My hands balled into fists as I beheld Oliver’s body laying peacefully on his bed, fast asleep. I recalled the events that had led to this and my frown deepened. It took all the self-control that I had to not kill David. And yet, in all of this, I couldn’t help but blame myself. He had come to me. He had trusted me. He had bared himself to me, something that had been hard from the start, and I had pushed him away…straight into the hands of his bastard of an uncle. If only I had gone with him, followed him, this wouldn’t have happened.
What if I had been late?
Oliver groaned and his eyes slowly opened. I sat still in my chair, holding my breath, hoping for some odd reason that he wouldn’t see me. I had no such luck. His bright blue eyes scanned the room, slowly moving until they fell on me at the side of the bed. He smiled, the sides of his lips slowly spreading until his teeth peeked out.
“Hey…” his voice came out in a croaked whisper.
I simply nodded. Oliver’s smile dropped, and he rolled his whole body until he was fully facing me.
“What’s the problem?” He asked, and his eyes fluttered close.
Whatever his uncle had given him just has been very strong. If he had drank any more of that damned coffee, he might not even be alive. But maybe that was what he was going for. After all, he had been intended for sacrifice. Anger surged in me again, and my hands balled into fists.
“I failed…” I said.
Oliver sat up on his bed, sudden strength seemed to be surging through him. “What?”
“I’m sorry…”
“There’s nothing to apologize for, Gabriel. If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you. I should have listened to you…” His voice cracked, and a lone tear rolled down his cheeks. “I was so desperate to find a solution that I didn’t think it through.”
“No. You came to me…you opened up to me, the one time I should have thrown my support behind you and I failed.”
Oliver leaned over the edge of the bed and kissed me. I instinctively leaned forward, claiming his tongue with mine, I moaned into the kiss, all my fears and worries evaporating in this moment. Right there and then, nothing else mattered except Oliver’s lips on mine. We eventually broke apart, breathing rapidly and sharing soft, knowing smiles.
“We need to talk,” Oliver said.
I nodded. “We do.”
“Come.”
Oliver moved backward on the bed and threw back the covers, making space for me to crawl into the bed next to him. I gathered him into my arms and my heart skipped a beat when he rested his head on my chest and wrapped his arms tightly around me. We stayed like that for a while, with me thinking about how to begin the story that was my life.
I sighed. “I’ll start.”
Oliver nodded. “Of course. But you can stop at any time if it gets difficult.”
I placed a kiss on his head and nodded. “Of course.”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, willing myself to bring back old, bitter memories of home, of my family, of my mother, of my old pack…of my new pack.
“As you’re already aware, I’m a werewolf. My father “As you’re already aware, I’m a werewolf. My father was the Alpha of our pack. Growing up, I was groomed to take his place, to be the leader they needed. But it wasn’t an easy life, Oliver.”
I could feel him listening intently, his breath steady as he lay against my chest, his fingers gently tracing patterns on my skin. It made it a little easier to talk, knowing he was there, just listening, no judgment, just understanding.
“My father was a hard man. To him, power and strength were everything. He drilled it into me every single day, training me to be ruthless, to put the pack above everything—even my desires. But my mother… she was different. She tried to soften his influence on me, teaching me to care for others, to be kind, even in a world that didn’t value kindness.”
I paused, swallowing hard as the memories flooded back. “When I was a teenager, things got worse. My father started testing me, pushing me to my limits. He’d set up situations where I had to choose between my happiness and the needs of the pack. And each time, I chose the pack. It’s what he wanted, what he expected.”
Oliver shifted slightly, his head rising to look up at me. “Didn’t you ever want something for yourself? Something outside of what the pack demanded?”
I smiled sadly. “I did. But every time I tried to reach for it, something would happen to pull me back. I had no choice. My father made sure of that.”
Oliver’s eyes were filled with so much sympathy be care that it almost became painful to look at him. Instead, I stared at the clock on the wall, my eyes subconsciously following the hands as it moved.
“He was cruel. He was very cruel. To me, to my mother, to his pack members. To everybody. And it got worse when his mate, my mother, died.”
Oliver gasped. “I’m so sorry…”
I shook my head absently and continued. “She was shot by humans. He already didn’t like humans before the incident, but after that, he hated them more. So much more that he would sometimes go on a rampage in the neighboring village, killing people. He badly wanted me to join him, but I refused. I simply couldn’t do it. That was the beginning of his disappointment in me.”
I took a deep breath and continued. “The second was when he managed to secure a union with another pack’s daughter. In exchange for money, and power, he offered my hand.”
Oliver giggled, and deep down I was glad he could find humor in my pain. “Well, that was not going to work out,” he said, his hand casually brushing between my thighs.
I chuckled and continued. “Clearly. And when I refused, he beat me so hard that I couldn’t walk for a week. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when a human buy had strayed into our territory, he was bruised, a broken ankle. My father had wanted to kill him. I refused. I fought him…”
I trailed off, allowing the memories of that cursed day to come back and curse me afresh. I took a deep breath and shuddered remembering the look of pure murder on my father’s face.
“I challenged him to a fight. A fight to the death…”
Oliver gasped loudly and sat up on the bed, facing me. “That’s so messed up.”
I nodded and continued. “I won…but I couldn’t do it. Kill him. Regardless of everything he had done, he was still my father. Oh, that made him so mad. And in a way, I failed my people. I was meant to liberate them from the shackles of my father, but in failing to kill him, I didn’t secure my spit as the new Alpha…and I got disinherited. I left my father, left the pack, and went on my own. Some pack members followed me, and now we’re a small rough pack localized here.”
“The pack’s demands…they were relentless. I had to be strong, always. And that meant keeping a part of myself locked away, never letting anyone get too close. Until you, Oliver.”
I felt him tense slightly, his grip on me tightening. “And now? What about us, Gabriel? Where do we stand?”
I sighed deeply, my hand running through his hair. “Now… I’m torn. I’ve found something with you that I never thought possible. But the world we live in, the threats we face—they make it so hard. I want to protect you, Oliver, more than anything. But I also know that being with me puts you in even more danger.”
Oliver’s eyes searched mine, and for a moment, we just stared at each other, the weight of everything unsaid hanging between us. Finally, he spoke, his voice strong and steady.
“And what about us?” Oliver whispered, his lips brushing against my chest.
I held him tighter, my heart aching with the need to protect him, to keep him safe from all the dangers that loomed ahead. “We’ll take it one step at a time. But I promise you, Oliver, no matter what happens, I’ll be by your side. We’re in this together.”
He nodded against me, his breath warm on my skin. “Together.”
As the night stretched on, we lay there in the quiet, holding each other close, preparing for the battles to come.