Lya Anna trailed behind me all the way to my room, talking nonstop about a smell of intense spices, certain it was her mate and he was close and he had been in the packhouse recently and she just had to find him. I peeled off my clothes, noting my shirt truly was on backwards, and stepped into the shower while she continued to chatter outside the door. “I get it! I truly get it!” she insisted. “I totally understand why you can’t keep your hands off of Ollie, because as soon as I find this person, I swear I am going to eat him alive he smells so good. In fact, I have no idea how you control yourself as much as you do.” I cringed a bit. I really thought I had been relatively successful in my restraint, keeping PDA to a minimum. It was Oliver who either wasn’t trying or was having a really difficult time keeping his hands off of me. “Do you have any guesses?” I called out over the sound of the water. Anna was quiet for a moment - a rare occurrence. “I feel like I’ve smelled it before
Oliver I smiled into Lya’s neck, pretending for just a moment that it was Lya who said my favorite four letter word I so desperately wanted to hear tumbling from her lips. This was Anna’s moment, though. One that would go correctly. She wouldn’t be able to see it at first, and maybe not ever, but Trevor had kept his distance from her so he could come to her with no demons. He probably felt as if it’d be wrong to bring all the baggage he still carried from unfinished business to a mate, but Anna knew it all already. And a mate was supposed to help heal you. “Come on,” I said, taking Lya’s hand. “Let’s go watch this.” I pulled Lya toward the alpha wing, in view of Trevor’s doorway. Watching someone find their mate was a beautiful thing, and one I wanted Lya to see. Anna stood at the end of the hall, her back toward us, eyes on Trevor’s door. She was frozen in place, and I was certain Trevor could smell her, too. Thom had probably stayed in there, too, just to make sure he didn’t
Lya Tell a girl she’s your mate without telling her she’s your mate. That’s what this felt like.Oliver was my mate and I was his. Of that, I was certain. Pretty much everyone in the packhouse knew, too. We still weren’t fessing up, though. We were the epitome of dysfunction. Too much depended on me keeping Oliver at arm’s length, but that was just getting more and more difficult by the moment. A whole week had passed since the secret meeting with Thom, Trevor, and Cody. We had a plan, and it was a good one. The scouts out there were confident we could put things off another couple weeks, and we were going to fudge things as long as we could - more time for training, to perfect the plan, and ideally for Thom’s wife to have the baby. I had no idea how I was going to hold out for so long. If Oliver had any suspicions, he wasn’t letting them show. That, or he was running me ragged to try and make it so I was too exhausted to scheme behind his back. He kept to his word - it was painfu
Oliver As soon as it was out in the open that Lya was training, she threw herself into it wholeheartedly. The meeting with the gammas had not helped the matter. It seemed her suitability being questioned only fueled her commitment. Cody had integrated her in with the second year recruits, and she was holding her own easily. I still didn’t like the fact that she was training, and somehow received a ban from the Luna herself not to set foot on the training grounds while she was there. She was making quite a name for herself already, and only snippets of her performance were being passed on to me. With her spending all day training, that just meant I saw her less and less. I tried to convince her it was a matter that could be dealt with once the impending battle was over. Or maybe she could join the first years when a new group started in August. Cody wasn’t helping, either, and she had gotten her claws and command into him before I could, so he was obligated to follow her word over m
Lya Us vigilantes had met almost daily the past couple weeks, refining and perfecting the plan. Oliver had nearly found us out, but it was not a wolf my anger - and fear - brought forward. A roll of power surged through me, similar to the one that hit when I marked him, and filled my words. “Just stay away from the training grounds while I am here, Oliver,” I demanded. “You can’t act on every worry, and you know I am safe here.” Hurt flashed across Oliver’s face and consumed my thoughts, but I did my best to push it aside. I’d be hurting him a lot more soon enough. But right now, this was for the best. When I got home that afternoon, we didn’t talk about it. Thom mentioned I shouldn’t be able to muster a command yet - especially a command an alpha had to obey - but I didn’t quite care why or how. It provided the means to an end. Oliver had been getting closer and closer to finding out what was going on right under his nose, and we couldn’t let that happen. I had been at the p
Oliver One of my favorite parts of the past couple weeks had been runs with Tala. Lya’s shifts were getting easier, and Tala lived for the chase. Tala was quite the small wolf, but exceptionally agile. She was able to stay remarkably quiet, too, which surprised me given how little experience she had in wolf form. And she was fast. Adair assured me that this was just due to her lineage. Wulvers - genetically produced protectors and defenders - would of course have more natural inclinations to the traits warriors trained so hard for. Maybe she’d become a tracker once she progressed through training. So much about Lya was defined by something she had no clue about. All we had was one book that didn’t even provide much information, and one person who provided equally little knowledge. I wondered about the girl Trevor told me about before she came to the pack, because I certainly didn’t know her. I had heard about a lost little girl who acted akin to a feral cat someone got too close
Lya Such lovely little four letter words that can change your life. Love. Hate. Wolf. Mate. Bond. Lies.I looked up at Oliver, trying desperately to shove away the desire to tell him everything. Let him know what was coming. But if I told him, everything up until this point would have been for naught. He would never let me risk it all like that. “You just stay safe, okay?” I begged. “This pack needs you, you need to come back.” “Nothing could keep me away,” he insisted, the corner of his mouth quirking up in a half smile. “I have too much waiting for me back home.” He would certainly have plenty waiting for him here, that was for sure. I was just absolutely certain he would not be impressed with what was left. He brushed his lips against mine one last time, a soft kiss that just left me wanting more. “I love you, Lya.” I stared up at him, a culmination of emotions I couldn’t quite put my finger on flowing through me. I didn’t think I had ever been loved before. Not
Oliver I hadn’t stuck around long enough for the cleanup. Hell, I probably shouldn’t have stuck around at all. There weren’t as many hunters there as I hoped - they could have spared me so I could have followed my mate. The anger had consumed me, though. That kid’s arms around her with a silver knife to her neck, taking what was mine, made him an impossible target without risking her life. I damn near tore the door of the packhouse off its hinges. “Thomas!” I shouted. I needed answers. Padded feet came rushing down the hall. Decidedly not Thom. “You’re back!” Anna cried. “It’s 5 in the morning, what are you doing back so soon? Is Trevor here, too? Is he okay?” “Shut up, Anna! Where the fuck is my brother?” I demanded. She took a step back, a look of shock crossing her face. “I-I’m sorry, Alpha,” she stuttered. “He’s probably still sleeping.” I stormed down the hall, not sparing her a second glance. Just as I lifted my fist to start banging, the door swung open. Thom looked l