Oliver's P.O.V. As soon as we left the room, I was on a mission. Nyla needed to understand that our bond was gone. Whatever she was holding onto needed to end. I wouldn't have her hovering over my relationship with Lana. Not when things were going so well. Conner brushed passed me with a nod in greeting as he made his way into the packhouse, and I dipped my head in return but didn't lower my eyes. I wouldn't ever submit to him as he did to me. He had shown how weak he was when I challenged him and had easily taken him down. But I wouldn't be doing that again. Now that I had Maddie here, I couldn't imagine having to fight someone while she watched. Challenges could be brutal and lethal. No kid needed to witness that. I felt guilty that Conner's children had to watch me take him down, but at the same time, I was following my instincts. We were animals, after all. It was easy to follow Nyla's scent back to her house. The trail was clear as if she had been pacing between her home and
Lana's P.O.V. My fork stabbed down into the bowl of pasta aggressively as I did my best to remain civil and pleasant. Oliver was very aware of my anger and discomfort as Nyla and Conner sat across from us. Sasha and Ky, their children, chatted excitedly with Maddie at a level that was just low enough not to be disruptive to the rest of the pack house. I narrowed my eyes at Nyla as she continued to stare at Oliver like a love-sick puppy from across the table, shoving my forkful of noodles into my mouth. Our escort home couldn't come soon enough. "So, Lana, what do you do?" Conner asked, trying to break the tension. I didn't bother to hide my displeasure that Nyla had herded her family over to sit with us instead of choosing another place to sit. "Nothing at the moment," I said but kept my glare on Nyla as she stared shamelessly at Oliver. "Nyla, what do you do... besides stare at taken men?" She blinked, shaking her head before focusing her vision on me. "I'm sorry if I'm making
Lana's P.O.V. The tip of my thumb was raw as I continued to pace back and forth, nibbling on the short nail. Oliver was in the adjoining room, putting Maddie down for the night. I think he knew that I was frazzled. The realization of what I had just done was weighing heavy on me. I had just publically made an enemy of a fucking she-wolf. Granted, in her demented mind, I was probably already an enemy because I was sleeping with her mate. But if publically calling her out and embarrassing her in front of her pack wasn't going to bite me in the ass, I didn't know what would. I just had to hope they wouldn't kick us out before our escort arrived. Considering that we were different species, I was fucking ecstatic that I had held my ground and stood up for myself against that murderous bitch. How dare she try to kill my man, then pretend to be a caring mate when she realized she failed? My worry shifted to anger as I remembered the way she stared at him with her big doe eyes. Trying to
Lana's P.O.V The issue with telling someone off when your kids are friends is that you still have to see that parent around whenever your children hang out. I tried to distract Maddie. I even offered her cookies and a movie to keep her inside. Unfortunately, she was sick of staying locked inside all the time, and all she wanted was to go see Sasha and Ky. I brought her to the kids' center and sat back on one of the benches they had posted around the gated playground. My hope had been to enjoy a relaxing day in the sun while Oliver helped the pack run patrol. He insisted that he wanted to contribute since they were housing us for the time being. Instead, I was dealing with the fuming rage of Nyla as she sat across from me on the other side of the playground. I wouldn't have a problem with it if she were actually watching her kids. But her black eyes and angry glare remained on me the entire time. I felt like I was going to be attacked when I least expected it. The girls squealed an
Oliver's P.O.V. "Does your human know you're here?" Nyla asked bitterly as she leaned against the white-painted doorframe at the entrance to her house. I bit back a groan as I pressed my toes further into the dirt, trying to release some of the tension and anger that I was feeling from being in her presence. Lana was back at the pack house, and I wanted nothing more than to go be with her and Maddie after running patrol all morning. "Her name is Lana, and yes. She does." I eyed the distance between us. The lush green grass and flower beds made her house look like the ideal catalog home, but it didn't sit right with me. I felt like Hansel entering the witch's cottage. The wind blew between us, disrupting the flowers and giving me a moment of fresh air to calm and collect myself. "Alpha Jones does as well. She didn't see any need to make this a public event or bear witness to it." I added, wanting her to understand that this was bigger than her. Nyla crossed her arms in front of her
Lana's P.O.V. It was hard to sleep that night. Oliver was tossing and turning, unable to settle. It made me worried that something more had happened when he went to visit Nyla. He told me what had transpired between the two of them, the argument, but I couldn't help but wonder if it was more. Why was he so torn up if he didn't feel the bond and nothing had happened? According to him, the bond still wasn't severed as Nyla refused to reject him, and that news made me furious. It was the main reason why I didn't talk to Oliver about what Lottie had said. I had a lot of questions about him marking and turning me. But there was really no point in going down that rabbit hole when he was so clearly torn up by the thought of having the bond with Nyla severed for good. How was her leaving our lives, when he supposedly had no ties to her, impacting him so deeply? The next morning he went through the motions of trying to sneak out of bed to go run patrol. I kept my eyes closed as I feigned sl
Oliver's P.O.V. My paws pounded against the moist soil of the Earth as I sprinted back to the pack house. I could hear the caravan of vehicles as I got closer, informing me that my pack had arrived and was entering through the main road on the other side of the territory. I was ecstatic. It was finally time to take Lana and Maddie home, where they would be safe with people I trusted. It also meant that Nyla was out of time. I could finally reject her and move on with my life. As soon as I was alone with Lana, I would tell her everything about mates and mark her as soon as she was ready. I wanted our bond to be solidified in the eyes of the Goddess and the packs. My patience was almost gone, and the need to claim her drove me insane whenever she was near. A stabbing of fear spread through my body, stronger than any emotion I had ever felt from Lana before. I assumed it was due to the visitors and her distrust of new people, men especially. I paused, hunching over as my body turned
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
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