The Alpha CEO's Human Mate

New Car

“Mama!” Evie squealed, her dark brown curls reflecting the setting sun as the 6-year-old waved excitedly at Nikita from the dark brown horse she was on in the carousal.

Nikita waved back, standing next to Mia who was holding on tightly to the small plastic horse she was settled atop. Nikita kept one arm firmly around Mia incase she fell. They’d gone out for dinner and now here they were, enjoying some quality time together.

It felt so nice not to have to worry any longer about how they were going to escape this nightmare. But Nikita still hesitated to make her move. Joel was their father and that was the only reason she wasn’t already calling a real estate agent up to find out about secure housing. Because in her heart of hearts, she kept hoping and praying that he would change. He would come back and be the family man she’d always thought he’d become. Not some drunkard who preferred the bottle to his girls.

“Let’s go,” Nikita said, picking Mia up and watching Evie jump off her own horse.

The girls looked exactly like their father. Except for their eyes. They had Nikita’s almond shaped light brown eyes. But their black hair, their lips, their nose…even their face shape was all Joel. It was odd how the two people she loved most in the world looked so much like the man of her nightmares.

“I’ve got to put you to bed,” Nikita cooed to Evie. “We’ve got to fix your schedule before you go back to school.”

“I’m a first-grader now!" Evie exclaimed proudly.

“That you are Mami,” Nikita agreed as they stood on the curb waiting for the Uber Nikita expected to be arriving any minute.

A sleek black sedan pulled up in front of Nikita, surprising her when the driver she recognized as one of their company drivers, Regis, got out and opened the door for her.

“What’s going on?” Nikita asked warily.

“This is your new company car,” the elderly driver explained. “I was tasked with picking you up and taking you home.”

“How did you know where I’d be?” Nikita couldn’t help but ask.

“The Managing Director Operations told me you’d be here. I’ve been waiting for you,” he explained, jerking his thumb to a nearby parking space. “I’ll drop you home and hand over the keys to the car as well.”

Nikita felt thankful that Chris had thought of her. It seemed like that man was always looking out for her and her girls.

“We need a car seat for Mia,” Nikita responded, showing how she’d requested one in her uber request.

The driver opened the backdoor to reveal a new car seat for Nikita’s toddler.

“New car!” Evie exclaimed.

“Newwww kaaarr!” Mia mimicked, giggling as she tried to get out of Nikita’s hold and run inside the luxury car.

Nikita rushed to properly secure both her girls before getting into the car. Once inside, she cancelled the uber and paid the amount due anyway through the app so that the uber driver hadn't come halfway for nothing.

“I haven’t even accepted the contract yet,” Nikita mused, looking at the driver who was now taking her home.

“I don’t think this car is part of your new contract. The CEO said you’d get to keep it even if you don’t accept the new terms and conditions,” the driver replied politely.

Nikita’s eyes bulged in surprise.

“Is he the one who sent you?” she asked suspiciously. "I thought Chris did."

The driver hesitantly looked at her, wondering if he’d said something wrong.

"It was the CEO who sent me and our MD Operations who told me where to find you," clarified Regis warily.

Nikita wondered if maybe her boss was trying to give her a car in hopes that she wouldn’t take the promotion and prefer to stay in a role with less responsibility. Her phone went off and she reached for it.

“Mano!” Nikita said excitedly, seeing that it was her younger brother Marcos on the line.

“Congratulations Niki!” Marcos said excitedly. “I got your text message about your interview. I think you definitely nailed it.”

Nikita sighed.

“Let’s hope so,” she said in a small voice. “I was really nervous.”

“You shouldn’t have been. Anyone would kill to have you leading their company. I am so proud of you,” Marcos said encouragingly. “I wish…I wish I could come visit,” he added in a small regretful voice.

“You will be able too…soon,” Nikita promised.

Marcos gasped in excitement.

“Are you seriously going to leave that scum bag for good?”

“Marcos!” Nikita warned. “He is the father of my children.”

“Yeah…yeah….doesn’t mean I have to like him,” Marcos grumbled.

Nikita closed her eyes, remembering how her younger brother and Joel had had a falling out of sorts. But it was after that that Joel never threatened to hit her again. Marcos had been visiting her and had seen the way Joel treated her. He couldn’t take anyone talking to his older sister that way. Joel had never laid a hand on her but oh he'd threatened multiple times. That just did not fly with Marcos. Joel had kicked Marcos out of the house and the young man had asked Nikita to leave with him. She’d been pregnant with Mia back then. How could she? So Marcos had left, vowing never to step foot in Joel’s house ever again and Joel had sworn right back that Marcos would never be welcome. Ofcourse Nikita had gone to visit her brother a few times. He was going to college in California so it wasn’t easy to travel across the country and stay in a hotel with two kids who did not eat what was considered a normal American breakfast that was usually provided free of cost. Nope. Her girls wanted Chorizo and egg tacos or empanadas which was definitely not in the books while travelling. Marcos was a broke college student, surviving off of loans so flying to Nikita and booking an Airbnb or hotel was not in his budget. Nikita tried to help him out as much as she could, and she shuddered as she recalled the one time Joel had found out she'd sent Marcos money. That hadn’t been a pretty evening at all. It was after that fiasco that Nikita had opened up a secret account in which she funnelled most of her money. Money that she sometimes sent to her brother whenever he was in a tight spot. Money that the stupid boy always promised to pay back. As if he owed her. She was his older sister and she’d told him countless times that he never owed her for anything she did.

“How are my two favorite nieces?” Marcos asked. “I miss those two angels.”

“They miss their favorite uncle,” Nikita assured, turning the phone to video call.

Evie and Mia began waving and calling his name with pure adoration as their eyes fell on ‘Uncle Marc’.

Marcos laughed and joked with them before looking back at Nikita.

“I’ll talk to you later big sister, love you,” Marcos bid her good-bye just as they arrived in front of the house.

“This where you live ma’am?” the driver asked, eyeing the single story house and it’s run down lawn.

The house had definitely seen better days, even Nikita could admit that.

“Yes it is,” she said, getting out of the car and taking her girls out.

She had also knew that this beautiful black sedan looked completely out of place here.

But soon, she would be out of here. Soon. Unless Joel had a complete change of heart.

***

“Are you serious?” Kyle asked, looking at Regis with wide surprised eyes.

Regis was an omega wolf who'd followed Kyle from his old pack. In many ways, Regis was Kyle's personal confidante as well.

“Yes sir,” said Regis. “The house is not in the best of neighborhoods.”

Regis went on to show his phone to Kyle who swiped through looking at pictures of the neigborhood. He paused at one picture, zooming in to look more closely.

“These are her daughters?” Kyle asked, looking at a picture of an adorable two-year-old hanging on to Nikita’s leg while a cute 6-year-old stood on the steps staring at her mother who was waving at Regis leaving.

“Ah,” Regis said a little embarrased. “I accidentally got a snap of them when trying to show you the condition of her lawn.”

“The girls look nothing like their mother,” Kyle muttered, handing the phone over to Regis.

Kyle passed a hand over his face tiredly, thought for a minute, and then he inter-commed his secretary who he’d asked to work late to prepare Nikita’s contract. Regis's eyes widened in surprise as he listened to Kyle's instructions.

A/N: Please follow my iG for updates on when I post for this story @ rubyk12author . If you like what you are reading so far, please do consider joining Ruby’s Reading room to discuss this story!