Chapter 11: The Pack's Embrace

The journey to their destination was silent. Was he quiet to avoid alarming her—did he fear she might leap out of the moving vehicle?

However, the hour-long silent drive did nothing to calm her nerves. It only heightened them. The constant lighting up of her silenced phone didn’t help either.

Undoubtedly, messages from Will.

Perhaps it would be easier if he was a murderer and dumped her body in a ditch. That seemed more bearable than dealing with Will right now. Was this a reckless, impulsive move?

Olivia never acted on a whim.

She was always calculated—unless he was involved. Then she made foolish, incredibly foolish decisions.

Her head jerked forward as the car halted, snapping her back to reality.

The journey had been mostly through forests, making it nearly impossible for her to determine their location.

She turned her head towards her window, absorbing the view.

They were parked in front of a…house? Cabin? Log mansion? She wasn’t sure what to label it. It was too big for a single occupant.

From her vantage point, it appeared to be three or four stories tall, entirely constructed of wood.

~What on earth?~

“Yikes!”

She’d been so engrossed in her observations, she hadn’t noticed Alexander coming around to open her door. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for a fall, but it never came.

Instead, two strong hands held her shoulders, suspending her in mid-air.

He hoisted her up, helping her to get her legs out of the car, and steadied her.

She shrugged her shoulders, creating a gap between his hands and her body. The last thing Olivia needed was his touch.

“You could’ve warned me,” she grumbled as she exited the car, slamming the door behind her.

“I assumed you were alert,” he retorted, smirking.

“Where are we?”

The house was encircled by towering trees, presumably for privacy.

From her understanding, wolves didn’t socialize with humans, which raised the question: why couldn’t he just leave her the fuck alone?

She used to be human, and she lived among them. Why couldn’t he stay in his secluded wooden haven and get on with his life?

And what was he doing at the hospital?

He shouldn’t require any medical attention unless it was a severe injury. There were a few perks to this whole werewolf situation. At least that’s what she reminded herself daily after she was bitten.

“Home.”

“Your home?”

“The pack’s home.”

~Of course~. He had mentioned wanting her in his pack, though she couldn’t fathom why. For a moment, her fingers hovered over her back pocket, contemplating whether she should turn on her GPS now.

A sense of dread settled in her gut, whispering that he might not let her go.

Yet, if she revealed her hand too soon, Will might show up and...she cringed at the thought.

She didn’t want to imagine the consequences if he made the trip down here. Would they assault him? Would he be injured?

He cared for her, and he’d likely risk his own safety to aid her. She couldn’t let that happen.

Who could tell how many of them were inside?

Damn it. She hadn’t thought this through, had she?

“Take it easy, Livy,” he said, his fingers lightly grazing hers. “You’re safe. Follow my lead.”

Before she could draw her next breath, his fingers enveloped hers, pulling her away from the car and towards the front door.

Once more, her protests died in her throat. What was it about him that left her speechless? His words echoed in her mind, and her body followed him without question.

~This isn’t normal.~

***

ALEXANDER

She was here.

Her presence in the pack’s home stirred his inner beast. His wolf was content. However, it was hard to ignore the scent of her anxiety, filling the air around her.

It clung to her, saturating the air. If only she would listen more closely, he wouldn’t have to be so cryptic.

He despised having to use alpha commands all the time, but honestly, she didn’t leave him much choice.

Compliance and obedience were not her strong suits.

Alexander knew she felt trapped here, but she was mistaken. She wasn’t a captive, and the last thing he wanted was to validate her fears.

Whatever Will had told her had painted a grim picture of packs and alphas, and he was determined to correct it.

If he treated her poorly, it would only further tarnish her perception of him, and that wasn’t his goal today.

He had to push her, but just enough. If he pushed too hard, she’d slip away.

And then what?

Once he’d pushed her just the right amount, what would he do?

He’d cross that bridge when he came to it.

For now, he’d savor her presence in his territory.

Her scent would linger, even after she left.

His wolf obviously wanted her to stay, but he was pragmatic enough to know she wouldn’t stay here permanently.

Not yet, not while that beta had a hold on her.

He’d given her a quick tour, his hand never leaving hers. He’d expected her to try to shake him off, but so far she hadn’t. To be fair, it was probably a lot for her to take in.

Humans had a...smell. Their scents all blended together, and they radiated too many emotions to distinguish. Wolves were different.

Since she’d never been part of a real pack before, he assumed the various scents and marks left by his pack were quite overwhelming for her sensitive nose. Her brain was likely overloaded as it processed everything.

He sensed a few pack members nearby, but they were staying out of sight. He’d told them to stay hidden until he summoned them. She’d meet them soon enough. After all, they were part of his plan.

A wolf was not meant to be solitary.

A wolf was a pack animal, and that need was deeply ingrained in her. She’d been ignoring it since her transformation.

Once she was introduced to a real pack, she would want to belong, to find her place among them. It was pure animal instinct.

The pack was also eager for the meeting.

They’d asked about her, but he’d been vague. Honestly, it hadn’t really been intentional.

Alexander knew little about her.

He’d done some research, gathered some information, but most of her life was still a mystery to him, which he planned to change.

He also needed to figure her out. She was a spitfire.

Olivia defied him and tried to disobey him at every turn. She was like an omega who didn’t realize she was an omega.

“Is this what you expected?” he asked, breaking the silence that had settled between them.

Her lips parted, her eyes scanning the living room, and finally, she shook her head. “No.”

She’d expected to see bodies strewn about and blood everywhere. In her mind, they were nothing but monsters.

Actually, he was the monster.

It wasn’t as if he was innocent. He had blood on his hands, but he didn’t go around decapitating children. Alexander did what was necessary to protect his pack.

He didn’t harm them.

Any spiteful ideas that beta had planted in her mind needed to be eradicated.

Otherwise, he’d never win over his mate.

***

OLIVIA

The entire house felt so… welcoming.

It was a home. A warm, family home.

A ~huge~ family home, but a home all the same. She imagined a large family—perhaps ten children—residing here.

They’d all gather for meals at that obviously custom-built kitchen table, and post-dinner, they’d sprawl in front of the fireplace, with the mother knitting… what nonsense.

Alphas were beasts. They weren’t nurturers.

She gulped down the knot in her throat as her mind whirled. Was he putting on an act or had Will deceived her?

But why would he lie? It wouldn’t have served him any purpose.

It’s not like she had desired to dash off into the forest and join a pack… Regardless of what alphas and packs were, she would have stayed with him.

He was her family.

It didn’t add up. She needed to shake off these thoughts.

“Is this your strategy?” she finally questioned. “You bring me here, show me your home, and I’m so charmed I join?”

He laughed, the sound so deep it made his chest rumble.

“If you want to simplify it that way, I have no objections.”

“I’m only here so you’ll stop bothering me.” Yet, there was that persistent feeling in the back of her mind that he would never stop bothering her.

~You don’t want him to~. Oh no, she didn’t need that voice adding to her confusion. She suppressed her wolf. She wasn’t invited to this little excursion.

Her thoughts always landed her in trouble, and she had learned to silence her a long time ago. She’d surface once in a while, but Olivia would never let her be the decision-maker again.

The last time, it led her into Will’s bed and it complicated things for a while.

Never again.

The sound of his footsteps pulled her back to reality.

His black leather shoes echoed with each step he took, and he kept his eyes locked on her until they were just inches apart. “I don’t think you want that.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s what I want,” she retorted.

Flushed cheeks? Check. Tightness in her chest? Check. A fluttery sensation in her stomach? Check. ~Damn it.~ Why? Why was his presence affecting her this way?

She already knew it wasn’t because of the heat.

Then what was it? Did alpha release some kind of pheromone or something? ~Fantastic~. He had been right; she was clueless.

She’d escaped from him once. She could do it again.

“Right, because I slaughter babies and murder innocent humans and wolves, correct?” The bitterness lacing each word was hard to ignore, not that he had tried to hide it.

When he put it that way, he made her sound a bit insane. Okay, so he didn’t exactly resemble a killer. It’s not like every serial killer in the world exuded a crazy aura! Most of them were charismatic.

He could be playing the same game…but…~but~.

No matter how much she wanted to distrust him, how much she wanted to push him away, it felt like she couldn’t.

She scrutinized his eyes for a trace of malevolence, a spark of fury, but she found nothing.

Why?

“Exactly,” she managed to say, hoping he didn’t detect the tremor in her voice.

But the smirk on his face suggested he did.

“Livy, Livy, Livy…”

“Alexander, Alexander, Alexander,” she mimicked.

“Alex.”

“What?”

“Call me Alex.”

“No, I don’t think so, Alexander.”

He grinned before raising his hand and holding her chin between his finger and thumb.

He tilted her head back, their eyes locking. “Tell you what. I’ll make you a deal.”

For a moment, she resisted, but as soon as she felt the strength of his grip, she gave in. “Another deal? Lucky me.”

The last offer he had made hadn’t turned out in her favor. She doubted this one would. He was too self-absorbed to even consider what she might want.

“Yes. A deal. If you find anything that proves you right, if you absolutely despise every moment of your time here, I’ll leave you alone.”

“Wasn’t that the agreement we had?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

“The agreement was that you’d come here, and I’d take you back. If you discover something you don’t like, we can end it early. I won’t force you to stay.”

“Really?” The word slipped out before I could stop it.

This had to be a trick. It couldn’t be this simple.

“Really.”

“So, if I can prove that you’re a monster or that I absolutely despise it here, you’ll take me home immediately and I’ll never have to see you again?”

“It’s as simple as that.”

It shouldn’t be hard. I had to believe Will—I ~needed~ to believe him.

He was the only constant in my life, the one who brought me back from the edge of death, who saved me when I thought I was done for.

Alexander was ~nobody~. If Will said he was a monster, then he was a monster.

That’s how trust worked. I trusted my friend.

“Then we have a deal, ~Alexander~.”

I extended my hand, ready to shake on it. But he had a different idea of how to seal the deal.

My eyes widened in shock as I realized he was about to kiss me, but I was powerless to stop it. I stood frozen, rooted to the spot, as his lips met mine.

They were warm—soft—as he took control of the kiss. It reminded me of the heat of his body that night when we lost control.

I squeezed my thighs together, the earthy scent of pine filling my mouth and nose.

I intended to limit his access to my mouth, but instead, my lips parted, giving him ~more~.

~Pull yourself together.~

After a moment, I tilted my head down, breaking the kiss with a soft ~pop~.

“I’d prefer it if you kept your hands—and your mouth—to yourself,” I said, catching my breath.

“Would you?” he asked, touching his nose. “Shall we get going?”

~Stupid wolf nose. Stupid alpha.~

I would show him that this life wasn’t for me and that he had secrets hiding in plain sight. It shouldn’t be too difficult. I wanted nothing to do with him or his pack.

Once he understood that, well…

I’d be free.