Chapter 69
Ethan's POV
The funeral was held under a slate-gray sky. The Thorne Ridge Pack, and Stone Haven Pack had gathered in quiet solidarity, their presence a testament to the strength of Olivia’s leadership and the love they held for her mother.
Despite the crowd, the space around Olivia felt like a protective barrier. She stood at the front, her shoulders squared but trembling faintly, and I stayed close, right by her side, ready to catch her if she faltered.
Her pain was palpable, I wasn’t the empath, but it radiated off her in waves that my wolf couldn’t ignore. He paced restlessly in my chest, both of us torn between the instinct to protect and the helplessness of knowing there was no fixing this for her.
Olivia’s voice wavered as she spoke, a eulogy that was both heartfelt and brave. Her words painted her mother as the cornerstone of her life, the source of her strength and compassion.
I had always admired Olivia’s resilience, but standing there, listening to her bare her soul to our Packs, I felt something settle within me. She was extraordinary, and I had been an idiot for not acknowledging it sooner.
As the service ended and the crowd began to disperse, I stayed with Olivia. She didn’t look at me, her gaze fixed on the fresh mound of earth where her mother now rested. The sorrow of her loss was clear, and I could see her struggling to hold herself together.
“Olivia,” I said softly, my voice quiet against over the murmurs of the departing Pack members.
She didn’t respond right away, but her fingers clenched into fists pressing into her stomach. I wanted to reach for her, to offer her something tangible to hold on to, but I hesitated.
Instead, I stepped closer; close enough that she could feel my presence without it being overwhelming.
“You’re not alone,” I murmured. “Whatever you need, I’m here.”
Her head turned slightly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as they met mine. For a moment, the world narrowed to just the two of us. “I don’t know how to hold them all,” she admitted, her voice cracking. “Everything feels… so much. Too… much.”
Her words hit me like a revelation, her voice carrying not just her pain but everyone else’s. My wolf stilled, understanding what I hadn’t dared to admit: she wasn’t just carrying her grief, she was feeling it all.
The Pack’s sorrow, every tear shed here, it was pressing down on her. I steadied myself, pushing aside my own anger and sadness, willing her to feel something different. My love. My protectiveness. My unwavering care.
“You don’t have to hold it all, Olivia,” I said gently, focusing on every ounce of warmth and strength I felt towards her. “Let me carry it with you.”
Her lips quivered as she nodded, but I could see the battle waging within her. She wanted to be strong, to not appear weak in front of anyone, including me.
But in this moment, I didn’t see weakness. I saw a woman who had carried too much for too long and was still standing. Who felt too much from too many people and stayed a good person.
I placed a hand gently on her cheek, letting my touch anchor her. “You’re not alone, Olivia. I’ve got you.”
She didn’t brush away my hand, and the faintest of nods told me she was letting my words in.
As the last few Pack members drifted away, leaving us in the quiet company of the gravesite, I found myself grappling with emotions I had tried to keep buried.
Olivia wasn’t just my partner in this alliance. She wasn’t just a Luna for my Pack or hers. She was someone I wanted to protect; not out of obligation, but because she mattered to me in ways I was only beginning to understand.
I wanted to tell her how I felt, to lay it all out in the open, but it didn’t seem like the right time. And what if she didn’t feel the same?
What if, after everything, I had kept her at arm’s length for too long and she couldn’t trust me with her heart?
So, I stood there, my hand on her cheek, gently brushing away her tears, offering the only thing I could: my presence.
My wolf growled low, urging me to finish the bond. But I silenced him, knowing this wasn’t the time. Olivia needed my strength, not my desires.
“I’m here, Olivia,” I said again, my voice firm. “And I’m not going anywhere.”
Her hand brushed against mine briefly, a fleeting touch, but enough to steady her. And as we stood together in the quiet aftermath of loss, I let myself hope that maybe, just maybe, we were building something that could withstand even this.
The office was quiet except for the faint rustle of papers as I sifted through the reports Marlus had compiled.
Each page painted a damning picture: Matthew’s connection to Rogue factions with underground medical services, his calculated moves to align with Chloe through donations to the ‘charity’ she used to fund the Rogues, and his blatant interest in Olivia.
The knots in my chest tightened as I read the lines implicating him in Chloe’s schemes to destabilize not just my Pack, but my life.
My wolf stirred, pacing restlessly beneath the surface. Claim her, protect her. His words chanted in my mind, an instinctive command that had been growing louder with each passing day.
Olivia was in danger, even if she didn’t fully see it yet.
I leaned back in my chair, rubbing a hand over my face as I tried to piece together the best path forward. Matthew wasn’t just after power; he was after her. Every interaction, every subtle maneuver, was designed to isolate her and undermine our bond.
My fists clenched at the thought, the urge to end his games simmering up to the surface.
The evidence linking him to Chloe added another layer to the betrayal. Chloe had been orchestrating chaos for years, using anyone and anything to maintain her grip on power.
Now she was using Matthew as a weapon against me, and Matthew was taking advantage of Aiden’s chaos to subtly gain Olivia’s favor, and her Pack, from under us all.
I couldn’t act on instinct alone. The Alpha Council vote loomed, and I needed to tread carefully. Even if Aiden was taken out of the picture, which hadn’t happened yet regardless of him being in their custody, I still needed their votes.
Any misstep could jeopardize everything we’d worked for. My wolf growled in frustration again, urging me to act, to claim Olivia fully and eliminate the threats circling us.
Aiden, Chloe, Matthew… even Derek.
Yet I couldn’t force the completion of this bond, not when Olivia deserved proof that I understood her heart and her strength and wasn’t just someone protecting their claim. If I rushed her, I risked losing her altogether.
There was one last lingering doubt I had to take care of.
Placing the papers back on the desk, I exhaled deeply, trying to calm the storm inside me.
One thing was clear: I needed Olivia and would do whatever it took not only to ensure she was safe, but to make sure she was happy too.
And I would make sure she knew that.
Soon.
