- I... I'm so sorry... a Land Rover crossed my path and I couldn't avoid it - she apologized with a flushed and embarrassed face as she showed the innkeeper the masterpiece left over from the accident.

- A gray Land Rover? - William asked her suddenly and Olivia nodded silently, thinking it was the last question she expected to hear.

- It's all right, accidents happen, don't worry, a few hammer blows to the old thing and it'll be as good as new - he said without giving the matter much thought.

- Paul, come and help bring the crates down! He called to the kitchen boy.

- Here's your pay - he said to Olivia, handing her some bills that were actually much more than she expected.

It seemed she was in such a precarious situation that everyone was giving her money today

- No, no, that's not necessary, in fact that man gave me this money as compensation and I want you to deduct the repair of the car, I don't know how much it will be- she confessed the truth and handed him the wad of bills that the rude driver had thrown at her.

- I've already told you that you don't have to pay anything, accept the payment, or ask me to give you any more work - he replied dryly, and Olivia wondered if all the men in this town were so rude.

Not wanting to argue any further about this foolishness, she took her pay and went up to her room, much more solvent than when she had come out this morning.

One stupid affront wasn't going to spoil her good day, she had an appointment with Noah for lunch, so she went back downstairs and headed home.

- I leave you alone for one morning and you're already in trouble? - Noah asked her with a raised eyebrow as she prepared his famous lasagna bolognese in the kitchen.

- I swear it wasn't my fault, I swear the driver had a talking dog in the back seat because it was almost growls instead of words from that overbearing man - Olivia told her as she ate some grapes at the small round kitchen table.

Noah was amused by her description, if those werewolves knew a human called them flea dogs, they would really growl at her.

She had to admit that Olivia was right, they were all very blunt and direct men.

The males in the pack were all like that, almost feral, until they met their mate, the only one they kept their fangs and showed their bellies to.

Well, her mate, the Alpha of the pack, and these two other special people, the two elders of the clan.

Just then, John arrived and greeted Olivia politely.

The woman watched with some envy as the burly man, who was several heads taller than her short friend, walked up to her and gave her a passionate kiss, as if he hadn't seen her in years, although it was obvious that they had only been apart for a few hours when he went to work at the sawmill.

They looked at each other in a way Olivia couldn't decipher, no one had ever looked at her like that before.

Every day she realized more and more how the illusion of a happy marriage had deceived her.

Noah told her husband about Olivia's incident, but instead of joining in the criticism of the culprits, John frowned.

- If he tells you to stay away, stay away if you see him again - John told her very seriously and Olivia wondered what kind of shady business she had gotten herself into.

But she had learned to follow the instructions of her friends and trusted them.

Olivia was no fool.

This city hid more than it showed on the surface.

Olivia had lunch with her friends and then wandered around the city to see if she could find a more stable job.

She remembered stopping by a school she had seen in passing.

Olivia was a teacher, although she did not have her diploma or references, she advertised herself as an educator and prayed for a miracle.

- John, what about the owner of the Land Rover? - Noah asked her husband as Olivia walked away.

She knew him too well, and they were intimately bound by the bond of mates.

John had become visibly tense as they talked about the person grunting in the passenger seat.

Noah did not know all the other werewolves and their mates, only a few with whom she had interacted.

In fact, some of them were very mysterious, especially the two so-called Ancient and many of the stronger warriors, who wandered the world on various missions entrusted to them by the Alpha of the pack.

- It's that person I told you about, he's in seclusion, he takes care of all of us, but he doesn't live in the city, he lives in his lands, where you should never go without his permission.

John warned her and Noah nodded a little worried, because apparently Olivia had a radar that attracted troubled men.

Next time she would have to warn them more seriously that if she saw the car she should cross to the other side of the road.

This was a man not to be offended under any circumstances.

*****

That night, Olivia had one of the terrible nightmares that plagued her.

Suddenly she found herself awake, crying for her lost baby.

As much as she didn't want to feel so depressed, the ghosts of the past always came to pay her a cruel visit.

She wrapped herself in a warm red plaid blanket and stepped out onto the inn's small balcony overlooking the darkened forest.

But Olivia wasn't afraid, one of the reasons she didn't want to leave this place was its energy, its good vibes that made every pore of her body come alive.

She felt like this was her place.

She looked out into the forest where the nocturnal animals were making all kinds of noises and closed her eyes, breathing in the pure coldness of the night.

But what Olivia didn't know was that someone was watching her from the foliage of the forest, icy yellow eyes staring obsessively at the beautiful nymph who lazily closed her eyes, enchanting him with the delicious scent that reached his sensitive nose.

She hadn't realized how seductive and vulnerable she was.

Now it was Lucian who cursed in his wolf mind.

He had only relaxed for a few moments, and Lugh wasted no time in forcing the change, coming running to stalk his mate.

Through his canine eyes, Lucian saw her, too, and that was exactly what he didn't want, knowing full well that the moment he laid eyes on that woman, there would be no turning back.

"What is that fool doing now?" he asked in Lugh's mind.

"She senses my call and comes to me," his wolf replied with obvious joy and pleasure.

Lucian was skeptical, for she was only a human, and although she was his mate, it was very difficult for her to sense some ridiculous call from his wolf without having established the bond with his mark.

However, this woman was climbing down the old and dangerous wooden ladder next to his balcony, and it was getting on his nerves.

He was about to jump down to save her when her bare feet slipped on the mossy old wood.

Besides, was she barefoot in the freezing temperatures?

This woman was too disobedient and fearless for his taste, she was going to find out when he got close to her, he was going to spank her tender buttocks a few times...wait, what did he care what she did...that wasn't his problem.

"Keep repeating it to yourself, see if you believe it," Lugh replied amusedly in his mind and Lucian just kept cursing.

But his internal dialog didn't last long, because the beautiful chestnut-haired beauty, with her hair down, no shoes, dressed in a thin nightgown and wrapped only in a checkered blanket, walked in his direction.

Olivia didn't know what was wrong with her, but she felt an urgent need to find someone.

Her instincts told her it was someone important.

She saw herself doing the crazy thing, going down the old stairs and walking alone in the night into nature.

She was completely mad, it was the only logical answer to go into the dark forest with wild animals stalking her.

Olivia came to a clearing in the middle of the forest, felt the soft wet grass under her feet and lifted her head to see the most beautiful and spectacular moon she had ever seen in her life.

She was ecstatic to feel that aggressive yet comforting presence stalking her again, demanding that she come closer.

She lowered her head and froze as she saw a black and white wolf emerge from the darkness of the forest, staring at her with piercing, obsessive yellow eyes as if she were the most delicious prey he had ever encountered.