Two days had gone by since the day Olivia escaped her worst nightmare and ran straight into the arms of another one. She couldn't believe how drastically her life had changed in a matter of a few days.
If Noah's doings weren't enough, now, she awaited a trial. Yes, exactly, a darn trial about her future inside or outside the territory she was kept as a prisoner.
The funniest part of the mess was that Olivia couldn't understand how a man with such an honourable reputation and name could be so mean. He didn't spare a moment to listen to her or even consider letting her explain what had happened. "So much for the sanctuary for the lost and forgotten," she whispered, pulling her knees to her chest.
The cells were cold and smelled worse than some public toilets she had used back in England. Olivia sat on the ground, which didn't have as much as concrete to cover the dirt; her back was pressed against the rock wall, and her eyes were closed. After two days without water and food, her stomach rumbled louder than the feral rogues in the other cells.
She knew that by the time someone pulled her out of there, she would look like an absolute mess. Not that she already didn't, given she had to sleep on the ground and some guards found it amusing to splash prisoners with water. Once the dirt became mud, it stuck to Olivia's skin, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get it off anymore.
The guard's excuses for the improvised shower didn't make much sense, but Olivia knew better than to complain.
Besides, she knew that everything might have ended way worse than it was now. If she didn't get stuck in this territory, there was no saying where she might have ended up.
Any other Alpha would have sent her back without as much as listening to her story since, by their law, she was Noah's property. There was a chance she might have run into rogues or slept in a cave.
Olivia was aware that the conditions provided by Alpha Landon weren't the best, but they still felt better than nothing. Soon enough, she would face the Alpha's son, tell him everything that happened and beg the man to let her go.
She refused to consider the possibility of returning to Noah. Anything, even death, felt better than life trapped under a ruthless man.
"You look weird. Has anyone told you that before?" The guards' voice startled Olivia; she threw her head back with such feed it hit against the rock with a loud thud.
Olivia knew she most likely split skin since something warm ran down her spine, but she refused to show weakness. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, mister guard, but yes, I've heard that plenty of times." She whispered, eyeing the guard with caution.
The last thing Olivia wanted was to annoy or anger the guards. Besides, she had to show them she was better than they thought.
Just because this pack became a rival to that of her adoptive parents didn't mean Olivia had no manners or respect for others.
"What are you?" The guard scratched his bald head and raised an eyebrow at her. Though usually, she would find the question offensive, Olivia could see the confusion on the guard's face, so she figured the man was being curious, not trying to disrespect her.
With a loud sigh, she shook her head and smiled. "The doctors told me I have albinism. It's something about lacking pigment; that's why I'm so pale, my hair is white and eyes are, as you say, weird." As Olivia raised her eyes to look at the guard, she realised the answer came as one she would give to a friend, so to fix the mistake, she added, "sir."
"Never seen a wolf albino, that's for sure. Your eyes, yeah, those are bizarre. Has anyone told you they don't like to meet your gaze? Like, with all due respect, young lady, but looking into your eyes creeps me out. There's something eerie hidden in those orbs, something that kicks in the instinct to survive. You're the prettiest devil I've seen." The guard chuckled and went about his way without sparing Olivia another glance.
She couldn't understand why, all of a sudden, the guard decided to question her. It wasn't that Olivia hadn't heard the same questions more than once over the years; it was how the man caught her off guard.
Once he was far enough, Olivia reached back to check if the damage on the back of her head was more than a tiny split, and once her fingers ran over the massive cut, she flinched, sucking in a breath.
Asking for help or assistance wasn't an option since she was a prisoner, so the best she could do was to tear off fabric from her dress and press it against the wound. If she were back home, she would have to get some stitches, but extras as such were meant for pack members, not Olivia.
There was a risk of getting an infection given the conditions Olivia was stuck in, but there was no way to avoid that either.
Struggling to add the necessary pressure to her wound, Olivia didn't notice how the same guard was returning from his walk. He stopped at her cell and sniffed. "I smell blood," he pointed out the obvious.
Olivia wanted to snap back with a sarcastic remark, to say something so disrespectful that it would shut the guard up for good. Something so venomous that he would think twice the next time he called her devil, but for such an outbreak, the consequences might be more than Olivia could bear.
"It's my fault, sir. I didn't notice you approaching the cell earlier, and once you spoke, your voice startled me, and I raised my head too fast. Kind of hit it against the wall and split the skin a little. It's nothing big; I'll be fine," she added the last part even though she knew the guard didn't give two shits about her well-being. He needed to ensure the prisoners sat in their cells and didn't escape before the trial.
"No," the guard shook his head. "I need to warn my Alpha. You are a prisoner, but that doesn't make you less than others. Just because life deals everyone different cards doesn't mean they're less human or wolf," the guard announces and storms off.
A bitter chuckle left her lips at the words. How was he to claim Olivia wasn't less than others if his Alpha never gave her a chance to explain why she was there? She never crossed the border to harm someone or stir up trouble. If it weren't for the bitter man in that office, she would be on her way to England.
Sharp pain at the back of her head made Olivia press the blood-drenched fabric against her wound more forcefully. She had no idea how bad it was, but this had to be the worst accident she had had over the years.
As time passed, Olivia felt light-headed and black dots started clouding her vision. She must have lost more blood than she thought if this was how her body reacted.
Olivia's eyelids felt heavier than ever. Strength slowly flooded out of her muscles, and she couldn't force herself to hold the fabric to her wound. If it were her fate to bleed to the death of the enemy's cells, she'd accept whatever it was for as long as she didn't have to return to Noah.
When she gave in and let her eyes close, Olivia heard distant voices nearing the cell. One of them had to be the guard who spoke to her earlier, but there were two more men who spoke, voices she had never heard.
There was a sound of metal hitting metal, and then the cell door opened. Before anyone approached her, Olvia's body slumped on the ground. "She lost too much blood; we need to get her to the hospital," someone announced in panic. Olivia tried to open her eyes, but each attempt ended in failure. Before the darkness finally enveloped her, someone shouted, "Why is this woman in the cells? Do you have any idea who she is?"
He tried to find her. Noah tried more than he had ever before, and if anything his mother used to tell him was true, it mattered if he tried his best. Yet, each of his attempts to look for her ended up with him stuck facing a dead end. Olivia disappeared; she managed to fade into thin air without one lead to track her down. "God fucking damn it!" Noah screamed as he grabbed a photo frame and threw it against the wall. He went as far as to spread Olivia's photos across the nearby packs, and against every instinct he had, Noah sent them to Landon's territory. He hated the man with passion, but he was so desperate that he had to cave in. Never before in his life had Noah felt so powerless. He was sure Olivia couldn't leave him even if she wanted to, but he knew he had to know better. Since he could remember her entering his life, she had always been as stubborn and unmovable as a brick wall. After everything he had already done, Noah decided to fly to England. If Olivia had somewher
When Olivia woke up, the first thought that crossed her mind was that she had to be dead. How else would she end up in such a bright space and sleep on something that felt like a cloud under her body?The last time she had slept so peacefully was back in England while she lived with her aunt. The memories hurt her; it was nothing but a constant reminder of how fake her happiness was. Luna Mira was the only mother Olivia had known, and she loved the woman, but the connection she had with Anne was something out of this world. The woman Olivia had called her aunt for years became another mother figure. Olivia didn't notice how she teared up until the tears started sliding down her cheeks. An annoying beeping sound next to her became louder, which alerted someone in the room."Thank God you're awake. You gave us some serious scare," a smiling woman hovered over her. Noticing the gentle look in her eyes, Olivia couldn't hold back the need to hear Anne's voice. She needed the reassuremen
Olivia sat up in the bed as she kept gazing at the stranger standing before her. She wasn't sure if she had ever met him before, but the more she tried to come up with any instance she might have met him- there were none. Surely, she would remember a man as inhumanly handsome as this stranger. If she thought Noah looked like a demigod, this man had to be too close or even better looking than her fake brother. Olivia's eyes darted to the nurse, who picked up some papers from the nightstand, bowed and left the room. Only when the woman was gone did Olivia dare to look at the man again. Yep, still nothing. She had no idea who he was and how he knew her name. Arching an eyebrow, she cleared her throat and reminded herself she must remain polite to prove them a point. "My apologies, I feel sincerely bad for saying this, but I don't think we have ever met before, so I have no idea who you are, sir." The man flashed her a blinding smile and shook his head. "No need to apologise, Oli
Once the confession left her lips, Olivia wasn't sure what she feared more: the possibility of making Logan angry or him sending her back to Noah. Though Logan looked like a good man, she couldn't tell if he had any ulterior motives when it came to her. All her life, Olivia had to be careful around people and hide her identity so that no one would think of using her against her parents. But then again, Logan knew who she was, and it didn't look like he needed more money than he had, so Olivia dared to assume he wouldn't act like this was some kidnapping case. Come to think of it, that was something she had to find out: how did Logan know who she was? Her parents had a habit of hiding her because of her unique looks, so there weren't many people who knew Olivia existed. Logan had an expression on his face that Olvia couldn't read, yet when he muttered 'so that's why', she had to question him. "Logan, may I ask how you know who I am? And what's why?" Olivia raised an eyebrow but t
Landon led the way as his son followed in his footsteps. The old Alpha knew he had little to no power over the pack and his son after he handed down the title, but this wasn't a matter of power play. There was no way he would measure dicks with his son to decide which one of them was more powerful or wiser. Landon could bet his head on one thing: his son was a competent and reasonable Alpha. Logan didn't utter a word. He knew better than to confront his father out in the open. The hospital wasn't the right place to start something none wanted to finish, so both men had only one goal in mind- the office. And as they got closer, Logan couldn't shake off the feeling that something was terribly wrong. Though he tried to guess what it might be, Logan didn't believe the issue could be pack-related. No matter how desperately he tried to grasp on anything but Olivia's involvement in the issue his father might discuss, Logan couldn't. His father hadn't been acting like himself since Olivia
"You can resign from your position as the Beta once we get back home," Noah announced with zero emotions lacing his words. Enzo stood behind him while Anne gaped at him in panic. Noah was sure both of them expected he would blow up and go absolutely bonkers, but he didn't, which was why the tension between them was thick enough to be cut before their eyes. Anne shifted her weight on her feet, acting as if Noah's emotionless gaze burned her skin, but he didn't care. His aunt, the only sibling of his dead mother, had chosen where her loyalty stood, and it wasn't where it should be. As harsh as the words sounded in his mind, Noah had to voice them before he lost the courage. "You're out, Anne. For good." His aunt gulped as her eyes widened. She didn't need more explanations of what he meant, but Anne didn't expect Noah would go that far. Yet, then again, she didn't expect he would fly to England in hopes of finding Olivia either. "You can't," she whispered, trying to catch on his b
Logan turned out to be everything Olivia thought he wasn’t. Never, not even once, did he make her feel less than she was or like she wasn’t welcome. The Alpha made it his point to stay close to Olivia while she had to stay in the hospital. It seemed a little ridiculous how one wrong move had landed her under such intense care. However, after two full days under the careful observations of the hospital staff, Olivia was allowed to leave the hospital premises. Though she was excited about that, she had no idea where she would go after. It wasn’t like she didn’t have a home. She did, but the only home Olivia would agree to return to was in England. Sure, she could ask Logan to drive her to the nearest airport, but something in her gut kept nagging that it wouldn’t work. If Noah had already gone to England, she couldn’t know if he left or if he made sure some of his men were there, expecting her arrival. The pack? Ha, that was the last place anyone would see her ever again. The odd t
Was he serious? Did Logan just ask Olivia, who technically was supposed to be his enemy, to the biggest event of the year among shifters?Olivia glared at Logan as if he grew another head before her eyes. He had to understand how outrageous his request sounded, right?Besides, of all things he could offer, this had to be the one she didn’t want to acknowledge. How did he expect her to attend an event where she would meet the very man who had caused so much hurt?Anyone could call her a coward for as much as she cared, but Olivia didn’t want to face Noah. Not in this life or others. She shook her head. “I know I came across as a real brat earlier, but if you thought I would do something like that, you must understand that you have another thing coming for you. I’m trying to escape Noah, not jump in his arms. Not happening, sorry.” Logan observed her while Olivia braced herself for another line of questions or attempts to talk her into attending the event, but to her surprise, he shru