Chapter 95

Nathan

I idled in the shadows, the glow from the Italian restaurant a few blocks down washing the pavement in a warm hue. My car's interior was dark; the only sound was the occasional hum of traffic passing by.

I had parked here intending to watch Olivia meet her ex, Ryan, from a safe distance.

I knew it was crazy, maybe a little possessive, but I couldn’t help myself. Something about that meeting, about her carrying that tender little child in her belly while meeting her shitty ex, set a fire in me.

I needed to make sure she was safe. I didn’t trust Ryan, and I didn’t trust Olivia not to do something rash.

What if he offered for her to go home with him? What if they hooked up and he broke her heart after using her for her body? I had known guys like that in my lifetime; he was certainly one of them. A womanizer.

Forty-five minutes in and I was starting to get worried. Why hadn’t Ryan shown up yet? What was taking him so long?

Then he arrived. I clenched my jaw as I watched him stride into the restaurant. The casual indifference with which he walked was as if he was stepping into a business meeting, not a heart-to-heart with the mother of his unborn child.

I had never seen him before; not even a picture. But I didn’t need it. I knew who he was instantly from the haughty way that he held himself and the way that he strode into the restaurant with so much confidence.

He was handsome, too. I hated the fact that I noticed it. Olivia was gorgeous; I had expected that her ex would be at least somewhat attractive. But in my mind, I had worked him up to be some sort of sniveling little weasel, not a tall and muscular guy.

Somehow, that realization made me hate him even more.

A girl came out of the restaurant as he was heading in, and he held the door open for her. She was drunk. His eyes wandered over her body. He said something to her, and she giggled before flouncing away.

“You ass,” I muttered, narrowing my eyes as I watched him disappear into the restaurant. “Going to dinner with the mother of your child and you’re hitting up other women. Disgusting.”

My heart pounded, my hands gripping the steering wheel as my eyes stayed glued on the restaurant door. I waited patiently to see Olivia come out.

It wasn’t long before I saw Olivia storm out of the restaurant. My heart squeezed painfully in my chest at the sight of her.

Her shoulders were shaking and I knew she was crying. She rushed down the street toward her car; Levi, her ever-faithful escort, opened the car door for her, and she fell into him, her body shaking with sobs.

They exchanged some words, some glances. He hugged her tightly and rubbed her back in large circles. His fingers were like knives in my heart as I watched them trail up and down her back. His chin was like a grenade in my ribcage as he rested it on the top of her head.

Jealousy flared up within me. How dare he comfort her in my place? But I held my tongue and my fists clenched around the steering wheel.

I had to take a deep breath and try to remind myself that Levi was just doing his job. Later, I would need to set him straight for getting too close with Olivia; but he wasn’t my main concern right now. Ryan was.

As they drove away, Ryan emerged from the restaurant. He looked around confusedly, his shirt soaking wet.

A smirk pulled at my lips. Olivia had always had a fire in her. Seeing him bear the brunt of her wrath was a satisfying sight.

But satisfaction soon gave way to anger. He had made her cry. He had disregarded her, disregarded their unborn child, and he was just going to walk away scot-free? I wasn't going to let that happen.

I climbed out of my car, my footsteps echoing in the quiet street as I made my way toward him. My blood roared in my ears as I moved closer to him. He didn't see me coming. He never stood a chance.

In a swift move, I grabbed him by his wet shirt and yanked him after me into an alleyway. I pinned him against the wall, my hand tight around his throat.

“What the hell kind of man are you?” I growled, my face mere inches from his. My wolf was begging to come out, to rip this guy to shreds. It took all of my strength just to quell the urge to sink my teeth into his flesh.

Ryan choked, his eyes wide with fear. “What are you talking about?” he rasped. “W-Who are you?”

“You’re the kind of man—no…boy— that abandons a woman and her child, your child," I snarled, my grip on his throat tightening. “And I’m your worst nightmare.”

He spluttered, gasping for air, his hands clawing at my wrist. I let him dangle there for a moment longer before dropping him. He collapsed onto the pavement, coughing and gasping.

“Watch yourself,” I growled, towering over him. He looked so small and useless in my shadow. “If you ever go near Olivia again, I swear I’ll kill you with my own two hands.”

I turned on my heel, leaving him there before he could even catch his breath enough to speak. It felt good to put him in his place, but it did nothing to ease the ache in my heart. My wolf was still unsatisfied.

Olivia was hurt, and that was something I couldn't fix, not tonight.

I drove home, my thoughts consumed by Olivia. The house was silent when I pulled into the driveway. The lights were off inside, but I saw a shadow moving near the front door beneath the amber glow of the porch light. It was Olivia; she was standing at the top of the steps.

I let out a sigh of relief upon seeing that she was alone.

But as I rounded the corner to the driveway, I realized that I was wrong.

Levi was standing below her. They were gazing at each other in silence, no longer holding each other and a respectable distance apart, but I could see the way that his eyes were sparkling at her.

My heart clenched at the sight. She looked so small, so vulnerable, and the fact that Levi was the one that had comforted her... it was too much. All I could see now were his arms wrapped around her, and the sight of it blinded me, clouded my judgment.

I whipped into the driveway, came to a screeching half, got out of the car and strode toward them with my hands balled up into fists at my sides. Olivia lifted her head, her eyes red-rimmed and puffy. Levi whipped around, his face laced with surprise when he saw me.

“Nathan,” she whispered, surprise tinging her voice.

I hardly heard her. Her lips moved, but nothing came out. My ears were too full with the sound of my own blood rushing to hear her utter my name. My gaze snapped back to Levi, who was still standing there with confusion drawn across his face.

I overreacted. I acted impulsively, out of jealousy and anger. My wolf still wasn’t satisfied after leaving Ryan on his knees in the alley. Now, there was another object of my anger.

I stormed toward him, my fists shooting out and grabbing him tightly by the shirt before he had a chance to move away.

“Who the hell do you think you are?!” I demanded, my voice loud in the quiet night.