Olivia felt the morning sun shining on her face. She distinctly remembered closing the curtains the night before, needing the feel of safety that came with being in a small enclosed space without the vast darkness of night seeping into her room. So this early morning presence of bright sunlight on her face was disconcerting.Her eyes blinked open as she tried to block the sun from her face with her arm. "Good morning, Olivia," a deep voice called out to her. She looked at the table that was situated in front of the fireplace. There were two plates sitting on top of the table, both filled with a variety of food, and a pot of coffee perched on the table to the side of the plates, cups empty and ready for the steaming liquid. Under normal circumstances, the sight would be welcome but the dark eyes that studied her from one of the chairs made her stomach drop in dread. As if he could sense her trepidation, Simon spoke."Oh, come now, my dear," his eyes sparkled with lascivious delight a
Ben could feel the metal on his wrists rubbing his skin raw, he wasn't healing which meant the metal was silver, poison to a wolf but incredibly effective at keeping them confined. His eyes were sore as he opened them slowly and tried to look around the room despite the pain in his chest and the pounding in his head. He looked down at his chest and saw a gaping wound, a wound that had been put there by the Alpha. The Alpha had wanted him dead, and now he was in jail. There was no safe place in this godforsaken city, the humans would skin him alive and sleep on his pellet fur while the Alpha would dance around his burning corpse. Both options were dire. He couldn't leave Olivia to fend for herself. She would be killed by the humans if they knew how much she had helped him. And, in hindsight, it had done no good, as the city was in ruins despite their best attempts at peace. The last thing Ben had seen was an explosion and the smell of fire and smoke filling the air as the tallest bu
Ben crouched in the undergrowth of the forest just outside the large stone wall. The wall had been there for almost two centuries and it blocked the wolves' access to the river beyond. In years past, they had traveled around the wall to get to the southern side of the river but the time had come to fix the problem the wall posed. They had finally acquired enough explosives to get rid of a portion of it and they finally had the knowledge to bring it down. The humans that lived on the other side of the wall would be furious, which only added to his pleasure. If he was lucky, he would take a few of them out along with the stone wall. He looked over at the dozen other werewolves crouched around the undergrowth near him. They were waiting for his signal. As soon as he gave the word, they would light the explosives and run. It would be a matter of seconds before the wall exploded and the wolves would be able to join their trench with the river beyond before the humans descended on
Olivia ran as fast as she was able. Carrying Maribelle was difficult. She wasn't used to having such a large weight in her arms as she ran, but the 8-year-old clung to her frantically. Maribelle was shaking in Olivia's arms, her fear getting the best of her. Olivia knew how she felt."Olivia, what was that? Who was that? Did you know him? Why did he let us go?" Maribelle asked. She had finally found her voice and she was as confused as Olivia was."I don't know, Belle, but I think it's best we not talk about it with anyone. Can you keep it a secret for me? Just you and me?" Olivia asked, glancing down at the little girl. Maribelle nodded her head, her eyes wide. "Just until I figure out what is going on.""My foot really hurts, Livie," Maribelle said, resorting to the nickname she used for her big sister."I know, Belle, I'm going to get you home and we'll get the doctor to look at it. I'm sure it will heal soon. I'll take you there myself once the
"WHERE ARE THEY?" a loud voice boomed down the hall."Richard, calm yourself," Susan's voice followed as both Richard and Susan burst through the door to Maribelle's room. The door was flung wide open, slamming into the wall behind as Richard, Susan, Dr. Northern, and Ms. Bates filed into the room."What happened? Where are you hurt? Who did this?" Richard asked, rushing into the room and walking swiftly to Maribelle's side. He stopped and looked her over from head to foot, determining her injuries. Seeing nothing serious, he relaxed and glanced into her eyes."Just my foot, papa," Maribelle replied."Your foot? That's all? You're sure the rest of you is ok?" Richard asked, gently prodding her arms, legs, and head, checking for bumps and bruises that would indicate she had another hidden injury."Yes, papa, just my foot. Livie got me free and brought me home, it was nothing, really," she said with a small smile."Olivia, you are ok? Wh
Olivia looked at Simon, he had a superior look on his face as if he were gloating over something. She was sure she had heard him wrong. "My intended? What are you carrying on about?" she asked him, frowning as she took in his words. "Oh, your father hasn't told you yet? You and I are to be married. We are betrothed. I believe he intends to announce it tonight. I was going to propose, but seeing as how I am sure you will say no, I will let your father do it for me. It would do well if you wore this ring when he makes the announcement. You know how you women are, wanting to see the rock the moment the words escape someone's mouth. You wouldn't want to disappoint them or your father," Simon said with a smirk. He knew that he had said the right words because Olivia looked at her father across the room. He was watching her and Simon with a small smile on his face. He raised his glass of champagne toward her and nodded slightly as if to toast her and Simon. She loo
Olivia stayed in her sister's room well past midnight, watching her sister sleep, her chest rising and falling with each breath she took in. She was relieved that Maribelle was doing well. She rose from her chair and went to Maribelle's balcony doors, opening them wide to let the cool, summer breeze flow through the room. It was warm during the day and at night, it was easier to sleep with the windows open to allow the air to move through the rooms.She sat back down in the chair next to her sister's bed and pulled a book out to read. She didn't want to return to her room tonight, dealing with Simon was more than she could handle after the day she had. She was better off leaving him for tomorrow. She'd be damned if she went to his room tomorrow night. She would fend him off as long as she could, and if there really was to be a wedding, then he could wait until their wedding night.As she sat there, holding her book in her hands, fuming over Simon her mind t
Olivia froze. She didn't know what to do. She was in a river, swimming with a wolf that she couldn't stop thinking about and they were about to face either a wolf or a human, she wasn't sure which. "Xander?" Ben called out. "Ben?" the voice replied. "Yeah, it's me. Are you on patrol next?" Ben asked, putting himself between Xander and Olivia. "Yeah, I am. Who's that in the river with you?" Xander called out. Olivia could almost see his face in the darkness, but he was definitely a wolf. "Just a minute," Ben said to Olivia as he climbed out of the river. He reached down to pull her out and helped her to her feet. She was standing just a few feet away from the second werewolf that she had met in the past twenty-four hours. He was handsome. Not as handsome as Ben, but better looking than the human men she met on her side of the city. Ben shook his dark hair out and looked at Xander, something passed between them. "This is Olivia," Ben sai