NathanOlivia’s pink breasts, covered in soap bubbles, stared up at me from my phone screen.Instantly, I felt a stirring in my groin as I looked at it. God, I wanted to be home with her. But at the same time, this little experiment of hers… it was intriguing. Maybe traveling for work wouldn’t be so bad if we sent each other some pictures in the meantime…But before I could pull up my camera app to snap a picture of my own to send back, there was an abrupt knock on the bathroom door.“Someone in there?” a voice on the other side asked.I sighed and quickly sent Olivia all I could manage—a smiley face emoji—before I shoved my phone back into my pocket and swung the door open.“All yours,” I said, stepping out of the way. The gruff Alpha standing in front of me, smelling of cigar smoke with that particular red look in his eyes that practically screamed ‘too much scotch’, brushed past me with nothing more than a grunt.Shaking my head, I returned to the main room where the other Alphas w
OliviaThe cold air nipped at my skin as I stepped out onto the porch. I pulled my cardigan tighter around my shoulders, leaning forward to get a better look at the road leading up to our driveway.Nothing.I sighed and checked my watch for the millionth time; it was almost two o’clock, and Nathan should have been home an hour ago. Where was he?Another gust of wind blew across the lawn, causing me to shiver. With a soft sigh, I headed back inside and wandered over to the kitchen, where my phone still sat on the counter. No calls, no texts. Maybe his meeting ran late, as they seemed to do often.Or maybe…No. I frowned and shook my head again to dislodge the thoughts of Nathan sitting in a cigar-filled room with a beautiful woman on his lap. I knew it was silly; he would never do anything like that. He was my husband, and he had made a vow. Besides, I had no reason to ever think that he would cheat on me. He just wasn’t that type of guy.Suddenly, as if on cue, my phone started to buz
OliviaThe soft music playing in the gymnasium was muffled through the door as I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, smoothing down my skirt and picking lint off of my sweater.“Still no call from Nathan?” Angela was sitting on the counter next to me, picking at a sugar cookie she had stolen from the banquet table outside. She eyed me warily as I picked up my phone.“Nope.” I let out my millionth sigh for the day as I checked my phone and realized that there were still no notifications, and slapped it back down on the sink. “Nothing.”I returned my attention to primping myself in the mirror. I had been so excited to show off my new skirt and sweater, and my hair looked perfect. My nails, red with pink hearts, even matched my skirt perfectly.But I wasn’t so excited anymore. The gala was supposed to start in just fifteen minutes, and Nathan still wasn’t here. I hadn’t heard a peep from him all day, except for the single text he had sent me in the morning.“Headed to my meeting now.
Olivia“Liv…”“Nathan!”I pushed away from the doorway and ran toward my husband, not caring if the salt from the parking lot whipped up around my skirt or if my hair got messy. Nathan grinned, opening his arms for me. I slammed into him, letting him lift me and twirl me around.“You made it,” I breathed.Nathan leaned down and pressed a warm, tender kiss against my lips. He tasted a bit like coffee, and the smell of his cologne was almost dizzying.“I made a promise, didn’t I?” he said when he pulled away. “Oh my god, Liv, your hair…”I smirked and tucked a strand behind my ear. “You like it?”“Like it?” Nathan grinned. “Baby, I love it. It looks so good on you.”“I wanted to surprise you.”“And you sure did.” He took my hand and twirled me, his eyes sweeping lovingly over my entire body. “And your outfit, too…”I grinned and held my nails up. “They match my skirt.”Nathan smirked and pressed my fingers to his lips as his other arm circled around my waist, pulling me close again. “Yo
Olivia“Thank you so much for your donation. Your generosity will help us improve the school.”“Oh, it’s my pleasure, dear,” Mrs. Westwood, the elderly woman who lived down the street from us said as she slid the check across the counter. “It’s the least I can do to make sure our little ones get the best education they can.”“Thank you, Mrs. Westwood. Wow, five thousand dollars? That’s extremely generous of you.”The old woman smiled. “Put it to good use, dear.”I watched as the old woman walked away, hobbling on her cane. That was the last in the line, and the night was almost over.“Well?” Nathan leaned against the doorframe, a glass of wine in hand. “Should we tally it up?”“Doing it now.” I tapped the last few donation amounts into the calculator, and felt my eyes widen as I saw the grand total. My hand shook a bit when I held the calculator out for Nathan to see.“Holy shit,” Nathan breathed, taking the calculator from my hand. “Thirty thousand dollars in one night. That’s amazin
OliviaI awoke to the sound of birds singing outside and the feeling of the warm sun spreading across the room. With a yawn and a stretch, I slowly rolled over, a soft smile playing on my lips when I saw my sleeping husband laying beside me.With the twins still quiet and peaceful on the baby monitor, I allowed myself a few moments to gaze at Nathan. I took in the sight of his strong chest rising and falling, the way his hair almost seemed to shine in the golden light of the morning sun.I was so glad he was home. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any more business trips for a while.As I laid there, memories of last night slowly began to flood back into my mind. I blushed a bit as I remembered everything…The feeling of Nathan’s lips on mine in the shower, our fingers leaving streaks on the glass shower door beneath the water and the steam. The way that Nathan carried me to bed with so much ease, the feeling of the warm sheets on my damp skin, our wet hair getting tangled on the pillows.
Olivia“Here we are, my love.”Nathan opened the car door for me. I took his hand and stepped out onto the cobblestone street where we were parked; the amber-colored street lights cast the nearby storefronts in a warm golden hue, and the people that walked by filled the air with the sounds of their voices and laughter.As we walked up to the fancy Italian restaurant that Nathan had picked out for us, I took his arm. He glanced at me, noticing the faraway look in my eyes—it had been there since he had taken that call earlier.“You’re still mad at me,” he said softly.I shrugged and shook my head at the same time. “I’m not mad,” I assured him. “I just… wish that you didn’t always have to answer Dan’s calls. At least on a holiday.”“I know,” Nathan said with a heavy sigh as he opened the restaurant door for us. “But right now—”“Trust me, I know. Until the end of the probation period, you have to do what he says.”“But it’s already almost halfway over,” Nathan said gently.I nodded. “Let
Olivia“Hmm… I don’t know, Liv. It just doesn’t feel like… me, you know?”Angela stood ahead of me on the fitting room pedestal, turning this way and that in front of the mirror. The beads on her white dress caught the light emanating from the delicate crystal chandelier overhead, and the sound of soft classical music played on the speakers.The whole wedding gown parlor smelled like vanilla and daisies.I took a sip of my complimentary tea as I looked up at her. “It’s a beautiful dress,” I said, “but I think the whole ball gown look isn’t really your style.”Angela nodded matter-of-factly and turned to look at the stylist. “Could I try out some of those mermaid dresses?” she asked. “Something off-the-shoulder, too, I think.”“Of course.” The stylist smiled and walked away to pull out some more options for the blushing bride-to-be. Now that Angela and I were alone, she sighed and hiked up the massive skirt of the ball gown as she stepped down from the pedestal.“This is way more stres
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.