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
Lana's P.O.V.Kaylee froze as we descended the stairs, hearing Oliver's confession about his attempted suicide. It was like a bucket of ice water had been poured over her, and her body had gone rigid. I didn't wait for her to snap out of it. Oliver had asked for privacy to talk to his father, and he deserved the respect for us to honor that.I placed a hand on Kaylee's back, pushing her forward gently and encouraging her out the front door. She moved willingly but stayed silent, looking despondent."I didn't know." She whispered as she walked forward. Maddie released my hand, moving to walk in front of us as the other kids came into our sight, running in the sprinklers that were attached to several hoses. "Was…""Kaylee," I interrupted, and she looked up at me. "I know that was hard to hear, but it's not my story to tell. There are ears everywhere, and unless Oliver is the one telling that story, I don't think they need to hear it.
Oliver's P.O.V. Parkers seemed very uneasy being responsible for Maddie, even though the exhaustion from the day had wiped her out. It was going to be an easy afternoon for him. I knew from the short time I had with Maddie that she would probably be napping for at least an hour after her time in the sun this morning. Yet, he was stiff and uncomfortable, as if he was worried that she would come out of her room before we got back from our date. Meanwhile, I was on edge, nervous about having to tell Lana that she was about to shift on the next full moon. It was a decision that I had no right to make for her, yet I placed the mark on her neck without her consent anyway, desperate to make her mine. She may have seemed happy about it now, but I had no clue what her reaction would be to finding out that everything was about to change. Having me in her life was throwing one curveball at her after another. I just hoped she could catch it. "I'll be fine. She's sleeping. Go get your girl," T
Lana's P.O.V. It was beautiful. Everything about the way the trees provided shade and protection, hanging high over us, and how open the space was had me daydreaming about the future that we could have. I wanted to have it with Oliver more than anything, and it was finally happening. He was mine. We were going to build a home. Perhaps we could even expand our family when the time was right. The need to ask him how it went with his father was on the tip of my tongue, but he seemed so happy compared to earlier. I didn't want to bring up those bad memories when we were having such a nice time. But, no matter what, I was going to make sure to check on him. Before we went to bed, I would sit him down and make sure that he was okay. He had experienced trauma that would stay deep in the core of who he was for the rest of his life. So far, he had fought it. He had come out the other side as a good and loving man. But that didn't mean the pain was not still there, that the wounds did not n
Oliver's P.O.V. I was fighting my every instinct to run toward the attack, wanting to eliminate them so my family would be safe. Over the past few months, I had killed dozens of rogues, removing threat after threat from around my home. Now, running away from the fight felt wrong. But I was under the command of my Alpha. Parker wanted us out of the way until they could figure out a way to stop the rogues that were hunting me. It was bad enough that they were banding together, but now the rogues had actually become a threat due to their rapidly growing army. The pack house door was already open when we arrived, the building filling with kids as their parents dropped them off before rushing off to stand at their posts and prepare for battle. I didn't bother to acknowledge Kaylee as she continued to herd the children into the safe room. As she couldn't fight due to her pregnancy, it was her job to ensure the safety of our young. She was busy, and I was on a mission. Each head of light
Lana's P.O.V.The dark mahogany wood of the large brown table was particularly interesting. The lines and swirls of the knots in the polished wood were a lot less intimidating than the wolves surrounding it. I had never seen so many large men and women in such a confining space.Each body that was added to the room seemed to take away more oxygen from around us, sending me into an internal spiral. I knew everything was okay, and I didn't want to embarrass Oliver by falling victim to my demons and having an outburst or panic attack. Yet, the lack of freedom, and the fact that every single person in the room with me could easily overpower me, made the walls close in just a bit further.My mind was in a spiral, but my body was frozen, my fingers gripping the arms of the chair in fists so tight I could no longer feel my hands.The sound of the door slamming closed made me jump, and Oliver quickly grabbed the hand closest to him, prying my fin
Lana's P.O.V.The rest of the meeting had been a loud and argumentative discussion to determine which method of defense and attack would be best. I sat back quietly, taking in as much information as I could to educate myself, but I gave no input.My lack of knowledge when it came to battle, or even about the pack land in general, had me at a loss. But I knew it wasn't my place to participate in the conversation anyway. I was only here because Parker either wanted to piss off his father-in-law, or he just wanted us to know what was happening since our enemy had made it clear that they wanted Oliver's head when they sent those hunting parties after him.Kaylee was particularly vocal. She put forth several well-thought-out ideas, and Parker was doing an excellent job as the Alpha. He encouraged each person who spoke up but also questioned each tactic and strategy. Together they broke down all of the weak spots in every suggestion to see all possibl
Lana's P.O.V. The rest of the day was tense. When the kids were let out of the safe room, Maddie had a collection of new stories that she wanted to share with me. Meanwhile, Oliver didn't relax until his father had left the pack house and he had Maddie back, clinging to him like a koala bear. I tried to talk to him about what happened when we were finally in the privacy of our bedroom, but he resisted, and I didn't want to force him. He had dealt with a lot of stressful encounters since coming home, and I wanted him to know that he didn't need to worry about that with me. We were a team. Yet, as I lay in bed, staring at the slowly rotating ceiling fan that was gently circulating the air and listening to the hum of the heater, my fears got the best of me. It was only a week until the full moon. With the impending war and all of the drama with Mr. Blake, we never got the chance to finish our conversation about me shifting.
Oliver's P.O.V. I watched Lana carefully, seeing how she was moving differently than before. The closer we got to the full moon, the more her body would begin to hurt, but she was doing a great job trying to hide it. Her muscles were coiled tightly beneath her skin as if she had just done an intense workout, making her look more toned but still just as beautiful. Maddie laughed at the movie playing on the television that was mounted to the wall, while Lana lay in bed next to her. It had been a very tense and busy day, but coming back to our room together was like hiding away in our own oasis. Nothing could bother us here. Yet, the emotions coming from Lana were different than I had expected. I had anticipated for her to be nervous, maybe even scared as the full moon approached. Instead, she felt guilty and torn. I wanted to help, but I wasn't sure what she would be feeling guilty about. "Are you going to tell me what's on your mind?" I whispered into her ear as she lay against my