OliviaMorning light filtered through half-closed blinds, painting streaks of gold across the cold tiled floor. Machines beeped in rhythmic succession, and the distant murmur of nurses and doctors beyond the door provided a constant, albeit faint, backdrop of noise.I had been awake for hours. It wasn’t easy sleeping in a hospital room, especially not when I knew that my twins were at home without me.I was studying the intricate patterns on the ceiling when Angela suddenly burst through the door. Her long hair, usually neatly tied up in a ponytail, was in a state of disarray, and her normally sharp, discerning eyes were red-rimmed and swollen.“Olivia! Nathan!” She rushed to the space between our adjacent hospital beds, clutching her bag. “When the message reached me... I just... What happened?”“Car accident,” I said vaguely, not wanting to go into too much detail.“We’re okay, Angela,” Nathan tried to reassure her, but his voice, usually so strong, wavered slightly. His face, gaunt
OliviaThe sterile smell of the hospital room was starting to get to me, its sharpness biting at the back of my throat.Nathan stood by the door, speaking in hushed tones to a nurse, while I tried to shift myself up into a sitting position, groaning in pain. My body ached in ways I couldn’t even begin to describe, and every movement was a painful reminder of how my wolf remained dormant.Without her healing powers, I was as vulnerable as any human.Nathan’s gaze shot to me, eyes full of concern, but I waved him off.“I'm fine,” I muttered, not meeting his gaze.The door clicked softly as Nathan stepped in, his face etched with worry.“Here,” he said, reaching into a bag that Angela had left earlier when she came to visit. “Fresh clothes. Let’s get you dressed.”“I can do it myself,” I said quietly, determined not to be a burden.But when I tried to get up, the room began spinning slightly. I wavered, then felt a warm hand on my back, steadying me. Nathan.“You shouldn’t be exerting yo
OliviaThe room, dimly lit by the twins’ soft lamplight, was filled with the pleasant scent of babies and a candle drifting in through the open door.I sat on the plush rocking chair, its ornate woodwork tracing intricate patterns. Heavy velvet drapes framed the tall windows, blocking the moonlight and any prying eyes from the outside world. It was a comfort to be here after everything.But I didn’t feel comforted anymore. Not when Nathan had just told me that he was planning on stepping down as Alpha.“Nathan?” I hissed, resisting the urge to raise my voice as I felt Elliot finally drifting off to sleep in my arms. “You’re joking, right?”Nathan shook his head. “I’m not,” he explained. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I want to deal with the Ryan situation, and then step down. It’s for the best.”“How is that for the best?” I asked. I stood, gently laying Elliot down in his crib, and turned to look at Nathan with my hands on my hips. “You were meant to be our pack’s Alpha.
OliviaThe abrupt knock reverberated through the dimly lit living room, casting ripples of tension into the serene bubble Nathan and I had been sharing. We both jumped, eyes darting towards the door, startled by the unexpected intrusion of the outside world.“Who could that be at this hour?” I whispered, glancing curiously at the front door. “Angela, maybe? She must have forgotten something.”Nathan’s forehead creased in thought, shadows from the softly flickering candlelight dancing across his sharp features. “I’m not expecting anyone,” he replied, voice thick with caution. “Let me check, just to be safe.”We approached the door, the polished wooden floorboards cool beneath our feet. Outside, the night was a tapestry of silence, broken only by the distant chirp of a cricket and the whispering leaves of the nearby trees. The full moon above cast a silver sheen, bathing everything in its muted glow.Peeking through the peephole, Nathan paused for a moment then pulled away and made a fa
OliviaThe first light of dawn filtered through the curtains, casting a soft golden hue across the room. I had barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, images of what might happen at our meeting with Ryan played out like a gruesome movie.And now, morning had arrived, and those fears were no longer contained within the realm of dreams.Beside me, Nathan stirred. He reached out, his fingers finding mine under the sheets. The warmth of his touch, so familiar and comforting, couldn’t quite dispel the cold knot of anxiety in my stomach.“We should get up,” I whispered. The reality of the situation pressed on me, making the air feel heavy.Before Nathan could respond, the unmistakable sound of twin cries echoed from the nursery. Elliot and Aurora. In the midst of our concerns, they remained our anchor, a reminder of what we were fighting for.Nathan was the first to rise, pulling on a shirt and heading to the nursery. I followed, pausing for a moment to glance at the photograph on our dr
OliviaNathan’s heavy sigh filled the silent room, echoing in the vast space between us. It was a sigh laden with a thousand words, a thousand fears. Each time he inhaled, the weight on his shoulders seemed to grow heavier.His hesitation was clear, but so was my resolve.“If that’s truly the path you want to follow,” he began, his voice slow and deliberate, each word chosen with care, “then I guess I don’t really have a choice in the matter, do I?”The quiet intensity of his eyes locked onto mine, searching for any hint of falter. But they found none.“Nathan,” I began, my tone matching his, “this is about me, too. It’s about our children. I can’t just stand back and let you face Ryan alone.”His jaw tightened, a slight tremor betraying his struggle. “Liv,” he murmured, “I can’t bear the thought of anything happening to you.”“You think I can handle it?” I countered, my voice rising with desperation. “You think I’m not equally as terrified at the idea of you walking out that door to
OliviaThe car’s tires crunched over the gravel road, a subtle reminder of how isolated this meeting point really was. Tall, gnarled trees stretched up to the sky, their branches casting eerie shadows in the evening light.Nathan and I had arrived at the clearing just outside the abandoned warehouse, the sky overhead darkening and shifting from a pale blue to a muted gray as storm clouds began to blot out the sun.I could feel my heart drumming loudly in my ears as we sat for a moment, wrapped in the uncomfortable embrace of the impending confrontation. I glanced over at Nathan. There was an unreadable expression on his face; a mix of determination and concern.“This is it,” I said quietly as we both watched Ryan, who was seemingly alone, up ahead. “Elliot, or… war.”Nathan pulled his shoulders back, but said nothing. When I glanced over at him again, I could see his blue-green eyes darting around, but not nervously. He was checking our surroundings.“Stay in the car,” he said, unbuck
Olivia“This is your last chance, Ryan. Walk away now, or face the consequences.”The wind grew colder, sending sharp tendrils of icy air that pricked my skin. The eeriness of the clearing was only emphasized by the creeping shadows from the setting sun.Ryan’s words, dripping with arrogance and malice, pierced the tense silence.“Consequences?” Ryan asked, a wry chuckle escaping his lips. “That’s where you have it all wrong, Nathan. You will be the one facing the consequences. Your pack can’t hold a candle to the strength that my pack holds.”But Nathan wouldn’t be so easily intimidated. “You know nothing about my pack,” he said. “And you know nothing about me, or what I’m capable of.”For a moment, Ryan was silent. But then, with an exaggerated sigh, he smirked. “Elliot isn’t your son, Nathan,” he drawled slowly, deliberately emphasizing each word. His gaze held Nathan’s, a challenge evident in his eyes. “So tell me, why should you have any say in this, anyway?”Nathan’s jaw tighten
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.