Chapter 521

Olivia

Wrapped in my robe, I sat on the edge of the bed, waiting impatiently. My leg bounced nervously, and the book that I had brought to bed to occupy myself sat untouched on the bedside table.

I shouldn’t have felt this nervous over seeing my husband; but after not seeing him for weeks, and even coming dangerously close to having a divorce, tensions were high. I felt rather like I did the first night we hooked up, back before we had admitted our feelings to one another.

God, that felt so long ago now.

When I heard the back door quietly click open, I nearly shot up from where I sat. A few moments later, I heard soft footsteps coming down the hall, and soon a familiar silhouette appeared in the doorway.

“Nathan,” I breathed, rushing over to him.

He captured me in his strong, warm arms, and for the second time that day—or maybe the millionth, if you counted all of the little moments throughout the day when it suddenly hit me again—I felt like a fool for ever pushing him away.

“Liv,” he whispered. Without another word, he picked me up and carried me over to the bed. I wrapped my legs around his torso as he carried me, peppering kisses along his neck and jaw.

He chuckled as he set both of us down. “I guess you really did miss me, huh?” he asked.

“More than you know.” I kept kissing the warm skin of his neck, reveling in the taste of him.

I continued to trail kisses along Nathan’s neck and collarbone as his hands roamed over my back underneath my silky robe. Our lips finally met in a passionate, desperate kiss as if we were trying to make up for all the lost time apart. My fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer as our bodies pressed together.

Nathan’s hands slid down to untie the robe, letting it fall open. His touch was electric against my bare skin, sending a cool shiver of anticipation down my spine. I tugged at his shirt, needing to feel his warmth, his strength surrounding me completely.

We undressed each other with trembling hands, our kisses growing more fervent and heated. It felt as if we were starting all over again during those moments—as if we hadn’t been intimate in so long that we were like nervous teens.

I trembled a bit beneath Nathan’s touch as he slipped my robe off of my shoulders, revealing my bare breasts. He looked up at me, an expression of worry flickering through his eyes.

“You’re sure you want this?” he whispered, his hands loosely tracing my waist.

I bit my lip and nodded. “Do you?”

Nathan nodded as well. “I do.”

In one fluid motion, Nathan slipped his arms around my waist and rolled us over so that I was underneath him on the sheets. His eyes locked onto mine, dark with the sort of husky desire that could only come from being separated for so long.

“Liv,” he whispered in my ear, sending another wave of shivers down my spine. He propped himself up a bit, tracing my face with the back of his hand. “There would never be anyone but you.”

I felt my heart leap. Our limbs intertwined as we moved together, our bodies moving in that familiar rhythm. I lost myself in the intensity, the intimacy, relishing every caress and whispering sweet nothings in each other’s ears.

This was what I had been missing—this profound closeness and connection with my husband. The weeks that had passed felt like a lifetime without him, and now, as we moved beneath the covers, I knew for certain: I was his, and he was mine.

There really had never been another.

Afterwards, we lay tangled up together underneath the crumpled sheets, our chests still heaving from the exertion.

Nathan lazily traced patterns along my side as I nuzzled into the crook of his neck, imprinting this moment into my memory. I wanted to soak up every precious second before the real world inevitably intruded, just like it always did.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered into the soft skin of his neck. “For not listening to you.”

Nathan let out a low, gravelly chuckle that almost sounded like a sigh. “It’s not your fault, love. You did what anyone with half a brain would have.”

I looked up at him, blinking. “What do you mean?” I whispered.

He shrugged, his finger still lazily tracing my waist. “You thought I was cheating, and you removed me from your home,” he said softly. “You protected the twins. I would have done the same.”

After that, we lay in comfortable silence for a while longer until I finally found the courage to bring up what had been weighing on my mind.

“Nathan… there’s something I need to tell you,” I whispered. “It’s about Clarissa and… Freya.”

“Clarissa and Freya?” he asked. “That’s an interesting combination. What about them?”

Swallowing hard, I launched into an explanation about everything that had happened; the visit with Clarissa, the revelation about our potential familial bonds, Clarissa’s amnesia, the Ancient Wolf powers, and most importantly, Freya being stuck in her wolf form.

When I was finished telling him about Angela’s and my trip to find Freya, Nathan’s eyes were wide.

“You went out there, knowing that she’s stuck in her wolf form?” He bolted upright, the tenderness from earlier replaced with a protective fierceness. “Olivia, you know the risks involved with those who have gone feral. That was reckless.”

Shame colored my cheeks at his words. “I had to try, Nathan,” I replied almost bashfully. “I had to see for myself. I couldn’t just leave Freya out there, feral and all alone.”

He ran an agitated hand through his disheveled hair. “And what if something had happened to you? Did you stop to think about that?”

Feeling as if I had been properly chastised by now, I dropped my gaze to the crumpled sheets in front of us. “I know it was reckless. And I’m sorry.”

Nathan’s expression softened slightly and he pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly. “I just got you back, Liv. I can’t lose you again.”

Melting into his warm arms, I nodded. “I know. I’ll be more careful next time.”

He kissed my forehead with a resigned sigh. “I’d say that there won’t be a ‘next time’, but I know you all too well at this point,” he said with a wry chuckle. “Just… wait until I can go with you. If you’re going to do this, you’re going to do it with me.”

“When, though?” I asked, lifting my head. “I don’t want to just leave her; what if the surrounding packs decide to execute her?”

Nathan sighed as he sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. “Soon, Liv. But first…”

He paused, running a hand through his hair before he continued. “First, I have to get back to Dan’s mansion.”

“You’re leaving?” I asked.

He nodded, a look of apologetic sorrow written clearly across his face. “I don’t want to, Liv. But I have to. You understand.”

Even though I didn’t want to understand, I knew it was the only way; Nathan had an image to uphold, an image that would help him take down this sex trafficking ring.

“I just hate to see you go,” I whispered.

Nathan turned then, crawling across the bed to plant one last warm, tender kiss on my lips. The kiss spoke volumes, a promise that I sorely needed just then.

“I’ll be back soon, my love.”