Chapter 180

Olivia

“We’re throwing a gender reveal party,” Angela said, brushing past me and into the villa like she owned the place.

“We?” I asked, watching her with wide eyes. Her arms were full of decorations, streamers, and bags of goodies. “Who’s ‘we’? What are you talking about, Angela?”

Angela, setting her things down on the dining room table, turned back to face me with her hands on her hips and a fire in her eyes. “You heard me,” she said, flashing me a toothy grin. “It’s been a week since you found out about your twins. It’s about time we throw an official party. You haven’t told everyone yet, have you?”

I shook my head, still a bit taken aback by my friend’s tenacity. “No,” I said. “Just you.”

“Good.”

With that, Angela got to work. For the next several hours, the villa was a flurry of activity. Blue and pink streamers were put up, blue and pink balloons were inflated, blue and pink cupcakes were baked… By five o-clock, the entire villa had transformed into one giant ball of pastel.

Nathan and I, both victims to Angela’s whim, eventually emerged from our bedrooms, dressed for the party. We met in the hallway, our eyes dancing with amusement.

“Ready to tell everyone?” he asked, reaching for my hand.

I half-shrugged and half-nodded at the same time. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied, noticing as the sound of voices began to flood in downstairs. Nathan and I both glanced toward the stairs. “I wonder how long ago she invited everybody.”

“Knowing Angela, I’d say about five minutes after you told her the genders,” he teased. He paused then, turning back to look at me. Without hesitation, his hand raised to cup my cheek, and his face softened. “Are you sure you’re up for this?” he murmured. “You’re not too tired?”

I let out a warm sigh and shook my head, smiling. “Don’t worry about me,” I said. “Just do what you do best and help me entertain the guests.”

With a smile, Nathan planted a soft kiss on my forehead. I watched as he walked away, holding my swollen belly in my hands.

I didn’t want to say anything, but I was utterly exhausted. My back and hips hurt, and all I wanted to do was lie down and go to sleep. All morning, I had been feeling a bit strange, as though my body was a cup that was about to overflow.

But I put it aside for the sake of Angela’s party. Just one night, and then I could relax until the twins came. Just one night…

When I arrived downstairs, the villa was flush with people, all talking excitedly. The blue and pink punch bowls had already been half-emptied by the thirsty guests, and it would only be a matter of time before they would need to be refilled.

As the evening wore on, there were games, shared memories, and, of course, a lot of teasing. I felt both overwhelmed by the flurry of activity and pleased by it, but eventually I found myself slipping into the kitchen for some peace as I busied myself with refilling the punch.

“How have you been feeling, Liv?” Angela’s voice broke through my silence, and I looked over to see her scurrying in with two empty trays in her hands, which used to contain cupcakes.

I shrugged. “I’ve been… good,” I murmured. It was then that Nathan caught my eye through the doorway. He was talking animatedly with Levi; the two had become fast friends, despite everything. It made me happy to see him like that.

“Alright, that’s it,” Angela cooed, grabbing my elbow and forcing me to look at her. “You two have been flirting all night. What gives?”

At Angela’s words, a blush crept up into my cheeks. “It’s nothing,” I murmured, turning away to continue mixing the punch.

Angela, fiery as ever, grabbed me again. “Tell me, Olivia,” she urged. “You and Nathan are totally seeing each other, aren’t you?”

I swallowed. “Sort of,” I said quietly.

Angela’s eyes widened. “And you didn’t tell me? Your best friend?”

I felt my face turn an even deeper shade of red, and I set down the punch ladle, smoothing down my skirt. “It’s… complicated,” I explained. “We’re exploring our feelings for one another, but we’re not putting a label on anything just yet. We’ve decided to take things slow for now.”

“Slow?” Angela chided. “How can you take things slow when you’re practically bursting with two babies inside of you?”

“Angela…”

I turned my head to the side, pursing my lips. Angela sighed and nodded, releasing her iron grip on my wrist. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I just worry about you, that’s all. But…” Her stern look turned into one of excitement, and a smirk played across her lips. “I’m really happy for you two. It seems like things are really starting to work out for once.”

Smiling slightly, I nodded. “They are,” I said.

However, there was a hint of trepidation in my voice. Angela, noticing it immediately, frowned once more.

“What is it?”

“It’s my wolf,” I confessed, my voice barely above a whisper. “I haven’t felt her in weeks. I thought I was making some headway, but she hasn’t talked to me at all since the last time.”

Angela frowned, concern evident in her eyes. “Have you spoken to anyone about that ‘spell’?”

“No. I don’t want to worry Nathan or the others.” I hesitated before adding, “There’s also this sense of dread, Angela. I can’t explain it exactly, but… I don’t know. I’m afraid that if I can’t figure this out before the babies are born, they might not have wolves at all.”

Angela reached out, taking my hand. “Olivia, you’re carrying two lives inside you, and you’re almost ready to pop. It’s possible that your wolf is giving all her strength to ensure you and the babies are okay.”

“I hope so,” I sighed, looking over at Nathan, who was engrossed in conversation. “I just wish she’d give me a sign, anything to tell me she’s still here.”

Angela hugged me. “Have faith. Focus on your pregnancy for now. When the time comes, we’ll figure out a way to lift that so-called ‘spell’ for you.”

I smiled weakly. “I just hope I can reconnect with her before the babies arrive,” I said quietly. “Maybe I should talk to that witch again. The one that helped us with Alvin.”

Shaking her head, Angela opened the refrigerator and pulled out two fresh trays of cupcakes to replace the ones that had already been eaten.

“Like I said, focus on your pregnancy,” she said. “There will be no talking to witches or anything of the sort until those two little babies are out of you. And if I find out that you’ve been going up to that witch’s hut, with everything going on, I might just have to kill you. It’s dangerous.”

As I watched Angela leave, I wondered if she was right; maybe it was too dangerous to meddle with this until the babies were born. But if they were born without their wolves, their lives would be stunted forever. I didn’t know if I was willing to take that risk.

Just then, Nathan’s face came into view; he was smiling, and he had cupcake frosting on the tip of his nose. Angela was slapping his hand, scolding him for trying to steal a cupcake before the tray was set out.

Almost immediately, my trepidation was replaced with laughter, and I made my way over to him to rejoin the party.

But as the night went on, despite the joyful ambiance, a shadow of unease settled over me. I couldn’t shake off the feeling of dread that had taken root deep inside.

It was a silent promise to myself that I had to find a way to awaken my wolf before my children entered the world.