5: Confused

Olivia stayed in her sister's room well past midnight, watching her sister sleep, her chest rising and falling with each breath she took in. She was relieved that Maribelle was doing well. She rose from her chair and went to Maribelle's balcony doors, opening them wide to let the cool, summer breeze flow through the room. It was warm during the day and at night, it was easier to sleep with the windows open to allow the air to move through the rooms. 

She sat back down in the chair next to her sister's bed and pulled a book out to read. She didn't want to return to her room tonight, dealing with Simon was more than she could handle after the day she had. She was better off leaving him for tomorrow. She'd be damned if she went to his room tomorrow night. She would fend him off as long as she could, and if there really was to be a wedding, then he could wait until their wedding night. 

As she sat there, holding her book in her hands, fuming over Simon her mind turned to Ben. She hadn't seen him for more than five minutes but she remembered every detail of his face, of the way he smelled. That smell would haunt her for the rest of her life; it was incredible. It was delicious and perfect. The way he had helped them, knowing they were humans, it would stay with her forever. She didn't understand it, she was taught that all werewolves were evil and wanted to kill them. They were always taught, from a young age, to stay away from wolves. Yet, one moment with a wolf and she was desperate to run back to the wall and seek him out.

There was no rational thought associated, she was beyond rational thought. She was so fixated on the memory of Ben that she considered going that night to see if she could find him again. It didn't make sense, it was after midnight, but she decided it was worth a try. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she stood from her place by her sister. The curtains of her sister's balcony doors fluttered in the breeze as Olivia walked toward the doors leading outside. There was no way down from the balcony, but she and Maribelle had climbed the terrace so many times, it was second nature to shimmy to the ground floor from their rooms. 

She crept onto the balcony and listened quietly to the sounds of the night sky. There were crickets chirping in the distance and dogs barking a few streets away. The land on her father's property stretched far into the back of the manor, but the house was on a busy street, surrounded by other large homes. Olivia heard voices below, she hid behind the curtain and waited, hoping it was just the night guard walking by. She could creep past the night guard, as she had done in the past, she just needed to wait until they reached the other side of the yard.

"We're going to launch a counterattack in the morning. We will be heading out at six, hoping to catch the remaining wolves off guard and kill as many of them as we can. By then, they will be tired and Richard thinks it will be the right time to attack," a deep voice spoke. Olivia looked out around the curtain and saw the night guard, Zac, talking to another guard, Rocco, as they walked around the perimeter of the house. Olivia knew from past excursions they would circle the house once an hour during the night. They spent the rest of the time in the guardhouse by the front of the house.

"Kill those bastards, is what I say," Rocco replied. 

 "I think that's the plan. The more we get, the better off we all are," Zac agreed.

Olivia's eyes went wide. She remembered the look in Ben's eyes. It hadn't been evil or vicious. She should warn him. She didn't know why she thought she should, but she didn't want him to die. She was going back to the wall to find traces of Ben for her own curiosity, but now she had a purpose. She waited until the guard's voices faded into the night air and then she counted in her head to 200, enough time to make sure the coast was clear. She peeked out of the room and looked around the yard. She couldn't see anyone. She slowly crept down the trellis, carefully placing her feet on the wooden frame as she crept down the wall. When she reached the ground, she jumped lithely onto the ground and crouched behind the bush, waiting to see if anyone had heard her.

When she was sure the coast was clear, she crept away from the house and into the gardens, sticking close to the bushes and trees, where she knew no one would see her. Before too long, she reached the forest and walked through the trees toward the village beyond. There was a small section of forest which then joined with buildings and houses on the far side of her father's land. Then, she would come upon the stone walkway next to the wall, which the wolves had blown up earlier that day. She ran through the woods. She was tired, and her legs ached from carrying her sister through the rubble toward the house earlier that day, but she pushed on.

She couldn't explain the draw she had, but it was pulling her forward. Not just the desire to warn Ben, but the desire to see him again. She needed it, as much as she needed to breathe. 

When she reached the far side of the forest, she came upon the rubble from the stone walkway and wall beyond. She stepped gingerly around the wreckage, being careful to not slip and fall. She thought she was being quiet but as she climbed around a particularly large stone, a hand wrapped around her throat, holding tight.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" a deep voice asked. Olivia froze in fear.

"I'm looking for someone," Olivia said timidly. She wasn't sure if she was being held by a werewolf or a human, but it was best to play dumb until she could be sure.

"Who are you looking for?" the voice asked. 

Olivia found it hard to breathe as the hand tightened on her neck. She coughed in protest and cleared her throat.

"I'm looking for someone that I met earlier today. His name is Ben," she said vaguely.

"What do you want with Ben?" the voice replied.

It was then that she caught the scent that had haunted her all day. She had been so overwhelmed with fear that she didn't catch the scent right away.

"Ben?" she asked timidly.

"Why did you come back here?" he asked her, releasing her neck and swinging her to face him. His brows were creased and he studied her intently.

"I needed to see you again," she said automatically. She couldn't help herself, the words just flew out. She blushed as she registered what she said. She shook her head and corrected herself. "I needed to warn you."

"Warn me?" he asked, watching her closely.

"They're going to attack you here in the morning. They plan to come at 6. They assume you'll be digging all night and then you'll be too tired to fight. You have to go home before then, you have to get out of here before they come, or you'll get hurt," Olivia said in a rush. 

Now that she had told Ben what she had heard she felt foolish. She had betrayed her people for a wolf that she didn't know, a wolf that had saved her and Maribelle, likely in a moment of weakness. She was standing in front of him right now, and she could feel a pull, a draw to him, but she couldn't understand why she would betray her people to save a stranger. An evil stranger at that, she thought as she watched his eyes flicker between golden brown and pitch black. She shuddered at what she saw.

"Why would you tell me that," Ben asked, tilting his head to the side to study her. 

"You saved me and my sister. I can not tell you how grateful I am," Olivia said softly. She glanced uneasily to each side, expecting to find Simon staring at her with disdain. Seeing no one, she glanced back at Ben timidly.

"I just moved a stone," Ben said with a shrug.

"You kept your men from attacking us, you helped us get home in time to tend to Belle's ankle. You were kind," Olivia said shifting uncomfortably where she stood. "That's not something we are taught to expect from wolves."

Ben's jaw tightened at her words. "And just what exactly are you taught to expect from wolves?" He spit the words out distastefully.

Olivia watched Ben, taking in his stance and his expressions. She reached up and touched his cheek with her palm. At the connection, sparks flew between them and she gasped in surprise. She whispered, "We're taught to fear you. We're taught that you are evil, ruthless, brutal monsters and you deserve to die." She paused as she watched the emotions play across his face. She was afraid of him, but she was so drawn to him, she would let him destroy her if he asked it of her at that moment. She continued, her voice barely a whisper, "But, that's not who you really are, is it? You're not what we're taught. You're so much better."

Ben reveled in the touch of her hand on his face. He allowed himself a few moments of reprieve before he shook his head and stepped back from her. "You should fear us."

"Why?" she asked, disappointed at the break in contact.

"We are sworn enemies. Humans and werewolves will never get along, no matter how hard we try," Ben said firmly.

"I don't believe that," Olivia whispered.

"You should. It's true. Our alpha will never broker peace with the humans and your father has the power among humans. Do you think he will ever accept peace with the wolves?" Ben asked, shaking his head.

"How do you know who my father is?" Olivia asked.

"An educated, albeit lucky, guess," Ben said.

"I can not believe you could be so evil after you helped us," Olivia said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"This is not a fairy tale, there is no happily ever after in this world," Ben said firmly.

"Did you finish the trench?" Olivia asked, her chest constricting in disappointment at his words. She knew that there was little hope for them to be friends, but she felt the rejection deep in her soul. It was as if he had ripped her in two and the pain coursed through her.

Ben struggled to answer, but finally he nodded his head yes.

"Do you not have water?" Olivia asked, wondering why they would risk so much for a trench.

"No, we haven't had water in weeks. Our wells have dried," Ben admitted, looking at her with an honest gaze.

"How do you survive without water?" Olivia asked, glancing around the area, trying to find the river.

"We go south to the mouth of the river, where it exits the wall, but it's a long trek from our homes," Ben said honestly. 

"How long did it take you to build this? You must have been working for weeks," Olivia said, walking toward the rubble in the wall.

Ben nodded. "We've been building the trench for a few weeks. It goes for a few miles south and then opens to a lake."

"A lake?" Olivia asked, turning her head in astonishment.

Ben nodded. "It will give us a reservoir of water to use. We built another trench from the lake back to the river on the south side."

"So, both humans and werewolves will have water," Olivia said softly. She was starting to understand the man standing in front of her and he wasn't evil at all.

"I was not being kind to the humans. It was the only way," Ben said sternly, wanting her to understand he was not weak.

Olivia looked at him in surprise, his tone was angry and she pondered what he was saying. She couldn't help but feel that she understood him and his reasoning. She wanted to believe the best in him, and at the moment, she did.

She looked toward the trench. It opened to the river and water was flowing freely through the newly dug river away from the wall and toward the werewolf half of the city. 

"Do you swim?" Olivia asked recklessly. She knew she should go home, but she couldn't. She wanted to stay with him longer, to stay in this bubble of bliss where she felt at home. 

"Swim?" Ben asked, confused. He was walking along the path with her and they had reached the newly dug river. She was looking into the water, considering her options.

"Yes, swim. Do you swim?" Olivia asked, gesturing toward the river. The water was not flowing quickly, it was a slow steady movement through the trench.

"I suppose I have before," Ben said, shaking his head.

"Come on, then," Olivia said with a grin as she ran into the water, splashing behind her toward Ben.

Ben stood with a stoic expression, watching her as she splashed in the waves. She was mesmerizing. He held his breath as his eyes roamed from her head down. He let out a reluctant laugh as she rose from the water and called out to him.

"Seriously, you can not tell me that you are that serious all the time. You must let loose sometimes?" she asked, calling out to him. "Come in, it's hot out tonight and the water is amazing. Come swim with me."

"I hardly know you," Ben said, reluctantly taking off his shoes and jacket before he walked toward the water.

"I'm Olivia," she said in reply, grinning up at him. She was neck deep in water, treading to keep her place, swimming against the slow moving current so she didn't get washed down toward the werewolves lake.

"I'm Ben," he said in reply, giving her a smile.

"I know," she said cheekily as she splashed him. 

He froze, one eyebrow rose in challenge and she got a panicked look on her face as she smiled.

"Now, look here, it was just a splash," she said with a gasp. Ben dove underwater and swam toward her. Olivia looked around the water in alarm, knowing he would be near her soon. She let out a small squeak when she felt a hand grasp her ankle. She took in a deep breath, knowing what was coming and was pulled under, two arms holding her waist.

She kicked to the surface and sputtered as she came up above water next to Ben.

"You rat. You know very well how to swim, look at you. Here I thought you were some novice, barely able to keep your head above water and you practically drown me," she said with a light laugh.

"Careful how you challenge me, Olivia. You will find yourself surprised," Ben said with a smirk. He pulled her toward the side of the river where they could reach the ground. 

"This is really deep, you must have been digging fast," Olivia said, observing the new section of river.

"Wolves are quick," Ben agreed. "It's over fifteen feet in the middle. We needed enough room to keep the humans from filling it in quickly and blocking our efforts."

"You seem to have succeeded," Olivia said.

"We have succeeded." Ben agreed, correcting her.

Just then, he put his hand over her mouth and motioned for her to quiet. He had heard something. Olivia couldn't hear anything in the night air, it had to be almost 2 am. Her hearing was not as keen as a wolf's. She listened to him though and nodded her head softly.

"Who's there?" a foreign voice called out. "Who's in the river there?"