Damian's POV I did my best to maintain a jolly demeanor as I headed back to my room. Olivia was probably in there waiting for me, and the last thing I wanted was for her to suspect that something was wrong. She would get curious if she caught a whiff of anger or anxiety on my face, and I didn't know how to look her in the face and tell that the entire council and my father wanted to give her away to the Forgers. She would probably lose her mind, and I didn't want that. I paused abruptly, stopping myself before I could reach the passageway that led to our room. Perhaps it was a bad idea entering there. I wasn't confident that I would keep up this act for long, and I didn't want her to catch off guard either. Turning around, I walked out of the main building and headed towards the grasslands just outside the palace. It was where I usually cooled my head while growing up. Everybody had big expectations for me then, and it was exhausting sometimes. To keep a calm demeanor, I would
Olivia's POV I sat in the garden, waiting for Damian to be done with his meeting. It had taken quite a while now, and I had begun to get a little worried for him and myself as well. He was the only person I knew around here, and the only person who could keep me company. Others were still learning to adapt to my presence, and the same could be said about me. I hummed a tune while I sat patiently on the bench, my feet kicking the soft soil every once in a while. It was a means to release the subtle anxiety growing inside me, but even that wasn't working. "Bored?" A familiar voice asked me. Eagerly, I turned around with a smile, expecting to meet Damian, but was disappointed to find Stefan standing right behind me. I hadn't even noticed him until he spoke, and that scared me even if it was just a little bit."I'm waiting for Damian." I answered flatly before returning my attention to the flowers in front of me. "He's been gone a while now, likely sulking in the fields like a little
Damian's POV "That damned bastard!" I cursed inwardly, he had managed to get to Olivia before I had the chance to stop him. Martha had distracted me, and if I hadn't wasted time dealing with her, perhaps I could have made it back on time. But it didn't matter now, the truth was out, and I couldn't keep it from her. I had suspected that Stefan had said something to her already, and had planned to distract her somehow, but she was clearly stronger than I had given her credit for.Olivia kept her eyes on me, never breaking contact even for a moment. She was determined to know the truth and it was evident from the look on the face. "It's not something to be worried about, it's nothing important." I waved off, but she wasn't satisfied with my answer. "Stefan sure made it sound like a big deal. Something about the Forgers?" The mention of the Forgers didn't make denying the truth feasible anymore. As long as Olivia knew the Forgers were involved, the chances of her letting go of this co
Olivia's POV The last person I had expected to pay me a personal visit was Alpha Alexander, Damian's father. Sure, he had been nice to me since I arrived, and would often ask me random questions every now and then. I had never had a one on one conversation with him. He had walked in seconds after Damian had left, and it made me feel as though he had been waiting for Damian to leave before entering the room. I wondered what he was up to, was something wrong, or was this some random visit? "Your grace—" "Don't bother yourself with formalities, Olivia. You're my daughter, there's no need for you to do all of that." He cut me short before I could finish my sentence. I replied with a simple nod, before gesturing for him to sit. It was odd that he was here, but since he had a smile on his face, I figured he couldn't have come bearing bad news, right? "How have you been adjusting? I hope Damian is treating you like a husband should a wife." Alpha Alexander started the moment he
Damian's POV I returned to our bedroom only to find it empty. At first I didn't think much of it, but things changed when I glanced around and noticed that the room was a lot different than it used to be a few moments ago. I glanced around for a minute, trying to figure out what had changed. Then suddenly it hit me, it was Olivia, her things were gone and so was she.Alarmed, I raced out of the room, screaming out her name on top of my lungs. When I couldn't find her, I raced straight to Stefan's room, angry and determined to know what he had done to my wife. "Where is she?! Where did you take her?!" I inquired the moment I barged into his room. Without waiting for a response, I rushed at the man before me, grabbed him by the collar, and immediately pinned him to the wall. "You have a minute, tell me what you did to Olivia or I'll snap your neck this instant!"Stefan raised an inquisitive brow, confusion spread across his facials. "What on earth are you talking about?" He denied be
Olivia's POV I hadn't taken two steps past the palace gates when I was immediately surrounded by guards. They had noticed my absence way too soon, and now I was almost certain that there was no way I was leaving the walls of this palace on my own accord ever again. They were going to sell me off to Michael, and the only chance I had to escape had failed."Please let me go, I beg you.." I cried, forcing tears out of my eyes for a more convincing act. However, neither my pleas nor my tears seemed to work. The guards had been given an order, and they were hellbent on carrying it out judiciously. "I'm sorry, your grace, the Alpha demands we bring you back." The leader of the troupe informed me before giving his comrades an affirmative nod. In an instant my bag was snatched away from my grip, and I was arrested by three guards. I fought, scratched and bit at the men holding me, but it was all to no avail. Their strength was far superior to mine, and it wasn't long before I submitted to m
Martha's POV The last thing I wanted was to associate myself with someone like Stefan. However, at the moment, I was left with very little options. It was very clear now that Damian was never going to love me, not while Olivia was still around. Damian wouldn't even look at me the way he used to, and just thinking about it was making me boil with rage. Gathering my composure, I headed into the shower and took a quick bath, before throwing on a mildly seductive dress. I was headed for the palace, and there was no way I was going to miss the opportunity to look good for Damian even though he was not my primary focus at the moment. Getting into my car, I drove for twenty straight minutes before finally arriving at the palace. When I arrived, everybody seemed to be riled up, and I couldn't help but wonder what was happening. But even with all the ruckus going on, I wasn't distracted from my objective. I was here to meet Stefan, the two of us had a common goal, and it was the eradica
Olivia's POV I remained in my room, still a bit exhausted from all the crying and running away. Damian had left to get things back in order, but he had made sure to keep an eye on me with a personal guard. I had wanted to argue that it wasn't necessary, and that I had no intention of running away again but he wouldn't listen. He insisted, maintaining that my personal guard was for a totally different situation, and not because he didn't trust me to not attempt escaping from him a second time. My personal guard seemed like a nice man, he didn't talk much, but I could tell he was kind and dedicated to his work. Damian did mention that he trusted him with all his life, and I was willing to trust in Damian's words for now. I didn't engage him in a conversation, I merely sat on the bed, distracted by a magazine that laid in front of me. It was the only way I could distract myself from the fact that I was practically jobless here. It was all thanks to Michael that I had nothing doing. Be
Olivia's POV "What do you want this time, Martha?" I inquired the moment I caught sight of the sneaky lady in front of me. I had noticed a couple minutes ago parading the hallways aimlessly, but didn't pay much attention to her. I might have been forced to forgive her, but that didn't make us friends. "It's a nice evening, so I thought taking a stroll would be nice." She lied as she slowly walked towards me with a fake smile plastered across her face. "It is a nice evening..." I admitted while my eyes closely followed her every step. Damian had warned me to be weary of her, but with John constantly hovering around me, there was little to worry about. "..what brings you to the palace? Are you here to stroll aimlessly, or did you come to visit someone?" Martha's face twitched lightly, the sarcasm in my voice was unrestrained, and I could tell my last sentence had struck a nerve. "I actually came to see you, my lady.." she said with a bright smile. "There's barely anybody aro
Damian's POV "It's nothing, forget I ever said a thing—" "Don't you try to act like this is nothing! Tell me what those words mean right now!" Alexander urged, his determination to get answers almost frightening. I had wanted to keep everything to myself until we found a solution to the problem, but after the slip up it seemed impossible now. Alexander drew closer, the frustration on his face slowly turning into concern. "Tell me what's wrong.." he urged softly. I stared at him for a straight minute, confused if I should confide in him or not. We had our ups and downs, but at the end of the day he was still my father, and I was grateful for him. However, this time, I was more skeptical than ever about telling him anything concerning me and Olivia. He wanted her gone, and even though it was to protect his people and family, he still wanted her gone. Telling him that we can't have a child, would only give him more reasons to push Olivia away. It was always easy to blame the fema
Damian's POV I entered the council room with a blank expression on my face. I already had a vague idea of what the discussion was going to be about, and quite frankly I was not in the best mood to have such conversation. But then again, it was inescapable, it was either now or later, I would still have to deal with the situation. Just like me, everyone of the present councilmen had a stoic expression plastered across their faces, all besides Stefan who always seemed to be amused by something each time he saw me. "Damian..." My father, Alpha Alexander, started. He rarely spoke during these types of meetings, unless it was something serious. But in this case, I could tell he wasn't just speaking because of the seriousness of the matter, the disappointment and anger on his face and voice made that much obvious. "...since you've refused to give Olivia up to the Forgers, you might as well provide us with an heir. For her to put our pack in danger, she has to be worth it, and right n
Olivia's POV A month had passed since I attempted to escape from the palace. And while things seemed to be getting relatively better, Damian and I had once again encountered another big problem; we couldn't produce a child together. We were the only people who knew about this at the moment, but it wouldn't be long before people started whispering. We had consummated our marriage on the day of our mating night, naturally I should be pregnant by now, but that hadn't been the case. We had also tried several times, but for some unknown reason I just couldn't seem to get pregnant. We had consulted a doctor twice already, and yet nothing seemed to be wrong with the both of us. It had become a problem, and what was even more problematic was that the elders were looking forward to an announcement from the two of us soon. I sat at the balcony, my gaze fixed on the clouds above. The sun was slowly beginning to dip over the horizon, but even the beauty of the sunset didn't seem to entice me a
Damian's POV I returned home to meet Olivia fast asleep on the bed. John stood guard outside our room, and he could easily tell that I was not doing very well with just one glance. "Is something the matter, Damian?" He inquired as he pushed open the door for me. I swiftly waved off his concern with a simple smile. "I'm fine, just exhausted." I said as I quietly entered the room. I didn't want to disturb Olivia's nap, and I definitely didn't want John to know that I had gone to Shadow pack. "Take a break, she'll be fine with me here." John lowered his head in respect before finally leaving the room for me and Olivia. I glanced at her innocent and peaceful face, completely grateful that I had found her. She was the best thing that had ever happened to me, and now they wanted to take her away from me. There was no way I was going to let that happen, not while I was still alive and kicking. Olivia was my mate, and I wouldn't let anybody take her from me. But at the same time, my
Damian's POV The ride to Shadow pack was as uneventful as it was terrifying. I was basically walking into the enemy's territory uninvited, but even then I kept a bold persona on my face, this issue wouldn't be resolved unless I spoke to Michael and found a mutual ground with him.. "I'm here to see Michael Forger.." I said to the guard at the gate. I had come with my own guards, just two of them. Compared to the army behind these walls, two guards were nothing. But there was no need for a comparison, I had not come for war, I had come to negotiate and possibly stop a potential war. Nobody knew I was here, not Olivia, not even my father. I knew that none of them would agree with my decision, so I didn't bother with them. The only people who knew of my plans were the two guards with me, and I had made sure they understood that saying a word of this day to anybody would mean certain death. The guard on the gate looked me up and down for a moment before finally unlocking the gate to
Olivia's POV I remained in my room, still a bit exhausted from all the crying and running away. Damian had left to get things back in order, but he had made sure to keep an eye on me with a personal guard. I had wanted to argue that it wasn't necessary, and that I had no intention of running away again but he wouldn't listen. He insisted, maintaining that my personal guard was for a totally different situation, and not because he didn't trust me to not attempt escaping from him a second time. My personal guard seemed like a nice man, he didn't talk much, but I could tell he was kind and dedicated to his work. Damian did mention that he trusted him with all his life, and I was willing to trust in Damian's words for now. I didn't engage him in a conversation, I merely sat on the bed, distracted by a magazine that laid in front of me. It was the only way I could distract myself from the fact that I was practically jobless here. It was all thanks to Michael that I had nothing doing. Be
Martha's POV The last thing I wanted was to associate myself with someone like Stefan. However, at the moment, I was left with very little options. It was very clear now that Damian was never going to love me, not while Olivia was still around. Damian wouldn't even look at me the way he used to, and just thinking about it was making me boil with rage. Gathering my composure, I headed into the shower and took a quick bath, before throwing on a mildly seductive dress. I was headed for the palace, and there was no way I was going to miss the opportunity to look good for Damian even though he was not my primary focus at the moment. Getting into my car, I drove for twenty straight minutes before finally arriving at the palace. When I arrived, everybody seemed to be riled up, and I couldn't help but wonder what was happening. But even with all the ruckus going on, I wasn't distracted from my objective. I was here to meet Stefan, the two of us had a common goal, and it was the eradica
Olivia's POV I hadn't taken two steps past the palace gates when I was immediately surrounded by guards. They had noticed my absence way too soon, and now I was almost certain that there was no way I was leaving the walls of this palace on my own accord ever again. They were going to sell me off to Michael, and the only chance I had to escape had failed."Please let me go, I beg you.." I cried, forcing tears out of my eyes for a more convincing act. However, neither my pleas nor my tears seemed to work. The guards had been given an order, and they were hellbent on carrying it out judiciously. "I'm sorry, your grace, the Alpha demands we bring you back." The leader of the troupe informed me before giving his comrades an affirmative nod. In an instant my bag was snatched away from my grip, and I was arrested by three guards. I fought, scratched and bit at the men holding me, but it was all to no avail. Their strength was far superior to mine, and it wasn't long before I submitted to m