Chapter 198

Olivia

The stillness that had settled in the room was unsettling, like the foreboding calm before a storm. As the Elders' receding footsteps echoed in my ears, I clutched the eviction notice, its presence an icy reminder of the cruel reality that was unfolding. The paper felt like a traitor in my hands; lifeless yet filled with the weight of our ancestors' history.

Nathan and I were locked in a gaze, our emotions threatening to spill. His face was a canvas of a myriad of emotions – anguish, resolve, fear, and defiance. The room, once filled with warmth and love, now felt cold and alien.

“Pack your bags, Olivia,” Nathan’s voice sliced through the air, as sharp as a winter wind. His tone, devoid of its usual warmth, sent shivers down my spine.

“What?” I stammered, unable to comprehend the gravity of his words. “Just like that?”

“Yes,” he said, turning and heading back inside. “Just like that. And make it quick; we don’t have much time.”

My eyes were so wide I thought they might fall out of my head as I watched Nathan storm down the hallway and up the stairs. For a few moments, I stood there, frozen to my spot, still clutching the eviction notice in my hands. It wasn’t until I heard the unmistakable sound of Nathan banging around in his room and packing his bags that I was shaken out of my stupor.

“Nathan!” I called, jogging up the stairs after him with panic rising in the sound of my voice. My eyes widened even further as I burst into his room to see two suitcases sitting on his bed, one of which was already rapidly filling with things.

“Nathan, we can't just abandon everything,” I said frantically. “This is our sanctuary, our legacy. Our home.”

His jaw clenched, his nostrils flared, signaling an internal struggle despite the fact that his body continued to methodically move back and forth across the room, packing things into his suitcases.

“The Elders have spoken, Olivia,” he said. “It was a unanimous decision on their part, which means only one thing. It's tradition. We must respect their decision.”

Heat bubbled inside of me, a fierce defiance igniting.

“Screw tradition!” I spat out, frustration evident in my voice. The thought of the Elders dictating our fate was maddening. “Nathan, they are nothing more than a group of old wolves stuck in a past era. You're the Supreme Alpha. Isn't the whole point of that title to wield power? To guide and protect?”

He spun to face me, eyes blazing. “You really don't understand anything, do you?” he snapped, every word dripping with an acidic venom I had never heard from him before. “I can’t just go against all of the Elders like that, Olivia. It’s not that simple. A unanimous decision like that is too difficult to go up against.”

I recoiled, taken aback by the intensity of his words. “Nathan, I'm just—”

He cut me off, striding forward, the fire in his gaze matching the intensity in his voice. “Do you know the weight I bear, Olivia? Do you truly understand what being the Supreme Alpha means?”

I bit my lip, trying to hold back the torrent of emotions threatening to overwhelm me. “Nathan, this is about us, about our family. I’m scared. You can’t expect me to just accept this lying down.”

The room seemed to close in around us. The muted glow from the lamp highlighted the deep furrows on his brow and the tension lines that marked his face. He looked weary, broken by the weight of the world and the decisions he was forced to make.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I didn’t mean to snap.”

I shook my head, reaching out to squeeze his hand. “It’s alright. But you don’t have to accept this, Nathan. We can figure something out—together. Something better than… than this.” I held up the eviction notice, which had been crumpled in my hand without my realization.

“It’s not just about accepting, Liv,” he whispered, his voice laced with a vulnerability I had seldom witnessed. “It's about choosing our battles, about understanding the consequences. And the consequences for this could be too great.”

I took a shaky breath. “We can challenge them, can’t we? Fight for our place here in the pack.”

He let out a hollow laugh, one devoid of any humor. “And then what? Spark a civil war within the pack, while simultaneously sparking a war with Ryan’s pack? Sacrifice countless lives? For what, Olivia? Pride?”

I could feel a lump forming in my throat, my voice barely above a whisper. “For love, Nathan. For our children. For a future where we don’t constantly look over our shoulders, haunted by the past.”

Nathan’s expression shifted from anger to profound sadness. He moved closer, cupping my face in his hands. The rough pads of his fingers felt cool and comforting against my hot, tear-streaked cheeks.

“I’m throwing away my entire life for you, Liv,” he murmured, the intensity of his gaze searing into me. “For Elliot, for Aurora. I’m risking it all—our traditions, our lineage, even the possibility of a full-blown war. And I’m okay with that, if it’s the only way for us all to be safe and together.”

I was taken aback, searching his eyes for any hint of exaggeration. But all I saw was raw, genuine emotion. “Nathan…”

He continued, a tremor in his voice. “Every challenge, every sacrifice, I bear it for you. For our family. I’m not lying down and taking anything. I’m choosing you over everything else.”

“You’re choosing me?” I asked incredulously, taking a tentative step back.

“Yes, Liv,” Nathan replied, his voice low and quiet, so low I almost couldn’t hear his words. “For you.”

I shook my head, taking another step away. Guilt gripped me, causing a lump to rise in my throat.

“Nathan, I don’t want that,” I murmured. “I don’t want you to leave behind everything here. Hell, I’ll go on my own, if my presence is really such a detriment to our pack. But I won’t ask you to leave behind everything you’ve ever known for me.”

Nathan was silent for a few moments. He kept opening and closing his mouth, as though wanting to say something but not being able to find the right words.

“I won’t have it,” I continued. “Stay here and keep leading this pack, just as you’ve been doing for the past months. I-I’ll leave. At least for the time being, until things are straightened out. But don’t—”

“God dammit, Olivia!” Nathan shouted, his voice rising. “I’m not letting you go anywhere without me. I love you!”

My eyes widened. Words failed me.

The weight of his confession, the depth of his feelings left me speechless. Nathan had never verbalized his love for me before. We had shared countless intimate moments, exchanged knowing glances, felt the deep connection between us.

But hearing him say the words out loud, in such a vulnerable moment, shook me to my core.

At that moment, I felt my wolf. Her reaction was strong, powerful. She had been waiting for him to say it for some time, almost as though that word served as some sort of temporary relief to her dormancy.

And at that moment, she wanted me to say it, too.

“Nathan…”