ALEXANDER
~Mine.~
She was there, asleep, her face peaceful and worry-free. He couldnât resist as he gently stroked her hair, his gaze fixed on her face. She was safe.
He hadnât shared this with her, but when heâd grasped how close heâd been to losing her years ago, a wave of panic had washed over him like never before. He hadnât understood it then.
He hadnât known what she would grow into, how significant she would become in his life. Now he did. She had almost slipped away from him.
Would he have found another soulmate?
Or would he have roamed this world forever, alone, seeking someone who was already lost?
A chill swept over his warm skin, and he shook his headâdwelling on what might have been was futile. She was here now.
He had her. She had him. That was all that mattered.
He couldnât bear to think about it. Now that they were bonded, the mere thought of her dying or being lost to him was enough to fill his heart with torment.
He couldnât even imagine life without her. Sheâd become a part of him, and if he lost her, heâd lose himself too.
~Enough~.
Heâd concentrate on what he had instead.
She was here with him. In ~their~ room.
Everything smelled like her now. Reminded of how little she possessed, he had expanded the shopping list earlier today. She needed more clothes, more essentialsâeven a new phone.
She hadnât switched on her old phone since sheâd joined them.
He knew it was pointless. She couldnât return to her old life.
However, he was worried about the impact on her if she saw messages from coworkers or that jerkâs girlfriend. He wanted to protect her from that.
He knew that eventually sheâd venture beyond the packâs boundaries.
He was away at times too. He wanted them to have a means of communication. Plus, heâd been keeping tabs on anything related to the incident.
At this point, since they had both vanished and ~both~ their blood was found at the scene, they were both reported missing. No one seemed to suspect either of them of attacking or killing the other.
He guessed part of it was due to that betaâs girlfriend who didnât want his true identity exposed. The deeper they dug, the worse it would get.
At least there was no arrest warrant for Olivia.
Sheâd be a missing person and eventually people would forget having seen her face on a poster, on the news, and she would venture into distant towns.
And that jerk? ~No~. He wouldnât think about him.
Olivia was his priority. One step at a time. Heâd help her adjust to a new normal life.
He hadnât had a chance to show her any of it, but he wouldâ~tomorrow~.
Alex was about to drift back to sleep when he noticed the flashing purple light on his phone. ~That wasnât good.~ He grabbed the phone from the nightstand, unlocking the screen. ~A5~. That was all the text said. ~Shit~.
He threw the blankets off and jumped out of bed. He cast a final glance at Olivia, ensuring she was sound asleep. There was no need to wake her and cause her to worry.
He didnât bother with clothes, stepping out in just his boxers. He wouldnât be in clothes for much longer. It didnât matter what he was wearing. He closed the door as quietly as he could, ensuring it didnât creak.
Once that was done, he dashed downstairs, sprinting all the way outside. They could manage a patrol without him. For Jason to even run back and shift ~just~ to text him? It wasnât good.
Once Alexander felt the cool grass beneath his bare feet, he paused long enough to discard his boxers. He kicked them off his ankle, tossing them near the patio door.
In the blink of an eye, he had shifted into his wolf form. He ran faster than he ever had, heading toward the location Jason had texted him.
His mind was a whirlwind.
~Danger~.
~She was in danger~.
~Protect.~
~Must protect.~
He hadnât even reached his pack members when he sensed the problem; the smell of blood. His white fangs protruded as he growled, quickening his pace. There were many of themâtoo many. ~How?~
Things had been calm, things had been better. He should have known better. He shouldnât have let his guard down, he should have done more for the pack, for her.
~Fail.~
~Fail mate.~
No, no he hadnât. He was here. He would fix it.
He saw red, thinking of nothing ~but~ her as he plunged into the ongoing fight.
~Olivia~.
Heâd protect her, no matter what.
No matter the cost.
***
OLIVIA
Soft steps.
Creaking noise.
Heavy breathing.
The cacophony of sounds was enough to rouse Olivia from her sleep. She blinked, shaking off the remnants of her dreams and taking in her surroundings.
It was only when the sliver of light in the room disappeared that she noticed... the bed was empty. But the room wasnât.
She quickly turned her head to the left, her gaze landing on the doorway.
Despite the room being swallowed by darkness again, she could make out the silhouette standing by the door.
It was Alex.
She didnât need to see him to know it was him.
He was the one who had held her as she drifted off to sleep.
She could try to rationalize it, tell herself heâd gone to the bathroom, or maybe someone had come to see him butâthat wasnât it. None of that could explain the sinking feeling of dread in her stomach.
Something was off.
He wasnât speaking, he wasnât moving. It was as if he was taken aback that she was awake. Had he hoped to sneak back in without her noticing?
Olivia pulled herself out of the warm bed, her feet hitting the cold floor, the stark contrast in temperature sending a shiver down her spine, leaving goosebumps in its wake.
She bit her lip, carefully contemplating her next move; she didnât want to startle him. âA-Alex?â she ventured.
But he remained silent.
She got up, taking slow, measured steps towards him.
âI thought you were asleep.â
His voice was barely above a whisper, but his words were so unexpected that she jumped back, taken aback. Her eyes widened, her tongue darting out to wet her lips as she took a deep breath.
âI was.â She clenched her hand into a fist. âI-I heard the door.â
âI have to shower.â
She furrowed her brows, trying to make sense of his words. ~Why~ would he need to shower? âWhatâs wrong?â
âNothing.â
~Liar~.
She pushed past him, making her way to the light switch. She flipped it on, squinting as the bright lights assaulted her eyes.
When she saw him, her hand fell to her side and she couldnât help but gasp.
His face was smeared with blood, some of it still trickling down his chin.
She didnât dare look at the floor to see the pool of blood he had created.
His neck was also stained, blood smeared across part of his chest as well. The only thing that seemed to be free of blood were his boxers.
Which led her to wonder ~what on earth had he been doing~? Blood? Boxers?
She rushed to his side, her hands frantically searching him, trying to find the source of the bleeding.
No matter how many times she ran her hands over his skin, she found nothing.
Why couldnât she find anything?
His hands were what halted her search. He gripped her wrists, stopping her movements.
âItâs not mine.â
Relief washed over her, and she felt like she could finally breathe. He wasnât hurt. But then⦠âWhose is it?â
Even though she was touching him, he hadnât touched her.
He maintained that distance, his hands away from her as if he was afraid heâd stain her with the blood. She had already touched him; her hands were already covered in blood. At this point, it wouldnât make much of a difference.
Yet, he wouldnât give in.
âOthers. They came for you.â
He had told her about it. She knew it was real, but this made it all the more real. He had to go out there, risk his life, and fightâfor her.
A part of her wanted to protest. She wanted to say that she could go, she could defend herself so he wouldnât have to risk his life.
More people depended on him than they did on her.
~But~, if she really thought about it, she knew it was worse. She was the target.
If she was out there, one mistake, and someone could capture her, and there was no telling what lengths he would go to ensure her safety.
Putting herself in danger would also put him at greater risk.
She couldnât do it. Neither option was appealing, but she preferred the one where he had a better chance of coming back to her.
A single tear rolled down her cheek as she lifted her hand, gently cupping his cheek and trying to smile even though her lips were trembling. He was being strong for her and she wanted to be strong for him.
After all, it was just blood; sheâd seen that before and sheâd seen a lot worse than a man covered in blood.
He wasnât just any man, and he certainly wasnât a stranger to her.
âLetâs get you cleaned up,â she suggested.
She extended her hand to him, using her newfound confidence to lead him towards the bathroom. He had been trying to keep his distance, but she wouldnât let him. She was capable of handling this situation, and she was determined to prove it to him.
She wasnât sure if it was the recent eventsâthe bite, the confrontation with Willâthat made her feel the need to protect him from his own vulnerabilities. This situation wasnât much different from when she had taken care of everyone in the living room.
Olivia had been okay then, and she was okay now.
With just a gentle tug, he finally gave in, willingly following her lead.
~Good~, she thought.
As his fingers lightly grazed the side of her hand, a spark of electricity shot through her.
But the sensation didnât end there. A wave of heat surged through her body, and it wasnât due to embarrassment or a simple desire. It was ~something else~. Something she had been experiencing quite frequently lately. It couldnât be. It had already happened.
Twice. Just a few days ago. ~No~, she thought. It couldnât be happening again. They had sorted it out, hadnât they? He had taken back his words.
But there was no denying the familiar cramping sensation in her stomach, the wetness she could feel building between her thighs.
It wouldnât be much longer now.
She swallowed hard, a loud gulp echoing in the silence.
~Third timeâs a charmâ¦~, she thought.