, as much as Nate could spot from the entrance. They had moved in at most a few days before.

«Do you change houses often?» he inquired.

Jaden nodded, moving on his chair and constantly looking at the chicken. Nate could tell it was hard for the pup not to bite a leg and bring it away in a corner to chew.

So, they did move often.

Was it because people found out the nature of the pups? That would have been a problem, indeed. How long have they been travelling?

It was no surprise that Lara couldn’t keep a job for too long. She didn’t have any intention from the start: why sweat over it when a single mistake would have forced them to leave?

At that moment, Nate thanked all the gods, fairies, and divinities there were. He missed six years of his mate’s life. He missed the birth of his children.

But, in the end, he could meet them again. They wouldn’t need to run anymore, for he would protect them from any danger.

«That needs to change,» he said. «You can’t continue switching home and city. Am I right?»

Jaden shrugged. He didn’t care what name the city where they lived had.. For him, all places were the same.