Become My Wife

There is silence between us in Ralph's office for at least a minute.
I don't quite know how to begin to apologize for what happened two days ago after the presentation to our new clients and my absence without contacting him. Ralph truly loves me, but he knew I had a mate, I had told him beforehand, so it's no surprise to him.
"Where were you, Rain?" Ralph's voice breaks the silence between us. He stands with his back to me, looking out over the city through the glass wall. His shoulders are tensed, a vein in his neck twitching out of stress. "We're in a relationship, but you leave with an unknown man, remain unreachable for two days and don't even bother to call me," he states briefly, the disappointment clearly heard in his voice.
"Jasper is my fated mate," I whisper.
With a jerk, Ralph turns around, his eyes big with dismay. "Your mate?!" he exclaims. "Then did you know he would come here and we would be in the meeting with him?" I shake my head in denial. "No, I was surprised myself when I saw him. We would be meeting with the management of the company, the names were never passed on to me," I indicate. "But that wouldn't change anything. He is a client and his project is extremely lucrative. If we execute it successfully, we can count on doubling incomes and higher dividend payouts," I point out to him.
Ralph nods and stares at me.
"You had sex with him. His scent is all over your body," he states bitterly. "For weeks, I've been yearning for you, getting no further than a few intimate kisses. And here comes a man and you stay in his bed for two days". I stare at him pleadingly. His pain is understandable, but Ralph is also a werewolf and knows how the mate bond works. That's something I don't have to explain to him. "He's my mate, Ralph. I couldn't refuse him and the pull is irresistible. Especially after being apart for more than two years," I whisper, hoping this will ease his pain.
"And, what's your plan now? Are you going back to him?"
Ralph's eyes turn red, again the vein in his neck twitching a few times. From what Natali told me earlier, he has been waiting impatiently for my return, which has worsened his mood. His pain is real. "No. Nothing has changed. But now that he knows where I work, I can no longer stay here and resign immediately. I'm going to a hotel today until he leaves," I whisper, pushing back the pain in my own heart. "Have you rejected him? Will you stay with me then?", Ralph now sounds hopeful.
Now it's my turn to look at him in wonder.
"Do you still want me after all that's happened?" I ask him in surprise. "And no, I didn't reject him. Now that I am only human, I feel the mate bond less strongly. For me, it is a fierce infatuation, but I feel no urgent need to be with him," I explain. Ralph slowly walks toward me, his features softening though the hurt still flickers in his eyes. "I want you. Even though I hate his scent on you, I'm aware of how all this works. Only I need to be sure your rejection is not a whim and you really want to be far from him this time."
"Sorry I hurt you, Ralph. I promise to be a better girlfriend in the future," I apologetically declare.
Ralph's face lights up. "Stay with me today, don't go to the hotel. Then tomorrow we leave for Miami in my private Heli. No one will come looking for you if you are with me and my penthouse is completely secure," he suggests. I frown, of course Ralph is wealthy and has his own private planes. And indeed, Jasper will not entertain the idea of looking for me at the CEO's place.
"Okay. I still have to go to the HR department for my resignation and then we can leave. It will take not more than half an hour," I indicate.
"No need. Remember, I'm the CEO here. I'll fix it, no worries," Ralph declares as he goes to the hanger to catch his jacket. As he puts it on, he walks over to his bag, seizes his phone and briefly makes conversation with someone. All the while I am lost in thought, thinking about what to text Jasper now. My mate will be hurt about this turn of events, but there is no way for me to get back to Storm Forest. I simply cannot be the dividing factor between him and his pack and family. In a few years, he will thank me for this decision.
"A change of plan. We are skipping the vacation in Miami. Too risky to run into Jasper. We board my yacht and sail to Canada at our leisure. There are a number of islands on our way, we can then spend some time there," Ralph explains. "How about that?" I nod, laughing. "I've never been in a yacht, maybe because I've never dated a millionaire before", I tease happily. "But it seems awesome".

Ralph wraps his arms around me and we walk down the corporate corridors to the elevator that will take us to his car. The curious colleagues try to look indifferent, today it is confirmed that I am in a relationship with the CEO, they witnessed it with their own eyes. The confusion is complete; just a few days ago, they saw me disappear at the hand of a client. I chuckle as I snuggle deeper into Ralph's arms as he drives down the company grounds.
When we finally arrive at my penthouse on the other side of town, he drives into the underground parking. In my quarters, I quickly throw some formal dresses, casual clothes and a few pieces of swimwear into a suitcase as well as two pairs of easy footwear. Fifteen minutes later, I am ready and roll my baggage into the sitting room. There I see that Ralph has made himself comfortable with a drink in his hand.
"Ready? If you want I'll have movers pick up the rest of your things. We can keep them in my house," he suggests. Smiling, I stand in front of him with my hand on my side. "Ralph, are we supposed to stay at the Kingdom or something? I was planning to come back here after our vacation". He gets up from the couch. "I had hoped you would stay in the Kingdom longer than we intended. Now that you don't have to go to work anymore, you have your hands free to stay as long as you want," he indicates. I hesitate. With a few steps he stands in front of me and lifts my face.
"Actually, I want you to never leave and become my wife." ...