Chapter 28

Twenty-Eight

OLIVIA

A fter walking for several hours, occasionally vomiting into bushes- I stumbled into a dark cave for some shelter. It had gotten dark outside, and fear went through me upon entering the cave. Shit, I had gone too far from the camp. Ahead of me was a cliff, so I decided to stop and rest here.

Sitting in the cave was terrifying. I couldn't see anything in the dark, and panic settled within me.

But the longer I sat there, the more I was lost to the darkness.

"No, no, no," I said out loud as memories started to surface again. Memories of the OBC. Memories of Brett and the sweaty alphas. "No!"

I ran out of the cave and breathed in deeply when I looked up at the moon, which barely peeked through the trees. Tears flowed down my cheeks as I stood there staring at the cliff.

I could just end it all.

Make all my memories disappear.

My feet seemed to move by themselves toward the edge, and my heart pumped wildly as tears streamed down my face. Nobody gave a fuck about me. I was just a breeding tool for alphas.

And maybe I was. I was just a toy for the alphas.

I stood at the edge of the cliff, looking down at the swirl of darkness that would end me. The peace of no more worrying.

I held a hand to my belly, suddenly feeling a flutter within me. And chills went through me.

At that moment, I knew I was carrying a baby within me. Was it fair to him that I might end my life right now? And his life?

No, no I couldn't do this.

Letting out a long breath, I turned around on wobbly legs. I couldn't believe I almost gave in to the dark. My heart was beating wildly in my chest, from my attempt.

But I suddenly slipped on the edge.

I screamed as I felt myself start to fall in the air, and I automatically reached out to grab the edge, but instead, my hand wrapped around someone else's.

The hand quickly pulled me up mid-air, setting me on the ground.

"Olivia," barked a deep male voice.

I looked up to see Sergio standing there as he gripped my hand in his. His hair flew back in the wind as he glared at me with pity in his eyes.

Shit .

"Hey," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "Nice to see you're back to knot me some more. Didn't you get enough of me, like you said?"

"I'm not here to knot you," he growled. "What are you doing, trying to kill yourself, Olivia?!"

My pulse was thundering in my ears, and tears were streaming down my face. I couldn't move, and I was shaking uncontrollably. Sergio wrapped me in a hug, and I sunk into his body, allowing his alpha warmth to envelop me. My body shuddered as I sobbed into his chest, and he purred into my neck.

"I…I couldn't stop myself," I said in a shaky voice as he rubbed my back.

"Shh, Liv," he purred. "You can tell me in a few moments when you've calmed down. But you're going to tell me everything, alright?"

I nodded against his chest, and he let out a grunt of satisfaction. We stood there for a few minutes while he held me tight, and memories of what I did ran through my mind. I couldn't believe I just tried to end my life.

But the despair hadn't left me.

The only thing that stopped me at the last minute was the baby in my belly. The baby had let me know that he was there, and I sobbed harder at the realization.

"I almost killed him," I hiccuped.

"Who?"

"My baby," I said.

Sergio slowly released me and cupped my face in his hands. He wiped away my tears with his thumbs.

"Well, you didn't," he said. "Thank fuck that I came in time. I would have lost you forever. Let's sit you down somewhere while I build a fire for us."

"Okay," I said, walking with trembling legs towards the cave, but then I stopped. "Let's go somewhere else."

It felt nice to have Sergio by my side as we walked between the trees, looking for a spot to settle for the night. He took care of me, brushing away the twigs from my shirt and offering to carry me half the time. My feet were sore, but I didn't want to accept his offer. I had no idea why he was even here. I needed to know why the hell he came back looking for me when he hadn't cared before when I left his home.

Locating a cozy spot in front of a small riverbed, I sat on a boulder as he collected whatever he could to build a fire. It was colder out here than on the mainland, so I hugged myself, shivering as I watched Sergio gather up wood in a small pile before me.

Soon, he had a raging fire going, and he scooped me up in his arms, surrounding me in his warmth once again as we watched the fire together.

Something about sitting on his lap wrapped between his arms, put a sense of safety and security within me.

"You've been through a lot today, babe," he said in a low voice next to my ear. "Do you mind telling me how you got separated from everyone?"

I really didn't feel like explaining myself, but he had saved my life after all.

"We got into a fight," I said simply, without going into details. He didn't need to hear all the details. "I walked away, that's all. Then I slipped on the edge of the cliff."

"Are you sure you just ‘slipped'?" he interrogated, pressing his chin to my shoulder. I sighed, and I knew there was no way I could avoid telling him the truth.

"I wanted to end it at first," I said. "Then I changed my mind, and I slipped."

He was probably thinking that I was a crazy, suicidal omega hell-bent on hurting myself. I shrank while sitting on his lap, trying not to look at him.

"Why did you want to end it, little omega?" he asked. His gentle voice nearly had me crying again. "So many people care about you. Especially your parents."

"The memories of getting violated were too much," I said. "I couldn't handle it anymore."

"You're strong," he said, and I closed my eyes, trying not to cry. "You were strong the entire time at the OBC, and you'll be strong during your healing process. Don't forget that."

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Don't give up hope," he said. "For yourself, your family. And for…me."

My stomach flipped at his last sentence. I didn't know what he meant by that, but it would be something I'd think about tonight.

"Do you really care about me?" I asked.

"Let's just say that I never want to leave your side again," said Sergio. "Will you be my omega?"

"Is it because I might be pregnant?" I said, wondering why he didn't look more surprised at the possibility.

"No," he said. "I went to your house every day to check on you. I watched you sleep."

"What?" I said, shocked.

I tried to remember if I had ever closed the curtain at night, and I knew I hadn't because I loved the moonlight. I hated being in absolute darkness.

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry," he said. "I just wanted to make sure you were safe. But instead of doing that anymore, you could just be mine."

"I don't even know you," I sighed. "Like anything personal about you."

"We could go on dates?" he suggested, and my face broke into a smile. "What would you like to know about me?"

"How did you end up at the OBC?" I started, turning on his lap to face him. I watched his eyes glaze over in memory.

"I lived with a foster family," he said. "I don't really like talking about it, but I care about you. So here goes."

"Okay."

"I found a letter in my mother's room," he said. "A letter from my real mother, and I confronted my foster mom about it. She eventually confessed that I came from the omega breeding camp. From there, my search for my real mother started."

"Oh wow."

"I signed up with the Royal Pack to be a spy at the camp since many alphas were either in cahoots with Henry or they were too afraid to stand up to their own kind."

"Did you find her?"

"I did not," he said, letting out a long breath laced with emotion. "For years, I stayed at the OBC, hoping to find her, but I had no luck. I asked for Sylvia everywhere I went, and nothing."

The name struck a memory within me. The memory of Krissy mentioning something about an older lady named Sylvia who died there. My breath caught, and I debated whether or not to mention it.

"I think I might know what happened to her," I said. "It might not be her, though."

"What happened?" he asked with bated breath. "Tell me."

"The girls in the birthing building told me there was an older lady named Sylvia who died," I said, and tears shone in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Sergio."

"It was bound to happen to her," he said finally. "I wished to have seen her just once. To let her know that I'm okay."

We held each other in front of the fire, lost in our own thoughts. I felt bad that he hadn't seen his real mother and that he was a direct victim of Henry's conniving plans.

"I hate Henry," I said. "I hope they catch him."

"You have no idea how much I despise him," he said. "He's a sick bastard, intent on destroying families to fit his vision of Howl's Edge."

"Good riddance to him, though," I said, and suddenly, Sergio lifted my chin as I sat sideways on his lap. My heart thumped as we gazed into each other's eyes, and then he captured my lips hungrily with his.

And I kissed him back with equal force. My heart pounded hard as we kissed in front of the fire, hungry for each other. I clenched my thighs as my scent floated around us.

"I'm sorry," he breathed against my lips. "I just wanted to taste one more time."

"Don't be," I whispered. "I want it too."

His eyes darkened, and my stomach clenched once again in arousal. Suddenly, we were ripping each other's clothes off. I was desperate to feel his warm alpha skin against mine again. I wanted to be rutted one more time even though I hadn't committed to him that I was his omega.

Completely naked before the fire, he spread my legs while I lay on my back. He was grunting on top of me as he gripped his cock in his hand. Shuddering under his gaze, I spread my naked thighs wider and circled my pussy with my finger.

"Fuck, keep doing that, baby," he breathed, gripping his dick while he watched me. I rubbed my pussy in circles, getting horny the more he watched me. Slick covered my fingers as I added pressure onto my clit. "Is that how you please yourself in secret? Show Daddy Alpha."

"Okay," I moaned as I rubbed myself harder, flicking my clitoris in front of him. "Please, I want you inside of me. Daddy Alpha."

"Good girl," he groaned, pushing the tip of his cock against my entrance. "Keep touching yourself while I rut you. Be a good girl and rub your clit for me."

"Oh," I gasped as he pushed his length inside me. I lifted my hips to meet his thrusts, enjoying how his cock spread me further with each thrust. "It feels so good, Daddy Alpha."

"Don't stop rubbing your little clit," he warned, and I resumed touching myself as he pounded inside me. I tried to keep my finger directly over my clit, but his thrusts bounced me around too much. Pressing around my clit in circles, I rubbed harder until I could feel my stomach clenching.

"I'm about to…," I gasped, feeling the crescendo of an orgasm take me over. I dropped my hand, my legs shaking as he continued to thrust into my pussy.

"Fuck," he groaned, pushing into me one last time. His cock stretched me as he kissed me furiously all over my neck, and I felt the stream of his liquid flow inside of me. His lips pressed all over my breasts until my chest was heaving in arousal again. "I love you, Liv."

"I love you too," I whispered, unable to stop myself from saying it. It was an overwhelming feeling that just felt right to me. I was scared, but after being on the edge of death, I didn't care anymore.

"I will never leave you again," he promised, kissing me on the lips as his penis swelled, knotting me to him. "I promise to protect you with everything I have to give. I am yours, and my pack is yours. Forever."