CHAPTER 25

*Olivia's POV*
I was contemplating breaking the window when the door opened. Julian stood there and I ignored how much attracted to him I was.I remembered how our last meeting went and immediately turned away.
"Olivia." I ignored the flutters that set off in my belly when he called my name, picking at the bedsheets. "I am here to apologize. I didn't mean to yell at you or make you feel bad."
I didn't turn to look at him, focusing on picking out the lint on the bedsheets. Irrational man. He thinks he can just say sorry and everything would be okay? He has to be kidding.
"Olivia. Please look at me. Just look at me. You are killing us." Us? He must mean his wolf. He still doesn't know I can't shift. I turned around slowly and his face lit up in a wide smile. "I am sorry."
He moved forward and pulled me into a hug, immediately filling my lungs with his smell. I buried my nose in his chest, making him laugh. "Does this mean you forgive me? I have someplace else to take you. It would be upsetting if I can't take you there because you are mad."
I could feel my wolf relax in his presence and all the tension left my shoulders. He ran his hand through my hair. "Olivia." "I forgive you."
He smiled as I pulled away to look at his face. "Okay then. Let's go." He took my hand, pulling me out of the room. He led us down a sharp turn and I saw a painting I hadn't seen before.
It was of a man, who was holding something glowing over his head. He had his right leg on the skull of a dead wolf. He was holding a sword with his other hand and it was on fire.
"That's one of the greatest warriors to exist. He single handedly defeated an entire ambush of an opposing pack. Some say he was a descendant of Alexander Firadus."
I blinked at him, remembering the old legend. "I thought Alexander Firadus was a bedtime story." Julian burst into laughter, abruptly cutting himself off when he looked at my face. "Oh. You aren't joking." I nodded, rolling my eyes. "I didn't exactly have a perfect childhood."
He pursued his lips, squeezing my hand. "I understand. I didn't either. I didn't mean to make fun of you." I smiled at him, patting his forearm. "I know. So where are you taking me?"
His eyes lit up and he used his free hand to fish something out of his pocket. "It's a surprise." He lifted his hand higher and I saw a blindfold. I narrowed my eyes at him, stopping so we both came to a halt.
"Why should I trust you?" Julian laughed and I suddenly wanted to hear him do it more. He had laughed in front of me before, but there was no denying there was something special about this one.
I felt my wolf kick up and start prancing around and I had to control myself from jumping him. "What does your wolf tell you?" He still doesn't know. I felt her whine and I put on a big smile. "She trusts you."
He nodded and held it up. "I promise you I wouldn't bring you harm." He let go of my hand, making me feel bereft. I turned around as he started tying it around my eyes.
The sudden darkness made the little wolf abilities I could use kick up and I smelt his presence more than I felt it. He took my hand, pulling me forward.
"I hope you like this. I know you took a tour around the house, but this part of the house is extremely special to me. I heard it was special to you too."
I couldn't figure out what the fuck he was talking about. I tried using the way we were turning to figure out the place, but I hadn't memorized the pathways of the house so I was left hanging.
His thumb brushed against my pulse, sending it into overdrive. I heard him chuckle darkly and I curbed the urge to shiver. "I wanted to find out if you were still listening or if you had lost yourself in your head."
I rolled my eyes under the blindfold, and lifted my hand to flick him. I barely hit him, which made him laugh again. It was that laugh he made earlier. The one that had put butterflies in my belly. "How can you not see me? You can sense my presence, can you not?"
He suddenly let go of my hand, pulling me into his side by my waist. "That's why mate bonds are often so special. You and your mate's wolf become one." I crunched up my nose, glaring at him. I hoped he could see it.
"Don't you need to have sex before that happens?" His nearness was beginning to get to me, making my wolf get heady. And that meant it was starting to affect me. "You smell so good, Olivia."
His nose dipped into my neck and I stopped walking. "You said you had something to show me." "Cock blocker. But we are almost there."
He started moving faster and I smelt where we were going in the next instance. He was taking me to the library. The smell of books wafted around me, and I released a low breath.
He didn't know I had been here before. I mustered a smile as he took off my blindfold. I blinked a few times to adjust my eyes to the sudden light and my suspicion was confirmed. He had brought me to the library.
I smiled at him, not wanting to hurt his feelings. "I do love books. How did you find out?" He looked so proud and happy I bit my tongue to keep my smile from faltering. "I asked Niamh."
I grinned at him, moving forward to run my fingers along the spines of the books. "She was right. I feel at home here." I inhaled the musky scent of the library, releasing through my mouth. "It's like home. Just seeing the spines. Breathing in their scent."
I turned to look back at him, finding him staring at me. He had this glazed look in his eyes and I gave him a look. "What? Do you think I am weird?" He shook his head, blinking slowly. "No. I am trying to figure out if you are real."
He lifted his eyes slowly to meet mine. "You are absolutely ethereal. It's like you don't belong here. With me." He gestured to the books behind me. "And when you were talking, It was like you transformed. You became this beautiful creature. I wanted to have it in a painting."
I went red, making him laugh. "And you blush easily. That's a good thing and a bad thing." I cleared my throat, looking him in the eyes. "Why is that?" "It's a good thing because it means you are genuine. And that makes me trust you."
He tilted his head as he looked at me, his lips lifting in a slow dark smile. "And its a bad thing because I wanted to see how far and how fast I can make other parts of your body blush."
I covered my face with my hands, and he snorted. "I am not going to touch you until I have your consent, Olivia. You needn't worry." His pocket suddenly rang and he fished his phone out of his pocket. "It's important. I have to take this. I can leave you here, right?"
I nodded, and he lifted the phone to his ear. "If you get lost in the house, just use our link. You can call me with that." I can't. But I just nodded, pretending to pick up a book. "Go. It's important. isn't it? Don't let me keep you waiting."
He came closer and kissed my forehead, before rushing off again. I waited till I couldn't smell him anymore before I let out a scream. This was frustrating. It was getting harder and harder to hide my secret and I feared what he would do once he found out.
I picked up a book, flipping through it. I knew I couldn't read in my current state and since Julian wasn't here anymore, there was no need to fool anyone. I was about to leave when I saw a book on the floor.
It didn't have a cover, so I picked it up. I put it back on the shelf, and felt a rumble in my belly. Since I already knew about the library, I knew staying here would do nothing but make me bored so I decided to find the kitchen.
I used basically instincts, using my nose to try and sniff out any scents. Along the way, I saw new paintings. I didn't recognize any of the people they painted, so I decided to ask Julian or Niamh about them later.
I suddenly smelt the strong scent of parsley, and followed it till I found the kitchen. There was no one inside, except for the few bunches of fresh parsley laid out on the table.
I decided to make a quick curry sauce, checking the pantry for the things I needed. There was bread in the pantry and from the look and smell of it, it was moderately fresh. My stomach rumbled, reminding me beggars can't be choosers.
I started prepping the pan, coating it with a little oil and butter. I set it to a low flame, starting to prepare the sauce. I hummed a fine under my breath, letting myself get lost in the process.
The oil had started to burn a little so I hurriedly poured the sauce inside. I waited till it started bubbling before I started stirring it. I swiped the vegetables I had diced off the island, pouring it into the pan.
The smell wafted to my nose, causing my belly to rumble again. Calm down. It's almost ready. I lifted it off the stove, using my second hand to turn it off.
I placed the pan on the counter, moving around to the plate rack. I got a plate and a spoon, dishing some of the sauce into the plate. I decided to move to the balcony, which I had passed on my way to the kitchen. I got an extra plate for the bread and carried the two plates in both hands.
I was getting closer to the balcony..I could tell because of the spill of sunlight against the carpet, and the smell of earth. I was about to turn the corner when I heard a voice. A voice I couldn't forget even if I tried. Julian cursed and I heard something slam. I controlled myself from dropping the plates.
"What the fuck, Holden?" "I am dead serious. Leo is fucking coming for her." I heard Julian curse again, this time more explicitly. "How on earth did she find out she was missing? And how did he link it to us?"
Holden laughed and I suspected he had folded his arms. "Leo may be a dick, but that doesn't change the fact he is your brother. And that means he was raised the same way you were."
Julian tsked and I heard the unmistakable sound of something sliding against the carpet. "He can't take her. She is my mate." "We both know Leo doesn't care. He just wants revenge. He is probably sore. You managed to swipe her from under his nose and Leo doesn't like being a loser."
Julian made a sardonic sound of laughter, making my hairs stand on end. "Let him come. I would fucking rip him apart. I just found my mate and nothing is going to separate us."
I ran off in the direction of the kitchen before any of them could come out, not stopping till I got back inside the kitchen. What have I done? What on earth did I cause?