Chapter 25: Desire in Disguise

OLIVIA

“Are you going to shadow me all day or?”

~Damn~. So he did know she was there. So much for being stealthy.

Then again, she should have known better; he had tracked her all the way home. Meanwhile, she hadn’t even realized she was being followed. Maya was right; she had a lot to learn.

There was only one way for her to do that. She needed assistance. And that assistance couldn’t come from Will. It had to come from ~them~. From ~him~.

Besides, she had told herself she needed to learn about werewolves ~without~ any preconceived biases.

That hadn’t gone too well this morning. But could they blame her?

~This~—her heat... it was the very reason she’d bolted from Will’s place to begin with.

Emerging from the tree she’d been hiding behind, Olivia made her presence known. “Sorry.”

Alexander didn’t respond, didn’t even turn to look at her. He just stood there, arms crossed, staring into the distance.

She’d be fibbing if she said his current demeanor didn’t make her second guess why she was here.

It would be so simple to just turn around and retreat back into the house. ~No.~

She’d made up her mind to do this, and she was going to see it through. Even if he was acting standoffish.

“Can we talk?” she ventured, her bare feet sinking into the tall grass as she approached him.

“Depends. Are you gonna compare me to that jerk again?”

~Well~. Maya had been right. But then again, why was she surprised? She’d known Alex for a long time. Olivia, on the other hand, didn’t know him at all.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have done that.”

She should have known he’d make this difficult. “That’s why I’m here. We got off on the wrong foot, okay? I don’t understand why you want me in your pack.

“I don’t understand why you care about what I do, or what happens to me. I want to understand. I want you to be honest with me. So, how about a fresh start?” She extended her arm, offering him her hand. “I’m Olivia.”

His eyes flickered from her face to her hand, then back to her face.

She was ~trying~.

Couldn’t he try? She was doing this even though something inside of her was ~screaming~ at her. There was something she was missing. Something she wasn’t being told. And she was tired of lies and secrecy.

But she knew Maya was right.

They didn’t understand her world and she didn’t understand theirs. Maybe there was a reason to keep certain things from her. She hadn’t been nice.

Just like she didn’t want to trust him, he might have a reason not to trust her.

One thing was certain: even if she tried to avoid him, even when she tried not to think about him, ~she did~.

She couldn’t just walk away.

She’d tried that.

The sensation of his warm fingers against her palm snapped her out of her thoughts. “Alexander.”

They held hands for a moment, then slowly pulled away.

Olivia moved to sit down on the grass, leaning back and supporting her upper body with her hands.

“Look, about this morning, there are a lot of things I don’t know, but there are also a lot of things you don’t know.” Olivia sighed. “Just promise me you won’t lie to me.”

“L—”

“And if you can’t tell me the truth ~then~ at least tell me. Tell me you can’t tell me why. But don’t lie to me.”

Alexander sat down next to her. “If I have to be honest, so do you.”

“That’s fair.”

She hadn’t been dishonest, per se. She’d been distrustful, but well, sure, she had some of the blame to shoulder but the circumstances…~It didn’t matter~. They were starting with a clean slate.

Olivia was about to lift her legs when suddenly Alexander moved. He leaned over her, supporting himself with one hand planted next to her. “I don’t sugarcoat things, Livy.”

He was close. Very close. “That’s fine.”

“If you want me to be honest, I’m gonna be brutally honest.”

“I’m a big girl. I can handle the truth.”

“Can you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He moved closer, their noses almost touching.

“I don’t think you can.”

“Why do you do this?”

“Do what?”

“Act like…”

“An alpha?”

~Touché~. But wasn’t there more? “So being an alpha means you’re a bossy, pushy jerk?”

He chuckled, his warm breath tickling her face.

“Comes with the title.”

“What about when you’re ~not~?”

“What about it?”

“What are you when you’re not being an ass?”

“According to Maya, I’m an ass all the time.”

Yet, he wasn’t. That was the part that baffled her.

He’d been there for her, he’d protected her… She couldn’t decipher what he wanted from her, or who he truly was beneath all the layers.

All she knew was that she wasn’t about to swoon over him just because he was the alpha. Or because he had kissed her.

“She’s not mistaken.”

Maintaining a poker face was a challenge given their closeness.

If she allowed herself to dwell on it even a little, she could recall his touch, the flavor of his kiss…

“Your heart’s racing, Livy.”

~Jerk~. “It’s the rage.”

“Really? Smelled like something else to me. Weren’t we supposed to be honest? Or is this a question you ~can’t~ answer?”

His hand slid to her thigh, applying a gentle pressure, his fingers digging into her flesh.

Her mouth opened slightly, each heartbeat aching as her heart pounded against her ribcage. His touch brought a strange comfort she couldn’t put into words.

It was painful.

It felt as if he was offering her something she’d always longed for but never realized she needed. A yearning stirred in the pit of her stomach and she knew if she allowed him, he could let his hand wander higher.

He could touch her bare skin, lose himself between her thighs…

Before a blush could creep up her cheeks, she placed her hand on his chest, pushing him away.

Initially, she met some resistance, but as she continued to press the heel of her hand into his chest, he relented. He fell back, a smirk playing on his lips.

~Idiot~. So he had a keen sense of smell. She’d catch up.

Besides, what did he expect? She wasn’t ~blind~. He was handsome; the issue was that he ~knew~ he was good-looking. He was letting it go to his head.

“Keep your nose out of my affairs.”

“You mean like when you texted me to get out of your head?”

The time she’d almost…~oh no~. Panic seized her, forcing her to clasp her hands together as she found herself unable to meet his eyes.

He didn’t need to know about that.

Absolutely not. He didn’t need to know about all the…highly inappropriate thoughts she had. His ego was already inflated enough. He didn’t need her to boost it further.

He raised an eyebrow.

“That’s intriguing.”

~His damn nose~.

“I-I think I’m gonna go see if Maya needs help with anything.”

“Leaving so soon?”

“I’m not leaving.”

“That’s a lot of dishonesty for someone who claims to value truth.”

“You’re an annoyance, you know that, right?”

He grinned. “So Maya tells me.”

“Well, you should trust her and perhaps heed her advice,” she retorted as she sprang to her feet. ~That was enough alone time~.

“Don’t stay out too long. It’s getting chilly.”

“Livy, are you worried about me?”

“I think Maya would be bored if she couldn’t torment you.”

She spun around, her left hand clutching her chest.

Beneath her own touch, she could feel the thumping of her heart. It was ~simpler~ when she let her guard down.

She wasn’t entirely comfortable with that, but baby steps were better than nothing.

It felt vastly different from the last time she’d been at the pack house.

For the first time, her identity didn’t weigh her down. It didn’t feel like such a burden.

She felt ~normal~.

***

ALEXANDER

“What’s this?”

Alexander glanced at the table, only to see Maya’s hand concealing something.

“Olivia’s phone.”

“And why do you have her phone?”

“It rang.”

Alexander propped his chin in his hand.

“I’m gonna need more than that.”

“She left it in my room. I guess she was checking her messages or something—she forgot to switch it off. It rang and…it was ~him~ calling.” She looked down.

“There was a picture of him.”

She lifted her hand and then unlocked the phone. He watched her scroll through the contacts until she stopped at Will’s name. She turned the phone towards him, allowing him to see the photo.

A quick glance was enough to see it was Will with his arm draped around Olivia’s shoulder.

“Alright?”

“No, it’s not Olivia.”

“What do you mean?”

“Take another look.”

So he did. ~She was right~. It ~wasn’t~ Olivia. She looked so similar. He reached for the phone, pulling it closer. The same hair, the same facial structure, the same eyes…

At a quick glance, they could be mistaken for each other.

But now that he was really looking, he could see the differences…

“It’s his girlfriend,” he finally admitted.

“Isn’t it strange though? His girlfriend and Olivia could be twins.”

Strange wasn’t the term he’d use.

Strange wasn’t ~powerful enough~. “Did she ever mention it?”

“No, we never really discussed her.”

Had she never noticed their resemblance? Why would he want two women who looked so alike?

From what he understood, Olivia was in his life first. Why move on to someone who looked just like her? He could’ve had Olivia. He was relieved he didn’t choose her, but it didn’t change the reality.

Something was off here. What was his endgame?

What was he trying to accomplish? He needed to dig deeper into his life. He couldn’t ask Olivia. She would either withhold information, or not provide what he needed.

“Can you get Jason to look into this? I want to know his movements, his company. Everything.”

She nodded. “Sure.”

“And return her phone. I don’t want her thinking I’m prying.”

She laughed. “But aren’t you?”

“Actually, ~you’re~ the one prying.”

“Let’s call it friendly concern.”

Right. The fact that he wasn’t the only one suspicious of Will confirmed his suspicions. He couldn’t be trusted and something needed to be done.

Whatever Will was hiding, he was going to uncover it, and he was going to take him down.

“Alex?”

“Yeah?”

“You alright?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because she’s here, but she’s not really here.”

He shrugged.

“It’s been over a week.”

“She hasn’t mentioned mates, so I don’t think I’ve told her. But you’ll have to tell her eventually.”

“I have a lot to sort out before that. She still—she hasn’t completely let go of that jerk.”

“Be careful. I agree we need to deal with that beta, but if you think turning her world upside down will make her fall into your arms…”

“I understand.”

“Good.”

They’d made progress, but he didn’t know how many steps back they’d take once she knew the whole truth about Will. Once again, that beta was in his way.

But how could he just give up?

There was a longing in his heart, a desire for her that could never be satisfied. He needed to touch her, be close to her, and she didn’t feel the same.

It would be easier to let her go. But he couldn’t.

He’d experienced her now, and he’d have to keep trying until she realized he knew what was best.

No matter the cost, he’d keep pushing.