Olivia’s POV
“What?!
I sat up and looked at him, but his eyes looked grim and serious.
“Are you serious? But…”
“Olivia, what more time do we need? I have and want you in my life. Also, your mother is becoming restless and overstepping her boundaries. Olivia, I don’t want things to become messy and difficult in the future. Nicole is already making moves to try and get me to be hers. I would never fall for them, but the council is asking questions, and it is only a matter of time.”
I felt my heart sink instantly. I still wasn’t ready to tell everyone yet that I was Andre’s mate. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as he said it was.
“How bad exactly is she behaving?”
“She is acting out of line and becoming frustratingly impatient.”
He grabbed my face softly and stared into my blue eyes.
“Olivia, I have you. You are mine, and I want the whole world to know that I have found my mate. I have kept myself for you for years and waited even longer since you came to this pack. Why do you want to deny me the joy of having you completely in my life?”
I could see the sad longing in his eyes, and I felt guilt stab my heart. He was right. He had waited for a long time, and I was still making him wait. I was being terribly unfair to him.
“I want to have you publicly, Olivia. I want to walk around the pack holding your hands and having everyone’s eyes feasting on you, yet none of them is able to get close to you because you’re with me, and I’ve marked you as my own.”
His words struck chords in my heart, and deep down, I knew that they were sincere. I wanted all this, too, just as badly as he did. I wanted to be his. I wanted people to know that he was mine and that he owned me.
Suddenly, a thought crept in. Was this all really still possible? I had already told people in school that I was his stepdaughter. What would they think of me? They would take me to be a whore that was sleeping around with her stepfather though he wasn’t actually my stepfather.
The eagerness in me suddenly turned cold, and I began to think twice about my decision. Was I really ready for all of this?
“Andre, I want all this just as much as you do, But I don’t think I am ready yet for that kind of attention. Do you think we can wait a little longer?”
I saw his eyes droop sadly and felt another pang of guilt. I could tell that I was hurting him.
“Isn’t there a way for you to end things with my mother without taking a new Luna immediately? That way, she can back down on her advances towards you, and you won’t have to worry about her.”
He sighed sadly and looked up at me.
“It is going to be quite tricky. But why do you want it that way? Don’t you want to be with me?”
“I do want to be with you. I just don’t feel ready yet to take up such a major position as the Luna of the pack. Just give me a little more time. Please.”
He stared at me and sighed. He was quiet, and he got out of the car and went back to the driver’s seat. I followed his lead and sat in front, beside him.
“It’s alright, Olivia. I’ll drive you home, and when we get there, I’ll ask the maids to pick up the shopping and take it to your room later.”
He fell silent and drove. I felt my heart thud in fear. I had never seen him this quiet before. I saw a deep sadness in his eyes, and I thought that my heart was going to shatter. I had hurt him deeply.
After a long time of tense quietness, we soon reached the mansion.
He dropped me off at home, and I went upstairs to my room with my heart shattered into a million pieces. What had I done to him?
I lay on my bed quietly, and my mind was spinning crazily. I felt so confused. I didn’t even know what to do anymore. I wanted to be with him, but I wasn’t ready. Or was that what I just kept telling myself because I was too scared to take everything from my mother in one swoop? I probably had too much regard for her, though she cared very little about me.
Suddenly, the door flew open, and I sat up in bed. I looked at the door and saw my mother standing there with a look of fury on her face.
“Mother…”
“Don’t mother me,” she snapped angrily at me. “Why do I have a picture of you and Andre at the mall?”
I looked at her and tried to act confused.
“What are you even talking about?”
She said nothing more and simply thrust the phone in my face. Truly, there was a picture of Andre and me entering a store at the mall.
My rapidly beating heart finally calmed down slightly. I would have lost it if it was a picture of both of us at the lingerie store.
“Oh, that. He thought that I needed some things, and he offered to take me out after school to go and buy them. It shouldn’t be a big deal since he’s my ‘stepfather’, right?”
“He offered to take you, or you asked him to?”
I could sense the jealousy in her voice, and I tried to act as cool as possible. I could tell that she was onto something. But I couldn’t give myself away.
“He offered. I have no idea why you are so worried.”
I saw her pocket her phone angrily, and she glared at me with vicious intent.
“Olivia, let me be clear. If you are not going to add anything positive to Andre and me’s relationship, I suggest that you don’t try anything funny with him; otherwise, I will send you packing. I still have that power, and don’t think that I won’t use it.”
She left my room and slammed the door behind her, and immediately, I fell to my knees in fear. It felt like my lungs had been empty, and they suddenly began to fill with air. My heart rate was going crazy, and my body felt weak.
What was I doing? What was wrong with me?