Chapter 23 - Sulking

Olivera inhaled deeply, after some minutes must have passed, making up her mind.

"I promise." She stated, feeling confident already. She had to follow his advice if she wanted to survive. Oh, how much she wanted to. She wasn't sure of how long, but she wanted to. She wanted to at least try. After all, none of her pack members were here. The people here don't know her. They didn't know the former her. It should be easy to put up a facade. She couldn't wait to talk this out with Jeremy. She needed his soothing voice. She needed his encouragement.

"Beautiful. You will be okay. I promise" Nick ethused, vowing within himself to protect her at all cost. It still amazed him how the girl had managed to worm her way into his heart in just a day, without even doing anything spectacular to gain his attention or pity.

She nodded.

"Thank you so much." She said, tapping softly with her left hand, his left hand which had enveloped and warmed her right hand all these while which was resting in his large right hand.

"You're welcome, my dear." Nick mentioned, a short smile on his lips. He believed that everything would work out fine.

"Don't overthink tonight about tomorrow, okay?" He pleaded.

"Alright." Olivera agreed, even though she wondered how that was possible, the fact that she would sleep this night without thinking of all that had transpired today, or might happen tomorrow.

But she still nodded, wanting to put the doctor at ease.

"Does He has a mate?" She asked, wanting to fill up the vaccum, as she waited for his friend who seemed to be taking much time to be here.

She knew he would understand her question.

"No. He doesn't." Nick replied, shaking his head.

She could see the hint of sorrow there.

"Did anything happen? Did his mate reject him? Is that why he is so wicked?" She asked, overly curious about this particular gist. She have always wondered what could turn a handsome man into a beast. Not that she had seen him before, but the news about him promised of a handsome bearer; or why would ladies fight themselves over him?

"What woman would want to reject him?" Nick asked with a bitter chuckle, and she couldn't agree less with him.

What woman would want to reject the handsome devil?

"He hasn't got a mate. And no one else has been able to since he ascended the throne." Nick stated bitterly.

"Really? Why is that? Is he under a curse?" She asked, citing no other reason why such a serious matter would befall the pack at his reigh. Perhaps, that's why he was also wicked.

Somehow, she felt pity for him. Perhaps, he was just taking out frustrations on others, a bad principle of course, but anything that he had thought would make him feel better.

She wished she could be of help to him. Other than wanting to stop whatever seems to be frustrating him, she wanted it for the others. The harm on them, especially the slaves, was uncalled for.

Nick sighed as he heard Olivera's question.

He didn't think it wise to tell her stories about his Alpha. That might scare her further, or trigger her seizures, and he didn't want that.

"Worrying your pretty head about the Alpha already? Don't tell me you will fall for him too, will you?" He teased, laughing as he heard her gasp and shake her head intermittently.

When she saw that he was teasing her, she pouted her lips, and removed her hands from his, crossing them across her chest, sulking.

"C'mon,I was kidding." He ethused, unable to stop smiling widely at her reaction.

But Olivera ignored him, still sulking.

"Okay, I'm sorry." He said, drawing closer to her, and hanging his hand across her shoulders, biting down the laugh that wanted to escape his mouth, as he remembered her first reaction at his statement.

She had blushed beet red, eyes widening, before bobbling her head like it was hanging weakly on her neck.

Then, there was a knock on the door.

"That would be my friend." He said to her, before getting up from the sofa, but not without tapping her softly on hair seconds ago.

He walked with a steady gait to the door, smiling seconds later after he opened it and saw who was behind it.

"Welcome, Leonard. How has the day been?" He greeted, shaking hands with him.

Leonard?

Olivera lifted up her eyes to seek out the visitor when she heard the name.

Could it be the same man that had spoken to her kindly earlier this morning?

A short smile appeared on her lips as their gazes met.

His eyebrows furrowed as he appraised her with with his eyes.

"Hi Leonard." She greeted, her voice too chirpy for her own liking. Why was she sounding like they were old friends with a beautiful history?

"Is she the one?" Leonard asked Nick, after replying Olivera's greeting with a curt nod.

The doctor, his old friend, had filled him in about the slave girl whom he had come to see as his own daughter, whom he had to keep accompany to her cell, making sure that she was safe at all times in the fields.

He hadn't been expecting the timid girl from earlier to be the one.

But he was happy that she was the one. The wolfless girl needed all the help she could get in this not-so-sweet place.

"Yes." Nick replied.

"Do you guys know each other?" He asked, noticing the small smile on Olivera's face.

"Well, not really..."

"Yes."

Leonard and Olivera said respectively, at the same time, before exchanging glances some more.

"I met her this morning. I had been the one in charge of leading the new slaves out, and introducing them to their worksite. That was were we had met. Now, that's not really knowing, is it?" He asked, raising his eyebrows at Olivera, daring her to contradict the meaning of his words.

"Not really." Olivera agreed, looking elsewhere; finding the protrait of Nick and his mate suddenly interesting.

Nick looked at each of them and smiled.

Better they had met each other, without having a bad rapoor. It would make the upcoming journey easier, and his worries deeply taken care of.