Lana's P.O.V. My eyes squeezed shut as the feeling of dirt beneath my lids made it difficult to blink. The pounding in my head had me reeling, my mouth watering as my stomach rolled. I felt so stupid for trusting Nyla.Yet, any mother hearing the news that their child was hurt would panic too. It had been the first time I had ever been away from Maddie. My irrational rush of emotions and adrenaline had me moving to get to my child before I considered all options. Nyla was a snake, but I never imagined that she would be this venomous.I tried to remember what had happened and where James would be taking me. From the movement beneath me, I knew we weren't at our final destination, but I had no way of knowing what direction we had gone in when we left town.***A cold sweat had broken out across my forehead as James smiled menacingly at me. His eyes trailed over my body like I was his prey, and he was ready to tear the meat and flesh from my bones. He looked different than before. He wa
Lana's P.O.V. I did my best to brace myself as the car pulled over on the dirt road. The slope on the side of the road from the wash caused my body to slide down, head first into the side of my prison. "Son of a bitch!" James yelled out. His deep voice made me instinctively cringe as it grew closer. The trunk popped open, and the sharp midday sun blinded me as the subject of my nightmares stood before me. "I'll just have to do this here." A scream ripped from my throat as he reached for me, wrapping his fat, calloused fingers around my arm and pulling me out of the car roughly. My legs kicked out at him as he dragged me out of the trunk, and my breath was knocked out of me as I hit the wet ground beneath me. The evidence of last night's storm coated my body as I sank into the layer of loose mud that had yet to dry. I tried not to voice my disappointment and anger, knowing that my smell was going to be diminished by the moist Earth. "Don't do this, James. Please, don't do this!" I
Oliver's P.O.V. I was in a rage. There was one scent that I couldn't get out of my mind, and it belonged to the one wolf that was unaccounted for. Nyla. Her stench had been in my bedroom, in Lana's dresser. She had taken Lana's clothes, but the question remained. Where did they go? I was searching the pack grounds high and low. Alpha Jones humored me, allowing me to comb through her lands and buildings. Anything that had even the smallest trace of Lana or Nyla's scent was torn apart. I knew I would have to pay for the damages, and I would, but I really didn't care at the moment. Alpha Jones demanded full cooperation in my search. As soon as I had regained control, she stepped forward. "She's not here, Oliver. One of my border patrols just advised that she left the grounds by car almost thirty minutes ago." Her confident stance was a show of power, but the empathy in her eyes told me that she understood that I was in pain. "She wouldn't. Not willingly. Not without me and not wi
Oliver P.O.V. Alpha Jones was a woman of honor and had been known to stay true to her word. When she assured me that she would be keeping Nyla in the dungeon until I returned for her sentencing, I believed her. The last thing I had expected was for Conner to volunteer to join the search for Lana. Without his wolf, it seemed pointless, but it was the lesser of two evils. With Nyla locked up, the only one left on the pack land that I saw as a threat to Maddie, was Conner. Having to choose between leaving him there with Maddie and taking him with me was a no-brainer. I wanted him as far away from my child as possible. I had left behind a group of my pack to protect Maddie, who was oblivious to the situation, but she was excited to feed our pack the lunch she had made them. The rest of the pack was probably hungry as well, having driven all night to meet us, but they knew there were more important things at stake at the moment. Nyla had been easy to crack and after a simple command fro
Lana's P.O.V. It was strange being back in the cabin. After only two nights away, I was surprised to see the layer of dust coating everything. The small droppings in the corner were evidence that another rat had already found its way inside, which made me shiver in disgust. The deja-vu was unsettling. It was like we had never even been here. The broken glass of the front window crunched beneath our shoes as James dragged me inside, pulling me forward with his hand wrapped around my inner elbow. "So, this is where you've been hiding." He said as he wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Fitting that you would live in a place like this. A used-up old house for a used-up whore." I let out a moan of pain as he pushed me to the floor. With my wrists cuffed behind my back, I collided shoulder first into the hardwood before rolling onto my stomach. I watched with my cheek pressed against the cold surface as he began to dig through the cabinets, growing more frustrated with the limited supplies h
Oliver's P.O.V. The smell of her blood grew thicker as I glared down at the gunman before me. The nerve of this pathetic human to lay a hand on my mate had me ready to end him. If it weren't for the gun pointed in her direction, I would have. I had promised Lana that I wouldn't let him hurt her again, yet there she was, beaten and bleeding on the floor. I had failed to keep my word and failed her as a mate. "Ah, you must be the dick she's been sucking," James said as he turned to face me but kept the gun pointed at Lana's head. "You both took something that belonged to me. I know you have it since it isn't here. I want it back, now." For a moment, I thought he was referring to Lana. To the fact that I had been with her while she was still married, but when he demanded it back, I knew he had bigger fish he was after. "You'll never get Maddie back," I stated, making sure my voice was loud and clear even though I filled with terror as Lana slumped over onto her shoulder, her eyes bl
Oliver's P.O.V. The smell of rogues approaching had us piling into our cars quickly. While they would be no match for us, I couldn't risk having Lana in the line of fire, especially while injured. With us being on free land as well, they would see us having such a large number of pack wolves here in an attempt to claim the area. The threat to their land would encourage them to attack to fight to the death to keep it for themselves. The amount of no-man's land in the country was already rapidly dwindling. The room they had to run free was getting smaller each year as packs, humans, and other species alike expanded their communities. The larger we all grew, the less room the rogues had. I kept Lana curled up against my side as everyone settled into the cars, but she happily kept her hold on me as we pulled away from the house for what I hoped was the last time. I was ready to take her home, to give her a real house where she would be safe. Several pairs of feral wolves lined the road
Lana's P.O.V. I hadn't been surprised that James had gotten away with his charges. In a town as small as ours, he knew everyone and had connections. When he had driven his car into the back of that truck, they couldn't even treat him. Our resources were so limited that they had to rush James to the city next to us for a hospital. It was one of the reasons why he had moved us there when we had gotten married and left our families in the city, an hour away. He was in demand there. As they needed law enforcement officers, he took advantage of that and put fear into everyone he came across, rejoicing in his power. When it came down to it, he got away with everything because of his position. Since he was the only one injured, they probably just wrote it off as an accident instead of reporting that he had been driving under the influence. It was infuriating. I was so tired of people getting away with endangering others, and I was happy he was no longer a threat. Now, all we had to do was
Oliver's P.O.V - 14 years later There wasn't a single person who knew where I was. I had snuck away in the middle of the night and left. I needed to get to her, and that desperate need caused me to chase her over a hundred miles away. I had been lying in bed next to my beautiful mate, and yet all I could think about was her. There was a desperate need to see her. My wolf was on edge and sad with her so far away. I hated that she left me. So, we went after her. The sun was beginning to rise, and I sat in the tree line impatiently, waiting for her to leave for the day. The door to her building was just barely visible, but I knew that as soon as she stepped out, I would be able to see her. She hadn't been responding to any of my messages, and it was driving me insane. A simple 'hello' or 'I'm okay' wouldn't be that hard. I would even accept a, 'please stop messaging me'. One of the last things she said to me had broken my heart, but I would never stop
Lana's P.O.V. The pack had been over the moon when we announced our pregnancy. Having a baby who had been directly blessed by the Goddess was huge to our people, and I could only hope that they wouldn't put too much pressure on him. It had only been a few days, but I had already given up arguing with Oliver over the possibility that it could be a girl. He was so positive we would have a son, that he convinced me. We had picked out several names, prematurely as we hadn't even made it past the first trimester yet, but the excitement was driving us to do all the things they say you shouldn't. We told everyone, picked names, and started thinking about how we were going to design the nursery. The news that our house was next on the list to be worked on made me giddy. Everything was falling into place. The front door to the pack house slammed open, and I watched as several members of our pack split in different directions. The party was still in full swing, but no
Lana's P.O.V.For the past several months, I couldn't help but feel like I was failing Oliver. He was so calm and collected, yet each month when I took that test and received only one pink line in response, it broke me. He knew that it did.Oliver would come to find me, and he would hold me until the tears stopped, whispering that it would happen and that it just wasn't our time yet. But I wanted it to be. More than anything in the world, I wanted two pink lines to look back at me and tell me that our next child was growing inside me.Maddie was more impatient than I was, and her disappointment hurt me even worse. Her smile would fall when she would ask when her sibling would get here. We would tell her that we were still working on it, and she would get really quiet for the rest of the day. It was heartbreaking.But Oliver continued to insist. He would tell me that he knew for a fact it would happen when it was the right time and that we would have a whole litter of children by the t
I hope you enjoyed Oliver and Lana's story!Don't forget to follow me for updates on my new releases! Also, as I'm sure you know by now, any votes comments and positive book reviews are much appreciated! I'm feeling really good about the hard work I put into this book, and I am so grateful for the positive feedback! This was part of The Cards of Fate writing contest, and whether I rank or not, I want to thank you all for your support! Results are to come out in January, so please vote, comment, leave a review and share with your friends if you enjoyed it!I am still loving seeing the comments and votes on these. So, Im going to ask again. Whose story do you like best so far?Olivia and GabrielParker and KayleeOliver and LanaWith every book, I am doing my best to have it be better than the last. I read every comment for feedback! Stay tuned for bonus chapters!You are the best!
Maddie's P.O.V. Twenty Years Later My fingers pulled at the hem of my dress as I sat sipping my champagne. I had thought attending my college roommate's wedding would be fun, but it was pretty boring. While I had imagined, men and women our age drinking, dancing, and flirting, it was the complete opposite. The best part about it was the food. They had invited their entire families but only a few friends. I grabbed another roll of bread from the basket on the table, ripping it up before popping small pieces into my mouth. I had learned my lesson before, getting caught stuffing my mouth at functions that had a lot of cameras. Those photos would haunt me for the rest of my life. But this, this was not a wedding to remember for anyone other than the couple. Which was as it should be. This was their night and money. The guests didn't matter to them in the couple's blissful bubble. But as one of their attendees, I could vouch that their guests sure were bored. The couple was swaying ba
Oliver's P.O.V. As much as I loved Aspen, I had to get out of there. We had grown up together, almost as siblings since her dad was the Beta and mine, the Alpha. But even as a kid, I could only take so much of her dramatics or lack of a filter. Things moved through her brain and out of her mouth without considering whether it was appropriate or hurtful. As a teenager, I heard way more about her sex life than I wanted to, and the last thing I wanted was to get suckered into sitting down and having to listen to her go on about her lack of sexual freedom while I was trying to eat my breakfast. Instead, I packed up the majority of the pancakes into a Tupperware as soon as they left the frying pan, much to Hudson's annoyance, and stole the bottle of syrup before dashing after Maddie. She screamed with joy as I threw her over my shoulder and carried her away from that clingy little pup, Nicholas. He really wasn't so bad, but I resented him for the idea that he could one day take her from
Lana's P.O.V.There was still tension between Adeline and Oliver as we made our way to the kitchen at the insistence of my very pushy daughter, but Mr. Blake looked over the moon. Getting a second chance with his son seemed to be just what he needed during this hard time, and I knew Oliver needed it too.I don't think Oliver would have been able to live with himself if he went back to shunning his father. Especially after the man sacrificed himself for Oliver and lost his arm in the process.The guilt would have driven him mad.Kaylee and Parker were sitting at the kitchen island with Olivia, eating heaping piles of eggs, sausage, and several pieces of toast. They smiled widely at me as I entered with Maddie right behind me. But their excitement seemed to rise as Oliver entered, being dragged by Maddie's hold on his hand."Liv! I'm glad you're still here!" Oliver exclaimed as he lifted Maddie and placed her on the empty barstool ne
Oliver's P.O.V."I don't want to leave," Lana mumbled, her lips rubbing against my chest as she pressed her warm, naked body firmly against mine beneath the blanket. The morning sun beamed in through the edges of the curtain, reminding us that it was time for us to get up and get to work.I hated that while I had been sleeping for the past two weeks, my pack had been busting their ass to restore our homes and way of life. Even though I was injured and in a coma, I wanted to make up for it and contribute.I was disappointed when we entered our room yesterday evening to find it was occupied by multiple other people. Their mats and blankets spread out across the floor. But when I got out of the shower, Lana was standing in the middle of our newly vacant room with a wide smile.I didn't waste another second in swooping her up into my arms and taking her to bed. We had been apart for too long, and all I wanted was to be close to her. What star
Lana's P.O.V. There was a collection of us, at least a hundred, who were going from house to house, tearing out all of the damaged sections and rebuilding them back up as quickly as possible. A few homes would have to be completely demolished, but we would have to come back to them. For now, we needed to get as many as we could into livable conditions, and as soon as possible, so our people could have a roof over their heads. It was bad enough that I had multiple strangers sleeping on my bedroom floor. Maddie was having a blast sleeping in the room with the other kids. It was like a giant slumber party every night. But even if I wanted to rest for a minute during the day, my bed was out of the question. Having strangers in my space, in mine and Oliver's personal bedroom, made it feel compromised. It was no longer my safe space. They were diluting his scent, and coming in and out at random times throughout the day. I had tried to close my eyes once for a quick nap, and as soon as t