Chapter 314

Olivia

“How about we get out of here for breakfast?” Nathan suggested, sitting up and stretching. As he sat up, the morning light hit his chest, illuminating his chiseled muscles and slender build. Even with dark circles under his eyes and his hair a mess, he looked incredibly handsome in that moment. He always looked incredibly handsome, though.

“A breakfast outing, huh?” I said, unable to hide my surprise. “Figured you’d want to save money and take advantage of the hotel’s breakfast bar.”

Nathan shot me a look. “As if I’d take my mate out on a weekend trip to the city and make her eat the hotel’s breakfast bar,” he teased.

I smirked. Hearing him refer to me as his mate was still foreign to my ears, but I liked it. It made my wolf stir, too, making me momentarily forget my distance with Nathan lately.

“Anyway,” he said, climbing out of bed, “I heard there’s a nice cafe down the street from here. We could walk, get some breakfast, then… I have another surprise for the day.”

“Sounds good to me,” I agreed, just relieved to have a plan.

We walked to the cafe in silence, both of us stealing glances at each other but avoiding direct eye contact.

I had chosen a comfortable knit skirt and a matching top, perfect for the light chill of the early fall weather. Angela, the sly dog, had packed me a pair of boots with heels. After wearing nothing but ‘mom clothes’ and flat sneakers for months, it felt nice to dress up a little. And Nathan seemed to appreciate it, too, considering how he eyed me and put his hand on my lower back as we entered the cafe.

The cafe was as cute as Nathan had promised—cozy with rustic decorations and the smell of coffee and fresh pastries filling the air.

“Two stacks of pancakes, please,” Nathan told the waitress, not even glancing at the menu.

“Someone’s confident,” I said, grinning.

“I know how much you love pancakes.” Nathan’s face broke into a smile.

It was true. Whenever my dad would take us out to the diner outside of town, I always got chocolate chip pancakes. “Hey, remember when we used to make pancake towers?” I asked, chuckling at the memory.

Nathan broke into laughter. “Of course I do. And then one day, we flew too close to the sun…”

“And the tower fell.”

“Syrup went everywhere!” Nathan exclaimed. I could still picture it like it was yesterday; both of us, covered in maple syrup, with half the restaurant staring at us. My father had just put his head in his hands, exasperated. We both laughed at the memory, and for a moment, everything felt normal, easy even.

As we were digging into our pancakes, a woman approached our table cautiously. “Excuse me, are you Nathan, the Alpha of the Evergreen pack?”

Nathan looked up, clearly surprised. “Uh, yes. That’s me.”

“I thought so! People have been talking about how you handled the Redclaw attack. They say you're an exceptional Alpha. And you must be the Luna, Olivia? Word has it you’re incredibly wise and powerful.”

Both of us blushed, caught off guard by the unexpected praise. “Thank you, that’s very kind,” Nathan said.

“It’s nice to meet you both. Keep up the great work,” she said with a smile before walking away.

As she left, I looked at Nathan, my eyebrows raised. “That was unexpected. Are you prepared to be a famous Alpha?”

He chuckled. “I doubt it would ever come to that. And if it did, I’m not sure how well I’d handle it.”

“Well I, for one, think you’d be good at it,” I said softly. “You always know what to say, how to address people. You have a way of making them feel heard.”

Nathan looked flattered, his eyes meeting mine for a lingering moment. “Thank you, Olivia. That means a lot.”

We fell into a comfortable silence as we continued to eat. After everything, it felt nice to just enjoy some quiet time together, comforted by each other’s company. I began to feel as though things were starting to mend, and for the first time in a while, I felt happy.

“So…” Nathan finally broke the silence again, taking a large bite of pancake. “I thought we could go to the art museum today.”

“An art museum?” I chuckled. “That’s not your usual ‘let’s go hiking and bond with nature’ sort of outing.”

He grinned, looking a little more like himself. “I know, but we’re in the city. When in Rome, you know? And besides, it’ll be a nice change for us.”

“I can’t argue with that,” I said, relieved at the prospect of a laid-back day. “Let’s do it.”

…

By the time we arrived at the museum, I was genuinely excited. The building itself was a work of art, with sweeping architecture that made me want to explore. We began with a gallery of classical art, full of grand canvases depicting historical scenes.

“Look at this one,” Nathan said, pointing to a painting of a battle. “Imagine being there, the chaos, the intensity.”

“I can’t even fathom it,” I said. “The artist must have felt so strongly to capture all that detail. Makes me wonder what it’d be like to be so passionate about something.”

“Oh, please, Olivia,” Nathan said, his eyes meeting mine. “You’ve always had passions.”

“I guess so. But… life gets in the way,” I replied.

Nathan didn’t press further, but the question hung in the air as we moved through different exhibits. From classical art, we moved on to impressionism, modern, and even a gallery of sculptures. Each piece seemed to tell a story, pulling me in.

As we found ourselves staring at a surreal painting, Nathan cleared his throat. “So, um, did you ever go to college during those years you were gone?”

The question caught me off guard. “No,” I laughed. “After my dad and I were evicted from the pack, paying tuition wasn’t exactly feasible. And now, with the twins, my aspirations took a backseat.”

“What were those aspirations? If you don’t mind me asking.”

I hesitated for a moment, feeling somewhat vulnerable. “I wanted to have my own bakery. It’s silly, but the idea of creating something that makes people happy appealed to me. And, of course, being surrounded by sweets isn’t too bad either.”

“Then why not do it?” Nathan looked genuinely puzzled. “Why not have your bakery?”

“I’m a Luna, and a mom to twins, Nathan. It’s not about me anymore. It’s about the pack, our family. I’ve got bigger responsibilities now.”

Nathan stopped walking and turned to face me, his eyes serious. “Olivia, being a Luna or a mother doesn’t mean giving up on what makes you happy. If anything, doing something that fulfills you would make you an even better leader and parent.”

I wanted to argue, but his words struck a chord. He had a point. Why did I consider my roles as a Luna and mother mutually exclusive from my personal dreams?

“Thank you,” I finally said. “I… I never thought about it that way.”

Nathan smiled, a hint of relief in his eyes, as if he had been holding his breath. “You’re welcome. And besides, the bakery owners are getting old in town. Who knows, maybe they’d be looking for an apprentice to take over someday.”

We both chuckled at that. The tension that had plagued us since last night seemed to dissipate, at least for the moment.

“Okay, your turn,” I said, nudging him playfully. “What’s your dream, aside from being an Alpha?”

At my question, Nathan’s face turned red.