OliviaA sense of confusion washed over me as I watched Nathan charge toward Levi.I saw the anger flashing in his eyes. My heart was already aching from the disaster of a so-called ‘dinner’ with Ryan, and Nathan’s unfounded rage was an unwelcome addition to the mix.“Nathan, stop!” I cried out, trying to intervene, to place myself between him and Levi. I bolted down the stairs toward them, putting my hands out to stop Nathan. “What are you doing?”I didn’t know why Nathan was so furious, but the last thing we needed was another scene tonight.Ignoring me, Nathan growled at Levi, his voice raw with fury as he balled up two fistfuls of Levi’s shirt in his hands. “Who the hell do you think you are?!” he repeated. “Keep your hands where they belong! Understand me?”“U-Uh, Sir?” Levi stammered, clearly taken aback by the unexpected attack. “Surely there’s a misunderstanding.”Nathan’s dark gaze flicked to me. “Go inside, Olivia.” His voice was cold and dark. His eyes flashed, and it was t
OliviaMorning broke with a palpable tension in the house. As I shuffled into the kitchen, Nathan was already there, hunched over a cup of coffee, his brow furrowed in concentration.“H-Hey,” I murmured, clearing my throat. “Good morning.”There was no answer. He didn’t even look up as I entered. In fact, he just stood and walked out of the room, his gaze fixed on the floor. He didn’t even remember to bring his coffee mug with him, and left it sitting there on the counter with little puffs of steam rising out of it.That stung. He used to greet me every morning, usually with a quip or a sarcastic remark, even when we were annoyed or awkward with each other. But now… now, there was nothing. Just a wall of ice between us.I told myself, however, that he would get over it in a day or two. I just needed to give him some space so he could cool off. But it didn’t seem to make a difference.This silence stretched on for the entire week.No words were exchanged between us, no lingering glance
Olivia“If you have such strong feelings for me, why don’t you take me out instead of getting so jealous?”Nathan’s eyes were wide. Mine were, too, shocked by my own words.As I waited for Nathan to respond, his stunned silence permeated the room, deepening the tension.Finally, he gathered himself and opened his mouth to speak, his eyes never leaving mine.“Olivia, I…” he started, his voice barely more than a whisper. “I don't have those kinds of feelings for you. I was only...I was just protecting you from your ex.”My heart sank at his words, a lump forming in my throat.His denial felt like a slap in the face. But I refused to let him see how much he had hurt me.I squared my shoulders, forcing a small smile onto my face. “Jealousy is a strong emotion, Nathan,” I reminded him. “People don’t get jealous over just anyone. If you were just protecting me over my ex, then what did Levi have to do with it?”He met my gaze, his eyes clouded with confusion. “I wasn’t jealous, Olivia. I wa
OliviaThe night of the date finally arrived and I was a whirlwind of nerves.I picked a stunning emerald green dress that accentuated my curves and made my eyes pop. Checking myself in the mirror, I tried to swallow the knot of anticipation in my throat.Movement caught my eye. I looked up to catch Nathan’s gaze in my mirror. He seemed surprised, like he had been caught in the act.“You ready?” he asked.It seemed that, now that he knew that he had been caught checking me out, Nathan's initial reaction was to pretend not to notice.He had this whole casual act going, leaning against my door frame, his eyes casually scanning the room. But I saw his gaze linger on me, the flicker of something in his eyes before he quickly looked away. A smirk played at my lips.“Like what you see, Nathan?” I cooed.His cheeks reddened slightly but he quickly regained his composure. “You look nice,” he said nonchalantly, but I caught the appreciative tone in his voice. “Don’t let that get to your head.”
OliviaMy body, as if supported by invisible strings, began to lift itself up onto my toes. I felt my chin tilt up, my lips yearning to touch Nathan’s.His face betrayed no emotion other than drunken mirth, and it was likely that he hadn’t even noticed my subtle movements yet; but to me, it felt as though I was moving mountains.However, the laughter that had followed us from the restaurant seemed to morph into the sky, becoming the thunder that now started to rumble overhead.Then, out of nowhere, the heavens opened up and it started to rain—no, pour—down on us. The streets of our small town quickly became slick with water, and within instants, my nice dress was soaked all the way through.It seemed as though Mother Nature was forbidding me from making a grave mistake and kissing my best friend.I was thankful for it, though, because I wasn’t quite ready to be the loser of our challenge that night.Not yet.I took a step back from Nathan and wiped the water out of my eyes.“Oh great,
Olivia“Nathan… What are you doing and where are your clothes?”My cheeks flushed a deep shade of scarlet as I registered the sight of Nathan wrapped only in a towel, water droplets cascading down his bare, chiseled chest.His body glistened under the harsh fluorescent light of the bathroom, as if to accentuate every lean, toned muscle. I found my gaze tracing the lines of his body, a faint, intoxicating sense of attraction flickering within me.We were close… Too close. I could feel his breath, his lips brushing against my skin. It made me shudder, and I couldn’t decide whether I wanted him to keep going or whether I wanted him to get away.Maybe under normal circumstances, I would have pushed him away… But right then, in that steamy bathroom, I wanted him closer than ever.Nathan paused to answer my question, and looked up at me. A goofy grin was plastered on Nathan's face as he noticed my flushed cheeks and flustered expression.“I could see through your dress, you know?” he said,
OliviaThe morning sunlight streamed in through my window, casing my bedroom in a gentle golden glow.I groggily opened my eyes and squinted as I slowly came to my senses.The birds were singing outside my window. Beyond their sweet music, I could hear the ocean waves lolling in and out with the tide. But that wasn’t all that I heard; I also heard the sound of gentle, deep breathing beside me.Finally, I became aware of Nathan’s body curled up against mine.I slowly turned my head to meet the image of Nathan’s sleeping face beside me. Panic instantly surged through me as the memory of the previous night crashed into me like waves against the rocks.“No…” I muttered under my breath. I untangled myself from the mess of limbs and sheets as delicately as possible. My heart hammered against my chest as I padded over to my closet and withdrew my robe to cover my naked body.My actions, the absence of my warmth beside him, made Nathan stir almost immediately. I watched in horror as his eyes
NathanThe morning after our night together, Olivia's scent clung to my skin.It was a haunting fragrance that stirred something deep within me, something primal and wild. Her hot body, her gentle curves, her round breasts, her caramel skin…Her long, soft hair had tangled itself around me like sentient vines strangling an innocent little rabbit. She was a siren, a beautiful creature lurking in the tidepools of my mind, and now I could never have her again no matter how hard I tried.No matter how I scratched out my eyes and stuffed wool into my ears and tied myself to the masts, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. But I still couldn’t have her.Something else had happened last night, too. There had been a moment, a single, fleeting second, when I could have sworn I sensed her wolf.But it must have been the alcohol, I told myself. It must have been the dizzying effect of our shared intimacy, nothing more.Yet my wolf disagreed, its attention captured by something new, something uniqu
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.