Olivia's POV
Dawn painted the Montana sky in shades of pink and gold as I made my way back to Section 7 of our territory. Oliver's mysterious nighttime excursion hadn't left my mind, and my Alpha instincts were screaming that something wasn't right.
"The scent is still fresh," Cora noted as we approached the area where I'd spotted Oliver last night. She was right – his omega fragrance lingered in the morning air, a sweet mix of honey and jasmine that had once made my heart race. Now it just made my stomach clench.
But there was something else.
I dropped into a crouch, inhaling deeply. A new scent threaded through the morning air – silver fir and cedar, crisp and pure as mountain snow. My wolf stirred, unexpectedly interested.
"Do you smell that? Is it another wolf? But its scent is very strong, Cora." I whispered, following the unfamiliar trail. It led outside of our territory, where our black wolf pack and the local wolves have maintained an alliance.
"Yes," Cora replied, unusually alert. "It's... pleasant."
Pleasant was an understatement. There was something about this scent that made my skin tingle, a reaction I'd never had to Oliver's supposed fated mate fragrance. But try as I might, I couldn't pinpoint its source or direction. The trail seemed to fade into nothing, as if its owner had simply vanished.
After an hour of searching, I had to admit defeat. But that scent... it lingered in my memory, stirring something deep and primal that I couldn't quite name.
The pack house was quieter than usual when I returned, most members still sleeping off last night's patrol shifts. I headed for my room, eager to shower before training, when I heard it—a soft moan from Adrian's quarters.
My steps faltered. That voice... I'd know it anywhere.
Oliver's breathy laugh drifted through the door, followed by my brother's lower murmur. Something shattered inside my chest – not surprise, exactly, but the death of my last shred of denial.
"Oh, baby, you're so great."When Adrian's voice came again along with a groan, I felt my skin shivering.I didn't think. My foot connected with the door, sending it crashing open. "How dare you—"
The words died in my throat. Adrian lay sprawled on his bed, completely naked, one hand wrapped around himself. Alone.
"What the hell?" he snarled, grabbing a sheet. "Ever heard of knocking?"
"Where is he?" I demanded, scanning the room. Oliver's scent was everywhere – fresh, intimate, mixed with my brother's in a way that made me want to vomit.
"Where's who?" Adrian's smirk was pure poison. "Can't a man have some private time without his freak sister bursting in?"
"Don't play games with me." My Alpha power crackled in the air between us. "I can smell him."
"Smell who? My future brother-in-law?" Adrian's eyes glittered with malice. "Maybe I was just thinking about him while... taking care of things. Is that a crime?"
The crude implication made my stomach turn. "You—"
"Olivia? Adrian?" My father's voice boomed from the hallway. "What's going on here?"
Alexander Blackwood filled the doorway, his broad shoulders blocking the light. His golden eyes – so like mine and Adrian's – took in the scene with the tactical assessment of a former enforcer.
"Your daughter," Adrian said quickly, pulling the sheet higher, "just broke down my door while I was... having a private moment."
"She's been unstable lately," he added, voice dripping with concern. "Paranoid. Accusing me of impossible things."
Father's gaze landed on me. "Olivia?"
"I heard—" I stopped, suddenly aware of how it would sound. I had no proof, just a voice through a door and a scent that could be explained away. And wasn't that always how it went with Adrian? He was so careful, so clever about leaving me looking like the unreasonable one.
"Come," Father said, extending his hand. "Walk with me."
The morning air had turned crisp as we made our way to the pack gardens – my mother's pride and joy before she died. The roses she'd planted still bloomed, their scent a bittersweet reminder of her absence.
"You're on edge," Father observed, settling onto a stone bench.
I remained standing, too restless to sit. "Something's wrong. I can feel it."
"Your mother used to say the same thing before her ceremonies." His voice softened with memory. "Katherine was always certain disaster was lurking around every corner."
"And she was right, wasn't she?" The words came out sharper than I intended. "The Silver Moon Pack killed her."
"Olivia." Father caught my hand, his calloused palm warm against mine. "Your mother's death was a tragedy, but you can't let fear of the past poison your future. These doubts about Oliver, about Adrian – they're natural. Pre-ceremonial anxiety affects even the strongest wolves."
"It's not anxiety," I insisted. "Oliver was in the forest last night, sneaking around like—"
"Your future mate is an omega," Father reminded me gently. "They often feel called to commune with nature, especially before significant ceremonies. It's their way of connecting with the Moon Goddess."
"But—"
"Trust in the Goddess's choice," he said firmly. "Oliver is your fated mate. The signs were clear."
Were they, though? I remembered the day Oliver had been brought to us – a rare male omega, supposedly a gift from the Moon Goddess herself. Everyone had been so certain we were destined mates, but had anyone actually asked what I felt?
"What about that other scent?" Cora whispered. "The one that made us feel..."
I did not tell my father about the other smell. I don't know why I hid this incident.I pushed the thought away. I had a duty to my pack, to my position as heir. I couldn't let these doubts derail everything we'd worked for.
The next two days passed in a blur of preparation and surveillance. I watched Adrian like a hawk, but he was maddeningly careful. If he was meeting Oliver in secret, I couldn't catch them at it.
"You're being paranoid," Oliver said over dinner that evening, his honey-colored eyes wide with concern. "Adrian is your brother. He would never betray you like that."
We sat in the pack house's private dining room, candlelight casting soft shadows across his delicate features. He'd arranged this dinner himself – a peace offering, he'd called it.
"I love you, Olivia," he continued, reaching for my hand. "You're my fated mate. Why would I want anyone else?"
His fingers were soft against mine, unmarked by training or combat. A proper omega's hands. Why did that bother me so much?
I looked into his beautiful eyes, yet I realized that we had never talked about family or anything personal together."Tell me about your past," I said suddenly. "About your family."
A shadow crossed his face – so brief I might have imagined it. "It's... painful to talk about."
"Try." I kept my voice gentle, even as my instincts screamed.
He looked down at his plate, the picture of vulnerable beauty. "My parents and I were wandering wolves. The Silver Moon Pack's Alpha King, Richard, he... he persecuted our tribe. We were constantly on the run."
Oliver's voice caught. "As a male omega, I was... coveted. Harassed. Other packs, wandering wolves – they all wanted to claim me. After my parents died, I was alone. Until..." He glanced up through damp lashes. "Until I collapsed at the edge of Ebony Pack territory. Until you saved me."
The story was perfect. Too perfect? Or was I really just paranoid, seeing threats where there were none?
"Trust your instincts," Cora growled.
But which instincts? The ones that said Oliver was lying? Or the ones that had drawn me to that mysterious scent in the forest, the one that made my blood sing in a way my supposed fated mate never had?
"I just want us to be happy," Oliver whispered, squeezing my hand. "After the ceremony, everything will be perfect. You'll see."
I looked into his earnest face and wondered why those words felt like a prophecy of doom.
"The ceremony won't go as planned," Cora said darkly.For once, my wolf and I were in perfect agreement.