7empest

Lya

It was Thursday. I had successfully avoided Oliver for nearly three whole days. I had woken up to evidence a black wolf had been in my bed each night - black wolf hair is glaringly apparent against white sheets - but he was always gone by the time I woke up. I was almost certain it was Oliver’s wolf, Adair.

I will say, the attempts to avoid Oliver had resulted in spending a lot of time outside of the packhouse, meaning I was able to get more familiar with the town. Rose had shown me around a few other shops in the town after coffee on Tuesday. She continued to try and help me tap into my ability to shift, but every time failed. I didn’t tell her I had shifted to run to Marjorie’s cottage. I had no idea how I had called on that, and I didn’t want to give her false hope that shifting at will was a skill I possessed. Allyssa had once again made breakfast - this time successfully - on Wednesday, then dragged me along to the school to assist with substituting for some teachers while they went to the training grounds to get some of their mandatory training in. I heard rumors that the typical requirements had been increased, but no one could justify why. Some outlandish stories were surfacing, and with how little I knew, I couldn’t tell how credible a two headed rogue or vampire that could walk in daylight on the loose were. No one had given me instructions yet to start training, but I was still within the two weeks of “no training” Dr. Whitledge had insisted on.

Tala and I had resorted to the battle of the wills I was so familiar with. She wanted nothing more than to track Oliver down and glom onto his side like an extra appendage, but I knew better. Whenever the smell of a fresh rainstorm invaded my senses, I just ran the other way.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be around Oliver. Oh no, It was damn near painful to maintain so much distance. I hadn’t realized how much I looked forward to seeing him each day I was here prior to our escapades. But now? I was inclined to side with Tala on this one and just give in. Which just made me even more certain that what I felt, those sparks, were the mate bond talking. I was such a pro at resisting my emotions, but this time it was too much of a challenge.

Which just made the entire thing hurt even more - he didn’t feel it as well.

And that’s exactly why, in the very late hours of Thursday night, I was still up long after I had turned the lights out and tried to go to sleep. My usual tactic of just pretending to be asleep in an attempt to fool my own brain was not working, but I was still trying. I was turned away from the door, squeezing my eyes shut so none of the moonlight from outside or lights from the hallway seeping under the door could interrupt my sleep masquerade when the door creaked open, bringing in the smell of a summer rainstorm. I stayed still and stayed quiet, excited to catch my nightly intruder in the act.

I heard the telltale sounds of someone shifting - bones cracking followed by fur rustling - and the mattress dipped under the additional weight of a wolf. I sat up quickly and glared directly into his rich chocolate eyes.

'Hey Lya,' the most annoying voice cut in. 'Mate.' I just rolled my eyes.

“I am going to turn around, you are going to shift, get clothes on, and explain yourself,” I said coldly.

The wolf bowed his head and whimpered. I simply crossed my arms, turned my back, and waited. Only when I heard someone clearing their throat did I get up off the bed to face him. I met Oliver’s gaze, maintaining my glare, but he just looked guilty.

'Lya, Lya, Lya, mate, mate, mate.' I continued to ignore the wolf.

“Why have you been in my room every night?” I demanded.

Oliver just dropped his eyes and shifted back and forth.

“Well?”

“You have nightmares,” he mumbled, keeping his eyes on the floor.

“So?”

Oliver glanced up. “You scream… a lot. You stop screaming if I’m around.”

“Why you?” I sneered. “Couldn’t I just go have girls’ nights with Rose?”

He shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips as he took a step closer. “That wouldn’t work.”

“Why not?”

'Because MATE!' Tala was shouting now.

Oliver closed the space between us, reaching out to cup my cheek. A small sigh escaped my lips as I leaned into his hand. I cursed myself for my stupid overactive crush. He chuckled, dropping his hand to walk past me and sit on the bed. “Twenty questions?” he mused.

I looked at him suspiciously all the while trying not to enjoy the sight of him leaning back against the headboard of my bed. If only it was under different circumstances.

Twenty questions had gotten us into trouble last time, and we were already in a bedroom. “You first,” I said cautiously.

Oliver’s smile turned a little smug. “What do you have nightmares about?”

It was my turn to look away, not wanting to admit it. “The past,” I just said. “Why are you so concerned about my sleep?”

His eyes flitted across my face, like he was trying to commit every detail to memory. “You’re special, Lya. I’d think you’d realized that by now. Now what about your past?”

I sighed. This guy just wasn’t going to let this topic go. “Ted,” I finally admitted. “Why do you care?”

“Maybe I’m just curious to see how I stack up,” he drawled. “So? Do I get to hear a story?”

I cocked an eyebrow. This was, to date, the weirdest flirtationship I had been in. “You haven’t tried to kill me yet, so you’re doing well. Would you mind cutting the crap and just asking me what you really want?”

Oliver leaned forward, his eyes sparking with interest. “That’s a loaded question.” His voice was deep and husky, and the silence that followed was strained.

I turned away from him and walked out the door. I wasn’t getting out of this, and just maybe some information I had would be useful - although I doubted it. Oliver hadn’t moved when I came back in the room, holding the decanter from his office and a couple glasses.

“That kind of story?” Oliver asked.

“Most attempted murders are,” I said, pouring a glass and sitting down on the couch, facing away from him. “It’s a long one, so get settled.” I heard movement behind me, and soon enough Oliver was sitting on the other side of the couch with his own tumbler. “Ted and I met two years ago at a hotel bar outside of Fort Wayne, Indiana when I was driving out to South Dakota from Vermont. He said he was on a hunting trip.”

Oliver nodded slowly. “There’s a pack a little ways outside of Fort Wayne. They had a controlled encounter with hunters a couple years ago.”

“I guess he probably wasn’t lying, at least,” I scoffed. “Anyway, you know the whole drill with a one night stand. He gave me his number in the morning, and I kept it for whatever reason.” I paused, taking a minute to enjoy just a flash of jealousy that Oliver let show for a moment. I couldn’t help the smirk when I noticed. So Mountain Man Alpha wasn’t impressed with Ted this early on in the story. “I left Vermont because I started to get too close to people, and I really didn’t want to do that here. So, when I got lonely, I’d give Ted a call. I figured it couldn’t be too bad - he was so far away and he seemed harmless. Just a guy who likes destination hunting trips right?”

“Clever enough to never lie, but never tell the truth,” Oliver mused.

“We both were.” I swirled the scotch around in the glass. I had never liked scotch - I was more of a cheap wine or expensive beer kinda girl - but I needed the liquid fortitude.

“When the brewery finally opened after almost a whole year of saying they’d be opening the next month, I started going almost every day. The beer was good and Trevor was always nice. He kind of felt like the big brother I’d never had. He was my best friend because I had never really gotten close to anyone ever, even though I wasn’t his. I was happy with it, but it made Ted really upset because I was calling him less. I wasn’t expecting it at all when he showed up in South Dakota and proposed. I didn’t know how to say no, so I just said yes, he said he was just staying for a week, and I figured I’d come up with a way to break it off once he was gone. But then his entire family showed up just a week later for an engagement party and he said he was just staying.”

Oliver’s eyes darkened and he furrowed his brows. “His entire family? Would you be able to recognize them?”

I nodded, easily picturing each face in my mind. “Yes,” I said confidently. “Ted’s dad made a big show of giving him a dagger with a silver blade ‘just in case I got out of hand.’ He was sarcastic about it, but that’s when I knew he knew. They all knew.” I finished off the scotch and refilled the glass, hoping the alcohol could burn away the memory of his expression when he presented Ted with the heirloom gift. “I was so scared by it, I started a fight with Ted and spent the night at Trevor’s place.”

“You stayed at Trevor’s?” Oliver nearly shouted. He jumped to his feet and started pacing, his anger palpable.

I slunk back into the couch, not expecting this reaction. “We didn’t do anything,” I mumbled.

Oliver stopped and looked at me. “They know where he lives.” He dug in his pants pocket and pulled out his phone.

My eyes grew wide at the realization and a small piece of my heart shattered. I hadn’t found it in myself to forgive Trevor yet, but he was still the closest friend I had ever had, and I didn’t want him in trouble that I caused. I bit my lower lip, trying to keep a sob from slipping out.

Before I knew it, Oliver was pulling me into him. He ran a hand up and down my arm, leaving a trail of fireworks behind. I dug my face into the crook of his neck and breathed deep, letting the refreshing smell of a rainstorm soothe me.