Chapter 281

Nathan

The summer of our third year as best friends was one of those idyllic times that seemed to stretch on forever, every day a new adventure waiting to be had.

Olivia, with her endless imagination and powerful personality, was often the little leader of our escapades. Her honey golden hair would always sway as she ran, her laughter filling the woods where we played.

Alvin and I were always by her side, content to be part of the fantasies she conjured up.

That day, the sun bathed the forest clearing in a warm, golden hue. We were in the midst of one of our favorite games: Queens & Knights.

As always, Olivia was the queen, regal in her makeshift crown made of intertwined daisies. She would make decrees, command her subjects—imaginary friends, mostly—and bask in the glow of her fictitious royalty.

I stood by her side, her loyal knight, draped in an old curtain that served as my armor. My wooden sword, crafted by Olivia’s father, hung by my side. It was my pride and joy.

Alvin was there too, but today, he had chosen a different role. He was a knight, yes, but from a rival kingdom.

“Why can’t we both be knights in Queen Olivia’s kingdom?” I had asked him earlier.

“It’s more fun this way!” Alvin had grinned, mischief dancing in his eyes. He had crafted a toy sword out of cardboard, wrapped in silver foil. It gleamed in the sunlight.

Our play was jovial at first. I defended Queen Olivia from imaginary beasts and threats. But soon, Alvin made his move. With a dramatic flourish, he declared, “I come from the far lands, seeking the hand of the beautiful Queen Olivia!”

I remember laughing initially. “She already has a knight,” I pointed out, smirking.

“That can be changed,” Alvin retorted, drawing his foil-wrapped cardboard sword. “We shall fight to the death!”

The duel started playfully enough. We swung our ‘swords’, mimicking moves we had seen in old movies, adding exaggerated grunts and shouts for effect.

But something changed as we got more engrossed. Maybe it was a harder hit than intended, or perhaps an errant word, but suddenly, our make-believe duel took on an edge of reality.

We collided, pushing and shoving.

“I’m Queen Olivia’s knight! Not you!” I hissed.

“I don’t care!” Alvin whined. “I want to be Queen Olivia’s knight!”

“Guys!” Olivia called out over the din. “Stop fighting!”

But we weren’t listening. My wooden sword, much heavier than Alvin’s cardboard one, became a real weapon. In a moment of anger, frustration, or perhaps just the reckless abandon of youth, I swung it hard. Too hard.

The sound of wood meeting flesh was deafening in the quiet forest.

There was a scream; whether it was Olivia or Alvin, I couldn’t tell.

Blood trickled from a gash on Alvin’s forehead. He fell to the ground, clutching his head, pain evident on his face. I stood there, shocked, my weapon still in hand, realization slowly dawning about what I had just done.

Before I could react, Olivia was there. She pushed me aside, her usually soft eyes now filled with a fire I had never seen before.

“Why did you do that?!” she yelled, her voice quivering with a mixture of rage and fear. She knelt beside Alvin, cradling his head, her hands stained with his blood.

“I... I didn't mean to,” I stammered, tears threatening to spill. My sword dropped to the ground, forgotten.

Alvin looked up, pain and betrayal in his eyes, but he didn’t say a word. He just looked at me, and that hurt more than any words he could have spoken.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, but the words seemed hollow, even to my own ears. The weight of my actions pressed down on me, heavy and suffocating.

Without another word, I turned and ran. I fled the scene of my betrayal, the echoes of Olivia’s cries and the sight of Alvin’s blood-streaked face haunting me as I disappeared deeper into the forest.

…

The night was alive with tension.

An almost tangible force permeated the air, making every breath I took feel laden with a weighty mixture of anger, betrayal, and the faint underpinning of old camaraderie lost to time. The moon hung overhead, casting everything in its silvery glow, as if shedding light on old secrets and pains.

Alvin stood in the clearing, his silhouette contrasting sharply against the ancient trees that enclosed us. Every line of his body radiated bitterness, the physical embodiment of years of jealousy and longing.

As my eyes locked onto his, memories flooded back of simpler times—times when Alvin and I stood side by side, brothers in arms, before war and love came between us. Two knights serving one purpose, from the same kingdom. Not rivals.

“You’re a no-good liar and a cheat, Alvin!”

My voice, although firm, betrayed a hint of the hurt I felt. We had once been inseparable. “After everything Olivia and I tried to do for you, is this how you show your gratitude?”

Alvin’s eyes, once filled with mirth and camaraderie during our shared past, were now cold and calculating. Yet a flicker of the old Alvin was still there, buried deep.

“This isn’t about gratitude, Nathan. This has never been about you.” He sneered, shifting his gaze momentarily toward the mouth of the cave, his obsession clear. “It’s about Olivia.”

As I tried to find the right words, a cool breeze rustled the trees above us, bringing with it the scent of the forest, a mix of damp earth, pine, and something else—a scent I’d know anywhere.

Olivia.

Had she shifted? Did she get the final artifact?

If that was the case, I needed to stall, just for a few more minutes.

“What happened to you during the war, Alvin?” I implored, memories of our last night together before his deployment flashing before my eyes. “You were never like this. You were strong, loyal...”

Alvin’s derisive laughter cut me off. He closed the distance between us in a few swift steps and grabbed the front of my shirt, pulling me close. I could feel the heat of his breath, and the rage emanating from him was palpable.

“You want to talk about the war? About the nightmares I witnessed every day? The screams that I can still hear?” He shook his head, a momentary veil of pain shadowing his eyes. “But every night, amidst that hell, I clung to the memory of Olivia. Her smile, her laughter...”

He paused, his grip on my shirt tightening. “She was my beacon, my hope. I dreamt of coming home, of finally telling her how I felt... only to find her in your arms.”

Feeling a burst of frustration, I shoved Alvin off of me, standing my ground.

“You can’t blame me for that, Alvin! Olivia and I found each other. Love isn’t something you can control or command. I never ‘stole’ her. It’s your actions and decisions that pushed her away!”

The tension between us was a living thing, crackling and sparking like a live wire. But before either of us could say another word, the sight that emerged from the cave entrance froze us both in place.

A golden wolf, radiating a power and beauty that was ethereal, stepped into the moonlight. My wolf, deep within, stirred in recognition.

“Our mate,” he whispered, the profound joy and longing clear.

The wolf’s majestic form shifted seamlessly, revealing Olivia. Her eyes darted between us, confusion evident. “Olivia!” I called out, relief flooding me. “You made it… Run!”

But she didn’t. Of course she didn’t. She never did.

“Alvin! What have you…”

Olivia began to storm toward Alvin. But before she could, his men closed around her, blocking her.

“Hello, Olivia. Looks like you won the race after all,” Alvin said with a smirk.

A low growl rumbled in Olivia’s throat, something primal and terrifying. Even Alvin seemed to blanch a bit at her power. “Why are you doing this?” she cried out, stepping away from his men. “Alvin, you don’t need to do this.”

Alvin, a mix of anger and desperation painted on his face, responded quickly. “I want to fight for your love, Olivia. I have always loved you.”

She took a measured step towards Alvin, her voice filled with authority and sorrow. “If you think hurting Nathan and my friends, if you think that siding with Ryan will make me love you, then you don’t know me at all. You need to stop this, Alvin.”

Despite the protective instincts surging within me, urging me to pull Olivia close and shield her from Alvin’s desperate intensity, another force held sway—the need to protect our pack and lay old ghosts to rest.

“Stay back, Olivia,” I instructed, my gaze never leaving Alvin’s face. “I need to deal with this traitor.”