#Chapter 23 Trials & Tribulations

Olivia’s POV

It’s a short walk back to the palace after spending the remained of the night at Reese’s side. They managed to give him the blood needed to make him stable, but Eugene told me not to count on him bouncing back so quickly. I need a shower though, a minute away from the endless photographers who still tried to sneak into the hospital for a juicy photo.

Walking into the bedroom, I’m surprised to see Gabriel perched on the couch near the fireplace, his hands fiddling anxiously in his lap. He straightens up when I walk inside, shotting to his feet.

“Hey, my Luna,” he hums. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I say, coldly.

In our last argument he was practically sticking up for Alicia being set loose after her countless attempts to kill Reese, after killing me, and it drives me furious to think he can sweet talk his way around trying to use cute names and a gentle voice like none of that argument ever happened. It did though, and it runs laps in my head.

I move to the bathroom, flipping on the shower, turning to see Gabriel in the doorway as he stares down at the counter, a long pile of body soaps sitting sprawled out, most of them still with tags on them.

“I went out and bought you some stuff, my dear,” he breathes, fighting the words as they leave his pursed lips. “I bought your favorite, of course.”

I roll my eyes at his attempt to make up for our last argument, grabbing the pretty, emerald color soap bar up front that smells of tea and mint. I bring it to the shower, placing it on the ledge of the shower wall.

When I turn, I see him mulling over the pile of soap left behind, each one so different from the next. “Can I talk to you about something, my dear?”

I groan, the water still cold to the touch. “I suppose, Gabriel. What is it?”

“The night at the shore of the sea, when you tried to—” he struggles with the words, something so genuine about his sadness. “When you tried to kill yourself, my Luna.”

I nod, a tremble breaking through my spine. That was the longest night of my life, of either of my lives, and thinking back on it now does little to calm my already panicked and frantic mind. I want to focus on Reese, not on the end and start of my life.

“I recall the night,” I mumble.

“Did you feel anything or did you sense any changes, my dear?”

You have no idea, my wolf mutters. I block that comment out, thankful Gabriel has been permanently banned from hearing my mind link unless I allow him. A little gift the Queen Luna left me on her departure.

“I don’t recall feeling any different,” I lie.

He nods, turning to leave the bathroom, stopping for one last moment as he points to the vanity cart nearby. “I also bought you some new lotions over there,” he adds. My gaze trails to the overabundance of lotion bottles on the tray table. “For after your shower, my dear.”

I rattle off a ‘thank you’ as he leaves the bathroom, the bedroom door shutting hard seconds later. Wherever his mind is right now, I try not to get too caught up inside of it. He’s confused and asking odd, random questions while I’m focused on trying to protect Reese and get his health better.

After my shower, I grab the first lotion that looks appealing and slip into a silk robe, running the creamy perfume up and down my legs methodically. I go back to Gabriel’s office to get some work done that I didn’t finish the night before, seeing the door hidden in the corner of his office cracked open slightly. I hadn’t even known a room was back here but seeing the door perched open, my interest is piqued.

I poke my head into the dim, lamp-lit room, Gabriel whispering to himself as he skims through a book or two. The walls are shelves, stacked left to tight in old, dusty books, antique and expensive, I’m sure. Most of the titles are about ancient wolves and folklore.

He most notice my scent and sits up, his light eyes weary and dazed.

“My dear, can I help you with something?”

I look over my shoulder, my laptop and files splayed out over his desk where he hasn’t been able to do much work at his own desk for the last few days. “I came by to do a little research, that’s all.”

He nods, leaning back in his chair, the stack of books before him like a mountain that is even with his eyesight. “Don’t let me stop you, Luna. I was just catching up on a little bit of work, myself.”

I grimace. He hasn’t done much work in weeks but the Queen Luna had been adamant that he worked too much and that led to the fall of their marriage. I question if this was the same amount of work he had done prior to my life in this vessel or if the decrease has been on my behalf.

“You smell nice,” he says under the guise of heavy exhale. “What kind of lotion is that? Smells like herbs.”

I shrug, not sure why he has taken an interest in my hygiene products so much. “It had mint and rosemary scents infused in it, I think,” I say, waving him off. “Does it bother you?”

He shakes his head, his lower lip rolled between his perfect, pearly teeth. “No. It’s nice.”

I aim to steer clear of his weird questions, leading myself back into the office and plopping down at his desk. I can feel his eyes on me from the hidden library, his attention deferred between me and the book on the desk, something so deep and methodical in his light eyes.

I force myself to focus on the problem at hand, opening the browser to see what I can do about Alicia. She deserves jail time or death, maybe both, for what she did to me as Olivia and what she happened to Reese. He is breathing through a tube right now and I won’t listen to Eugene or Gabriel tell me that she doesn’t deserve punishment anymore.

Instead of research, my laptop pulls up a hoard of articles involving my picture, my name, and even a few of my old life. I know I should skip past all of the meaningless gossip, but I can’t, clicking the first article where the Queen Luna is pictured leaned over, weeping into the bed sheets of a wounded, unconscious wolf.

I growl a noise under my breath, seeing Reese’s body splayed out in the picture with me. I scroll through the article, looking to see if they mention the hospital name or the room number, anything that can track Alicia back to his bedside to finish the job once and for all, but I find something far worse.

Queen Luna Swooning Over Wounded Secret Lover.

Holding back a bit of anger, I worry they will release his name to the public, bringing him more unnecessary attention that I just can’t manage to downplay right now. I have to focus on his health, not our social rumors.

That’s when I read the next article title, this one making my blood run hot instantly.

Queen Luna Pregnant With Pups; But Whose Are They?