Page 6 of Mated To My Boss

I gasp dramatically and humorously. "Aunt Cora! I can't believe you'd say something like that about me."

Cora rolls her eyes. "My dear, you've always been that way. I don't think Nate ran away without you having something to do with it."

"I can't believe you'd take his side," I say, but there's no heat in my voice. "You're probably right, though. I was young and I came on way too strong."

"How were things between you before the bond snapped into place?"

"We weren't friends or anything. I just admired him from a distance, but he was always nice to me."

"Okay, and what about when the bond happened?"

"I told him that we should get married as soon as we could."

She slowly palms her face. "Oh, Madeline."

"I know, I know." I chuckle at my younger self. "So many girls wanted him. Once there was a reason for us to be together, I wasn't going to let it go. I never gave him room to breathe."

"So you're basically saying you bombarded him with love and hoped he would return the feeling?"

I shrug. "Yeah, or just return it a little. I didn't think he'd ditch his pack with me in it and run off."

My aunt looks at me pointedly but says nothing.

"I know what you're thinking," I say. "You're wondering why anyone would run away from a clingy, possessive teenager who tried to skip every relationship stage and go straight to marriage," I smile ruefully. "I've had a lot of time to think about it. Fortunately, I'm not that person anymore."

"You're twenty-three, so I guess that's true," Aunt Cora notes. "But there's still something I don't understand. You basically tracked him down. I know law school doesn't have much to do with Nate, but you decided to intern here with me the second you found out he worked here."

I look down at my hands, considering how to explain. "I'm not going to lie—yes, he's part of the reason I'm here. But not in the way you think." I meet her eyes. "I'm not trying to force anything or stalk him. I just need closure, to see if there's anything real between us beyond the bond, now that I've grown up. And if not ..." I shrug. "Then I'll have my answer, and a summer of valuable experience with one of the best lawyers I know."

Aunt Cora smiles at the compliment. "Well, this should be interesting to watch."

"Besides, that's not the only reason I left the pack," I remind her. "You know the issues we had with hunters."

Her expression turns grim. "Yeah, we had our own run-in, but yours was so much worse."

I sigh, attempting to push all the memories from my mind. After we discovered that one of our own had been killed by hunters, the pack no longer felt safe.

A small part of me does feel safer now that I've seen Nate again, though I'd never admit that to him.

Being around him provides a sense of security I haven't felt in years, despite his clear discomfort with my presence. But I'm not here to hide behind him; I'm here to stand on my own.

"Can you tell me more about him?" I ask, keeping my tone casual.

I give my best pout, throwing my aunt back to the days when she used to take care of me as a kid. She was always a strict no-nonsense person, but Aunt Cora also has the softest spot for me in her heart.

"I don't work with Nate a lot," she explains. "We're definitely not close, but I can tell he's a good guy with great morals. He works incredibly hard, and it shows. Based on what I know now, it looks like he's only helpless when it comes to love."

"So he isn't dating anyone?" I ask, keeping my expression carefully neutral.

"Of course not. I don't think he's only running from you. It could be the idea of love in general. I'm not an expert in things like this either. I didn't think my last paralegal could sort out her own love life either."

"Who was that?"

"It's a long story," she says, waving off the question.

"I see. Well, I'll be here for a while. Maybe I'll hear it."

"I'm sure you will, but now I need to get my things in order." She stands and goes about arranging her temporary office.

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