OliviaThe weight of Ryan’s letter settled heavily between Nathan and me.The looming threat of losing Elliot clenched at my heart, and I could see the tension reflected in Nathan's eyes as well. The room was thick with a tension I wished we could banish, but reality was unyielding.After a few moments of heart-pounding silence, an idea sparked in my mind. Untimely, yes, but perhaps our only hope.“The witch,” I murmured, meeting Nathan’s gaze. “We should consult her. Tonight.”He immediately frowned, a mix of concern and doubt shadowing his features. “Tonight?” he asked. “You really want to do this now?”I nodded slowly, my heart pounding with anticipation. “It’s the only way,” I said. “Ryan has given us three days… three days to hand over our son, or else we’ll face war. But the witch can help us. She helped us with Alvin’s hand, and I think she’ll help us now. It can’t wait any longer.”Nathan was silent for a moment, pondering. Finally, with a firm nod, he pulled out his phone. “Y
OliviaI felt my stomach twist around itself. Or rather, I felt something twist around my stomach, writhing its way up around my heart.The serpent. Dread. A bad omen.“How… How did you know?” I asked.The witch chuckled, a sound like metal being raked over hot coals. Suddenly, the damp tea leaves stuck to the bottom of my cup were far too pungent, nauseating. I set the cup down with a clatter.“I knew all along,” she said, swirling her own unfinished tea in her cup. “When you came here to restore your friend’s hand, I knew. And I could sense it tonight; you’ve been waiting to ask. You’ve been… nervous.”She was right. Entirely right.The air was thick and cloying inside the witch’s hut, heavy with the scent of burning herbs and aged wood. Each shift in our seats made the floorboards creak. The house felt as though it was shuddering beneath our movements, as though it had gained legs and was carrying us away, deeper into the forest.The dim glow from the candles cast eerie shadows on
Olivia“Once you discover what your wolf truly is, the legacy she holds, you’ll realize the magnitude of what you’re giving up. You’ll want to pay the price, no matter how steep.”I stared at the witch, her dark eyes reflecting back the glow of the burning candles in the room. The atmosphere felt tense, almost electric, like the calm before a storm. Her words echoed in my ears, and a chill went down my spine.“You can’t possibly know what my wolf is capable of,” I said defiantly, my voice quaking. “You’re bluffing. Prove it.”A sly smile played at the corners of the witch’s thin lips. “Ah, dear Olivia, there’s so much more to you and your wolf than meets the eye. I knew it from the beginning; my scrying foretold your coming before you were even born. But, the true power? It’s hidden, slumbering, waiting for the right moment. Even I can’t tell you now.”I narrowed my eyes, feeling both curious and wary. “What do you mean? Scrying? Power? Why can’t you just tell me now?”The witch’s gaz
Olivia“Ow… Mommy!”I was a little girl, no older than six, laughing as I soared higher and higher on the swingset in our backyard. My mom had warned me about going too high, but I didn’t listen. Now, I wished that I had.In my enthusiasm, I lost my grip. Suddenly, the world was spinning as I was flung from the swing, landing with a thud on the ground below. The shock of the fall left me winded and tears filled my eyes. My knee and elbow burned, scraped raw against the gravel.“Mommyyyy!”“Olivia!” My mother’s voice, full of concern, reached my ears before I saw her rushing towards me, her long auburn hair flowing behind her. She was by my side in an instant, cradling my face and examining my scrapes with a gentle touch.“There, there, my brave girl,” she cooed, wiping away my tears with the back of her hand. She kissed my scraped knee and then my elbow, as if her kisses held some magical healing power. “All better?”I nodded, sniffling. With a strength that always surprised me, espec
OliviaSmoke still poured out from the remnants of our car, its twisted wreckage reflecting the torment of my heart. The witch stood nearby, her eyes cold as they watched me, but there was a flicker of something else—interest? Curiosity? I couldn’t quite tell.“You can save him, you know,” she began, her voice eerily calm amidst the chaos.Rage flared up inside of me in response to the witch’s cloying words. “I will never give you my daughter. Not now, not ever.”The witch’s eyes darkened, the light of amusement extinguished. “That’s your choice, Olivia. But Nathan is dying. Can you, a wolfless woman, really get him to safety in time? Do you have the strength?”My fists clenched, and an instinctual growl bubbled up from my chest. It was wild and raw, full of pain and defiance.“I am stronger and tougher than I look,” I growled. “I don’t need my wolf to save my family. Now leave, before I find a way to make you.”The witch’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “Very well,” she purred, stan
OliviaLaying Nathan gently on the cold asphalt, the beam of the moonlight above painted him in a ghostly blue pallor. The weight of our dire situation settled over me like a suffocating fog, and for a fleeting second, the entire world was reduced to the rhythmic rise and fall of Nathan’s chest.Or rather, the lack of it.“Nathan?” My voice trembled, barely above a whisper. I lowered my ear to his chest, desperately seeking the comforting thud of his heartbeat.Silence greeted me. The chilling stillness of his chest and the ominous quiet threatened to drown out every rational thought.My heart lurched, and a sharp, cold panic seized me.Memories of emergency procedures I had learned long ago during my training flashed through my mind. Laying my hands on his chest, I began to push down, compressing his ribcage with firm, steady thrusts.Tears streamed down my face, blurring my vision, but my determination never wavered.“Breathe, Nathan. You have to breathe,” I sobbed, voice fraught wi
NathanFirst, everything was dark. But then, my eyes fluttered open to the disorienting brightness of artificial lights shining above my head.An immediate sensation of coldness and stiffness ran down my spine. The scent of disinfectant mixed with an underlying metallic tang was the first indication that I was in a hospital.Panic welled up inside of me; why couldn’t I remember how I got here? Why was my body in excruciating pain?There was a murmur of voices close by, gradually becoming clearer as I tried to adjust to the situation. The soft beeping of machines accompanied them, rhythmic and consistent.I turned my head, wincing at the unexpected pain. Beside me, lying on another bed with white sheets drawn up to her chin, was Olivia.Bruises marred her otherwise fair face, and the steady rise and fall of her chest indicated she was still in the realm of dreams—or perhaps nightmares.“Nathan?” The voice belonged to a tall man in a white coat, the familiar badge of a doctor. He approa
OliviaThe last thing I remembered was the inside of the man’s car. Nathan lay limp in the back seat, blood caked to the side of his head. There was a dull ache in my body, punctuated by sharp pains every time I inhaled. A broken rib, maybe. A concussion.Then, I remembered the way that the world dissolved around me, melting away the dark trees passing by the car and the sound of the engine. The last thing I heard was the man’s voice, calling out for me.“Miss… Miss? Don’t fall asleep…”But it was too late.A moment later, I found myself in the midst of a lush forest, a space where dreams and reality intertwined. Moonlight spilled through the canopy, creating a mosaic of shadows on the forest floor.With a start, I suddenly sat up and looked around frantically.“Nathan?” I called out. “Elliot? Aurora?”There was no answer. Slowly, I climbed to my feet; my pain had subsided, and as I looked down at my previously bruised arms and legs, I saw that my injuries were now gone.It was there,
OliviaI gripped the edges of the podium, my knuckles whitening from the strain as I stared out over the sea of faces. All eyes were trained squarely on me, awaiting my words. But I was frozen.A tremor of nausea wormed its way up my throat as I stared out at them. What was I thinking—how could I have ever agreed to this? Speaking to crowds had never been my forte; that was Nathan’s arena, not mine. I was just the woman behind the scenes, the young mom who had never gone to college, the one who had been handed her job by her husband…Suddenly, a flicker of motion off to the side caught my eye—Nathan, standing just at the edge of the stage with his arms folded across his chest. Even from this distance, I could feel the weight of his steady gaze, that piercing Alpha stare that always seemed to see straight into the depths of my soul.He must have sensed my faltering because, slowly, deliberately, he offered me the faintest of smiles and a single, reassuring nod.And just like that, the
Olivia I looped my arm through Nathan’s as we stepped down from the podium, the applause from the crowd and the flashing of cameras having finally subsided after what felt like an eternity. “It’s over,” Nathan beamed, giving my arm a squeeze. “That wasn’t so bad.” I couldn’t help but grin back at him. “No, it wasn’t. You were great up there.” And he really had been great; the press conference had been an overwhelming success—any lingering doubts or trepidation we had harbored before had been utterly blown away by the sheer force of the crowd’s enthusiastic response. For so long, it had felt like we were fighting this battle alone, like the victims who had suffered under Dan’s horrific operation were little more than nameless, faceless casualties. But today, we had finally given them a voice. Their stories had reached the masses, had resonated and struck a chord with everyone who watched. Nathan had handled all of the questions that were thrown his way with poise and ease
OliviaI rapped my knuckles lightly on the door to Nathan’s office. A moment later, his voice called out, “Come in.”Stepping into the room, I placed my hands on my hips upon seeing the scene in front of me: Nathan was standing in front of the mirror, his shirt still untucked and his tie loosened. His desk was a mess of papers and folders, and it was clear that he had been checking over his notes last-minute before the press conference.
OliviaI wiped a bead of sweat from my brow, slowly turning to survey the progress that had been made in the park. The banners we had hung were a bold purple color, signifying our support of the women who had been affected by the trafficking ring.I couldn’t help but smile a bit as I looked at our progress. With the press conference today, followed by a festival to help raise funds for the shelter we were building, the park was bustling with activity as our pack members worked hard
NathanI leaned back in my chair with a weary sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose in a futile attempt to stave off the encroaching headache. Spread out on my desk was an array of file folders, legal pads scrawled with notes, and printed transcripts—a minefield of information that would need to be carefully navigated on the day of the upcoming press conference.It had been two weeks since Dan and Montgomery’s bodies were found in the confinement pit, and it had been a dizzyin
OliviaMy hands shook uncontrollably as I stepped up to the edge of the pit, clutching the metal grating until my knuckles turned white. A thick, cloying stench wafted up from the darkness below—the unmistakable reek of death and decay.Despite the waves of nausea already roiling in my gut, I leaned forward for a closer look.
OliviaThe air coming through the open windows smelled like the fresh sea breeze as we made our way from room to room, touring every nook and cranny of the newly completed cottage. It was perfect—cozy and quaint, while still boasting all the modern amenities one could want. But more than that, it was a sanctuary, a haven.A fresh start.
OliviaThe sound of power tools outside streamed in through the window while I folded the laundry, a distant backdrop to my swirling thoughts. I had grown used to the sound, and actually kind of enjoyed it. It was a reminder that life went on, that our family was growing.It had been a couple of weeks since I had made the decision to take a temporary leave from work in order to really focus on my family—on rebuilding that long-severed bond with my mother—and I was glad I did.
NathanI couldn’t stop the rage from simmering just beneath the surface as I made my way through the darkened forest toward the confinement pit. No one knew I was here—I was coming under the cover of night, my hair and face concealed by a hood.But I had to come. I couldn’t stop thinking about Dan and Montgomery, and I needed to see them.