#Chapter 18 A Duel

Olivia’s POV
The words leave my lips before I can stop it. “You don’t deserve forgiveness!”
He seems taken aback by my yelling but I can’t stop it. I don’t want to stop it, either. I want him to feel the worst pain, the pain I felt in our marriage, especially at the end.
“I hate you! That poor girl was stuck with you as a mate and it was the worst decision she ever made! You are the reason she is dead! You are the reason she was always in pain! You ruined her fucking life!”
His face drops, his tears speeding down his pale, colorless cheeks, and he trembles all over like I do. I am furious, while he simply seems aggravated, the sight of him taking this pain and not fighting back on it is almost refreshing.
He moves closer to me, the desk the only keeping us apart while I back away from him. “I can see you’re hurt,” he says. “I know why, too. I don’t want you to be hurt anymore.”
I shake my head, sobbing into my palms, just pleading this all ends soon. “You should be the one in pain, not me.”
“I am,” he shoots back, speaking so fast I almost recoil in his claim. “I don’t like seeing you this way and I never intended to hurt my mate. I want her to know that. I want her to know how horrible I feel about what happened.”
He wipes at his damp cheeks, his eyes red and scratchy. He steps forward, closing the space between us, but something stops him. His eyes gray over for a moment, his wolf taking control, and when he returns to reality I can see his sadness blossom.
I back away slowly. He notices.
“I won’t stop trying to prove myself to you,” he hums.
My brows furrow. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Olivia—”
“What is going on here?” Gabriel storms into the office, his eyes hunkered down and red in color. He pushes between us both, shoving Herold clear across the room until his back hits the wall. Gabriel comes to my side; his gaze narrow on my wet cheeks. “Why are you crying?”
“I’m fine,” I lie.
I can’t ignore the fact that Herold called me by my name. He acts as though he knows who I really am and I can’t believe that. He never paid any attention to me in our marriage and now he thinks he knows me well enough to claim to know my real identity.
I push away from both Alpha’s, my wolf whining so loud in my head that it’s deafening.
“My dear,” Gabriel groans, his hand reaching for my wrist, pulling me into his side. We both pause, Herold growling under his breath. I sink into his side more, tired of fighting away from it. “What did he do to you?”
“He’s talking about Olivia,” I breathe, my own name so foreign on my lips. “He keeps begging for forgiveness and I can’t take it anymore. He doesn’t deserve to be forgiven and he can’t keep coming to me for it. I hate this Alpha. I hate him!”
Herold flinches at my words.
Gabriel notices it as well.
“It’s okay, my dear. I’m here to protect you, okay?” he nuzzles his lips into my light, flowy hair, his joy warm like his touch on my sides, keeping me pinned to him. “I’ll get rid of him for you. Would that make you happy?”
I sniffle, Herold speaking before I can.
“I’m not going anywhere. I know this she-wolf. I have loved her before and I know she loves me, that’s why she is so upset,” Herold says, his words bold and abrasive. “And I will fight for her forgiveness until the day I die.”
My wolf shutters with his words.
“How dare you speak about my mate like this?” Gabriel growls. His eyes grow wide, his hands turning into fists at his sides. “She has spoken her peace. You are not to come crawling to my mate for forgiveness over how poorly you treated your mate! That was your fault and you have to pay for it now; not her!”
“She knows what I am talking about! She knows she can forgive me!”
“She will have nothing to do with—”
“Shut up!” I scream, my head pained. I lean on my desk to keep upright, feeling both Alpha’s look at me now. “I don’t want either one of you telling me what I can and cannot do or feel! This is exactly why I am upset!”
I wipe my hasty tears, turning my back on the both of them.
“I want my life to be about something other than stupid, false love. I want to live to make a difference and I refuse to allow either one of you to sit here and fight each other over some kind of false sense of love for me. I won’t accept it!”
Gabriel steps forward, his eyes saddened. “Then what will you accept, my dear?”
I look to my laptop, still needing to get my work done for the day. “I will accept the two of you donating to the charity and helping me make wolves healthy who can’t afford it. Maybe if this was available before, Olivia would still be alive today.”
Herold’s head drops in embarrassment.
I gather my things, seeing the two of them still stare at me thoughtfully.
“My dear, I will give you whatever you want, you know this,” Gabriel hums, trying to help me gather my notes but I bat his hand away. “I will get rid of that useless Alpha at once and I will help you with any business you need done, my dear. Anything you want, it’s yours.”
“I can provide the same,” Herold barks. “I just want whatever will bring me forgiveness.”
“I want you both to stop fighting for something that doesn’t belong to you,” I snap.
I leave the room, turning quick to see them both shift into bold, huge wolves. My heart drops at the sight but I can’t step in to stop them from fighting; even if the fight will yield useless results. They are Alphas, strong willed and headstrong.
I let them fight, and hurry home to keep from hearing them hurt one another.