Lana's P.O.V. I had been here before. The depression that dragged me down until I felt nothing. The emptiness inside me had me wanting to do nothing more than sleep. The first time it happened was when James had started hitting me. I was so heartbroken, so scared. But my mind shut down, and my body started to follow. I lost a lot of weight and couldn't muster up the energy to even shower or brush my teeth. It all felt so pointless, such a waste of the little energy I had. The only thing that got me out of bed this morning was Maddie. She needed me. I couldn't fall back into my shell and leave her on her own. I had to fight against it. Having it happen again with Oliver was strange to me. After our fight, it was like all of my anger had drained away, and I was left with a hollow feeling. I knew what it was after it happened, but I couldn't stop it. Waking up this morning to a beautiful handful of flowers on the nightstand sent a spark of happiness through me, like a lightning bolt
Oliver's P.O.V. Parker paused mid-step, letting out a groan as he shook his head. The tension in his shoulders from the rogues and the upcoming baby somehow managed to get worse as he turned to look at me. "How mad would you be if Kaylee accidentally told Lana that Lana is your mate?" I looked over at him with surprise. That wasn't how I had it planned. My plan had been to tell her as soon as I could in a romantic setting, but then things with Nyla happened. Now, I needed to win Lana back before I had that conversation with her. I didn't want her to agree to be with me just because of the bond. I wanted it to be her choice. After what she saw and knew about mates, I knew she would feel too guilty to reject me or to fight against it. "Tell me you're kidding." My head dropped back and my hands moved up to cover my face. So far, everything about coming home had not gone as planned. I felt cursed, but I knew it was my own doing. The bond was still there, and as I felt for Lana's emot
Lana's P.O.V. My heart beat widely in my chest. I was briefly shocked that seeing Oliver react so violently didn't scare me, but his declaration that I was his mate sent a stampede of elephants through my torso. It didn't matter whether I was his chosen mate or his fated mate. I was his, and he was mine. I wasn't going to let him go so easily. We would work through our issues and become stronger together. "That is enough!" Parker growled as he stepped forward, causing me to flinch back as he passed me. His eyes flickered over at my movement, but the intensity didn't lessen as he stormed toward the two fuming men by the door. Oliver pulled back as his father pushed himself off the wall. Their similar appearance was startling. They shared the same hair and eye color and the same facial structure. It if weren't for the obvious age difference and greying of Mr. Blakes's hair, they could have been siblings. "This is your mate?" He gasped as he glanced from Oliver to me. The way his eye
Lana's P.O.V.Oliver groaned, pressing his body more firmly against mine. "You have no idea how long I have been dying to hear you say that."I slid my hands down over his pecks and down his body between us until I reached our shorts, and unbuttoned both of them quickly. The sound of my zipper sliding lower had Oliver raising his eyebrows at me. "You are my mate," I repeated.He nodded slowly, the scruff on his jawline gently brushing against my cheek as he bent his head down to place soft kisses on my neck. "Yes."My jaw dropped as he ran his tongue across my neck where the others bore their marks, and my breathing halted in anticipation. I had never noticed how sensitive that spot had been before. It was exhilarating as he nibbled at the skin. The sharpness of his teeth scraping the surface had me panting with need as my head fell back."I'm going to make you cum for me until you black out. I want to hear you scream my name as I
Oliver's P.O.V. Hearing Lana demand for me to continue had me growing impossibly harder. The bond made it feel similar to a command from an Alpha, and I felt my wolf react eagerly, wanting to give in to her request. I wanted to give in to her every want and need. "With pleasure," I said, spinning her around and capturing her mouth with mine. Lana wrapped her arms around my neck, holding herself up on her toes to get closer to me. The feeling of her body against mine made everything else melt away, and all I could focus on was her. How her desire for me was growing stronger, and her body grew warmer as she voiced her pleasure through small moans. My hands slid down her body, gripping her ass tightly in my hold and pressing her hips against mine. Lana lifted one foot from the ground, spreading her legs as she bent her knee and slid it up my side. I groaned as she reached between us, grabbing my cock and placing it between her wet lips. "Ah, uh. I thought we had an agreement." Lana
Lana's P.O.V.My back arched as wave after wave of pleasure poured through me. My body twitched beneath Oliver as the feeling of his teeth in my neck took me by surprise, and I came around his cock for a fourth time, completely draining my energy.Oliver continued to slowly pump in and out of me as I came down from my high. The realization of what just happened hit me, and I opened my eyes, surprised.The stunned silence gave Oliver a chance to retract his canines, and he began licking over the bite he had just left on my skin.My hands fell down from my hold on his back, and I tried to turn my head to look at Oliver, but he let out a feral growl as he licked my neck again, harder than before. His beast was ever present, and as he cared for my wound, I lay still beneath him."Mine," he growled. The vibration between us from the noise, moved through his chest to mine as he lay on top of me, holding his weight off but keeping our bod
Lana's P.O.V. I wasn't sure what to expect as we rounded the corner into the living room, but finding Maddie sitting next to Oliver's dad, was not it. After the greeting we received, I hoped Kaylee would have had better sense than to let Maddie meet them without us. Parker was nowhere to be seen, and I had to imagine being Alpha would keep him very busy. "What's going on here?" I asked, hesitant as Oliver walked up behind me to witness his father laughing with Maddie. "Oh, honey. She is just so beautiful!" Adeline exclaimed as she turned to look at me before freezing, the smile on her face growing even wider. "Oh, my Goddess!" Kaylee said as she pulled herself to her feet. "It's about time!" I leaned back against Oliver as his sister rushed toward me, pushing my hair to the side and examining my mark. While I had wanted to pull my hair up and wear it with pride, showing everyone that Oliver had marked me, I wanted to keep it private. It felt personal and intimate. It was also som
Oliver's P.O.V.The restraint I had been holding onto vanished as soon as Lana and Maddie were out of sight. I tried to keep my voice low so they wouldn't hear me, but it was difficult when all I wanted to do was yell at the man before me."Would you like to explain why she called you Grandpa?" I asked, my fingers digging into my legs as I resisted the urge to yell at him."She is your mate's child. Why would she not call me grandpa?" My father glanced down at Adeline's hand as she grabbed his, and I knew from the clipped way he responded that she was helping to keep him civil.As the previous Alpha, he hated when people talked back to him, questioned him, and disrespected him. I knew the feeling. Having him near me was disrespectful enough, but the way he had insulted my mate and overstepped with my daughter had me seeing red.The difference between us was that he was no longer Alpha. He carried the blood, just as I did, but he ha
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