Chapter 63: Tangled Truths

A new day dawned, sunlight filtering through the curtains. The light hit his face, rousing him from sleep. He reached out, expecting to find smooth, bare skin. Instead, he encountered cold sheets.

He cracked open an eye, surveying the room.

He thought he would have to look for her, but he didn’t. Olivia was there. But she had chosen to sit on the edge of the bed, the sheet wrapped around her body.

“Are you alright?”

Her heat had finally subsided—thankfully—but something was clearly bothering her.

She nodded, seemingly indifferent to his awakened state. Had she realized he was awake? “Yeah,” she managed to say.

From his position, he could catch a glimpse of her face. It was enough to see that she was smiling.

“I wanted to shower... ~I’m sore~. But I’m too tired. Can’t get up. You’ve worn out my legs.”

“I’m not sure I should apologize for that.” He couldn’t help but grin. Sure, he was sore. Sure, he wanted to explore his mate’s body without an overpowering urge driving him.

He wanted to take it slow, savor the moment, be present with her. But before they could do that, they had some practicalities to sort out.

“My memory is always a bit hazy after a heat but... ~what~...what happened? At the end?”

He bit his lip, trying not to laugh at her blushing cheeks. He had been taken aback by it himself, so there was no way ~she~ could have anticipated it. “It was my knot.”

“Your what now?”

He chuckled.

“Alphas—~alphas~ can knot. It helps ensure pregnancies.”

Alexander watched her digest the information, likely piecing it all together.

Keeping the sperm in place, minimizing the distance... It wasn’t a guaranteed method, but it certainly didn’t hurt to try. At this point, it was a blessing; neither of them could handle a heat every few days.

“And...no one thought to warn me?” she asked, tilting her head. She wasn’t angry, but her wide eyes told him she was surprised. At least she hadn’t tried to pull away. Her heat probably helped with that.

Instincts took over during that time, so it didn’t matter that ~she~ wasn’t well-informed. Her body knew what to do.

He rubbed the front of his neck. He’d never been so caught off guard before, but with Olivia, every day was a new experience.

“I—I knew about it because I’d heard of it. A long, long time ago. It never—it was the first time I experienced my knot.”

That was embarrassing; it felt like he was admitting to being a virgin—which he wasn’t. Obviously.

“Oh?”

Even though her heat had subsided, the pheromones lingered in the room, making it difficult not to be aroused as he watched her lips form an ~o~. It seemed like the perfect size to...~Nope~. Not the right moment.

“I’ve only ever been with betas. They can’t...anatomically, they’re different... They can’t—a knot would be painful.”

Great, now he was giving a sex ed lesson. And discussing past relationships.

Yeah, that was ~exactly~ what she probably wanted to hear... “Omegas...can handle it. But there aren’t many of them, so...” No one really expected to end up with one. Or even meet one.

And since most hadn’t, there weren’t many people to discuss it with.

He didn’t know what triggered it, though. It wasn’t the first heat. Maybe his body ~remembered~ what it was supposed to do?

Was she finally ~actually~ fertile? He didn’t have a fucking clue. But this time, it had happened. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy it. And judging by the sounds she made, she seemed to enjoy it too.

She blinked slowly, absorbing his words. “So—when I was bitten...you’re saying it changed my ~vagina~?”

Olivia was making it incredibly difficult not to laugh. He didn’t want to—this was a serious conversation.

But ~her reactions~. Also, he didn’t really know. “Well, did it hurt?”

Her blush deepened and she looked down at her lap. “No.”

~He didn’t think so, no~. “So it must have. I don’t know much about omegas or bitten to know what the fuck happens. But yeah.”

She laced her fingers together, slowly nodding. “So, why now?”

“Maybe my body finally got the hint. Maybe—maybe I actually got you pregnant this time. I don’t know.”

“Wouldn’t that be something…” Her words tumbled out before she could catch them, her eyes widening in surprise. “I didn’t mean I ~want~ to be pregnant,” she quickly corrected herself. “I’m just—~I’m exhausted.~”

“I understand.”

Their situation was far from ideal, but it seemed like the only viable option. Her body seemed to agree, pushing them towards this inevitable outcome. They both knew there was no point in resisting.

That didn’t make it any easier to accept…

He hated seeing her like this—her frown, her slumped shoulders.

She had been stretched to her limits, both physically and emotionally, and he wished she could focus on something else.

She deserved at least ~one~ moment of respite from the whirlwind her life had become.

~That reminded him~.

He could give her the small gifts he had bought. Perhaps they would be enough to distract her, even if just for a little while.

To take her mind off the heat, the potential pregnancy. They were in this together, and there was no turning back.

Either ~her~ wolf didn’t believe his retraction about wanting a pregnancy, or that wasn’t the issue to begin with. He couldn’t be sure.

“I have something for you,” he said, reaching into the nightstand. He pulled out a small gift bag and handed it to her.

“Alex—”

“You need this,” he interrupted.

His eyes were closed, but he could hear her rustling through the bag, pulling out the clothes and laying them on the bed. When she gasped, he assumed she had found the phone.

He hadn’t asked her about it, but it seemed like a logical gift. She needed it. But when she fell silent, he opened one eye to look at her.

“It’s so you can contact me—or anyone else.”

“Okay.”

She was holding the box tightly, staring down at it with intense focus. He closed his eye again, shifting down on the bed to place his hand on her back.

He could feel a wave of emotions coming from her, and he knew she was uneasy. Was it the gifts, or was it something more?

“Can I… can I ask you something?”

He kept his eyes closed, his fingers gently combing through her damp hair. “Of course.” She was anxious. Anxiety wasn’t good. The emotion washed over him, causing a knot to form in his stomach.

“I know I said I didn’t want to know, but…”

She didn’t need to finish her sentence. He knew where this was headed.

“The phone, it reminds me of my old life. And I can’t go back—I just… I need to know…if I ever did go back, would I be safe? You said he wouldn’t hurt me again, but—”

“But you want to know what that really means?”

She hadn’t asked, and he hadn’t told her.

He had hoped she wouldn’t ask about it. But deep down, he knew better. Of course, she would want to know.

Despite the chaos, she was starting to adjust to her new life. She was probably wondering when her past would come back to haunt her. Or maybe she was tired of constantly looking over her shoulder.

Perhaps he had scared her when he showed up covered in blood.

He didn’t know.

He wished he didn’t have to discuss it, but he couldn’t deny her.

“~He’s dead.~”

His words hung heavily in the air, and he felt her stiffen. He didn’t want her to dwell on him, to think about the past, or to feel any guilt.

None of this was her fault. She hadn’t done anything wrong. He suspected she had assumed he was dead, but not having confirmation probably eased some of the guilt.

“Did I… did I do it?” she asked in a barely audible whisper.

She had asked him before if he was dead. He had said no. But maybe she thought he had died from his injuries. She wouldn’t be entirely wrong.

“No.”

Olivia swallowed audibly. “Was it you?”

There was no anger in her voice, no bitterness. He found that curious.

He was aware that she no longer held any affection for that beta, but would her perception of him change if he was the one to end the beta’s life? It was a blow to his pride to confess that he wasn’t sure.

He’d never been able to comprehend her connection with that jerk. Perhaps his anger and jealousy had clouded his judgment—although, he had been right about the beta from the start.

The reality of what had transpired wasn’t as straightforward as it seemed.

“He kind of—succumbed to his injuries.”

They didn’t provide him with medical attention. They confined him to his own private hell, and Alex ensured he suffered.

Without the necessary treatment, the blood loss and agony became unbearable. He’d hoped for a more excruciating end for the beta. But between being there for her and dealing with the situation back there, he hadn’t managed it flawlessly.

He didn’t want the beta on the pack’s territory. Not while he was still breathing. Firstly, he was severely injured, and he didn’t want that kind of energy around.

They already had enough curious noses poking around—he didn’t need to provide anyone with an additional excuse to drop by.

He also contemplated the risk of the beta escaping, and he didn’t want to take ~any~ chances.

He couldn’t have allowed him to be near Olivia. It was too risky.

Moreover, she might have…sensed him? Heard him? Felt him? He wanted her as far removed from this situation as possible.

Perhaps that was another error on his part.

In the end, they discovered him hanging from the chains, lifeless.

“The injuries I inflicted on him?”

This was precisely ~why~ he had wished he could have prolonged the beta’s agony, ensuring the slowest possible death.

The beta didn’t deserve anything from Olivia. Not her friendship, not her love, not her worries, not her concerns. He’d exploited her and he’d mostly gotten away with it. Bastard.

“If you’re referring to the injuries you inflicted on him when he attacked you…the ones you inflicted in ~self-defense~,” his voice was more sarcastic than he intended, but he couldn’t bear the thought of her wasting even a shred of her energy feeling remorseful.

“Then no. He had more than those.”

“Oh.”

Yes. ~Oh~.

“So, he’s…gone.”

Gone. Interred.

Given what had transpired at her apartment, he hadn’t been able to risk leaving the body anywhere near the city or the humans.

Sometimes, wolves killed. There were a few ~no man’s lands~ in the vicinity—or at least within a few hundred miles—and sometimes, bodies were found there.

Neutral territories.

He didn’t want to implicate another pack and have that come back to haunt them. They took him, they disposed of him.

“W-what about Jess?” She cleared her throat. “She didn’t—she didn’t do this.”

“We didn’t harm her.”

Her words stung him slightly. “I don’t kill innocent people.”

She spun around, placing her hands on his bare chest. “~I didn’t mean it like that!~”

A small smile played on his lips.

“What did you mean then?” He was now teasing her.

“She loves him, she might have inadvertently put herself in danger, or done something that left no other choice. ~Ugh~. I don’t know! But I didn’t mean, you’d ~hurt~ her. Things can happen…quickly.”

“She showed up a few times. It was challenging to handle her. She’s been searching for you two, but she’s not involving the police or anyone else.”

“Because if Will is alive, she doesn’t want to betray his secret,” she completed his sentence for him.

“Yeah. I believe so.”

She exhaled, her chest deflating. He reached out for her, his arms encircling her waist, pulling her close to him.

He nestled her between his legs and she rested her head on his chest. One of his hands caressed her stomach, making soothing circular motions, while he buried his face in the crook of her neck.

“Everything will be okay.”

“I never wanted her to get involved in this.”

“I understand.”

“Does it hurt?”

~Damn~. He didn’t want her to ask him that.

“Does what hurt?”

“Losing your mate?”

“Yes.”

“But she doesn’t know?”

His nose grazed the length of her neck, her scent filling his senses. “She’s human, she doesn’t experience it like we do. But she senses something’s off.”

He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “He’s the one to blame, okay? Not you.”

She gave a nod, but he could tell she wasn’t entirely convinced. It didn’t matter that the beta was a total jerk. Olivia wasn’t. So she carried the guilt.

“Let’s get you cleaned up, shall we? I heard your legs aren’t cooperating,” he joked.

That managed to coax a smile from her. “Wonder who’s to blame for that?”

“I take full responsibility,” he declared, scooping her into his arms as he rose from the bed. “Shower. Food. Then I can assist with setting up the clinic. If you’d like.”

“That sounds nice.”

“Great.”

She’d likely suppress it again, bottle it up once more. But for now, he’d make sure to keep her mind occupied.

She didn’t deserve to feel like this.

He longed for the day when Will would be nothing more than a faint nightmare. A memory she never revisited.