(Olivia's POV)
"Andrew Obsidian, you're an Alpha King who wants to sever our bond-why are you acting like a feral rogue with your own Luna?" I demanded, my palm stinging from the force of my slap.
Andrew's head snapped to the side, a red mark blooming on his cheek. His eyes widened in shock-probably the first time anyone had dared strike the Alpha King.
The confined space of his Black Wolf's Midnight SUV suddenly felt suffocating. The leather seats creaked as Andrew recovered, his powerful frame shifting toward me with predatory intent.
Before I could react, his hand shot out, gripping my wrist with bruising force. His amber eyes, sharp and cold as a hawk's, locked onto mine.
"Olivia," he growled, each word drawing him closer until I could feel his breath on my face. "Don't forget we're still bonded as mates, aren't we?"
The way he said "bonded as mates" made it sound like a threat rather than a sacred connection. I caught my reflection in the window-pale, drained of color, but still defiant.
"So you do remember I'm your Luna," I retorted, my voice steady despite my racing heart. "Did you remember that three years ago, when you left me the day after our Marking Ceremony? You think just because you defended me at the Obsidian Estate tonight, I owe you gratitude?"
The pain and bitterness we'd accumulated over three years of separation finally erupted between us. Three years in Northcrest City-a place vast enough that despite living in the same territory, I never once saw him.
"Was it mere coincidence?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "Or did the mighty Alpha King deliberately orchestrate our paths never to cross?"
Andrew's jaw tightened, the muscle there twitching with tension. His grip on my wrist didn't loosen.
"You think I owe you explanations?" he growled.
"You owe me three years," I shot back.
(Andrew's POV)
Her relentless questions pushed me over the edge. I pinned her wrist against the leather seat, leaning in until our faces were inches apart.
"Olivia, it was your father, on his deathbed, who pleaded with my family for this union, for the pack alliance," I said, my voice like ice. "You haven't forgotten that, have you? You didn't even see him before he passed."
I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth. The pain that flashed across her face was raw and immediate-a wound that had never healed, now reopened by my cruelty.
She had missed her father's final moments because of me. Because of our Marking Ceremony. The guilt of that had haunted me for three years, and now I was weaponizing it against her.
"How dare you," she whispered, her blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
The bitterness of my own words clogged my throat. I wanted to take them back, to apologize, but pride and three years of resentment held my tongue.
Olivia swallowed hard, her composure visibly faltering. "Andrew Obsidian, do you know I-"