“Remember the nights you needed us,” he said softly. “And we didn’t show up.”
Slap.
I lost count of how many times I struck him after that.
All I knew was the ache in my arm, the tremble in my bones, the burning in my lungs as
I sobbed and hit and sobbed again.
Until finally-I had nothing left to give.
My knees shook. My vision blurred. And I just stood there… gasping.
Lennox’s cheek was swollen, red, bloodied.
But he stood still.
He just stood there like a man trying to atone for his sins. And where I stood, I didn’t know what to feel. Relief? No. It wasn’t relief. It was far from it.
Suddenly, Damien stepped up beside me and spoke casually. “Even this isn’t enough.”
I swallowed hard and looked at Lennox. He stood there like a broken man, and no matter how much I wanted to harden my heart-I couldn’t. Not completely.
“Let’s go,” Alpha Damien said, wrapping his arm around my waist.
I flinched, and my eyes met Lennox’s again.
That’s when I noticed it-the tears brimming in his eyes.
My wolf let out a soft whimper, but I quickly looked away and walked out of the combat ground with Damien.
CAM
As we walked away, the weight of what had just happened clung to me like a heavy blanket. My heart pounded, not from anger anymore, but from confusion. Pain. Regret?
The moment I slapped Lennox, it hadn’t brought the relief I’d expected. It hadn’t fixed anything. It hadn’t erased the heartbreak.
All it had done was remind me of everything I’d survived.
Damien’s hand rested firmly around my waist as we exited the training ground. I didn’t resist-I couldn’t. I didn’t have the strength to pull away. My mind raced, and the fire in chest refused to die down. my
“You did well,” Damien murmured, his voice calm. “He needed that. You needed that.”
I didn’t respond.
Because I wasn’t sure if he was right.
I glanced back once, just once, and saw Lennox still standing there. His head was bowed, his shoulders rigid as stone. He hadn’t moved. He hadn’t wiped the blood away.
He just stood there… like he was trapped in a storm of his own making.
And for the first time in a long time-I didn’t know if I hated him… or if I hurt for him.
Damien guided me towards the steps of the pack house, but I paused before entering. My hand hovered over the railing, and I found my voice again.
“I didn’t want to do that,” I said softly, more to myself than anyone else.
“But you needed to,” Damien said again, his tone still gentle. “Don’t forget what they did, Olivia. Don’t let your heart grow weak again.” waist.
I frowned at his words but said nothing. Instead, I slowly pulled his arm from my “I’m exhausted… I need to rest,” I said and began walking up the stairs. Reaching my room, I unlocked the door, stepped in, and went straight to my new cell phone. I opened it and noticed a few missed calls from Gabriel. I thought about calling -but decided to text instead.
“I missed your calls,” I sent.
His response came quickly.
“Yes. Can we meet? It’s important. It’s about your father’s case. I have something to show you.”
I replied immediately.
“Yes… let’s meet at the boundary in an hour.”
His next message was just as quick.
“Sure… see you soon.”
I stared at the screen long after the conversation ended, my mind racing.
My father’s case.
What had Gabriel found?
Olivia’s POV
I ordered the guards to let me through the border, and they obeyed without question. Once I stepped outside Full Moon Pack territory, I decided to finish the journey in my wolf form. I undressed, folded my clothes neatly beside a tree, and took a deep breath.
The afternoon sun was scorching, and a good swim would help-but that would be after I got back. My wolf, eager to shift, whined in my head. I chuckled softly before surrendering to the shift.
Shifting into my wolf was smooth.
My bones cracked, my muscles stretched, and before I knew it, my brown fur had replaced my skin. My paws touched the ground, soft and steady.
As soon as I shifted, I felt lighter.
The wind rushed past me as I ran through the forest. The trees blurred around me, and the sunlight poured through the branches above. It felt good to move, to run-to forget everything, even just for a while.
Out here, I wasn’t the girl who had been hurt.
I wasn’t the one with a broken heart or painful memories.
I was just a wolf. Strong. Free.
I let out a long howl-not of pain, but of release.
I ran fast, leaping over fallen trees, splashing through small streams, chasing the wind like I used to when I was younger. My heart felt full. My head was quiet.
But as I got closer to the edge of the territory-where Gabriel told me to meet him- the feeling changed.
The air was colder here. The forest was quiet, almost too quiet. My wolf picked up strange scents, but they were weak.
I slowed as I reached the meeting point. That’s when I saw Gabriel-emerging in wolf form from behind the trees. His black fur shimmered under the sunlight, looking more majestic than I’d ever seen it. Or maybe I was exaggerating. Still, something about him made my pulse stir.
He carried a white envelope in his mouth, then swiftly, he shifted into his human form -completely naked.
I swallowed hard as my eyes dropped-unintentionally-between his thighs. I jerked my gaze away and shifted into my human form, equally bare.
We stood only a few feet apart, bare and wordless under the sky. His eyes locked with mine, and he offered a warm, friendly smile. But me? I couldn’t explain the tingling sensation crawling through my body.
My gaze drifted again before I could stop it.
It traced the defined lines of his body. Broad chest, firm abs, skin glistening faintly under the sun. But it wasn’t just his looks that captivated me. It was the quiet confidence in how he stood-calm, unbothered, completely at ease in his own skin.
The envelope lay forgotten at his feet. For a moment, so was everything else.
I swallowed hard again, but it didn’t help.
Because my eyes dropped lower-and stayed there.
My heart skipped.
Gods.
Heat rose to my face, and I quickly looked away, cursing myself silently. What’s wrong with you, Olivia?
But then my wolf chuckled darkly in my head.
“You’re gawking,” she said smugly. “And you’re thinking about what it’d feel like… if he touched you.”
I clenched my fists. No, I wasn’t-
“You were.” Her voice was teasing now. “You’re wondering what his hands would feel like… on your waist. On your hips. Your back.”
I bit my lip, trying to shut her out.
But she wasn’t wrong.
My mind had wandered there. To his hands on me. To what his skin would feel like against mine. To how his eyes might look-darker, needier. To what his mouth would feel like…
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.