#Chapter 19 Outdone

Olivia’s POV
“My wife,” Gabriel coos, waltzing into our room around midnight. I can’t stand the sight of him after seeing Herold and the King Alpha turn on each other to fight; it wounded me more than I’d like to admit. “My dear, please. Come help your wounded husband.”
I finally look up, noticing the small gash on his bare chest. “Oh no,” I groan, rolling my eyes at the petite cut. “What happens if you don’t make it? This wound could kill you.”
He doesn’t seem bothered by my sarcasm, instead handing me a warm and wet rag. I dab it gently against the mark, knowing that he will probably heal from this wound in a matter of seconds. I entertain him though, somewhat admiring his beautiful physic.
He notices and tries to flex, smiling churlishly like a kid at show-and-tell. I shake my head at his attempts to sway me, only freezing suddenly when his hands plant themselves on either sides of my hips. I enjoy his touch but I don’t tell him that, simply pressing a bandage over the mark on his chest.
“There, you might live now,” I sneer.
He hardly seems amused, his hands squeezing my hips when I try to move away. He keeps me still for now, holding me gently and pulling my pelvis to his side, letting me feel his abundance of warmth all at once.
“My Luna, why do you reject me like this?”
I shake my head, pushing away from his greedy hands at last. “I told you where I stand, Gabriel. I won’t have sex with you tonight or any other night; I am not in love.”
He pouts but eventually gives in, his smile brighter than before. “When you push me away like this, you know it only makes me want you even more, my dear. I won’t stop fighting for your heart.”
“Good luck then,” I groan.
We lay down to sleep, not a touch passing between the two of us in this large bed.
My dreams are cut short, a warrior barging into the bedroom in the early morning hours, far before the sun has even set to rise fully. He bows his head at the both of us, Gabriel growling cautiously at the sudden wakeup call we weren’t expecting.
“I’m sorry, Alpha. Luna. I didn’t mean to startle you both,” the warrior says, out of breath and panting with blood swelling through his pale cheeks. “There’s a delivery at the front gates, you’ll want to see it immediately.”
“What could it be at this hour?” Gabriel snarls.
“Well, it’s actually for the Queen Luna,” the warrior says, his eyes wide in horror. “It has her name addressed to one of the boxes, your highness.”
“One of the boxes? How many are there?”
“Too many to count,” he says, rushing back out of the room.
I grab my robe to follow, Gabriel not far behind as we come into the foyer to see shipping crates full of expensive jewelry and luxury items. I freeze at the note card on one of the crates, the entire box full of luscious flowers of every beautiful shade there could be.
“I support you in your endeavors,” I say, reading the card addressed to the Queen Luna. “Take this as a token of my wealth and a donation to your new charity.”
I open a nearby box, seeing deeds to real estate and land grants inside the box. In another there sits gold jewelry, unlike anything I’ve ever laid my eyes on before. The amount of wealth in this room alone is enough to skyrocket my charity and pay millions of dollars’ worth to the charity causes I’ve created in the last month.
“How generous,” Gabriel mumbles. “He is trying to prove his love in money.”
“He is giving to my charity,” I say, in no way defending the Alpha’s actions but in Gabriel’s wounded eyes, I can see how he thinks that’s what I’m doing. “It’s noble of him, actually.”
“Well, if that is what you want,” Gabriel says, firm in tone. He hands me a small, silver key and I hold it in my palm quizzically. “Everything I have is yours, my dear. That is the key to my deposit box. It holds my absolute wealth and my book of checks. Everything I have is yours as well and I want you to know how much I love you.”
“Gabriel, are you sure this—”
“Take it,” he hums, patting my hand in both of his. “I want nothing more than for you to have everything you want in your life. If work is what you want, then use it for your charity, my dear. Use it for whatever you want. Just know that if this is a game of wealth, then it’s clear that I love you more.”
I nod, slipping the key into my pocket. I may not like the parameters of this new game the Alpha’s are playing with one another, but I can’t deny it does a lot of good for a lot of wolves and it will help my charity pay for so many expenses that I won’t have to worry about funding for a long time.
I think of Reese, his bills covered in whole, and the other wolves I will get to do to the same for now. Wolves like me who were pregnant and sick, abandoned without hope of receiving help. That ends today, I tell myself.
“Sir, we have an issue,” one of the warriors groans, walking up toward us with the morning newspaper. “It seems that Alpha Herold isn’t exactly being discreet with his donations today.”
Gabriel grabs the paper, reading through it so quickly that I hardly make sense of the words until he crumbles it up in his hands and throws it aside.
“It seems news has spread,” Gabriel groans.
“What are you talking about? What has he done now?”
He narrows a glare toward me, all the while his hand has crawled into he small of my back, holding me here like a prize in front of all of this new treasure. “Alpha Herold has been seen trying to covet the Queen Luna. Apparently, he is opening speaking about how you are his true mate and he is trying to win you over.”
I hide the look of shock and amazement in this otherwise horrible moment. “Oh no. Why would he say something so stupid?”
Gabriel looks around the room, full of gold and money meant to woo my emotions. “It’s clear why he would, my dear. He is trying to win your heart over and he doesn’t seem to care who knows that is what he wants.”
“I don’t want him,” I say, firm. “But I will take his money and put it to better use.”
“You belong to be,” Gabriel says, his hand squeezing my side once. “You’re my Luna. My Queen. I won’t let any lesser wolf tell you otherwise. I will prove myself to you everyday if that is what it takes.” He eyes the pocket with the silver key in it now. “You are my everything.”
I swallow hard, almost feeling bad for how bad he wants me to love him but I can’t lie to him and tell him I love him back. He is still the Alpha King the queen wanted to divorce. She must have had her reasons and besides, I told the moon goddess why I was returning to the world. I have to be smarter this time.
I can’t let love ruin me again.