Chapter 16: Heist

OLIVIA

She was a thief.

That was the reality Olivia was grappling with.

She let out a groan, her forehead meeting the kitchen table with a thud. It had all happened in a blur, so quickly that she hadn’t even realized what she was doing until it was too late.

She’d been in the supply closet at work, her hands mindlessly stuffing necessities into her backpack.

The image of Allie’s face flashed in her mind as she ~pilfered~ from the hospital.

What if they didn’t have anyone to care for them? What if they were out of supplies?

Most of the items she’d taken were too pricey for her to afford at a drugstore—and, sadly, it was easier to steal from her workplace than a store.

She raised her head, cradling it in her hands as her elbows rested on the table. Her gaze fell on the stolen goods spread out on her table, a wave of guilt washing over her, filling her chest like a scorching heatwave.

She couldn’t take it back. It was too late for that. What was she thinking? That she’d call Alexander and tell him she had a present for his pack?

Why did she even care? Why did she want them to be safe?

She slapped her hands over her face, feigning a sob as her confusion escalated.

Her entire perception of alphas and packs was based on what Will had told her.

She’d encountered a few werewolves since her transformation, but she’d never interacted with them. She had no personal experiences to either validate or refute Will’s claims. Why would she have spoken to them? She’d been told to steer clear of them.

Will had been deeply hurt, convinced that all alphas were the same. They were to blame for his family’s demise, for his parents’ murder…

And then he’d gone to live with his human grandparents.

Didn’t that imply he was better off with humans than his own kind?

She’d never questioned it. He’d told her countless stories…his grandparents had also expressed their disdain for werewolves.

The fact that she was brutally attacked and left for dead didn’t help...it was a miracle she ~didn’t~ die.

Alexander was no help either.

He was so unpredictable.

At times, he was gentle.

He’d held her, checked on her, driven her home without uttering a word, a threat, or anything. But then, he’d coerced her into situations she didn’t want, he’d manipulated her…

He’d touched her in a way that made her toes curl…

But that wasn’t the issue. Nope, that had nothing to do with her current dilemma.

~Ugh~.

“Rise and shine.”

Oh, no. ~No, no, no, no.~

She grimaced as the door creaked open, revealing Will.

He was holding a brown paper bag overflowing with groceries as he sauntered into her apartment, the keys jingling in his hand.

“Morning sunshine.”

“Will?”

Yes. Okay. She was still avoiding Will.

But could she really be blamed for that? She was terrible at lying to him and every lie she told made her stomach churn.

“Brought some food. Thought you might be hungry. You know, since you’ve been working so much. I mean, I ~assume~ you’ve been working a lot. Why else would my best friend be ignoring me?”

Despite his smile, his words stung. Yeah, she wasn’t getting out of this one. “Will…”

He dropped the bag on her counter, the sound echoing through the small apartment. “No, Liv.” He reached into the bag, pulling out a bag of apples.

“I’m tired of your excuses. I know something’s up with you. What I can’t figure out is why you won’t tell me.”

“Will, I’m fine.”

“Ah, ah, ah,” he said, pulling out eggs from the bag. “I can tell when you’re lying, you know.”

Yes, he could.

“It’s—just—I don’t know.”

~I think you might be wrong about alphas?~ How could she ever say that to him? She couldn’t. Not after everything he lost. It wouldn’t be fair to him. Of course, he viewed them as monsters after what they had done to his family.

His shoulders sagged as he let out a sigh. “Liv, you know you can talk to me about that alpha, right?”

Her eyes widened, her breath hitching in her throat. How…how did he know?

Did he realize she had seen him? Was he aware that she had allowed him to touch her, to kiss her? ~What did he know?~ She was struggling to breathe, to think. Her chest felt like it was collapsing, air becoming a scarce commodity.

Will ran his fingers through his brown hair, messing it up.

“Whatever happened between you and him that night at the hospital…you can share it with me. I won’t fall apart or anything. I’m already aware they’re monsters. You can confide in me, you don’t have to bear it alone.”

“Oh.” The word slipped out like a gasp. ~Oh~. He thought she had been harmed that night. He thought she was frightened?

He believed she had lied to spare his feelings.

To prevent him from knowing the extent of her hurt. Acidic bile rose in her throat, but she forced it back down. Now she felt even worse.

Will moved around the counter, heading towards her. When he reached her, he placed a comforting hand on her arm, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Did he harm you—I know you said you escaped but… Was that the truth? It wouldn’t be your fault if you—~you know~.”

She shook her head. “We didn’t.” It was faint, but she thought she saw relief wash over his face.

Was it relief because an alpha hadn’t touched her, or was it relief because no one had touched her? “It was the first time. You know. That I…interacted with one.”

Olivia couldn’t meet his gaze.

Not while she was deceiving him.

“I mean, I didn’t anticipate it. I’ve never encountered one in a place like a hospital. They usually steer clear of crowded places. And—”

“And now you feel like they’re omnipresent,” he completed her sentence.

Well, she felt like ~he~ was omnipresent. And he kind of was… He kept appearing all the time. But if she was being completely honest, she hadn’t exactly tried her best to keep him at bay.

“Yeah.”

“It fades. The first few years, I felt like they were everywhere. I couldn’t see them, I couldn’t smell them, but I was always looking over my shoulder.” He let go of her arm and instead cradled her face in his hands.

“I won’t let anyone harm you, Liv.”

~Livy~.

For fuck’s sake.

Will had always called her Liv. She barely knew Alexander. So why did her mind anticipate the nickname Livy instead?

“You don’t need to protect me. I can take care of myself. And I wouldn’t let one of those jerks lay a finger on you, okay?”

~It was a bit late for that~. “I know.”

“Good, so stop avoiding me, alright?”

She nodded, hoping the movement would conceal the tremor in her chin.

This deception couldn’t last forever. She’d either have to completely cut Alexander out of her life…or she’d have to confess the truth to Will.

Neither option seemed possible.

Will would never accept this, and Alexander didn’t comprehend the concept of refusal.

She’d have to make a decision eventually because the truth always surfaced and she’d have to confront her lie.

“Now, let’s get you something to eat. You look thin,” Will said as he pulled away from her.

“Will?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry.”

He brushed her off with a wave of his hand. “Don’t sweat it.”

~Easier said than done~.