Chapter 18: Return to the Pack–1
Chapter 18: Return to the Pack
(Connor’s POV)
I handed the phone back to Olivia, keeping my expression deliberately neutral despite the irritation I felt seeing that message.
“Your friend seems to have sent you a message,” I said calmly, watching her reaction carefully.
“Hm? Let me see.” Olivia took the phone, her face immediately stiffening as she read the
message.
I knew she’d realized I had seen the notification banner with Ethan Grey’s condescending
words. Her amber eyes flickered with guilt as she turned back to me.
“My ex–boyfriend. We’ve broken up,” she explained, her voice slightly strained.
“Mm,” I responded, maintaining my bland expression, revealing nothing of my thoughts.
I’d known about her relationship with Ethan Grey for years. My visits to Harbor City weren’t just
casual trips–I’d been keeping tabs on her, watching from a distance as she built her life here. I’d seen how Ethan treated her, how he took her for granted, and it had taken considerable
restraint not to intervene.
But now wasn’t the time to reveal that. Olivia needed to make her own choices, and I would
respect that process, even as I positioned myself to be there when she was ready.
(Olivia’s POV)
A faint fluster rose within me as I stood there with my phone in hand. Why was I nervous? I
was twenty–five years old, and having an ex–boyfriend was perfectly normal.
Besides, I had dated Ethan before agreeing to the arranged mating with Connor. I’d done
nothing wrong, nothing to betray my future partner.
As this realization settled, my panic gradually subsided. I took a deep breath and steadied
myself.
To draw a clear boundary–both for Connor and for myself–I unlocked my phone right in front of him. With deliberate movements, I navigated to Ethan’s contact and blocked his number.
“Don’t worry,” I said softly, looking up at Connor. “Since I’ve agreed to this mating arrangement,
my ex will only ever be the past.”
1/3
< Chapter 18 Return to the Pac
25 Puntes
Connor nodded quietly, his ice–blue eyes still unreadable. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking
behind that calm exterior.
I turned away, missing the slight curve that formed at the corners of his lips.
The next few days passed peacefully. Connor and I continued exploring Harbor City together, building a comfortable rapport that felt surprisingly natural. But eventually, it was time to face
reality.
“I think I should return to Riverdale,” I told Connor over breakfast on our sixth day together. “I’ve
been away from my family for three years. It’s time.”
Connor nodded, understanding in his eyes. “I’ll arrange everything.”
True to his word, he handled all the details. We flew to Riverdale the following morning, and
Henry Morris met us at the airport with a sleek black SUV.
The drive to the Winters estate was quiet, filled with my growing apprehension. As we
approached the familiar gates of my childhood home, Connor turned to me with gentle
concern in his eyes.
“Do you want me to come in with you?” he asked, his deep voice soft.
I shook my head slightly, my amber eyes reflecting determination despite my inner turmoil.
“No need.”
Connor respected my choice without question. Once his car drove away, I was left standing
before the grand gates of my childhood home.
A surge of complex emotions filled me–nostalgia, apprehension, and a faint ache that
wouldn’t subside. After three years away, I was finally home, yet I had no house key. Like an
outsider, I had to ring the doorbell.
The irony stung my heart as I pressed the button.
Moments later, the door opened to reveal Agatha Turner, the loyal housekeeper who had
watched me grow up. Seeing me, she was momentarily stunned, her eyes widening in
disbelief.
“M–Miss Olivia, you’re back?” she choked on her words, her voice trembling.
Hearing that simple question, a wave of sourness surged in my heart. “Mm,” I responded softly, unable to say more.
Tears immediately glistened in Agatha’s eyes as she stepped aside to welcome me home. Her joy and relief were overwhelming, making my own eyes sting.
Chapter 18 Return to the Pac
+25 Puntos >
Agatha had served the Winters family for more than ten years and had always treated me like her own child. The night my mother died from wolfsbane poisoning, it was Agatha who found me collapsed in the snow and carried me back inside.
During those long nights of fever and grief, when I wasted away mourning my mother, Agatha stayed by my side. She coaxed me to eat, bathed my forehead when fever took hold, and held
me through the nightmares.
Without her, I might never have survived that dark time. Even after I left home, I still called her during holidays, maintaining our deep bond across the distance.
Moved by these memories, I took out a delicate gift box from my bag and passed it to her.