Page 93 of Awakening

She shakes her head as tears flow down her cheeks. “He’ll never hurt us again?” she asks.

“No, baby. Thanks to you, Ian will never hurt you again.”

She shakes her head again. “Us…he’ll never hurt us again. He hurt you too.”

I nod in response, kissing her forehead. “He’s gone. He’ll never hurt us again.” She nods, then collapses against my chest in sobs that tremor through her entire body. “Liv, I should check you for injuries,” I whisper against her hair.

“No. Not yet. Please, just get me away from here. Take me home.” She looks up at me with those bright green eyes.

I gently kiss her lips, and then stand from the ground, lifting her with me. She rests her head against my chest as I walk us to the car. A black Porsche screeches to a halt in the driveway as we approach. Anthony emerges from the vehicle, running toward us.

“Stop,” Nick says, stepping between us. “She’s been through one hell of an afternoon. She’s with her mate, as she should be.”

“I just want to know if she’s okay,” Anthony says, leaning around Nick to try to get a better view of Olivia.

Olivia

“Put me down,” I say to Ethan.

His hold on me just tightens. “Olivia, no. You’re hurt.”

“I’m fine. Please. I need to talk to him.” I can tell by the look on Ethan’s face that he isn’t happy, but he does as I ask. I wince and grab onto him when I put weight on my left foot.

“I told you,” Ethan says, grabbing me around my waist. “You need to be checked first.”

I rub his arm and look into the steel blue eyes that I love so much. “I’m okay now,” I say, but I continue to hold on to him, as his arms remain around my waist.

“Nick, let Anthony come over here, please.” Nick looks back at us, and Ethan nods in confirmation. Nick moves aside, allowing Anthony to pass by.

“Olivia,” Anthony says with sad eyes as he walks up to us. “What happened to you? Are you okay?”

My mouth falls open and my eyes widen. “You…you’re a—it’s not possible. Are you?”

“She shifted, and she remembers everything,” Ethan says. “She’s back. She knows who and what she is now, which means she knows what you are too.”

Anthony nods and looks at the ground. With a sigh, he looks back up at me, and says, “Yes.”

I feel like I’ve been punched in the chest. “But, how? For how long?”

“Always,” he says, averting his gaze.

“Even back in college?” I ask, clinging to Ethan’s arm and the blanket that covers me.

“Yes.” He rubs at the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, Liv.”

“No, that’s impossible. I don’t understand. Chloe and Nick were around you. They would have known.”

“They didn’t know,” Ethan says.

“They didn’t know because I medically suppressed my werewolf genes at the time,” Anthony says.

My heart beats hard in my chest when I realize his deception. “So, you knew when I came to you with what Ethan told me that it was all true? And, you knew I was his mate this entire time?” He continues to avoid making eye contact with me. “Look at me, damn it!”

His eyes slowly meet mine and he nods. “Yes. I’m sorry.”

“Why would you lie to me like that?”

“Would you have believed me if I’d told you, or even agreed with what Ethan told you this morning when you asked me to meet you earlier?” He has a point there. I wouldn’t have. He sighs and shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Olivia. I selfishly thought we had a chance at a future together.”

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