Page 27 of Awakening

Nick and I both have the same scowl on our faces as we look at each other. “So, someone turned him?” Nick asks.

“No, that’s the thing. He said he was born this way.”

“That doesn’t make any sense, Chloe. We spent time around that guy back in the day. We would have known.”

“Oh, but there’s more. He’s of Alpha blood. His scent…it bounced off of him clear as day. He said he had trouble controlling his rage in his late teens and early twenties, so he had his werewolf genes medically suppressed for a few years.”

I’m standing here still trying to process the fact that yet another fucking werewolf got his hands on my mate. “This story doesn’t make sense, Chloe. His pack would have helped him learn to control it, especially if he’s an Alpha. Where is his pack?”

“He says it’s in Italy.”

“Italy? Are you fucking serious?” I shake my head, pacing the room.

“He said his dad took the family and left the pack for some kind of business opportunity here in the states when he was young.”

“I can’t even believe this,” Nick says with wide eyes as he shakes his head.

“His Alpha side is very much front and center these days. Now, try to stay calm when I say this?—”

Resting my forehead in my palm, I take a deep breath. “What else?”

“Anthony said if you and Olivia are truly mated, the bond should overrule the amnesia, and she should recognize you when you’re reunited, in which case he’ll be a gentleman and back off.”

“First of all, we don’t know what Ian did to her, so that’s bullshit. What if she doesn’t?”

“He said he’s not going to hand her over.”

“The fuck he won’t. Take me to Olivia. Now.”

Olivia

My stomach twists with nerves, and I can’t stop fidgeting with my hands while Anthony and I watch television as we wait for Chloe to bring Ethan to see me. He turns toward me on the couch, turns the television off with the remote, and places his hands on top of mine.

“You don’t have to do this. We can call it off,” he says.

“It’s really sweet of you to want to protect me, but yes, I do. I’m just nervous.”

“Please, tell me you’re not going to leave with him.”

He’s my fiancé. Part of me feels obligated to leave with him, but the other part of me is screaming there’s no way I’m going home with a complete stranger. “I honestly don’t know. Maybe I’ll feel a connection when I see him. I can only imagine what he’s been going through. I need to at least try. Don’t you think?”

Before Anthony can answer, I startle and my heart pounds when there’s a knock on the door. They’re here.

“I’ll get it,” Anthony says.

I stand and follow him, holding my breath as Anthony opens the door. I immediately recognize Ethan from the photos. If it’s possible, his steel blue eyes sparkle even more in person. He’s gorgeous, devastatingly so. He pushes around Anthony and comes straight for me. I gasp as I’m suddenly wrapped up in his arms. He holds me tight, burying his face in my neck while I stand stiff as a board with my arms out to my sides.

“Olivia. Thank God, you’re safe.” He pulls back to look at me, and then pulls me to him again. “I’ve missed you so much. I’ve been fucking sick with worry. Thank God you’re safe in my arms again.”

My breath has been held hostage in my chest from the moment he put his hands on me, but I know in my brain that I have a history with this man, so I make a conscious effort to relax into his hold. I immediately notice how incredible he smells as I timidly allow my arms to extend around him in an embrace. He pulls back to look at me, his hands still tight on my waist as his eyes search mine. I don’t remember him, but at the same time, there’s something familiar between us. A spark.

“Baby, I know you’ve been through hell. I’m so sorry for everything that’s happened. I’m going to help you through this, Liv. We’ll get through this together.”

I give him a blank stare for a minute, unsure of what to say. The best I can come up with is, “You must be Ethan.”

His face drops and he loosens his hold. Nodding, he says, “Yes.”

I look around Ethan to see Nick and he grins. “Hey, Liv.”

---