Page 89 of Awakening

“Olivia?”

“You’ll think I’m the crazy one when I tell you.”

“Olivia, I’d never think that. What does he have people believing?”

I lean in over the table, and Anthony leans in to meet me in the middle. “He’s convinced everyone there…that they’re werewolves,” I whisper, raising my eyebrows.

His mouth drops open, and he leans back. “How do you know this?”

“I overheard Ethan and Chloe’s dad talking this morning. Max was telling Ethan that he can’t hide the truth from me forever. Then Ethan said something about being thankful I’m not human anymore because I never would have survived being hit by that car. Max called Ethan Alpha and referred to me as Luna, and then Ethan made some reference to it being forbidden for everyone to shift into wolf form.”

“Shit,” Anthony says, pulling his hands down his face.

“Right? Then when I confronted him about it he said that Pinewood is actually a werewolf pack. He claims everyone there is a werewolf, and that he and I are the pack leaders.” I pause, waiting for him to say something but he just studies me. With a frown, I continue, “Everyone there, Anthony…that means he has Chloe and Nick brainwashed too…and poor Max. I don’t know how he got caught up in this.”

“But, you don’t believe him?”

“Believe him? Of course, not. Would you?”

He frowns, shaking his head and crossing his arms. “No, definitely not.”

“Look at me.” I hold my hands out over the table. “I’m obviously human.”

Anthony nods and takes my hand on the table again. “I can’t believe he just let you leave after telling you all that.”

“Oh, he didn’t. I forced my way out.”

“Forced your way out how?” he asks with a frown.

“I gave him a hard knee to the groin.”

Anthony’s mouth drops open and then he laughs out loud. “Okay, so he’s going to be looking for you, and he’s going to be pissed.”

“I’d say that’s an accurate guess,” I say with a shrug and a tilt of my head. “He was still yelling at me not to leave him and telling me he loves me when I left him lying on the ground.”

He blows out a big sigh. “I’ll do anything I can to help you, Liv.” He takes both of my hands in his. “Like I said, nothing has changed for me. What can I do?”

I stare at our hands linked together and then give him a small smile as he stares at me with his deep green eyes. He’s good and honest. A man of integrity.

“I don’t know what to do.”

“Olivia, I’m going to lay it all out for you. You already know I love you, and I want you. Be with me. If you’re mine, you’ll have all the protection I can provide. I won’t ever let him hurt you again.”

I sigh and squeeze his hand. “I’m truly tempted to stay with you, Anthony, but I can’t. I think I need to leave Colorado.”

Anthony’s eyes widen. “Wait. Leave?”

“I have to, Anthony. I need to leave whatever crazy mess this is behind. I need to start fresh somewhere new.”

He shakes his head and squeezes my hands tighter. “No. You can’t go. God, Liv, don’t make me lose you again.”

“I don’t know what else to do. You know he’s not going to give up if I stay here. If I leave, I think maybe he’ll eventually move on.”

“I have an idea,” Anthony says, nodding. “Yeah, this could work.”

“What is it?”

“You can stay with my family in Vegas. They love you, and they’d be more than happy to help you.”

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