Chapter 408

Olivia

When we finally pulled away from our hug, I let out a soft chuckle and wiped my tears away. “I’m such a crybaby,” I mused, meeting Nathan’s soft gaze.

But Nathan just shook his head firmly. “No you’re not, Liv. It’s partially my fault; I haven’t been the man you need. I’ve been so focused on being an Alpha that I forgot how to be a mate.”

I sighed. “Well, I appreciate the extra help,” I murmured. “But I don’t want you to shirk your Alpha duties, either.”

As we stood together, Nathan seemed to think for a minute, chewing the inside of his lip.

“Look,” he said, “we’ll find a balance. I’ve just got to finish up one thing inside, and then I’ll be back to help you. Does that sound okay?”

I nodded. “That sounds fine.”

“Good,” he said. “And by the way, I shut down those gossips earlier.”

“Nathan, you didn’t have to—”

“No, I did have to,” he insisted. “You think I was just gonna stand around and let some gossips talk like that about my mate? Besides, those three have had it coming for a while. If they bother you again, let me know. But for now, just hold your chin up and don’t let them get in your way. ‘Kay?”

I nodded again. “‘Kay.”

I decided to take Nathan’s words to heart and carry on with my preparations for the First Snow Festival. His support had given me the strength to push aside the gossips’ hurtful comments and focus on what really mattered, which was our pack.

With renewed determination, I returned to the park, where the volunteers were still diligently working to set up the event. The festival was just days away, and there was still so much to be done. I couldn’t afford to let negativity get in the way.

As I supervised the placement of fairy lights and checked on the progress of the vendors, however, I couldn’t help but notice the gossips lingering nearby.

Laura, Stephanie, and Margaret were watching me closely, likely waiting for any opportunity to criticize me again. Now that Nathan wasn’t here—at least for the time being—they were like sharks circling their prey.

However, I tried my best to ignore them. They were no longer my concern.

“Good on you,” Jade said, shooting a soft growl their way. “Bunch of bitches.”

“Hey,” I replied with a soft chuckle. “Be nice. Let’s not stoop to their level.”

Jade sighed, but I could tell that she knew I was right. Either way, though, I was glad to have finally come to my senses.

Jade and Nathan were both correct; I was the pack’s Luna, and if I wasn’t going to confront people like Margaret, Stephanie, and Laura outwardly, then I was sure as hell going to ignore their jabs and keep living my life the way I should have been doing all along.

That, in my opinion, was far better than any speech or retort could ever be.

But when I saw a group of children playing near the large Christmas tree in the center of the park, I felt a pang of worry. The tree had been set up earlier, and I had instructed the volunteers to secure it properly. However, as I watched, I noticed that it appeared to be leaning slightly.

Then, suddenly, a gust of wind blew through. The tree swayed precariously in the wind.

Fear gripped me as I realized that the tree might topple over. I couldn’t let that happen, not with children so close by. With a sense of urgency, I rushed over to the tree, my heart pounding.

“Everyone, please step back from the tree,” I called out, my voice carrying across the park. The children and their parents quickly moved away from the tree, confusion evident on their faces.

As I approached the tree, I could see that the volunteers had indeed not secured it properly.

“Can someone please fetch me some extra ropes and stakes?” I asked the volunteers nearby. They nodded and hurried to retrieve the necessary materials.

With the help of the volunteers, I worked quickly to stabilize the Christmas tree. It took some effort, but we managed to secure it firmly into the ground. As I stepped back to assess our work, relief washed over me. The tree was still standing, and no one had been hurt.

I turned to face the gossips, who had been watching the entire scene with keen interest. Laura, Stephanie, and Margaret wore expressions of surprise, and for once, they had nothing negative to say.

“Thank you, Olivia,” one of the parents said, approaching me with a smile. “I wasn’t paying enough attention; I shouldn’t have been letting my kids run around unsupervised.”

I nodded, just feeling grateful that everything had turned out well. It was a small victory, but it meant the world to me. I could handle the challenges that came my way, and I would prove the gossips wrong.

As the day went on, I continued to oversee the preparations for the festival, feeling a sense of accomplishment with each task completed. The decorations were coming together beautifully, the vendors were setting up their stalls, and the atmosphere in the park was filled with excitement.

Eventually, Nathan joined me in the park. He had changed out of his suit that he always wore on Alpha duty to a flannel and some jeans, and the wind tousled his hair as he approached.

“Everything going okay out here?” he asked as he walked up to me.

I nodded. My hands were filled with paper stars and moons that the children had made, and I was walking around, hanging them from tree branches.

“Thank you for earlier,” I said quietly as he took a bundle of the paper ornaments from my hands and helped me hang them on some of the higher branches that I couldn’t reach, his tall form stretching easily to reach them. “It’s… not easy for me to admit when I need help.”

Nathan chuckled as he jumped slightly to reach a particularly high branch. “I know it’s not, Liv,” he said. “And I’m sorry for not noticing sooner.”

I couldn’t help but smile. It was times like this that I was reminded, above all else, that Nathan was always on my side. No matter what we had been through, he was always here. And I was always there for him, too. We were a team, just as we had always been when we were kids playing kings and queens on the playground.

But then, just when I had thought the day was going smoothly and that the kinks had been worked out, my phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. I glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was Kylie, our wedding planner.

“Who’s that?” Nathan asked, furrowing his brow.

“It’s Kylie,” I said with a concerned frown. “We just had a meeting. It’s not like her to call so soon.”

Nathan paused, taking the rest of the paper ornaments from me. “I’ll handle this,” he said. “You go ahead and answer.”

I nodded and walked away, answering with a bit of trepidation in my voice. “Hello?” I answered. “What’s up, Kylie?”

“Olivia,” Kylie breathed, her voice sounding strained, “we have a problem.”