Chapter 132

Olivia

As the scenery passed by in a blur outside the car window, I felt a gnawing apprehension. Layla’s territory was approaching. I stole a glance at Nathan; his grip on the steering wheel was firm, but his face was an impassive mask.

“You okay?” I ventured.

He nodded. “Just thinking about what we’re about to find out. If anything.”

“Why Layla?” I finally asked. “How does she play into all of this?”

Nathan shrugged. “Her pack is known for recordkeeping,” he replied. “I want to do some research on the history of my pack; particularly my family. As I’m sure you can tell, my dad isn’t exactly open about that sort of thing. And my mom…”

His voice faltered. I cocked my head to the side, confused. “What about her?” I asked.

“It’s probably nothing,” he replied. “But she’s not answering her phone.”

I was a bit taken aback. I didn’t know Maria very well, but she didn’t seem like the type to ignore her son’s phone calls. And after that strange dinner party last night, it all seemed a little fishy.

The remainder of the car ride went by in silence. Eventually, we passed into Layla’s pack’s territory: a quaint forest town, nestled cozily in the forest.

The homes that we passed boasted rustic cabin styles, with large windows overlooking the landscape. The cars parked in the driveways were all nice and new. It was obvious that Layla’s pack had money, although I already knew that.

We parked and made our way to Layla’s office, which was situated in the pack’s enormous Council chambers. It was a wooden cabin built in the longhouse style, situated right in the center of town.

People were wandering freely in and out of the chambers, many of them holding books and scrolls in their hands, much unlike our town. No one except for the Alphas and Elders was allowed into our Council building.

As we entered, I caught my breath. Layla stood up to greet us, her familiar face still beautiful, but what caught me off guard was the noticeable bump on her belly.

She smiled gently, but her eyes held an unspoken apology. “Hello, Nathan. Olivia.”

Nathan swallowed, clearing his throat. “Layla, I wasn’t expecting…”

She placed a hand on her stomach. “This? Yes. I didn’t realize it at the time of the...” she hesitated, “failed wedding. It’s not yours, Nathan. Not that it really needs saying.”

The room was thick with tension. I bit my lip, shifting uncomfortably. This was not what I had expected at all.

“It’s my bodyguard’s, of course,” Layla continued. “We had been seeing each other for a while by the time of the wedding, so I was actually a few months along then and didn’t know it. My family has given their blessing, and we intend to marry soon.”

Nathan took a moment, then surprisingly, broke into a smile. “Congratulations, Layla. I genuinely wish you happiness.”

I stared at him, impressed. His maturity was always something that had drawn me to him, but his handling of this particular situation left me awestruck. Maybe he really had moved on.

Layla sighed with relief. “Thank you. That means a lot, Nathan. How can I help you both?”

“We need to access some historical records. Specifically, about my father’s lineage,” Nathan explained.

Layla frowned, hesitating. “That information... your pack has all of it. We no longer have it.”

“What do you mean?” Nathan asked, confusion clear on his face.

“You don’t know?” she asked, cocking her head. “As an Alpha, you’re unaware of it?”

Nathan shook his head. “You know as well as anybody that my father…”

“Right.” Layla chuckled slightly. “Yes, your father. Not exactly an open book, is he? Although, it’s not like he would know.”

Nathan and I exchanged confused glances. Layla, noticing this, cleared her throat.

“Many years ago,” Layla began, “a historian from your pack requested the rights to those records. She wanted to create her secret library in your territory, fearing Colin might destroy them after he took the title of Supreme Alpha.”

Nathan blinked in surprise. “I’ve never heard of this.”

Layla nodded. “She was working undercover, and used an alias—Greta. The records should still be within your pack boundaries. We trusted her, Nathan. She was famous and would have never risked those documents.”

“You’re telling me this historian was a woman?” I asked, intrigued.

Layla nodded. “Yes, but remember, she was under an alias. No one knows her real name.”

“Do you know how long ago this was?” I questioned.

After checking her records, Layla responded, “About 33 years ago. Greta was 50 at the time, so she’d be around 83 now, if she’s still alive.”

Nathan and I exchanged a look, a mix of hope and concern evident between us. Finding an elderly historian in a pack as vast as Nathan’s would be like finding a needle in a haystack, especially if that historian was supposedly as tight-lipped as Layla was making her out to be.

“But how do we find her?” I asked aloud, more to myself than anyone.

Nathan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “We could start by asking the Elders. If Greta was in our pack and if she was as influential as you say, someone must know something about her. I know of at least one Elder who is trustworthy and won’t repeat this to my father.”

Layla nodded. “It’s a good place to start. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help, you two.”

“Thank you, Layla,” Nathan said sincerely, “You’ve given us a direction. That’s more than we had before.”

With a smile, Layla came around her desk and pulled Nathan into a tight hug. I stood by awkwardly, watching them. I hated to admit it, but a hint of jealousy started to bud in my chest. But then, Layla released Nathan and came over to me. I felt myself stiffen as she pulled me close, her round belly pressing up against me.

“Thank you, again,” she whispered, her sweet voice echoing in my ear. “If you need anything, I’m always at your service. Really.”

We pulled away, and I smiled. Layla’s smile was warm and genuine, and I felt the jealousy slip out of my chest.

As we made our way back to the car, I couldn’t help but let out a heavy sigh. “This is turning out to be more complicated than I thought,” I said, scratching my head.

Nathan nodded slowly and started the car. “It sure is,” he said. “But I have hope. Whatever this ‘Greta’ was protecting, she was protecting for a reason. And that alone is valuable information.”

We began the drive home, mostly in silence once again save for the crackle of the radio. Nathan seemed oddly relaxed, which I didn’t expect after just discovering that his ex-fiancee was pregnant with a baby that was conceived with another man while they were together.

“Hey, Nathan?” I finally asked, fiddling nervously with the rip in my jeans.

“What’s up?”

I took in a deep breath. “Are you… okay after that?”

Nathan glanced over at me, confusion evident on his face. “Yeah. Why?”

I swallowed. “Well, she’s pregnant. The baby was conceived with her bodyguard, while you two were still together. That doesn’t bother you?”

Much to my surprise, Nathan shook his head. “Of course not,” he said. “I’m happy for her. She thought that she could never get pregnant, but it seems as though she and her baby are both healthy. Who knows, maybe your kid and her kid can even be friends someday.”

It was a surprising response, but one that made me smile. I reached down and touched my growing belly, my cheeks flashing with warmth. “Yeah,” I replied, looking out the window at the trees that rushed by. “I think I’d like that.”