LOVE WHEN I WASN'T LOOKING

The sun was well up by the time I woke up in my bed feeling sluggish and disoriented. I also smelled like I ran for hours in the woods and crawled into bed without showering. Which I guess I did. My legs felt like jelly when I wobbled to the bathroom. My hair looked a mess. Wow. I looked a mess.

But considering that I was captured and taken to one of those infamous Lycan dungeons, I guess I turned out pretty well. At any rate, it was nothing a bath, a fresh change of clothes, and make up couldn't fix.

My phone chimed as I got out of the bath. It was Clara on the group chat: "Wedding still on."

Eh? It was already past 9. Oh no! The Sanza counteroffer. I quickly texted my cat:

"Sanza counteroffer. Need ranges."

And then I busied myself getting ready for the wedding. Last night suddenly felt like a bad dream. The trek through the woods. The warriors. My cat calling me his mate and carrying me out to the pick up truck.

Oh wait a minute...

I looked at my phone. My cat, as in my CEO, as in Mr Reid, was my mate? My heart started hammering. OMG. What should I do?

I went down dressed for the wedding. What was I doing? Was I really going to go? Without a plus 1?

"Oh wow, Serene!" Mum said, "You look so grown up."

"I am grown up, Mum." I said to the woman who was now hugging me, "I'm 27."

"It seems like only yesterday that you were going to prom." Mum said.

That's right, my prom. The night Shilem proposed to me in front of everyone on the stage when we were made Prom king and queen. He said "Not just for tonight, but forever, Serene babe, please be my queen always."

The 18 year old me thought it was the most romantic thing in the world. I was on cloud nine.

But more recently, I begin to feel romance wasn't in public declarations of love but the everyday gestures, of folding laundry, cooking hot meals, nagging over text...day after day. When did that change?

The shop bell rang and I heard my friends downstairs. They trooped up all dressed up, suits and cocktail gowns.

"Oh my, you all look beautiful." Mum gasped.

And they did. Marco introduced Clara to my mum. And put hot bacon, eggs, and toast takeaway on the table.

"My brother is late." Clara frowned.

"No, we are still early." Marco checked his watch.

"Your brother?" Mum asked, she sounded more hopeful than necessary.

Speak of the devil. My cat was here. I could sense him at our shop entrance. Dad came upstairs with him, "This gentleman is looking for Serene."

Dad stopped when he saw me, "Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes!"

I don't think Dad remembered but that was exactly what he said the night of my prom.

Clara nodded, "This is my brother, Serene's mate."

"Wait no!" I said, "He's not!"

"Stop lying already, you sly cow." Mona scolded.

Did my best friend just call me a cow?

"He's my CEO." I said.

My cat shook his head, "There are strict company policies regarding working relationships."

Oh great, I found my soulmate and naturally, his work would be more important.

"So I submitted my resignation this morning." He continued in his usual quiet calm.

"What?" I yelled, "Then who's going to be CEO?"

"My vice can take over." He said.

"But that's me! I can't run the whole CEO office by myself!" I'm truly starting to panic now.

Marco raised his hand, "If you're hiring, Serene, I know a good team who would join you in a heartbeat."

No way. I turned to look at my cat, "Are you sure?"

He shrugged, "Your work performance is better in the office than in the kitchen."

What the hell. That was just insulting.

But he's just a cat, he's just a cat, he's just a cat.

"So... How long have you two been together?" My dad asked.

"We are not together." I said.

"Like for ages." Mona answered, then she laughed in my face, "You can stop lying. We had always known. I mean, we have been drinking his stock of alcohol whenever we go to your apartment. Plus it's not like we don't notice when he leaves his jacket or watch lying around."

"It could have been my alcohol." I grumbled.

"Please." Marco scoffed, "We know you better than that. You don't drink most of those labels."

Mona grinned at my cat "Thanks for the free flow drinks every Friday."

My cat simply shrugged, "Don't mention it."

I frowned.

"We have to go." Clara said.

"Oh right, the wedding!" Marco agreed, dropping an easy kiss on her forehead.

My cat growled at him so that he froze. Clara made an impatient huffing sound and pulled Marco out and away from her overprotective brother

"I guess we'd better go too." Fred said.

"You go first." My cat said. He took out his laptop and opened it on our dining room table. Yeah, sure, make yourself at home.

"The wedding..." I tried to say. Was he going to start working on the Sanza deal now?

"I have work. You need to eat some breakfast." He said.

"But..." I said.

"Breakfast." He said.

I sat down at the dining table and sulked. He looked up from the laptop and dished out some bacon and eggs onto a piece of toast for me.

"Come on Fred, let's go already." Mona wrapped herself around his arm, "See you two lovebirds later!"

And they were gone too.

Mum poured coffee and Dad sat down for a second breakfast, but his attention was on my cat.

"So... You are my daughter's mate." Dad said.

My cat looked up from his laptop a moment, then he shut it, "Yes. I expect you would like me to answer some questions."

So I learned that my mate was born Stephan Reid. He was the alpha heir of a minor pack in the Red Packlands. When he was 19, the rogues kidnapped his sister. His parents were dead. Their pack was nearly extinguished. So out of options, he exchanged himself for her and was sold to the vampire covens as a fight dog. He fought under the name Seven.

On the Vampire Queen's birthday, the fightdogs revolted. Once freed, he collected the remnants of his pack and escaped to the Green Packlands. He had since pledged his allegiance and was quickly promoted in rank among the warrior wolves.

He only inherited Reid Inc more recently when his grandfather who had retired to Gate City passed on. It had troubled him, since he had duties back home with his pack, but he felt responsible for sustaining the company that his grandfather had built and used to sustain his original pack's survival and also financed his sister's education and safety while he was a fightdog.

He was 29 this year, turning 30. Because of his years as a fightdog, his wolf was still quite savage. And after so many years, he still found polite conversation and daily etiquette slightly confusing.

That would be his weakness. His strength was in a fortitude of self control and innate ability to survive even beyond what most wolves could. This was his grey wolf's power: survival.

What kind of sick power was that?

But in the end, he survived my dad's grueling interview. Never forget, my dad was a journalist, and once a journalist, always a journalist. Finally, my dad gave him permission to date me.

My dad did not seem to realise he was talking to the Captain of the continent's largest Lycan army.

My cat did not seem to feel it necessary to remind him. He only answered, "Thank you, sir. I will protect her with my life."

Then he turned to me and frowned at my plate, "Eat. You need to regain your strength from last night."

"Last night?" My dad asked.

He's just a cat. He's just a cat. He's just a cat.