OliviaThe calm, quiet museum had been an escape from the swirling chaos of our lives.But stepping outside, the real world waited for us—complete with its towering structures and noisy cars. Nathan suggested we go to the tall monument at the heart of the city. It was one of those tourist spots, but its height offered a perspective that ground you back to Earth—or so I heard.“Come on, it’ll be fun,” Nathan urged, a playful glint lighting up his eyes.“Alright,” I relented. A few minutes later, we were standing at the base, looking up at the imposing structure that seemed to touch the sky.We began our ascent, one step at a time, but as we climbed higher, my heart began to race.My palms were sweaty as we continued to climb, each step making my legs feel like jelly. “Nathan,” I stammered, “I don’t know if I can do this. I’m really scared.”Without a word, he closed the distance between us, holding me tightly against him. His comforting scent enveloped me and made me feel at home. “You
Olivia“So, Miss, you say someone pushed you from behind?” the portly police officer asked me, jotting notes onto a tiny notepad.“Yes,” I replied, my voice more shaky than I would’ve liked. “But I didn’t see his face, only a hood. He was quick, and by the time we had a chance to look, he vanished.”The police took down the rest of our statements, then proceeded to comb the area. Two other officers climbed the monument, their flashlights cutting through the growing darkness. I hoped beyond hope that they would come back down with the hooded man in handcuffs, discovering that it was all a freak incident caused by a crazy person.But it was all for nothing. After an exhaustive search, the police came back to us empty-handed. No signs of the hooded man, and no witnesses to the incident either.“We’ve swept the area,” one officer reported, holstering his flashlight. “There’s no trace of anyone matching the description you’ve given. And sadly, none of the tourists saw anything unusual, eit
NathanI took a deep breath, my hand hovering over the doorknob. I glanced back at Olivia, who gave me a reassuring nod, but I could see the worry etched on her face.With a swift motion, I opened the door. To my relief, it was just room service, a hotel staffer holding a silver tray with a bottle of wine and two glasses.“Good evening, Sir,” the hotel worker said, a warm smile on his face. “I hope I’m not interrupting your night.”“Erm… No, not at all,” I replied as I ran a hand through my hair. “Just not expecting any visitors.”With that same pleasant smile plastered across his face, the man held up the bottle of wine and glasses in his hand. “But your wine?”I furrowed my brow and shook my head. “Um… No…” With a glance at Olivia, she shook her head as well, indicating that she was just as clueless as me. “Sorry, you must have the wrong room. We didn’t order anything.”The man made a confused face and took a look at the bottle, upon which was taped a small note with our room number
OliviaI opened my eyes to the warm morning light streaming through the curtains. I felt the bed beside me—empty.Nathan was already up. A quick glance at the clock told me it was barely past six in the morning. I sighed, still half-embedded in the sweet cocoon of sleep, and sat up. The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted into the room, instantly pulling me toward full wakefulness.I slipped out of bed and followed the aroma, finding Nathan in the other room, a suitcase open on the couch. Already, despite the early hour, he was fully dressed and methodically packing. He looked up and smiled as I walked in, the expression reaching his tired eyes.“Good morning, beautiful.”“Morning,” I replied, padding over to him. “You’re up early. Everything okay?”He nodded, but his eyes told me otherwise. “Yeah, just wanted to get a head start on the day.”I noticed the bottle of wine from last night, still untouched, still sealed. I felt a knot form in my stomach but pushed it aside. “Alright, l
OliviaThe envelope sat on our kitchen counter, unopened but not forgotten. Its presence seemed to suck the air out of the room. I looked at Nathan, who had been staring at it since we walked in.“You wanna be the one to open it?” he finally asked, his voice filled with a combination of both curiosity and caution.I chewed on my lower lip and thought heavily for a moment, my eyes flicking back to the envelope as I weighed the options. “You know, I think we should wait for Layla,” I finally said, after deciding that doing it now wouldn’t be right. “We should all be here for this, don’t you think?”Nathan met my gaze, his eyes searching mine. “You sure?”“I think it’s the right thing to do,” I said. “It affects all of us, not just you and me. I think she’d want to be here to hear the results in person.”He nodded, a look of relief washing over his face, almost as though he was more happy than anything to put it off for a little while longer. “Alright, let’s invite her for dinner,” he sa
OliviaThe weight of Nathan’s announcement still hung in the air, thick enough to slice through.“I’m the father.”I looked at Layla, her face a blend of shock and relief. Nathan took a few steps over to the kitchen counter where the paternity test results were waiting, still tucked neatly into the envelope. When he returned, he had a heavy expression on his face.“Here. So you can read it for yourself,” he said, holding out the paternity test results toward her.Layla’s slender hands trembled as she took the paper from him, her eyes scanning over the scientific jargon before landing on the conclusion. When she looked back up, her eyes were glassed over with tears.“Nathan,” she said, her voice wavering, “I’m so sorry about all of this.”His eyebrows furrowed, a mix of confusion and concern playing on his face. “Sorry for what, Layla?”She took a deep, shaky breath, still gripping the test results. “When we were together, I was pregnant with your child, and yet I was sleeping with my
OliviaI saw Nathan open his mouth, clearly searching for the right words. Before he could speak, I touched his arm lightly, silently letting him know that I’d handle it.“Layla, let me explain.” My voice trembled, though I tried to keep it steady. “It’s about Aurora. My daughter.”Layla looked between us, her eyes narrowing. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”Taking a deep breath, I said, “I made a deal with a witch. For the final artifact to become the Ancient Wolf.”Her eyes widened in disbelief. “You what?”“It was a desperate time, Layla. Either let Ryan and the Redclaws annihilate our pack or become powerful enough to protect everyone.” My eyes stung as I spoke, my heart heavy with regret. “The witch let me keep Aurora until she’s three, but after that… I have to hand her over.”Layla’s face paled, but she managed a gentle hug. “Olivia, witches are tricksters. They take advantage of us at our weakest moments. I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult this choice must’ve been
OliviaMy mind was a whirlwind of thoughts as Nathan paced the room, laying out his plans on how to deal with the witch.“Honestly, Olivia, it sounds like it should be straightforward enough,” he said, conviction filling his voice. “All we need to do is trap her in her own hut. Layla told us that a circle of salt is supposed to neutralize her magic, right? Then we set the place on fire, and it’s done. Over. Easy.”Easy.His words hung in the air like a cloud, heavy and dark. The thought of taking a life—witch or not—clawed at my conscience. Nothing about it seemed even remotely close to ‘easy’. In fact, the very thought of it made me sick.But what choice did we have? The witch held a claim over Aurora, and who knew how many more innocent lives would be tarnished if she remained a threat?“I wish it didn’t have to be this way,” I mumbled, the weight of our choices pressing down on me. “No one should have to die, you know?”Nathan paused his pacing to look at me, his eyes searching my
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.