Chapter 226

Olivia

The room, dimly lit by the twins’ soft lamplight, was filled with the pleasant scent of babies and a candle drifting in through the open door.

I sat on the plush rocking chair, its ornate woodwork tracing intricate patterns. Heavy velvet drapes framed the tall windows, blocking the moonlight and any prying eyes from the outside world. It was a comfort to be here after everything.

But I didn’t feel comforted anymore. Not when Nathan had just told me that he was planning on stepping down as Alpha.

“Nathan?” I hissed, resisting the urge to raise my voice as I felt Elliot finally drifting off to sleep in my arms. “You’re joking, right?”

Nathan shook his head. “I’m not,” he explained. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I want to deal with the Ryan situation, and then step down. It’s for the best.”

“How is that for the best?” I asked. I stood, gently laying Elliot down in his crib, and turned to look at Nathan with my hands on my hips. “You were meant to be our pack’s Alpha. Why are you just… giving up now?”

Nathan was pacing as he gently bounced Aurora in his arms, each step quietly echoing his frustrations. “It’s not that I’m giving up,” he said. “It’s just… better this way.”

“Explain,” I growled.

Nathan swallowed slightly. “The Elders hate me. I’m not as… obedient as they’d like me to be. Eventually, it’s going to cause even more problems for our family, because they’ll never be happy with anything I do, especially not after what my father did to our pack.”

“But you’re supposed to be our Alpha,” I said. “You challenge the Elders; of course they hate that. But maybe that’s what our pack needs. Maybe it’s what our pack has always needed.”

“You really think I can act the part of an Alpha, Liv?” Nathan's voice was filled with doubt. He paused his pacing and turned to me, his blue-green eyes searching mine. “The Elders—they’ve got this chokehold over me. I never realized how much power they wielded.”

“I’ve seen you, Nathan.” I tried to catch his gaze, but he looked away, staring down at Aurora as he laid her down in the crib adjacent to her brother. “You were amazing at that rally the other day. Look at how many people came out to support you!”

“Sure,” Nathan said, shrugging. “That was one instance. But how loyal will people really be once war wages in our territory? They’ll just become resentful that their so-called ‘Alpha’ let them get into this situation.”

I watched with wide eyes as Nathan walked out of the nursery. Following him, I realized that we were alone; Angela, exhausted, had slipped out some time ago.

“They won’t be resentful,” I urged, following Nathan to the kitchen with some difficulty. “Hell, people even talked about how good of an Alpha you would be someday when we were kids. Kids, Nathan. It’s in your blood. It’s your calling.”

He scoffed, running a hand through his tousled dirty blond hair. “When we were kids, yes. At rallies, maybe. But against the Elders? They’ve been manipulating Alphas for generations, and I had no idea. I always thought my father was weak. But now... now I wonder if he was just as trapped as I feel.”

The raw honesty in his voice tugged at my heart. Pushing through the pain from my injuries, I made my way to him. Nathan’s face twisted in concern as he watched my every move, but I needed to be beside him.

Reaching him, I took his face in my hands. The stubble of his beard prickled my palms.

“Look at me,” I whispered. He lifted his gaze, and in the depths of his eyes, I saw a storm of emotions—fear, uncertainty, but also hope.

“Every time I look at you, I remember how you were at that sunup rally the other day,” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper. “You stood there, tall and unyielding, making the Elders listen. You were everything an Alpha should be.”

His voice trembled. “That was a fleeting moment, Liv. A moment of rebellion. Since then, every single day, they’ve been... pushing, prodding, testing my limits. Making sure I remember who really holds the power.”

I squeezed his hands. “But it doesn’t have to be that way. As our Alpha, you don’t have to bend to their will. Make them listen. You have the strength, Nathan. I’ve seen it. And I’m here, by your side, every step of the way.”

He looked deep into my eyes, searching for something. “How can you have so much faith in me when I can’t even believe in myself?”

I smiled, brushing a stray strand of hair from his face. “Because I’ve seen the Alpha in you, long before you wore the title. That rally wasn’t a one-time thing. It was the beginning. We can change the dynamics with the Elders. We can bring change for our pack.”

“But the other Alphas in our territories,” Nathan said. “What about them? Mike was arrested alongside my father. Two others retreated to their territories and walled up their borders, no doubt because they were benefiting from my dad’s treachery and didn’t want to go to prison like he did. Now it’s just me, and two others. And they’re both…”

I stifled a laugh as I thought about the two remaining Alphas on the council, Regis and Dammon. They were both old, often falling asleep at meetings with very little to say. Two old Alphas just reaping the rewards of being on the council, and retreating to their little territories at the end of the day.

“So screw the other Alphas,” I said. “You’re the Supreme Alpha. You need a Council, yes; but nothing is stopping you from making it better for the sake of our pack.”

Nathan sighed, pulling me into a tight embrace. The warmth of his body against mine, the rhythmic beating of his heart—it was comforting. “It’s a tangled web, Olivia. The traditions, the power plays—it’s all deeply rooted. I want to be the Alpha you see in me, but tearing down generations of submission to the Elders... it’s easier said than done.”

Pulling back, I looked up into his eyes. “Nothing worthwhile is ever easy, Nathan. We’ll face resistance, setbacks, but as long as we stand united, we can weather any storm. This pack... our pack deserves better. And together, we can give them that.”

A smile, a tiny curve of his lips, but it warmed my heart. “You and your unwavering faith. It’s infectious, you know? Makes me believe, even for a moment, that we can truly change things.”

I smiled back, the pain in my body forgotten. “That’s all we need. A moment of belief. We’ll turn that moment into momentum. And that momentum will change our world. But first, let’s handle Ryan.”

Nathan pulled me closer, resting his forehead against mine. We stood there, two souls intertwined, drawing strength from one another. The gravity of the situation, the weight of our responsibilities, it all faded away, leaving just the two of us.

Just as we were about to get lost in the moment, a sudden knock echoed through the room, pulling us out of our embrace.