Chapter 60: Snapshot of the Past

OLIVIA

~Their space~.

She’d taken Alex’s advice, gathering the few possessions he’d rescued from her apartment and relocating them to his room. It was logical. Plus, she couldn’t deny the sense of security it gave her.

After he’d revealed the potential dangers from other packs and the implications of her status—proximity was key.

He’d ensure her safety.

She’d recently discovered that he’d ~always~ been there, protecting her. Even when they were both oblivious to it.

However, he’d come to this realization much earlier than she had.

Her heart tightened as guilt flooded her, threatening to engulf her. She shook her head, dispelling the gloom. There was no use dwelling on it; they couldn’t alter the past. She couldn’t have acted differently.

Olivia was folding the last of her clothes when the door creaked open. Alexander strolled in, clad in a simple T-shirt and shorts, shutting the door behind him. His lips were barely curving into a smile, but she could see his happiness.

That was her goal. She wanted to reciprocate for all he’d done for her. She felt guilty, self-centered, and ~utterly~ terrible.

She tried to convince herself that she couldn’t have known, but a part of her felt she ~should have~ known.

He reached into his back pocket, retrieving something before offering it to her.

“Here.”

She instantly recognized the item as a newspaper and accepted it from him. She unfolded the clipping, the ink smudging her fingers. She’d only exposed half of the article when her fingers froze.

~Her parents~. Their photos were there—in grayscale. Side by side. Two small squares. They looked joyful, content.

It had been ages since she’d seen their faces.

There were a few photo albums. Some got misplaced when she moved in with her aunt, and the rest disappeared when she moved out on her own.

She didn’t have any pictures left, nothing to gaze at when their faces started to fade from her memory.

And here he was, presenting her with a lost snapshot of them. She couldn’t even unfold the sections with the text.

Her hands were shaking, the paper trembling in her grip. ~It was them~.

Had their faces always looked like that? They’d become fuzzy in her memories. A mere shadow of their former selves.

“Livy?”

He enveloped her hands with his, steadying them, and she remembered to breathe.

“I didn’t know—I didn’t know what transpired. Afterwards. Saw it in a newspaper. Saved it…”

“C-can ~I~ have it?”

“It’s yours.”

Tears trickled from her eyes and her heart lodged in her throat as she clutched it to her chest. In such a brief period, he’d done so much for her. None of it was insincere, none of it was done with a hidden agenda.

Yes, he’d known they were mates, so naturally, he had wanted to be with her, but it hadn’t been done out of spite.

“I’m sorry.”

He cradled her face, his thumb wiping away a stray tear that had escaped.

A furrow formed between his eyebrows as he scrutinized her eyes for an explanation. “Sorry for what?”

“Everything.” It was the first thing that sprang to mind. “I’ve been pushing you away, blaming you since the moment we met.”

Her lower lip quivered as she struggled to articulate her feelings. “I judged you before I knew you, before I knew…anything.”

After uncovering everything, a part of her believed that their mating bond was the reason she kept forgiving him despite thinking he was a beast.

That was why she kept gravitating towards him when her mind was screaming at her to run the other way.

If it hadn’t been for that, would she have distanced herself from him? Shut him out?

If she had…she’d have continued living the lie she’d been living for years. She would have remained by that monster’s side…

It was solely because of him that she’d seen through the web of lies, that she’d managed to escape that toxic environment. Yes, her life was in ruins and topsy-turvy and she needed to rebuild everything but now?

Now she had a shot at a real life. No more hiding. She could be herself again. It was all thanks to him. And now, she knew he was the reason she was even ~alive~ to begin with.

Without him, she would've been lost along with her parents.

He’d been her rock. He’d patiently waited for her, persistently returning even when she pushed him away.

He’d probed, forced her to confront the nightmares of her life until she could see them for what they truly were.

She hadn’t given him much to cling to, much to help him with his own suffering.

She’d hurled lies at him, painted a false image of him, and he’d accepted it. He just kept pushing, trying to show her the truth.

Right now, in this moment, if he rejected her, if he sent her away with harsh words, she’d likely feel her heart split in two. She wouldn’t be able to bear it. She leaned into him, burying her face in his chest.

“I’m so sorry.”

His strong, comforting arms enveloped her, pulling her even closer.

Her fingers uncurled, letting the clipping drop to the floor, before she gripped the back of his shirt, clinging to him as if he would vanish the moment she let go. She couldn’t handle that.

His head rested atop hers, his fingers drawing soothing circles on her lower back.

“You’re here now.”

She was here ~now~, but she wished she’d been ~here~ much sooner.

Things could’ve been so different.

“D-do you think—that night, you left me there, right? For them to find me?” she whispered into his chest.

He nodded against her head.

“Do you—do you ever wonder…what would’ve happened if you’d taken me with you?”

Her life would’ve been completely different. Maybe…maybe she’d still be human? She might’ve wanted to be like them if she’d lived with them, but Alex was stubborn and headstrong. He might not have subjected her to that.

She couldn’t be certain. It seemed a bit crazy, but was it really? He’d told her before that there were humans in the pack—or at least one. Could she have been another?

He placed his large hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her back to create some space. Her arms fell to her sides and she tilted her head back to look at him.

“I’ll be honest, it didn’t occur to me to bring a ten-year-old human girl with me. To the pack.”

“Right, you—we didn’t know what we were to each other.” It was insane. It was. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on her part.

A longing to know she could’ve had a different life than the one she’d been given.

She’d lost everything that day and she never got any of it back. She never had anyone or a family again.

She thought she did for a while, but now she knew it’d been nothing more than a twisted illusion. A lie.

He laughed, his hands resting on her hips.

“I didn’t know you. I didn’t know ~who~ you were. I know humans have large families, many relationships. I assumed there would be people waiting for you. People who’d search for you if you disappeared.”

~Yes, Olivia~. Hello, child abduction. ~Dummy~.

She sounded like a babbling fool. Of course, it would never have made sense for him to whisk a little human away. The consequences for his pack would’ve been catastrophic. And what about her?

She would’ve never accepted strangers as her new family. She was being unreasonable, wishing she could’ve had more than she did.

“You’re right. It-it’s silly. Life was so—~shit~ after they died. It was comforting to think that maybe it could’ve been better.”

He planted a kiss on her forehead, lingering a bit longer than necessary. “I hate what he did to you. I hate thinking that you were unhappy.”

He brushed her bangs away from her face. “But it might’ve been awkward for us later on.”

“How so?”

“Well,” he started with a laugh, “Even if ~let’s say~ you didn’t think I kidnapped you, and no one came looking for you, I was sixteen…you were ten years old.” He smacked his lips.

“You didn’t have any family here.

“You would’ve ended up being my responsibility. Everyone is my responsibility but most of the young ones have parents that raise them. I don’t interfere. It would’ve been different with you.”

And then it clicked for her. “Okay, yeah, that would’ve been weird.” ~Grooming~ much? Ugh. Okay, yes. This was better.

“Guess I’ve finally let go of my longing for ~that~ past…” she tried to lighten the mood with a chuckle.

“Right now is what counts. You’re here, with me. And I’m not letting you slip away.” He nuzzled his nose against hers. “I want you to be part of our family.”

A sudden tightness gripped her chest, as if someone was squeezing her heart. “Am I not already…?” Was she just an outsider peering in?

He shook his head. “Easy, Livy. You need to learn to listen before jumping to conclusions.” His face was calm, but his voice held a hint of ~firmness~. He was ~strongly~ suggesting she needed to calm down.

Maybe she did.

“You’re mine. You’re part of us. I mean, finding ~your~ role within our family. You’ve been observing, you’ve been socializing, but you’re just drifting.

“I want you to be involved, contribute, be part of our daily life.”

Oh.

He wasn’t wrong. She had noticed people bustling around with a sense of purpose. Maya had even explained some of it to her.

Everyone had a role and carried their share of the load. She should be doing the same. Their way of life wasn’t easy due to the challenges they faced.

Right now, she was probably a burden, making everyone work harder than necessary.

“I-I could set up a place. Like a clinic? I’m not a doctor, but I could monitor health. Regular check-ups. Look after the kids.

“I’m not sure if they grow like human children…but I could adapt. Damn. I should have thought to bring some of my books. I-it’s been a while.”

He silenced her with a finger to her lips.

“Tell me what you need, I’ll get it for you.”

“Alex…”

“Books, supplies, whatever it is, make a list. We’ll make it happen.”

“But I don’t want to—”

“Olivia, if you say burden, I swear to God, I’m gonna bend you over my knee and spank you.”

Heat rushed to her cheeks, spreading to the rest of her face, as she bit her lower lip. ~Yikes~.

She knew he meant it as a threat, but her body had other ideas. Now was not the time to be exploring new kinks.

Yet, there was something about a dominant Alex that made her thighs clench together.

~Calm down, girl~.

As if they hadn’t been making love non-stop for the past week… She was behaving like she hadn’t been touched in months.

His fingers traced down to her backside, gripping the clothed flesh.

He lowered his head, his lips brushing her ear. “Guess I’ll have to find a punishment that doesn’t get you ~wet~.” He kissed the throbbing spot on her neck, and her knees buckled.

“Make that list. No arguing. Or I’ll find a way to turn your spanking kink into a little bit of torture.”

~Why did that sound even more thrilling~?

“Yeah. Okay.”

“Good girl.”

~And again. OLIVIA, GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER.~

He laughed, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. “I have to go. Need to pick up food and other stuff. And if I don’t leave now, I might lock you in this room for an hour or two.”

A thrill ran through her, and she felt her panties dampen. Oh God. She finally understood why some people praised sex like it was as vital as breathing. ~She was hooked~.

Alexander’s blue eyes darkened before he leaned in and kissed her forehead. “You’re trouble, Livy.”

He let go of her and winked at her before exiting the room.

She was trouble?

More like ~he~ was trouble.

He’d broken down the walls she’d built around herself. She was exposed when it came to him. She wasn’t sure when exactly it had happened.

She was the one who was ~in~ trouble.