I sat on the couch, covered in a blanket as Kara handed me a hot mug of tea. She sat next to me and I turned so that I faced her.
"Okay, so… tell me everything. From the beginning." She said. I took a deep breath. I began to talk about my childhood all the way until I was 18 years old. Even the rape. I told her about how I met Kai and the wedding.
"I hid in the bishes everytime a car passed by. I couldn't be caught. I lived on the streets until I met you." I finished. She was quiet, looking like she had just been to war. I waited, afraid that she would judge me for my past.
"I can see why you're afraid to go back, but I've heard that our boss is actually a good guy." She told me. "He seems to legitimately want for you to be safe."
"Why can't he just let me go? I'm safe and happy where I am now."
"Well, a wolf mate bond seems to be a serious thing no matter how small or weak it is." She answered.
"It is." I sighed. "I'm gonna have to quit my job."
"No, you don't."
"If he sees me again, he's gonna recognize me." I stated.
"Maybe. You don't know that."
"How many people have you seen with white hair and silver eyes?" I questioned. She was quiet. "Exactly. If he doesn't know yet, he will soon." We were both quiet for a long moment.
"I think you should give it a try. If things go bad, I'll be right there to make sure you're okay."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
"You're a great friend."
"Awe, thanks!"
~~~
I laid in bed the next morning, staring at the ceiling. A knock on my door briefly distracting me. Kara came in.
"I called you out so that you can have more time to decide what you want to do." She leaned against the door frame.
"Thank you."
"No problem. Alright, I gotta get to work. Make sure you eat." She pointed at me and walked away. Right. Food. I sighed and got up. I spent the next two days laying around the house. On the third morning, I got ready for work as if it were a normal day.
"Glad to see you returning." Kara smiled. "Are you sure you're ready?"
"No…, but I don't want to lose this job. I just have to pretend I'm not who he thinks I am until he leaves again." I straightened my blouse as we went out to the car.
"What if he realizes and confronts you." She got into the driver's seat while I got into the passenger seat. "Are you going to tell him that there is no way you're going back?" I thought for a moment, taking our bond into consideration.
"No…. I'll tell him that if he treats me wrong, I will destroy everything he worked for." I wasn't sure if I meant it, but I wanted to.
"Damn, girl. Yes. Burn the world down." She smiled, driving. We stopped for coffee before going to work. Once at work, we clocked in and went to our cubicles. Kara was right next to me so she wasn't far. I could feel the pull inside of me and I tried my hardest to ignore it. Close to lunch, I stood and started towards the printer room. I had a bad habit of printing everything I needed at one time instead of everytime I needed it.
"Where are you going?" Kara turned in her seat to look at me.
"Printer room." I answered. "It's just right there. I'll be fine."
"Okay. Shout if you need me." She went back to her laptop. I nodded and went to the printer room. I waited for my pages to start printing before trying to collect them. I was in there for several minutes before I felt someone behind me.
"You're back." A deep voice said. The pages in my hands slipped and scattered across the floor.
"Crap." I hissed, kneeling down to start collecting them. When I turned, I came face to face with the Alpha King. I gasped, freezing in place. My eyes scanned his beautiful face, the magnetic pull choking me. He handed me several pages and it took a lot of effort to take them from him. My heart slammed against my ribcage and I wondered if he could hear it. Slowly, we stood and I hugged the pages to my chest. He had to know who I was based on my smell alone. Granted I smelled a lot better than I did before, but people's scents don't just change.
"I won't force you to do anything. I will wait until you are ready." His deep voice said in my head. For some reason, that made me relax a little.
"I apologize, sir. I can be clumsy sometimes." I forced a polite smile, pretending not to hear his voice in my head.
"It's alright. It happens." He gave a small smile. Something inside me felt relieved. It didn't feel like I was feeling it, but he was.
"I finally found you." His voice spoke in my head. "You're safe." Kara skidded to a halt behind him, staring wide eyed. She quickly fixed her face when he turned to look at her.
"Ren." She laughed nervously. "You keep disappearing on me. Are you ready to go to lunch?"
"Oh… uh…."I looked at the papers that I hugged. I turned and grabbed the rest off of the printer. "Yes. I just have to put these on my desk first." She held out a hand and I took it. As she pulled me out, I looked back at my boss. He looked a little sad. Maybe being his wife won't' be as bad as I think.
"It was nice to meet you, Mister Silver." I said before getting pulled out of the room. We went to my desk where I set the papers down.
"Oh my god, Ren!" Kara whispered. "Are you alright?" I placed a finger over my lips then pointed to my ears. She nodded and I grabbed my bag. We followed the others down to the cafeteria, grabbing our lunches then sitting down.
"Can we talk now?" She asked. I nodded. "I'm so sorry. I didn't see him go into the printer room."
"It's okay." I replied calmly.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah…. It's strange, though…." I paused.
"What is?"
"I'm thinking… maybe it won't be that bad if… I accepted him again." I looked down at my food. "Granted, running away may have put a damper on things." I looked at her.
"Ask him to dinner." She smiled. "It's the perfect way to create a relationship."
"Why are you so excited about this?"
"My best friend is seeking a relationship with her long, lost, hot husband." She made a 'duh' expression. I took a deep breath. I was going to have to talk to him eventually. It might as well be on my terms.