Oliver’s P.O.V. I sat back on my haunches, watching with amusement as Lana moved around the animal with the steak knife, trying to figure out how to start. I wanted to help her, but there was only so much that could be done in my current form. She had just been staring at the animal for twenty minutes. The meat was getting cool and the longer she waited the harder it would be to get the skin off. I let out a grumble before getting off the porch and moving over to the animal. The sooner she did what she had to do to fill their freezer, the sooner I could eat the rest. She froze as I latched my teeth around the animal's back leg, pulling it to the side so she had room to start skinning it. Our eyes met, and she watched me cautiously. It seemed as though she was expecting me to tell her what to do as she stared at me with raised eyebrows. I dropped the leg 'huffing' at her as I stomped my front paw into the ground. "Well, what is that supposed to mean? Eat it if you're so hungry! I d
Oliver's P.O.V. My legs propelled me forward, faster than I had ever run before. My body weaved in and out of the trees as I pushed toward my mate. Nothing would be harming them today, of that I was certain. I would destroy every wolf that even looked their way before I let my family be taken from me. The smell of the rogue grew stronger the closer I got to the house, and as their scent mixed and thickened, I knew they weren't alone. There were multiple, hunting together. Whether it was me they were after or Lana, I couldn't risk it. The putrid scent surrounded me as I reached the tree line of the house. I came to a stop before exposing myself in the open area behind the building. They were here. I could sense them slinking their way around my mate's den, looking for the best method to attack. It was rare for rogues to go after humans, but not unheard of. A small head popped up in the window with a bright smile, and I
Lana's P.O.V. The horrid sounds of the animals fighting outside had the small hairs on my arms and neck standing at attention. Each whimper and cry of pain made me flinch as I imagined my wolf hurt or possibly dead. There was a pain in my chest that restricted my breathing as I imagined anything happening to Olly. Maddie curled up in the bed. Her tear-streaked face and runny nose was a heartbreaking sight, but she kept calm as I walked into her room behind her and turned the television on. Even with the poor reception, the static-covered show was a relief as it helped to mask the growling. I was hoping the sound of the small picture box would distract her enough from what was happening outside for her to fall asleep. "I'll be right back. Try to go to sleep, okay?" I asked, but the sound of a wolf yowling in pain made my spine straighten. My heart was pushing me to grab my gun and go help, to protect Olly, but my brain was telling me not to get in the middle of a pack of wild wolve
Lana's P.O.V. The sound of Maddie giggling as she sprinted down the hallway made me wake. The blanket over me fell as I jumped to my feet searching for my weapon. I shoved my hand between the cushions, feeling that disgusting truth that I needed to vacuum the couch and armchair, but no gun. Not having time to waste, I picked the blanket up from the ground, pausing slightly when I realized it was the same one I had placed over our uninvited guest, but ignored it, more focused on the lack of anything metal falling from the fabric. If he had my weapon and my daughter, I was screwed. I grabbed the fire poker, holding it up like a bat as I moved around the corner to the hallway. The door to Maddie's room was open, and I tiptoed over quietly. He shouldn't have been able to move from the extent of his injuries, let alone walk all the way down the hallway. Maddie was talking, explaining how her doll used to be a princess but became a
Oliver's P.O.V. The entire time Lana was in the kitchen, she was watching me. Every few seconds, she would look up and find me with her beautiful pale green eyes narrowed at me. When the sun came in through the window, they almost appeared to be baby blue, taking my breath away. She was stunning. It was the glare she would send my way like she was waiting for me to attack one of them, that made me feel worried. I knew that trying to hide everything last night would mess with her head, but I also wasn't ready to tell her the truth. The probability of her shooting me was very high with how on edge she was. That was not something that I wanted to go through. As much as it pained me to say it, watching her move around the kitchen was torture. I kept picturing how her towel had fallen off two nights ago, and the way she confidently walked around naked as she dried her hair. It was imprinted in my brain as one of the best nights of my life. Maddie let out a groan as her mother placed a
Lana's P.O.V I couldn't help but watch Olly as he walked away toward the forest. His head was low, and his tail was tucked down like a beaten dog. My heart hurt as he got further away. The connection I felt to him was pulling, like a rubber band being stretched. The need to call him back was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't do it. How could I risk having a man I didn't know who could turn into a wolf around my daughter? She didn't know that he wasn't just an animal. A small part of my own brain was still denying that fact, but I wasn't stupid. There were too many things that signaled it wasn't my imagination. Having him listen and do as I said was the straw that broke the camel's back, confirming he understood me. I wanted answers, but I also wasn't ready for them. I could barely handle the world as I knew it. How could I justify adding werewolves to it? If they were real, what else was out there? My head shook as I tried to fight that train of thought. That was exactly wha
Oliver's P.O.V My heart broke when I witnessed that rogue tear run down Lana's perfect cheek. She didn't deserve this, any of it. I would give her time to process this, just not too long. Then I would be right back at her doorstep, as a fully clothed human, to explain. In the meantime, there were several things I needed to do. The first was to take care of the bodies from last night. I had pulled them away from the house with what energy I could muster, but I was too weak to do anything more than drag them until I had healed more. Their stink was rapidly growing, and each time the wind blew, the smell of their corpses would pollute the air around my mate's home. My nails broke the ground as I dug as quickly as I could, needing to get deep enough that their bodies wouldn't be found if another rainstorm would hit. The last thing Lana needed was a bunch of people swarming around her house and questioning her if someone stumbled upon a pile of naked humans who had been mauled to death
Lana's P.O.V. I had expected a full meltdown after the way Maddie acted this morning when she woke up from her nap. The cold shoulder she gave me was hard to experience as it was the first time she had ever done that to me, but as I was already stressed about going to the store, I was also secretly glad for it. As long as she was shunning me, she wasn't pulling attention to either of us. We had been able to go through a fast drive-thru and get all of our shopping done without any hiccups. Maddie groaned at the large amount of oatmeal, pasta, rice, and canned veggies I bought but still refused to say a single word. The deer in the freezer would last us a while, and when that was done, we would be moving on to the canned chicken I bought. Fresh meat was too expensive and would eat through our savings faster than we could afford. I also found a book on how to set snares, and I had high hopes that I would be able to catch a few smaller creatures to keep us sustained, but that would be