OliviaAfter standing outside for a little while longer, the stars offered no answers to my countless dilemmas. With a sigh, I decided to head inside. I slid the glass door shut behind me, my mind a whirlpool of frustration and concern.Nathan had retreated to the house before me, his posture rigid, his words simmering with rage and pain. He hadn’t waited for me, and I knew why. I sighed as I locked the door, walking through the silent living room and turning off the lights along the way.When I reached our bedroom, the door was ajar, a faint line of light cutting across the dark hallway. I pushed it open gently. Nathan was already in bed, his back to me, the covers pulled up to his shoulders.Carefully, I changed into my nightclothes, deliberately quiet in my movements. When I finally crawled into bed, a comfortable distance apart, it felt like there was an invisible barrier between us.For a moment, I considered reaching out to him, to bridge the gap with a simple touch. But as I sh
NathanI lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling, the quiet of the night broken only by Olivia’s gentle snores next to me. I glanced at her, her face so peaceful in sleep.It was hard to reconcile this gentle image of her with the heated argument we’d had earlier, the tension of our recent therapy session heavy between us.All I wanted was to make her realize that these cookie-cutter ‘exercises’ that the therapist gave us, these catch-all solutions, wouldn’t work for us. Not when it came to our struggles. It was more than just a disagreement or a difference in opinion that had led us to this point.It was a literal life or death situation, a battle against something dark, evil, and very, very old.The room suddenly felt stifling, the walls closing in on me, each tick of the clock mocking my restlessness. Realizing that sleep was not going to be my friend tonight, I sighed and swung my legs over the side of the bed, careful not to wake Olivia.I padded through the dark house, sto
OliviaWhen Nathan finished telling me his story, I felt as though the walls were caving in on me.I stared at Nathan, my eyes wide with disbelief. “Let me get this straight,” I said, my voice edged with a tremor that couldn’t be denied. “If we kill this witch, our unborn child will die? Is that what you’re telling me?”Nathan ran a hand through his disheveled hair. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. I don’t know how she’d do it, but I have to believe that she wasn’t bluffing.”My blood ran cold at the thought of this. Just as I had suspected, this pregnancy was the ‘gift’ that the witch had been referring to. And, also as I had suspected, she was using it against us as leverage to get what she wanted: Aurora.“So what, we're just supposed to let her go? Leave her to do who knows what to who knows who?” My voice was tinged with desperation, bordering on hysteria. The walls felt like they were closing in, the weight of this impossible situation crushing me.Nathan shook his head, hi
OliviaThe sunlight peeked through the curtains, warming my face as I woke up. Nathan’s arms were still wrapped tightly around me, a comforting presence in a world that had turned so uncertain.I shifted, reluctant to leave the bed, but the soft cooing sounds coming from the adjacent room reminded me that sleeping in was no longer an option. Elliot and Aurora were awake, and it would only be a matter of minutes before they began crying out for attention.“Morning,” Nathan mumbled in his gravelly sleep voice, his eyes half-open.“Morning, handsome,” I replied, stretching as I sat up. “Sounds like the twins are up.”He groaned playfully and rubbed his eyes. “They don’t appreciate the beauty of sleep yet.”We chuckled, exchanging a quick kiss before we rolled out of bed. Nathan headed for the bathroom while I went to check on Elliot and Aurora. The sight of their tiny faces, so full of curiosity and innocence, filled me with a kind of love that momentarily made me forget all about my wor
OliviaThe room seemed to close in on us as Edward introduced himself. My heart pounded in my chest, and I felt Nathan tense beside me. This couldn’t be right. Edward was supposed to be dead. Gone. A ghost of the family’s troubled past, erased from history. How was it possible that he was standing here, then, alive and well? He had to be an imposter.“Edward? As in, the brother of my father, Colin? The one who died?” Nathan’s voice wavered between disbelief and a sort of cautious hope.Edward chuckled, a sound that seemed both nostalgic and regretful. “Died is a strong word, my boy. I’m here, aren’t I?”“What are you talking about?” Nathan pressed, his eyes narrowing. “Look, if this is some sort of prank, it’s not funny.”“It’s not a prank,” Edward said. “It’s quite real. I’m your uncle.”My mind was racing. Edward’s Gulch, a steep ravine not far from here, was named after this man who had supposedly met a tragic end there years ago. And yet, here he was, standing in the Council build
OliviaI pushed the stroller along the path. Angela walked beside me, her gaze cast down toward the twins, who were giggling and looking around excitedly. We had left Nathan and his long lost uncle inside the Council building so they could have some privacy following their emotional reunion.“You okay?” Angela broke the silence, giving me a concerned glance.“Yeah, it’s just...a lot to digest, you know?” I answered, my thoughts still swirling like a whirlwind.“Tell me about it,” she said, shaking her head. “Edward, back from the dead? It sounds like a soap opera plot twist.”I chuckled. “Right? And you know how Nathan is. Family matters hit him hard.”“True,” Angela said, slowing the stroller as we reached a small bench overlooking the pond. “So, do you trust this Edward guy?”I sighed, a thousand thoughts running through my mind. “My wolf didn't sense anything off about him. And there was a familiar scent—so maybe it is possible that he shares Nathan’s blood.”Angela looked at me, h
OliviaI strolled into the Council building the next morning, my mind running through the laundry list of tasks to handle for the upcoming banquet. Angela walked beside me, a clipboard in her hand and a determined look on her face.“You've got that ‘Luna-in-control’ look going on,” she teased. “It’s a good look on you.”I grinned. “Yeah, right. I’m just hoping I can pull this off. A banquet is no small feat, and there isn’t much time.”But as we entered the hall, I blinked in surprise. Members of our pack were buzzing around like busy bees, setting up tables, stringing up lights, and arranging floral centerpieces. Nathan had already hired people to handle the bulk of the preparations, it seemed.“Well, would you look at this,” Angela said, nudging me with her elbow. “Seems like your Alpha took the liberty of putting the pack to work after all. And to think when I came to meet you at the villa twenty minutes ago, you were practically bursting with anxiety.”I stared around, still absor
Olivia“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I asked, looking up at Nathan with my eyebrows knit together. He had just announced to the entire pack that Edward would be staying with us without even consulting it with me beforehand, and I was appalled.“What? Why not?” Nathan leaned in, noticing the tension on my face.“It’s just… too much, Nathan,” I said as I lowered my voice.Nathan looked a little confused. “Why? If anything, Edward could be a help around the house. And it’s not like he’ll be in the way or anything.”I sighed. “I’m just thinking about how we have two babies and one more on the way. Don’t you think adding your uncle into the mix might be a lot for our home?” I asked, my voice tinged with concern. “And the twins are still babies. They’ll be confused about a new face in the home. They’ll get fussy.”“Oh come on, it’s just temporary, Liv. Uncle Edward isn't the type to impose. He’ll stay out of your hair.”I paused, staring up at Nathan. Part of me wanted to throttle him
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.