Chapter 113

Declan’s POV

“What’s bothering you?” I ask Sylvia, giving her my full attention. It’s not often she comes to me directly with her troubles, typically preferring to speak with any of my brothers. I know I’m not the most… nurturing type, even if I can be the most ruthless.

For her to come to my door and ask to speak with me with such a pathetic voice typically means she has a type of problem only my colder set of skills can properly deal with.

“I’m worried about Ollie,” Sylvia says. In my room, she flops herself down on my bed like she owns the place. I don’t mind overmuch, she is my beloved little sister, but sometimes it can be frustrating how she doesn’t seem to consider others boundaries or care for anything not her own.

I’m used to her behavior by now though, and ignore it. After all, our sister suffered for so long without us, while we erroneously doted on Ollie. The guilt of not finding her sooner gives me infinite patience.

Instead, I focus on what she is telling me. “What’s wrong with Ollie?”

“She’s been gone a lot,” Sylvia says. As she speaks now, her tone of concern switches to one of annoyance. “She’s supposed to be my servant while we’re at college. That’s what everyone told her, but she keeps sneaking off like she’s up to something.”

As if catching her own shift in tone, she pauses, then says with more concern, “I worry she’s in over her head. Involved in something she can’t get out of. Maybe she has a new secret boyfriend? I don’t know.”

The words secret boyfriend stab through me more than they have any right to.

I shouldn’t care what Ollie gets up to in her personal time. I don’t.

But it is my duty to take care of this family, and that means ensuring Ollie isn’t embarrassing us or shirking from her assigned duties as Sylvia’s companion.

“I’ll find out what’s going on,” I promise Sylvia, who seems pleased by this.

For the next few days, I go out of my way to follow Ollie. Sticking to the shadows, I’m certain she never sees me. I watch as she slinks away from Sylvia, claiming she needs to go to various places.

Always, she meets Professor Hunter there.

Professor Hunter’s reputation proceeds him. He is known for his omega sympathies and his work with werewolf genealogy.

Ollie is an omega, which could peak Professor Hunter’s interest, but as she’s wolfless, he shouldn’t have much to study with her.

Yet again and again, they meet and they talk. I’m never really close enough to hear the words exchanged, but I don’t like how friendly they seem to be.

Sylvia’s words, secret boyfriend, strike me again.

Ollie… couldn’t be… with the professor?

Once, they retreat to the professor’s office. Fury rises within me, unable to follow. Uncertain of what could be happening within those closed doors, my imagination is unkind, filling my mind with thoughts of the pair locked in a lover’s embrace.

I start growling without meaning to, then condemn myself. Why should I care? So long as they keep their relationship secret, it should not reflect badly on our family. Though Professor Hunter’s opinions might be controversial, he is still a man of good standing within the pack, with a good job.

If the two want to eventually formally pair off, that would be a good match.

Yet the thought of it makes me want to tear this entire building apart, brick by brick until it is nothing but rubble and dust.

The fury in my veins makes me cold and still. I stand silently in the shadows at the base of the stairwell, waiting for the opportune moment to tear everything down.

I find it a few minutes later, when Ollie comes skipping down the stairs. She doesn’t see me, which gives me a perfect advantage.

Before she can escape me, I reach out, snatch her, and pull her back into the shadows. With my arms locked around her, I keep her prisoner, her back to my chest. One of my hands is locked to her hip, the other is stretched across the bottom of her ribs, beneath her breasts.

She struggles at first, until I whisper, “Still.”

Then, she freezes. “Declan?”

I scent behind her ear, searching for any hint of Hunter. If he touched her, she would carry some of his smell.

Yet, to my shock, instead of smelling Hunter, I scented Angel instead.

“Angel…” I say, unable to stop myself.

“That’s not my name!” she replies and starts struggling again.

I keep her my prisoner, now even more unwilling to release her.

“Reveal yourself,” I say, putting some of my Alpha tone into my voice in an attempt to compel her.

“I’m just Ollie!” she says.

How… troublesome.

I know what I scented, and I won’t be denied.

There’s more than one way to convince this woman to reveal her secrets.

I lift my hand on her chest up to roughly cup one of her breasts. At the same time, I lower my mouth and suck on her neck.

She gasps, and it’s not in rejection or disgust. Her body reacts to me at once. As she pushes her breast more fully into my hand, I can feel her nipple harden through her bra.

Slowly, I start to lower my other hand, slipping my fingers under the waistband of her bands.

“D-Declan…” she says, nearly moaning, driving me on…

Ollie’s POV

Declan has lost his mind. That’s the only explanation I can think of for his acting like this, but Gods, it feels so good.

I need to stop the madness, but I find that I don’t want to. I just want him to keep touching me.

“Reveal your scent…” he growls against my kiss-damp skin.

And I want to. More than anything, in that moment, I want to. My wolf does too. I can feel both of our resolves collapsing.

If we show him, what could be the harm? We’d be certain to feel more pleasure like this…

I’d give anything to keep feeling this…

But. No. No, I have to stop. We have to –

Suddenly, the door to the stairwell swings open and a pair of students walks in. They freeze when they see us.

Declan moves at once, throwing me behind him as he fills the space between us and the intruders. He’s so amped up, that his hands, clawlike now, tear chunks of cement straight out of the walls.

“Leave us!” he roars.

The students stumble over themselves, desperate to escape.

Declan, as if realizing his overreaction, buries his head in his hands. With his distraction, I slink out from behind him and make a break for it to the door.

I run through the hallways and outside, not slowing, not looking back, until I’m three more buildings away, where I duck into a woman’s room and hide in one of the bathroom stalls.

Gods, what had I almost done?

What had I almost revealed?

No… how much did I reveal?

The way Declan was acting. Does he know the truth now? And if he knows, they likely all do?

I’ve played with fire for far too long, walking right up to it without expecting to get burned.

How can I be surprised now, that I’ve risked so much, that my secret is finally revealed?

I don’t know what to do, but I know one thing.

I can’t go home again.

If I do, they’ll likely never let me leave again.