Olivia’s POV
“Olivia, I need you to stop yelling and listen.”
I watched him in horror as he reached into his pockets and pulled out his phone.”
He unlocked it and began to flip through the apps. He finally reached his email, opened one, and showed me to read.
“Olivia, I am only concerned about you. I sent an email to the research institute two days ago, giving them a 3-day ultimatum to come up with a temporary solution to your unusual symptoms and fever. We can’t stop every few minutes to have sex just so that we can get your symptoms down. If you are even the tiniest bit concerned about this journey, you should consider your health and the comfort of the men who are going to be escorting you. That is what a true Luna does. She considers others’ feelings and acts accordingly so that everyone can get fair treatment.”
The angry glint didn’t leave his eyes, and his voice was a tone I had never heard before. It was rough and angry, and I could tell he meant every word he said.
“I understand that this is going to be an inconvenience for everyone,” he continued in the same angry tone. But to make up for it, I will make sure that all our expenses are covered adequately. I also sent more money to the research institute so that they can hasten up their research and come up with the solution for us.”
He locked his phone and put it back into his pocket. My tongue and throat were dry, and I couldn’t squeeze out any words.
Finally, I found my voice and the courage to speak.
“Andre, I didn’t…”
“No, Olivia. I want you to listen to me now. You have had your chance, and now it’s my turn ”
My mouth clamped shut immediately. I never thought that Andre would cut me off from talking and demand to put his opinion first.
“Olivia, I love you, and despite everything you said, I know that you love me too. I understand that you want to be strong and independent, and that you are driven to get what you want. It is one of the many things that I admire about you, but you need to keep in mind that we are mates, we are partners, and if we are going to get things done, we need to make sure that our significant other is in support with our decision”
His face slowly lightened up, and his darkened eyes slowly began to give way to their pearly green.
“I am in full support of you finding your parents. After Nicole’s confession, I, too, am curious to find out your true heritage, but I will not make blind decisions and follow through with your every whim if I realise that there’s a potential that you could get hurt.”
He cupped my face with one hand and used his thumb to wipe away the tears that had been streaming down my face.
“I want you to be safe, Olivia. You are my mate, and you’re my priority above everything else. I will go to the ends of the world to make sure that nothing happens to you. I make an effort to understand you every day. I can’t say that I’m perfect, but I’m getting a grasp of your emotions every day and adjusting myself accordingly to make sure that I make you happy.”
“But you seem to forget that I have emotions, too, and very often, you disregard them just because you want to get your way, and it hurts me. It hurts me very much, Olivia. You ran away twice for me without any regard for how I would feel, for the emotional distress that I might feel afterwards. And now that I have you back, I will not let you walk into harm’s way without proper preparation. Does me trying to defend you as a good mate make me distrustful and hateful of you?”
I could feel the sadness rippling in his voice, and his words began to echo. My heart shattered, and more tears rolled down my face. Was this really how I made Andre feel? Was I really this inconsiderate about his feelings?
“Olivia, you are my mate, and I love you, and I have told you before that I will never treat you less. I would love and respect you and cherish you. I will always listen to your opinions, but you also need to listen to mine, and sometimes, you need to learn to put mine first because all I ever want is for you to be safe. Olivia, I have waited for you for twenty years, and I will never dare to be careless with you and lose you forever. Please, you have to understand me.”
More tears ran down my face, and I soon began to sob loudly. I buried my face in my hands and pulled myself away from Andre’s touch. My heart was broken and sad, and the anger that I felt initially had completely vanished.
Realization slowly crept in, and all my encounters with Andre began to replay in my mind like a stereo. He was right; I never considered his feelings. I rarely ever considered whether my actions made him feel hurt or upset. He had done nothing but be there when I needed him the most and try to support me, but I never did that for him.
“I… I’m so… Sorry, Andre…”
My apology was punctuated with loud sobbing in between. It was agony to know that my mate was being hurt because of me.
He pulled me in close, but I rejected his hug. The moon Goddess had gifted me with someone amazing yet I never knew how much I took him for granted.
“Olivia…”
“Andre, I am sorry. I am sorry for the way I’ve been acting. I didn’t know that…”
My emotions were all over the place, and I didn’t want to blame the baby. I should have listened to him…
I should have known that he would not deliberately want to harm me or what was important to me.
“Olivia, look at me. I want to see your face.”
He took my hands gently and pulled them off my face. I could feel my skin wet with tears, and my eyes stung. My heart felt heavy, and I couldn’t bear to look at Andre. I remembered all the hateful things that I yelled at him this morning, and I felt pain and agony in my heart all over again.
He cupped my face in his hands and kissed my wet forehead.
“I love you, Olivia. I really do, and I want you to be safe and mine forever.”
He pulled me into a hug and wrapped his arms around me. I felt something in my heart begin to grow and I hugged him back as well. I rested my head against his chest and listened to the gentle thudding of his heart.
“I love you too, Andre, and I am sorry for everything that I said. I am sorry that I always get so caught up in what I want that I disregard the way you feel about things. I’m sorry that I take you for granted.”
The more I continued to talk, the more fresh tears made my voice quiver.
“I promise to do better, Andre. I promise to listen to you more and consider your feelings. I love you so much.”
“Oh,” he hushed me gently. “It’s okay. I forgive you. I’ll try and stop being overbearing. I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”
I pulled away from him and looked him in the eyes.
“Nothing will happen to me, Andre. I have you.”
He pulled me in and kissed me passionately. His lips tasted wonderful, and I groaned lovingly.
His hands made love to my hair, and my fingers dug into his back. His lips travelled to my neck, and I moaned his name softly.
His hands slipped into my shirt, and he grabbed my…
Ring! Ring!
The sound of a ringing phone made the both of us snap out of our entrancement.
Andre reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
“It’s the institute,” he said to me.
He answered the call and put the phone on speaker so that I could hear.
“Hello? Good morning, Alpha.”
Andre replied roughly.
“I hope this is a call to tell me that there have been advancements?”
“Uhmmm… yes, Alpha. We actually have a solution, but it is more difficult to explain over the phone.”
Andre looked at me with wide eyes; he seemed elated.
“Bring the team over. Now…”