Chapter 529

Olivia

“Ah, Nathan, Olivia. I was actually hoping to speak with both of you.”

Nathan and I exchanged a nervous glance as Dan stood in front of us, that sickening smile on his face. I wondered how much he had heard of our conversation—hopefully none of it, but knowing Dan, I wouldn’t have put it past him to have eavesdropped.

“What a surprise,” Nathan said, pulling his shoulders back with that air of confidence that I always envied. “What brings you here?”

“Actually, I came here to speak with both of you—but specifically with Olivia.”

I swallowed, feeling suddenly smaller beneath Dan’s wolf-like gaze as he snapped his head toward me. There was a long, tense silence before I could even manage to speak.

“What did you wish to speak with me about?” I asked.

Dan regarded me down the bridge of his long nose for a moment before he spoke. “I heard that you were out with my wife again,” he said coolly. “After I specifically told you to distance yourself from her.”

My stomach dropped at his words. Clarissa and I had, after all, met in secret—and the things we had discussed had been far more sensitive than a simple cup of coffee and a leisurely chat.

How much did Dan know? Did Clarissa tell him the truth about our conversation, about her amnesia and how she yearned to know more about her past? Did she tell him about our potential familial ties?

Had Clarissa even told Dan anything, or had he simply been stalking us the whole time?

All at once, a million possibilities flooded my mind. Part of me almost wondered if it had all been a set-up, a test of sorts. I wouldn’t have put it past Dan, but for Clarissa to be involved in such a thing…

But no. I could still remember that day clearly—I could still see the look of fear and confusion in Clarissa’s eyes.

“Earth to Olivia,” Dan suddenly said, snapping his fingers in front of my eyes. “Have you gone mute?”

Beside me, I felt Nathan stiffen in anger at Dan’s patronizing tone. But before he could blurt out a defense, I quickly spoke.

“Clarissa and I did have coffee together,” I said coolly, reluctant to give too much away—more for Clarissa’s sake than my own.

“Coffee? That’s it?” Dan asked. He folded his hulking arms across his chest and glared at me, clearly not believing me.

I nodded. Although my mind was scrambling for an explanation that might fool the cruel Alpha, I somehow managed to keep my cool on the outside.

“And what, pray tell, did you two speak about over… coffee?” Dan asked, his voice barely more than a growl.

Chancing another glance at Nathan, more to gain a momentary boost from his support than anything else, I straightened up and tilted my chin up at Dan almost defiantly. “The conversation we had was personal,” I said simply.

Dan scoffed. “Personal? Sounds suspicious,” he said. “Nathan, what do you make of this? Suspicious, no?”

There was another tense silence that seemed to stretch on for an eternity before Nathan spoke.

“I understand your concern, Dan, and I respect the fact that you wished for Olivia and Clarissa to end their friendship,” Nathan said, slowly and deliberately. “But a chat over coffee hardly feels suspicious in my eyes. Perhaps Olivia and Clarissa were simply catching up.”

“Catching up,” Dan echoed with a shake of his head. “And what were you catching up about, Olivia?”

“I said it was personal—”

“There is no such thing as personal when it comes to my wife!”

Dan’s words came out almost like bark, sharp and edged with anger. It caused me to jump, my body stiffening as my eyes widened. Beside me, Nathan instinctively moved a little closer and forward in an attempt to put his body between mine and Dan’s.

But he couldn’t. Nathan knew that; there was far too much at stake right now, and our facade of a divorce was already on shaky ground.

And so, when Dan’s hunter eyes slid over to Nathan, Nathan slowly and subtly stepped back to where he had been before.

Finally realizing that there was no more hiding, my mind scrambled to come up with an excuse. I opened my mouth hesitantly, and managed to stammer out a response.

“I… I needed someone to talk to after… my son’s funeral,” I said, slowly and haltingly. “So Clarissa and I met up to talk about it, about my pain. I’m sorry that I went against your wishes, Dan, but…”

My voice trailed off. In reality, I wanted to scream at him, to call him out for what he was: a manipulator, an abuser, and a man who had no right to call himself an Alpha.

But I didn’t. I couldn’t.

After glaring at me for a few moments longer, Dan scoffed again and shook his head. “Very well,” he said. “I will let this slide—just this once. But should you speak to my wife again…”

He paused, his eyes flashing with a fury that shook me to my core.

“I’ll just say this, Olivia,” he continued. “Once you are no longer a Luna, then perhaps you should consider that your diplomatic immunity has been… compromised.”

“Compromised?” I echoed softly.

Suddenly, Nathan sprang into action before Dan could say anything more. “I hope you’re not threatening my wife,” he blurted out.

Dan snapped his head around to look at him. “Soon to be ex-wife, no?” he asked with a chuckle.

Nathan swallowed. “Yes,” he lied. “Perhaps Olivia and I are in the midst of a divorce; but I still stand by her in matters such as this, and I won’t have her being threatened—especially not in my own territory.”

Dan regarded Nathan for a long time after that, saying nothing. His face was utterly unreadable, although the anger was practically emanating off of his body.

Finally, with a sharp inhale, Dan nodded and narrowed his eyes. “Interesting,” he said, before turning on his heel.

And without a word, Dan left.

Only once the door was shut and Dan’s footsteps had long since receded did Nathan and I finally let out a collective exhale of relief—or as close to relief as one could come, given the circumstances. I turned to Nathan, my eyes wide.

“Nathan, I’m so sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t know he would find out, and she seemed so insistent on meeting up—”

“It’s alright.” Nathan sighed again and ran a hand through his hair, staring at the floor. “It’s not your fault. He’s the problem.”

I swallowed and took a nervous step forward. “But what about you?” I whispered. “What if he’s onto us now, and realizes that we’re still secretly together?”

“I’ll handle it, Liv.” His voice was as assured and confident as ever, a feeling that I didn’t even come close to possessing after what had just happened.

“Are you sure—”

“Dan may be a manipulator, but he’s surprisingly malleable,” Nathan whispered, turning his head to look at the door. “I can convince him that it was just an act. Our plan will still come to fruition, Liv; I promise.”

I nodded, reaching up to clutch at my necklace. Nathan, seeing the fear in my eyes, stepped toward me and wordlessly pulled me into his arms.

I pressed my cheek against his chest and shut my eyes, letting his heartbeat ward off the tears that threatened to spill.