Chapter 3 Be In The Dark

• Olivia’s POV
• By the time the healers had bandaged my broken hand and given me some stronger painkillers, the school day was long over. I did not even attempt to catch up. I went instead to drag myself straight downtown.
• The neon sign of the diner flickered, half-dead, but at least it was warm and familiar. I reported to work early. It was not yet two in the afternoon. Three additional hours meant more tips, more cash in the drawer that I kept secret from Annabelle.
• However, the pain in my chest was not related to work. It was concerning my mother; I had called her at the hospital, but she had not picked up. That silence was more deafening than the dishes rattling in the kitchen, more deafening than the giggles of a group of teenagers in the corner booth.
• Something was amiss.
• I was busy serving coffee, delivering trays, and smiling enough to keep the tips coming. With each fake laugh, I could only think of what Alpha Arthur had said: Your mother phoned me today.
• Why him? Why not me?
• By the time of closing, I could not hold it any longer. I did not go directly to the gym to train but sat on the cold metal chair outside, lit a cigarette, and pulled out my phone.
• It sounded once, then she answered it once. “Hello?”
• “Mom.” I choked just saying it.
• “Olivia!” She spoke with great enthusiasm. Too bright. Too eager. It twisted my stomach. “Darling, I am glad to hear from you.”
• I smiled, though she could not see it. “It is good to hear from you.”
• “This is not normal. You never call in sick during the week.”
• “Yeah, well.” I tossed around. “I talked to Alpha Arthur today. You called him, he told me.”
• Silence. A pause that was heavy enough to confirm all that I feared. Then her voice came back, more quietly. “I am sorry you had to learn this way.”
• “Mom…” My chest tightened. “Does the new Alpha suspect me of having something to do with Johnny?”
• Her sudden breath came down the line. “How do you know of the new Alpha?”
• “I am not there, but I am still in the pack. I know when the leadership changed.”
• Another pause. Then a weary sigh, “Yes. He is questioning. He appears to believe that you left later than you did.”
• I scoffed. “He would be able to verify school records. They would tell him the time I left.”
• “I told him that. And Alpha Arthur vowed to stand by your pledge.”
• Relief flashed, short-lived and tenuous. “Thank you."
• “Naturally, Olivia. I will see that he understands that you had nothing to do with Johnny.”
• Her words fell amiss. My back straightened. It had nothing to do with Johnny?
• My heart skipped. “Wait. Alpha Scott? As in Scott Savage?”
• “Yes.” Her tone sank low: He murdered Johnny and took the pack.”
• The cigarette fell out of my hands, hissing on the pavement. “Holy shit. That man has killed more than a dozen Alphas. They had swallowed their packs as though they were nothing.”
• “That’s right. And now we are in his service.”
• Cold dread settled in my stomach. Are you safe there?
• "I am all right," she replied hastily. I continue to teach. He appreciates the education of the younger wolves. He leaves me quivering.”
• And me? My voice broke. Would I be safe?
• Her reluctance was enough to reply. “No. Not with that sharp mouth of yours. Dominic is still around. He’d see that Scott heard every word that came out of your lips, distorted to make it sound worse.”
• I clenched my tongue. Dominic. The mate of my mother. Her shield and her sword, according to the day.
• “So what the hell am I supposed to do?”
• “Stay put. Do not attract attention. Whatever you do, do not come home.”
• I shut my eyes. “Alright. I will call back soon.”
• “Take care, Olivia.”
• The line was dead.
• I looked at the phone until my eyes went out of focus. I felt helpless, as I had not in months. I would look guilty running. By remaining, I would be in danger of being hauled back to Scott. In either case, treason was punishable by death.
• I looked up at the moon, and I prayed to the Goddess that my mother was mistaken—that Scott was not already sharpening the axe for me.
• The door behind me opened with a creak. Ralph emerged, his shirt wet with training. His eyes grew soft as he looked at me. He sat down beside me, his body solid and warm, without a word.
• “What is the matter?” He asked in a low voice.
• I gripped my cast hand. “I just… needed to think.”
• “What?”
• I nearly laughed. Of my old Alpha being butchered and about the warlord who succeeded him. How he may think I am a traitor.
• I said, instead, "My pack has been stolen. By Scott Savage.”
• His head turned to me with a jerk of the neck. “You are joking.”
• “I would like to be. He apparently thinks it is suspicious that I am here rather than back there. He believes I was near Johnny.”
• “Were you?
• “We were acquainted. That’s it. Our mothers were chums, and he despised me most of the time because I was the only one who told him off when he was a spoiled brat.”
• Ralph clenched his jaw. Then you need not be afraid.
• “I cannot say no to Scott when he orders me back. I am still technically part of that pack.”
• "We will take care of it when it arrives," he said. His hand held mine firmly. “You are not the only one.”
• I wanted to believe him. I did not. Not really.
• "I am going to run," I said, and rose. “I will see you tomorrow.”
• He paused and then kissed me lightly on the lips in the shadows of the street. “Stay safe.”
• ***
• The forest engulfed me in its arms. Clothes neatly laid at the foot of an oak, bones breaking, skin ripping as my wolf broke free.
• Sophia had long, sleek black fur, white paws, and a diamond-shaped blaze between my eyes.
• "Evening, Sophia," I said into our mind-link.
• "You have not taken me out long enough, you know, dear child," she said, sharply but kindly.
• "You ceased to speak to me," I said.
• “Because you put that snake in the teacher’s office.”
• “She said I was cheating. I did not cheat.”
• “That does not imply sabotage.”
• “Relax. They like me here.”
• Her silence lengthened, then mellowed. “Fine. But do not turn me away again.”
• A sense of relief blossomed in my chest. “Deal.”
• We ran.
• The ground rumbled under our feet, wind whipped through fur, and night fell around us like a shroud. Out here, I was not the forgotten daughter, the suspected traitor, or the girl who did not fit. Here, I was free.
• After two hours, still perspiring, I returned to my clothes and crept home.
• Annabelle had warned me. She had locked the front door. Naturally she had.
• I went round to my window. It was unlocked, as Nolan had said. I put my bag in and held on to the sill.
• A hand clapped on my shoulder.
• I gasped, stumbling back, my heart pounding against my ribs.
• A shadow loomed over me—tall, broad-shouldered, with greasy and unkempt hair. His torn clothes stuck to his body. There was something wild in his eyes.
• “Johnny.”
• The name came out of my throat like a curse.