Chapter 75: Beneath the Surface

This was the worst time to do this.

The absolute worst.

She was under such immense stress and emotional turmoil that there was no way she was thinking rationally. ~No way~. The wisest course of action was to revisit this plan later and think it through before attempting to execute it.

Yes, that was the most prudent path to take. But then, if she was thinking that, why was her body defying her? Despite her repeated attempts to walk away, she found herself rooted to the spot, gazing into the distance.

Even though Alex had assured her that both Jason and he would be looking out for her…the dynamics had changed over the past few days. Now it was mostly just Alex. She suspected it had something to do with the pregnancy.

This was the first time Jason was keeping a watch on her. Something must have demanded Alex’s attention and he was the only one who could handle it. She wasn’t upset. Not that she was glad he was away…

He’d been nothing short of wonderful with her. Checking if she needed anything, bringing her food, water… They had continued the training. For a moment she thought he might call it off but he didn’t.

Perhaps because he didn’t want anyone to suspect something was amiss? She wasn’t sure; she hadn’t asked. However, he was the only one allowed to interact with her during training, while Maya shouted instructions from a distance.

He hadn’t specified ~when~ he wanted to make the announcement, but she knew the moment it was out, there would likely be many more eyes on her. Which was why she wanted to do ~this~ now.

Sure, there was Jason, but at least it was just one person. Plus, he was still near the house, his arms folded across his chest as he kept his gaze on her. This might be her only chance.

If this was all just some wild concoction of her imagination, and she held off until the news broke, she could always pin it on the erratic pregnancy hormones.

~But it would still nag at her~.

What if she panicked, or slipped up, or—Alex was so good at reading her. She didn’t want him to see this. He was already on high alert and had made her safety his top concern. He might overreact.

And what if it was all just in her mind and there was nothing wrong? ~Besides~, she didn’t even know what was wrong. Maybe Lina was just lying about something harmless. Maybe she just didn’t like her. She didn’t have to like her.

There were so many potential scenarios.

She balled her hands into fists at her sides, trying to muster the courage to take the first step.

~You can do this, Olivia~.

She exhaled in short bursts before unclenching her fists and moving forward. ~Just do it~. She fought the urge to glance back; she didn’t want Jason to think she was acting strange.

She’d already told him a half-truth; she did say she wanted to talk to Lina, but she said it was about finding something to help with her headaches. ~He believed her~.

And he didn’t see Lina as a threat since he had agreed. No one had ever suggested that she could be a threat. Not once.

~It was all in her mind~.

She managed to keep her upper lip from twitching as she lifted an arm and called out to Lina. “Hey!” Her voice sounded steady, didn’t it?

Lina looked up, her ponytail swinging from beneath her white baseball cap.

She brushed the dirt from her cheeks and flashed a smile in Olivia’s direction. “Hey, Olivia.” She dropped her tools and rose from her knees before jogging over to Olivia.

“What brings you here? Need something?”

Olivia pressed her lips together, struggling to find the right words. She’d tried to think of a way to broach the subject and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t figure out how to do it.

Except to just ask. “I need to ask you something.” Like ripping off a band-aid. Just do it. It would be okay. She could always apologize, and ~maybe~, make it up to her.

“Oh?”

“Lina, I—I don’t know you very well yet, but you seem really nice.”

“Thank you,” she said, clutching the strap of her overalls. “I hope we can spend more time together.”

“It’s nice to have someone else who understands the human world a bit. It’s helpful because all of this is so new to me. And you’ve been kind, and…”

Lina raised an eyebrow. “Liv, you’ve said ‘nice’ twice now, what’s up?”

~Okay, you can do this~. Jason was right there. There were other people nearby. Lina was ~human~.

It might be foolish to confront another werewolf, but surely she could handle any complications with a human, right? “I wanted to know why you were lying to me.”

The words seemed to hit like a physical blow.

Lina looked shocked, her face paling and her hands dropping to her sides. Olivia watched her lips quiver as the blank look in her eyes suggested her thoughts were in disarray.

“I-I don’t—I’m not accusing you or anything… But…”

Lina squeezed her eyes shut, the skin around them crinkling as she did so. “~Damn it~.”

~Oh~. That wasn’t the response she was expecting.

“I—Mint is—it’s good for masking smells. I thought—~maybe~ it would be enough…”

~Hold on~. So not only had she been lying, but she’d also tried to conceal it from her?

Did she think it would be easier because Olivia wasn’t as adept with her werewolf senses? ~And why~ was she doing all this? Without thinking, Olivia took a step back, her body tensing.

She hadn’t anticipated the conversation taking this turn…

Lina seemed to pick up on her unease as she extended her hands towards her. “No—wait. I swear—I’m not—I don’t… I’m not trying to harm you.”

~She wasn’t sure she was, but now she sure as hell thought she might be.~ She tilted her head, trying to catch Jason’s eye.

“~Please,~ let me—let me explain. Oh God. Please.”

Olivia could see the tears welling up in her eyes, and she could hear the pounding of her heart.

“Alright.”

“What?”

“Tell me.”

“Hold on—”

“No, ~tell me.~”

This wasn’t about her anymore. She had a child, a little one who relied on her.

She couldn’t risk endangering her. She could give her a chance to explain. She didn’t detect anything suspicious about her at the moment. She seemed sincere when she said she didn’t mean to harm her.

Perhaps there was a reasonable explanation.

Lina bit her lower lip, glancing left and then right. ~Was she searching for something? Or someone?~ “It’s—it’s my grandmother.”

“What?”

“I didn’t know him,” she blurted out, tears streaming down her face.

“I knew I had—a relative—a cousin. My grandmother mentioned him a few times, showed me pictures. But I never met him. She said he was orphaned and he was a bit…~odd. I never met him, I promise~.”

A shiver ran down Olivia’s spine. “Who are you talking about?”

“I didn’t—I received a strange text message. I wasn’t going to respond. They were asking about you. I hadn’t even met you. I knew of you but we hadn’t met.”

She shut her eyes, tears flowing freely. “The pack is my world now. I left everything else behind.” She didn’t look at Olivia.

“But that doesn’t mean I don’t care about my family. ~She’s his grandmother too~. If he’s capable of this…what else is he capable of?”

“Lina, who are you referring to?”

Her blood felt like ice in her veins, bile was rising in her throat, threatening to spill out, and she wasn’t sure if she could keep it down. Because it couldn’t be who she thought it was. Alex had told her he was dead.

Alex wouldn’t lie to her about that. He knew what a monster he was and if he posed a threat, he would have told her, right? So this didn’t add up. This couldn’t be what she thought it was.

“He threatened to harm her. He sent me pictures… I can show you.” She reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone. Her fingers trembled as she tried to navigate her phone.

“He didn’t ask for much. Just, if you were here. What you were doing. If—if you had heats. I—I ~don’t know~ how they knew which room was yours.

“I didn’t say anything, I promise. I didn’t want him to kill my grandmother, I didn’t know what else to do.

“I considered telling someone, but then I’m human, my mate isn’t. And what if they hurt him because of me, and what if they chose the pack and my grandmother died… Olivia… I was so frightened, so confused. I’m so, so sorry.”

She set the phone down, taking a step closer.

“He tried to convince me you hurt him, that it was you—and I didn’t know you. And I didn’t want to believe him. That’s why I approached you. And I saw—I saw you weren’t a bad person.

“I realized that what he said wasn’t true. I didn’t know how to stop this, I didn’t know how to get out of it while keeping everyone safe.”

Her words faded into the background because none of these words were the answer she was seeking—she kept avoiding her question. But she needed to know. She ~had~ to know. “Lina…”

“It’s Will.”

“He’s dead.”

She spoke mechanically, the words devoid of any emotion. What else could she do?

“I don’t know—I don’t know. Please. You have to believe me. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt.”

~Will was alive. He was alive and he…he was after her?~

Her thoughts started to spin. Heat rushed to her face, and she couldn’t hold back any longer. She doubled over, vomiting on the ground. Once. Then again.

She felt the sweat trickling down her face. This had to be a nightmare; it couldn’t be anything else. She wanted to escape from her own skin, she wanted to scratch at her arms.

She needed to alleviate the crushing sensation in her chest. Oh God. She was struggling to breathe. Hold on. She'd forgotten how to breathe. No, no, she just couldn't breathe. She was choking.

Why was the air so thick?

Why was it so scarce?

How the hell was she supposed to breathe?

It couldn't be him… It just couldn't be. Because she was past that. She was leaving that chapter of her life behind.

He wasn't allowed to approach her anymore—he couldn't harm her. It was finished. It had been dealt with. But what if—what if he discovered about the baby…would he…~no~.

She felt her equilibrium falter, her body sway, but before she could crash to the floor, she felt strong arms encircle her waist, keeping her upright.

“Liv?”

The voice was muffled, but it sounded like Jason.

“What the hell happened, Lina?”

“I-I…”

She didn't catch the response.

Everything faded to black.