Olivia POV
I ran through the woods, the cool evening air brushing against my skin as I raced between the towering trees. The crisp air brushed against my skin, providing the comfort and relief I had sought for the past few days. I continued racing, trying to clear my head. I ran and didn’t realize when I crossed the border of our pack.
Feeling exhausted, I found a clean stream, and in my four-legged form, I strolled over to it, bent. down, and began quenching my thirst. I was still drinking from the stream when I suddenly sensed a presence. It felt as if someone was watching me. My ears perked up, and my body tensed. A low growl rumbled in my throat as I spun around, my sharp eyes scanning the woods. Someone was here. My instincts screamed at me to be on guard.
I howled in warning, ready to attack if necessary. The underbrush rustled, and within seconds, a large black wolf emerged from the trees. My fur bristled as I assessed him-he was strong, his stance confident, but there was something oddly unsettling about him.
Then, right before my eyes, the wolf began to shift. Bones cracked and reshaped, fur receding to reveal smooth skin, and within moments, he stood before me in his human form, naked.
My frown deepened when I noticed it was a man. He had a good physique, probably in his early thirties, with black jet hair, brown eyes, and a faint scar running down the left side of his jaw. My wolf let out a low growl, ready to pounce, but the man simply lifted his hands in surrender, as if he had no intention of fighting.
“I mean no harm,” he said suddenly.
I furrowed my brow and studied him for a moment, then realized he had the tattoo of the Shadow Pack on his left arm. That was when I realized this man was from the Shadow Pack. But how did he get here? I looked around, and that’s when I realized I had crossed the border of our pack and was now in Shadow Pack territory.
Shit! How long have I been running?
Suddenly, the sound of pounding paws against the earth filled my ears, and then the scent of Louis filled the air. Without been told, I knew it was Louis coming in his wolf form.
The naked stranger in front of ine, realizing Louis was coming, smirked at me. “It seems you have company. I will see you some other time, Luna Olivia.”
Without another word, he shifted back into his wolf form, his sleek black fur blending into the darkness as he sprinted away.
Where I stood in my wolf form, I stared at him, watching him run farther until he was out of sight. I was confused, wondering how he knew me, but I didn’t have time to dwell on that
C
A man in the woods because Louis appeared out of the trees in his gigantic, wine-colored wolf form.
Louis skidded to a stop in front of me, his massive, wine-colored wolf towering over me. His eyes burned with anger and concern as he sniffed the air, his cars twitching.
“Olivia!” he growled, his deep voice laced with frustration as he shifted seamlessly into his human form. Just like the stranger, Louis didn’t seem to care about his nakedness, his focus entirely on me. “What the hell were you thinking, racing past our border?”
I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to. My mind was still replaying the moment with the strange wolf- the way he knew my name, the way he smirked like he had some sort of plan.
Louis took another deep breath, his expression darkening. “Someone was here,” he muttered, his eyes narrowing as they swept the area. “Who was it?”
Again, I said nothing. Instead, I turned sharply and sprinted back toward our pack, my paws digging into the earth as I pushed forward. I didn’t want to talk. I didn’t want to explain myself.
“Olivia!” Louis barked behind me, his voice full of authority, but I ignored him. I just needed to get away, to clear my mind.
I could hear Louis cursing before shifting back into his wolf form and chasing after me. I knew he wouldn’t let this go, but for now, I didn’t care.
I continued racing down the woods until I got to where my clothes were. Slowing down, I shifted back into my human form, the cool evening air brushing against my bare skin. My breaths came in short gasps as I reached for my clothes, quickly slipping on my shirt and leggings.
A sharp rustling in the underbrush made me tense. I didn’t have to turn around to know Louis was here. His presence was unmistakable, his scent thick in the air. I straightened just as he emerged from the shadows, his brown eyes blazing with barely contained anger.
“You’re not going to ignore me this time,” he said, his voice dangerously low. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides, his chest rising and falling with deep, frustrated breaths.
I turned to face him, meeting his intense gaze with a steady one of my own. “I don’t feel like talking. Louis, I muttered, pulling my hair into a messy ponytail.
Louis scoffed, stepping closer until there was barely any space between us. “That’s not your choice, Olivia. You crossed the border into Shadow Pack territory. Do you have any idea how reckless that was?”
I exhaled sharply and folded my arms. “You should be happy about it… at least if I’m dead, you’ll get to be with Anita-the woman you love-instead of being in a marriage with me,” I spat.
In the blink of an eye, I was pinned against a tree, his hand wrapped around my throat. Not tight enough to choke me, but enough to hold me in place.
“You really wish to die, don’t you?” he growled angrily, as if the thought of me being dead was traumatizing him.
I swallowed hard, my hands gripping his wrist, but I didn’t push him away. Instead, I met hist gaze, refusing to back down. “What does it matter to you, Alpha Louis?” I whispered, my voice laced with defiance. “Wouldn’t it be good news to you and your brothers if I were gone?” I spat. Louis’s frown deepened, and his hand around my neck tightened further.
“You have no right to die, you bitch, he growled, his voice low and dangerous. “You don’t get to decide that-not unless my brothers and I say so.”
His words sent a shiver down my spine, not out of fear, but something far more unsettling. I could feel the raw possessiveness in his touch, the way his fingers pressed against my skin-firm but not crushing. He was furious at the thought of me dying. bitter laugh escaped me. “Why does it matter, Louis?” I whispered, staring up at him, challenging him. “You don’t want me. You never did. If I were dead, you wouldn’t have to deal with me anymore. You and your brothers could finally be free of the mate bond. Isn’t that what you want?”
Louis flinched, his eyes flashing with something dark and conflicted.
I leaned in, my breath warm against his face. “I should just let the Shadow Pack take me,” I murmured, my voice dripping with provocation. “Maybe they’ll finally put an end to this joke of a marriage. Maybe they’ll-“
“Stop. His voice was strained, as if he were holding himself back.
But I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.
“Maybe I should have let that man in the woods take me,” I continued, pushing him, testing him. “Maybe-“
Louis let out a snarl, his control snapping like a thread stretched too thin. In an instant, his grip on my throat tightened just enough to make my breath hitch, and before I could say another word-
His lips crashed against mine.
Olivia’s POV
It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t gentle. It was raw, desperate, furious. His mouth claimed mine with an urgency that sent a jolt through my entire body. Heat flared between us, burning away the cold night air.
I gasped against his lips, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he deepened the kiss, his tongue forcing past my lips-demanding, conquering. This kiss was different, so different from the one we shared at the altar. That kiss had been forced, a public display. But this… this was possessive, overwhelming, and undeniably my first real kiss.
His hands cradled my face as if trying to ground himself at this moment.
I hated him.
I hated him for kissing me like this. For making my body betray me.
For making me feel.
But I didn’t stop him.
I kissed him back, matching his intensity, letting my anger, my pain, my frustration pour into it. If he wanted to shut me up, if he wanted to silence my words, then fine. But he would also feel every ounce of rage I had buried inside me. 2
As we kissed, Louis let out soft moans, and our wolves purred in delight. And me? It was a bittersweet feeling for me.
Louis broke the kiss first, his breath ragged as he pressed his forehead against mine.
“Stop saying you want to die,” he muttered, his voice hoarse, filled with something that almost sounded like pain.
I swallowed hard, my chest rising and falling with uneven breaths. “Why?” I whispered. “Why do you care?”
Louis exhaled sharply, his fingers still tangled in my hair. “Because, Olivia,” he said, his tone dark and laced with frustration, “I’d burn the whole damn world before I let you die. I have to make you pay for what you did to me, and you can’t do that if you’re dead.
I furrowed my brows. What was he talking about?
Before I could ask, the rustling of leaves caught my attention. A wave of panic washed over me, but the familiar smell of Lennox hit my nose, announcing his presence before he showed up from the trees.
Lennox halted in his tracks as his piercing gaze locked onto me and Louis. I was already dressed, but Louis wasn’t, he was still bare from the shift.
Lennox’s sharp eyes flickered between me and Louis, his expression unreadable, but the tension in his stance was unmistakable.
His gaze lingered on my swollen lips, then flicked to Louis, still bare from the shift, before his jaw clenched.
“Olivia,” he said, his voice dangerously low. “What the hell is going on?”
I swallowed, my mind racing. I could still taste Louis on my lips, still feel the ghost of his touch on my skin. My body was betraying me, trembling from the intensity of what had just happened.
Louis spoke first. “I heard from the guards that Olivia ran into the woods, so I followed to make sure she didn’t do something stupid. But she already did.”
Lennox narrowed his eyes at me. “What did she do?” he asked, his piercing gaze fixed on me so intensely that I had to look away.
Louis sighed. “She ran past the border and straight into the Shadows Pack’s territory.”
Lennox grunted in annoyance and shot me a glare. I could tell he wanted to say more, but he simply turned around and began walking out of the woods.
Louis and I exchanged glances. He frowned at me but said nothing as he started getting dressed. Ignoring him, I turned and followed Lennox out of the woods.
As I made my way back, I could hear Louis’s steps behind me, while Lennox was ahead, never looking back.
I hated this.
I hated how they made me feel-torn, confused, angry.
I hated the way my lips still tingled from Louis’s kiss.
And most of all, hated the way Lennox’s anger felt like a blade slicing through me.
My steps faltered slightly, but I forced myself to keep moving. The scent of the pack house stronger-a reminder that I couldn’t just disappear into the night, no matter how much I wanted grew to.
We arrived at the pack house, and I went straight up to my room. My wolf was still purring at the intense kiss Louis and I shared, but I pushed my mind against it and went to take a shower.
After washing away the lingering heat of the night, I wrapped a towel around my waist and stepped back into my room, only to freeze.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.