Oliver’s P.O.V. I sat back on my haunches, watching with amusement as Lana moved around the animal with the steak knife, trying to figure out how to start. I wanted to help her, but there was only so much that could be done in my current form. She had just been staring at the animal for twenty minutes. The meat was getting cool and the longer she waited the harder it would be to get the skin off. I let out a grumble before getting off the porch and moving over to the animal. The sooner she did what she had to do to fill their freezer, the sooner I could eat the rest. She froze as I latched my teeth around the animal's back leg, pulling it to the side so she had room to start skinning it. Our eyes met, and she watched me cautiously. It seemed as though she was expecting me to tell her what to do as she stared at me with raised eyebrows. I dropped the leg 'huffing' at her as I stomped my front paw into the ground. "Well, what is that supposed to mean? Eat it if you're so hungry! I d
Oliver's P.O.V. My legs propelled me forward, faster than I had ever run before. My body weaved in and out of the trees as I pushed toward my mate. Nothing would be harming them today, of that I was certain. I would destroy every wolf that even looked their way before I let my family be taken from me. The smell of the rogue grew stronger the closer I got to the house, and as their scent mixed and thickened, I knew they weren't alone. There were multiple, hunting together. Whether it was me they were after or Lana, I couldn't risk it. The putrid scent surrounded me as I reached the tree line of the house. I came to a stop before exposing myself in the open area behind the building. They were here. I could sense them slinking their way around my mate's den, looking for the best method to attack. It was rare for rogues to go after humans, but not unheard of. A small head popped up in the window with a bright smile, and I
Lana's P.O.V. The horrid sounds of the animals fighting outside had the small hairs on my arms and neck standing at attention. Each whimper and cry of pain made me flinch as I imagined my wolf hurt or possibly dead. There was a pain in my chest that restricted my breathing as I imagined anything happening to Olly. Maddie curled up in the bed. Her tear-streaked face and runny nose was a heartbreaking sight, but she kept calm as I walked into her room behind her and turned the television on. Even with the poor reception, the static-covered show was a relief as it helped to mask the growling. I was hoping the sound of the small picture box would distract her enough from what was happening outside for her to fall asleep. "I'll be right back. Try to go to sleep, okay?" I asked, but the sound of a wolf yowling in pain made my spine straighten. My heart was pushing me to grab my gun and go help, to protect Olly, but my brain was telling me not to get in the middle of a pack of wild wolve
Lana's P.O.V. The sound of Maddie giggling as she sprinted down the hallway made me wake. The blanket over me fell as I jumped to my feet searching for my weapon. I shoved my hand between the cushions, feeling that disgusting truth that I needed to vacuum the couch and armchair, but no gun. Not having time to waste, I picked the blanket up from the ground, pausing slightly when I realized it was the same one I had placed over our uninvited guest, but ignored it, more focused on the lack of anything metal falling from the fabric. If he had my weapon and my daughter, I was screwed. I grabbed the fire poker, holding it up like a bat as I moved around the corner to the hallway. The door to Maddie's room was open, and I tiptoed over quietly. He shouldn't have been able to move from the extent of his injuries, let alone walk all the way down the hallway. Maddie was talking, explaining how her doll used to be a princess but became a
Oliver's P.O.V. The entire time Lana was in the kitchen, she was watching me. Every few seconds, she would look up and find me with her beautiful pale green eyes narrowed at me. When the sun came in through the window, they almost appeared to be baby blue, taking my breath away. She was stunning. It was the glare she would send my way like she was waiting for me to attack one of them, that made me feel worried. I knew that trying to hide everything last night would mess with her head, but I also wasn't ready to tell her the truth. The probability of her shooting me was very high with how on edge she was. That was not something that I wanted to go through. As much as it pained me to say it, watching her move around the kitchen was torture. I kept picturing how her towel had fallen off two nights ago, and the way she confidently walked around naked as she dried her hair. It was imprinted in my brain as one of the best nights of my life. Maddie let out a groan as her mother placed a
Lana's P.O.V I couldn't help but watch Olly as he walked away toward the forest. His head was low, and his tail was tucked down like a beaten dog. My heart hurt as he got further away. The connection I felt to him was pulling, like a rubber band being stretched. The need to call him back was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't do it. How could I risk having a man I didn't know who could turn into a wolf around my daughter? She didn't know that he wasn't just an animal. A small part of my own brain was still denying that fact, but I wasn't stupid. There were too many things that signaled it wasn't my imagination. Having him listen and do as I said was the straw that broke the camel's back, confirming he understood me. I wanted answers, but I also wasn't ready for them. I could barely handle the world as I knew it. How could I justify adding werewolves to it? If they were real, what else was out there? My head shook as I tried to fight that train of thought. That was exactly wha
Oliver's P.O.V My heart broke when I witnessed that rogue tear run down Lana's perfect cheek. She didn't deserve this, any of it. I would give her time to process this, just not too long. Then I would be right back at her doorstep, as a fully clothed human, to explain. In the meantime, there were several things I needed to do. The first was to take care of the bodies from last night. I had pulled them away from the house with what energy I could muster, but I was too weak to do anything more than drag them until I had healed more. Their stink was rapidly growing, and each time the wind blew, the smell of their corpses would pollute the air around my mate's home. My nails broke the ground as I dug as quickly as I could, needing to get deep enough that their bodies wouldn't be found if another rainstorm would hit. The last thing Lana needed was a bunch of people swarming around her house and questioning her if someone stumbled upon a pile of naked humans who had been mauled to death
Lana's P.O.V. I had expected a full meltdown after the way Maddie acted this morning when she woke up from her nap. The cold shoulder she gave me was hard to experience as it was the first time she had ever done that to me, but as I was already stressed about going to the store, I was also secretly glad for it. As long as she was shunning me, she wasn't pulling attention to either of us. We had been able to go through a fast drive-thru and get all of our shopping done without any hiccups. Maddie groaned at the large amount of oatmeal, pasta, rice, and canned veggies I bought but still refused to say a single word. The deer in the freezer would last us a while, and when that was done, we would be moving on to the canned chicken I bought. Fresh meat was too expensive and would eat through our savings faster than we could afford. I also found a book on how to set snares, and I had high hopes that I would be able to catch a few smaller creatures to keep us sustained, but that would be
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