Chapter 195

Olivia

The weight of the room bore down on me, pressing against my chest, making it difficult to breathe. It was as though the walls were absorbing the tensions, the fears, the unspoken resentments of our conversation, and reflecting them back onto us.

The dimly lit room was only brightened by the soft, flickering candlelight, causing the shadows to dance in a macabre ballet, resonating with my pounding heart.

“Nathan,” my voice was strained, trying to convey the disbelief, the hurt. “You can’t seriously mean that.”

He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, sighing deeply, his every gesture screaming of conflict.

“Olivia, believe me when I say I don't want to even think about giving up Elliot. Every fiber of my being rebels against the very idea, but we may have to face the reality if we can’t find any other solution.”

His words were like a dagger, each syllable cutting deep. “Reality?” I echoed, bitterness creeping into my voice. “Our reality or the reality Meredith and the Elders are trying to impose on us?”

Nathan’s eyes, those beautiful blue-green orbs that I had fallen in love with, were stormy and filled with anguish.

“Both,” he admitted. “Liv, our pack is still fragile, still healing from the wounds my father left behind. We’re not in a position to go against Ryan’s pack. They have resources, power, allies. We would be crushed.”

“You don’t know that,” I hissed.

“But I do.” Nathan’s face turned dark, his eyes gleaming with unsaid words. “Olivia, Ryan’s pack… They’ve had a history with us. It was a long time ago, but they’ve always been known to choose violence. They’re a war pack. This is no light matter.”

I couldn’t, wouldn't, let him see how much his words affected me. Holding my chin high, I fought back the tears that threatened to come.

“So that’s it then?” I asked incredulously. “We just hand over our son on a silver platter because it’s the ‘logical’ thing to do? Because they’ve terrorized our pack in the past? Because the Elders told you to?”

“Possibly, yes,” Nathan replied, sounding defeated. “Olivia, we’re still recovering from the trouble my dad has caused. I work day in and day out to remedy the decades of shit he stirred up. We don’t have the resources right now to engage in war with a pack that has a literal, undeniable obsession with violence.”

“So—so we find allies, then,” I pleaded. “Our neighboring packs will understand. They’ll help. What about Layla?”

Nathan nodded slightly. “We’ll do everything we can,” he said quietly. “But with the Ancient Wolf… Olivia, it’s possible that no one will want to help. They might view Elliot, the Ancient Wolf, and this whole situation as a bad omen that they won’t want to get involved with.”

Nathan’s words were like a knife in my spirit. I felt my body beginning to crumble, and all the while Elliot and Aurora began to squirm uncomfortably in their stroller, becoming aware of our fighting.

He moved closer, the warmth of his proximity both comforting and maddening.

“Olivia, please try to understand. I will do everything, everything, in my power to avoid giving Elliot up. But we have to be prepared for the fact that it might be the only way to ensure the safety of our pack, to prevent further death.”

I recoiled, feeling a stinging sensation behind my eyes, the precursor to tears. “So you think it’s that simple, then? Hand over our son for the sake of peace? If you truly loved these babies as much as you claimed, you wouldn't even be entertaining this thought."

His face darkened, a mixture of pain and anger.

“Don't you dare,” he growled, his voice dripping with intensity. “You have no idea the torment I’m going through. I love these babies more than life itself. But being Alpha isn’t always about what I want or how I feel. It’s about the safety and well-being of our pack. My father only cared about his own gains and look how that turned out.”

The space between us felt like a chasm, an insurmountable gap filled with unsaid words and fears.

“Then maybe this isn’t my home anymore. Maybe Elliot and I don’t belong here,” I said, my voice breaking. “Everyone already hates us because of this Ancient Wolf nonsense. First they viewed me as the daughter of a traitor, then a cheap harlot for being pregnant on my own, and now they see my babies as omens of death and plague. And now this? I should just leave.”

“You don’t mean that,” Nathan said, his voice wavering. “Come on, Olivia. We can work through this.”

I shook my head, resisting the urge to shout. “I’m not sure how much more I can just ‘work through’, Nathan,” I growled. “All I ever wanted was to raise my babies safely and comfortably in my own home. And now, I can’t even do that much.”

Without waiting for his response, I turned on my heel, storming up the stairs and into my bedroom. My hands shook as I began pulling clothes from the wardrobe, haphazardly stuffing them into a bag, the raw emotions making each movement jagged, frantic.

Nathan was right behind me, his voice thick with desperation. “Olivia! Stop! Please, don’t do this. We can figure this out together.”

I snorted, tears streaming down my face. “Together? It doesn’t feel very ‘together’ right now, Nathan.”

As I made to move past him, he caught my arm, his grip firm but not hurting.

“You’re not leaving, Olivia. Not like this.”

I jerked my arm free, anger and hurt boiling within. “You don’t get to decide that for me. Let me go!”

I tried to slip past him, but Nathan blocked my path, his frame like an unyielding wall. His face was a mask of pain, his eyes begging me to understand.

“Liv, I can’t let you leave like this. I can’t let you take Elliot and Aurora.”

The words poured out, raw and unfiltered. “You think I want to leave?” I hissed. “You think this is easy? But I can’t stand by and watch as you ponder handing our son over to that... that monster. Elliot is our son, ours, Nathan. Blood or not. That was the promise you made to me.”

His eyes searched mine, desperate for understanding.

“Olivia, I know how much he means to you, to us. But this is bigger than just us. It’s about the entire pack, the future. I wish I didn’t have to make these choices, that we could live in a world where we didn’t have to make such sacrifices. But this is the life we’ve been given.”

I was barely able to hold back the sobs threatening to escape. “If you love these babies as much as you say you do, you’ll fight for them, for us. We can’t just give in.”

He cupped my face, his thumb wiping away the tears streaming down my cheeks. “I promise you, Liv, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure it doesn't come to that. But I need you to be prepared for the worst.”

The weight of his words, the gravity of the situation, crashed down on me. Without a second thought, I pounded on his chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

His hand caught my wrist, and without a word, he pulled me close against his chest.

“I can’t, Nathan,” I sobbed into his shirt. “I can’t bear the thought of losing him. If they take him, if they take my baby, I... I’ll die.”