Chapter 151

Olivia

The room was a whirlwind of flashing cameras and sharp questions as I stood at the back, watching Nathan take the podium with a determined glint in his eye. My heart was pounding in my chest, a strange mix of pride and apprehension swirling within me.

He was a true Alpha now, strong and resolute, ready to face the storm.

When he finished his speech, however, I felt my stomach cave in. He announced that our ‘relationship’ was entirely fake. That the baby inside my belly was, indeed, never his.

I felt the room spin, my knees threatening to buckle beneath me. It was over. The words hung in the air, a stark, unyielding truth that I couldn’t escape. I supposed I had expected this, but something in me still thought that we would keep up the facade for a little longer.

Why did I expect that? Did I want that?

A tear slipped down my cheek, the ache in my heart growing with every beat.

“And to Olivia,” he said thickly, “I want to say that I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what my father did to your family. I’m sorry for the pain and suffering he caused you. From now on, I will take responsibility. I will mend the broken pack and become a real Alpha, not a tyrant like my father.”

For a moment, everything else seemed to fade away. Nathan saw me, only me, and I saw only him. His words, though reassuring, only made the ache worse.

The room erupted into noise, the clicking of camera shutters and frantic questions from the reporters. While Nathan answered each question deftly and with the true spirit and composure of an Alpha, I couldn’t bear it any longer.

As another tear rolled down my cheek, I slipped out of the room.

…

I found myself by a pond, the gentle quacking of ducks and the soft rustle of the wind in the trees a soothing melody that calmed my restless mind.

I sat there on the grass, tossing bread crumbs into the water, lost in thought. Watching the ducks glide so effortlessly across the water with their spring babies in tow made me feel a sense of melancholy. If only my life were as simple as theirs.

Never in a million years had I expected this to happen, but the fake relationship with Nathan had become such a prominent part of my life.

After a decade of dull pain, working day in and day out and slowly watching my father wither away to cancer, the excitement, tension, and shared purpose of our predicament was almost a welcome change.

Now that it was over, a void was opening up within me.

What would happen to us now? Would we even remain friends, or would we drift apart, our connection severed by the harsh reality of our past?

The gentle quacking of the ducks seemed to mock my inner turmoil, their carefree existence a stark contrast to the confusion that filled my soul.

“Olivia?” Nathan’s voice, gentle and tentative, broke through my reverie. I looked up to find him standing there, his eyes filled with concern and something else, something deeper that I couldn’t quite place.

“Hey, Nathan,” I managed, my voice wavering slightly. “I was just...thinking.”

My eyes began to fill with tears again. I quickly looked away before he could see, pretending to be wholly absorbed in my task of feeding the ducks.

He sat down beside me, his presence a comfort, yet also a reminder of everything we'd been through. “About what?” he asked, his voice soft.

He plunged his hand into the bread bag I had purchased at the corner store, pulled out a slice of bread, and tore it into shreds. I watched as he tossed the shreds out onto the water and the ducks raced to get a bite.

I shrugged. “You were really good in there,” I said, jerking my head back in the direction of the Council building where the press conference had been held. The building stood starkly in the center of our town. It somehow seemed less dark and depressing now that Colin was gone.

“Thanks,” Nathan replied. “I hope you know that I was serious when I said that I’m going to work really hard not to be anything like my father. It’s about time our pack evolves. I hope to see that happen soon.”

“How so?” I asked, cocking my head.

Nathan took a deep breath. “I want to bring business back to our pack. I’ve decided I’m going to open up the docks again, and focus our commerce on fishing instead of coal mining. The mines are all empty now anyway, and decades of coal mining has given too many of our people cancer and other problems.”

I nodded slowly, chewing my lip. “That was… how my dad died, you know,” I said. “Lung cancer. From working in the mines.”

Nathan’s eyes widened. “Really? You never told me that, Olivia.”

I swallowed, nodding. “Yeah. I’m glad you’re here to make these changes.”

There was a long silence, followed by Nathan clearing his throat and tossing a little more bread to the ducks. “I have a lot of plans. Hopefully they all come to fruition.”

Neither of us spoke for a long time. The silence was only punctuated by the sound of the ducks quacking and slapping their webbed feet on the surface of the water, as though angry with us for not feeding them more bread.

“Here you go, little guys,” Nathan said, tossing a few more pieces of crust. “Don’t eat too much. It’s not good for your bellies.”

As though his gentle words unlocked a part of me, I felt myself swell with emotion. I looked at him, my eyes brimming with unshed tears.

“I just can't believe it's all over,” I finally said, my voice thick and strained as I tried not to cry. “What will happen to us now?”

He was quiet for a moment, his eyes distant, as if wrestling with something deep within.

“I’m glad we had this experience,” he finally said, his voice soft. “The past few months have been...incredible, in ways I never expected.”

I chuckled, the sound tinged with sadness. “I was angry with you at first, you know? For dragging me into this fake relationship, for the lies and the deceit. But now...I’m glad we had this experience too. Even with all the drama and heartache.”

He reached out, taking my hand in his, his touch gentle and reassuring. "I don't know what the future holds, Olivia," he said, his voice filled with sincerity. "But I know that I'm grateful for you, for everything you've done, for everything you are."

I rested my head on his shoulder, the warmth of his body a comfort against the chill of the evening.

We sat in silence, looking out at the duck pond, the gentle lapping of the water a soothing rhythm that lulled us into a peaceful reverie.

Truthfully, neither of us had any real way of knowing what would happen to our friendship after today. At least, I didn’t. It seemed, however, that Nathan wasn’t telling me everything.

Maybe he had plans. Only time would tell. But for now, I was just happy to be beside my friend, watching the ducks.