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
Olivia“I was just seeing myself out.”Dan brushed past me without another word. I watched him go, still blinking incredulously. What was that conversation I had just overheard? And most importantly, was Nathan alright?“Hey, Liv.” Nathan’s voice came from the doorway to his study. I looked up to see him standing there, looking a bit flustered but otherwise okay. A moment later, I heard the front door open and close. Dan was finally gone.“Hey.” I stood and walked over to him. “You alright? That sounded… intense.”Nathan simply shrugged. “Just an impromptu visit, that’s all,” he said. He paused then, patting his belly. “I’m starving. Did I hear you say you brought food home, or…?”“Uh, yeah,” I said, gesturing over to the table. “Help yourself.”With a smile and a grateful kiss on the cheek, Nathan walked over to the dining room table and began unpacking the food. The scent of greasy, delicious and wonderfully-bad-for-you takeout foot filled the room, and I felt my own stomach growl i
OliviaI peered out the window as Nathan and I pulled up to the press event, which was to be held in the council building of Dan’s pack. A low whistle escaped my lips as I peered up at the formidable building.“That’s quite the structure, isn’t it?” I asked quietly.Nathan leaned forward to look through the windshield at the massive building.Its tall spires and stone walls gave the building an almost brutal look, but the narrow stained glass windows added an air of elegance to the place. It was almost hard to believe that this was another council building and not a cathedral.“Yeah,” Nathan said with a chuckle. “Old money, huh?”“You can say that again.” Dan’s pack was one of the wealthiest in the entire region—hence his position as the de facto head of the Alpha association. And the longer I knew him, the more I realized how much he seemed to enjoy flaunting his wealth.But to each their own, I suppose.As Nathan and I climbed out of the car and made our way up the marble steps arm-
Olivia“You and Dan have only been married for four years?”As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I cringed at what I had just said. “I-I’m sorry,” I stammered, sitting up a little straighter. “I didn’t mean—”But Clarissa just chuckled. “No, no, it’s okay,” she said. “I know it’s a bit of a shock, seeing as how we’re both in our middle age. But yes, we’ve only been married for four years. We met eight years ago.”“I see.” I chewed my lip for a moment as I thought back on what Clarissa had said that day when she visited before the Valentine’s Day gala—how she had always wanted a family, but never had one. She hadn’t gone into detail about it.“If you don’t mind me asking,” I said cautiously, leaning forward, “before Dan, were you… were you ever married at all?”For a moment, Clarissa opened her mouth and drew in a deep breath as if to speak. But then she froze, blinking at me for a few long seconds. Her eyes seemed almost to grow dull, or rather glaze over.Then, after a painstak
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.