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Olivia

Fuck, I’m wet. And not in the fun way.

Rain poured in heavy, unrelenting sheets, each drop a cold, stinging reminder of the choice I’d made. Blue Springs train station stretched around me in washed-out gray—cracked tiles, a rusted overhang that offered as much shelter as a napkin in a thunderstorm, and the distant hum of trains that came and went without caring who they left behind.

I was soaked. My leather jacket clung to me like a wet, miserable second skin, water seeping through my shirt, trailing down my back in icy, uncomfortable lines. My boots squelched with every step, the left one taking on water, and my once-shiny black hair now hung around my face like a drowned curtain.

Coming back here felt like drowning all over again.

But a promise was a promise, and I’d promised Sophie I’d be here. For her. For her mating ceremony, where she’d get everything she ever wanted—a perfect life, a perfect Alpha, a perfect future in a town that had never really been mine.

Sophie was everything I wasn’t—blonde, beautiful, and beloved. The family’s proud Omega daughter, the one they cherished. Claimed now by Karl, an important wolf Alpha, soon to be mated in a week’s time. The perfect storybook romance for the perfect storybook girl. And then there was me. Olivia. The Zeta. The one who didn’t fit anywhere.

Blue Springs had never let me forget it. Growing up here meant hearing whispers that were never as quiet as people thought, feeling stares that were never as subtle. Zeta. An oddity. Not an Alpha, Beta, or Omega. A walking footnote in the grand story of pack politics, a glitch in a world that thrived on rules and hierarchies.

That’s why I ran. Nineteen and desperate, I left this suffocating town without a second glance. College in a human city, far away where pack dynamics didn’t matter. Where I was just Olivia , with no title hanging over my head. Where I could pretend that I wasn’t something wrong.

And for a while, it worked. I didn’t call home. I didn’t write. I built a life of cheap apartments, late-night takeout, and bad decisions. I met James at a rock concert, his wild grin and shaggy hair a promise of something reckless. We fell in and out of each other’s lives for three chaotic years before stumbling into a marriage that was as messy and passionate as everything else we did.

It wasn’t a fairytale. But it was real. Or at least, I thought it was until I came home early one rainy Thursday and found him with someone else. A stranger who wasn’t drowning in family drama, who didn’t have the weight of pack rejection in her eyes.

Our divorce was still a work in progress. A legal purgatory that had me clinging to sarcasm like a lifeline.

And yet here I was, back in Blue Springs, soaked and shivering, waiting for Sophie—my sunshine sister who never knew a world that didn’t love her. Who never saw a door she couldn’t open or a person who didn’t smile when she walked in.

A loud honk shattered my pity party, and I looked up just in time to see a pristine white-pearl SUV slice through the puddles, a burst of clean, polished luxury in this rain-soaked nightmare.

"OLIVIA!"

I didn’t even have time to brace myself. The passenger door burst open, and Sophie barreled out, a pastel blur of pink and blonde in a world of gray. Rain be damned—she ran straight at me, her arms outstretched, her wide smile as blinding as the sun I hadn’t seen in hours.

And suddenly, I wasn’t just wet. I was warm. Enveloped in her hug, crushed against her tiny frame with a force that belied her delicate appearance.

“Oh my god, Liv! You’re here! You’re really here! And you’re soaked!” She pulled back, her laughter like bells, her perfect curls somehow defying the rain, her pastel dress clinging to her but still looking somehow magical.

“Yeah, the sky has a vendetta against me. But forget that—show me the ring.”

Her eyes practically sparkled. She shoved her left hand at me, and there it was—a diamond the size of a small moon, glittering with a fierce, cold beauty that matched the rain.

“Karl didn’t hold back, huh?”

“I know, right?” Sophie’s voice was pure joy, her happiness a warm, intoxicating glow I couldn’t help but lean into, even if only for a second.

“Can we continue this little celebration in the car? I’m about ten minutes away from hypothermia.”

Sophie laughed, grabbing my hand and practically dragging me to the SUV. The interior was a palace—plush leather seats, a scent like vanilla and new car, buttons that looked more expensive than my entire wardrobe.

“Nice ride. Lemme guess—also a gift from Karl’s family?” I leaned back against the plush leather seat, letting the warmth soak into my rain-soaked bones.

Sophie’s cheeks flushed, her smile a mix of pride and embarrassment. “Yeah! His parents insisted. They’re just so generous.”

“ Generous . Sure.” I arched a brow, running my fingers through my damp, tangled hair. “I guess Mom’s over the moon with you finally being welcomed into a rich family. It’s been her dream ever since she knew you were an Omega.”

Sophie’s smile faltered, just for a second, but then she shook it off, giving me that wide, hopeful grin. “She’s happy for me. I mean, who wouldn’t be? Karl’s amazing.”

“Of course. Who doesn’t dream of being a pretty little Omega in a castle?” I muttered, but I forced a grin, trying to shake off the gnawing bitterness. “So, I heard the old pack leader finally kicked the bucket.”

Her smile dimmed a little, her fingers tightening around the steering wheel. “Olivia, please. Alpha George was a great leader.”

“A great leader who never looked at me without sighing. But sure, let’s mourn the guy.” I shot her a grin, desperate to lighten the mood. “Anyway, tell me everything. I didn’t stand in the world’s worst rain shower for nothing.”

Her eyes sparkled, the tension melting away, and just like that, Sophie launched into a breathless, excited rant about the ceremony, the flowers, the seating arrangements—everything I hadn’t asked for but secretly needed to hear. Because as annoying as it was to be back in Blue Springs, as much as I hated the pack’s narrow-minded hierarchy… seeing Sophie this happy almost made it worth it. Almost.

Her disapproval melted, and she leaned toward me, eyes bright and voice bubbling with excitement. “Okay, so it’s been crazy! The ceremony is next week, but we have so much to do. Karl’s family has been amazing. His brother is the new pack leader—oh, and they want you to come to the dinner tomorrow night!”

“Of course they do.” I snorted. “I’m the family embarrassment. Why wouldn’t they want a front-row seat to that?”

Sophie’s laughter filled the car, sweet and sincere. And for a moment, I almost forgot the rain, the regrets, the thousand bad decisions trailing behind me.

Almost.

Sophie was practically glowing, her joy so bright it filled the car like warm sunlight. I watched her, a perfect picture of happiness, and then I turned to the window, letting the world blur past. Blue Springs looked different. New shops, repainted signs, a few buildings that hadn’t even been there when I left. Change had swept through the town, even if the rain hadn’t.

But beneath the fresh paint and new storefronts, the bones of the place were still the same. This was a town built on rules. Pack rules. The ones I’d spent my entire life trying to forget.

Respect the Alpha.

Follow the hierarchy.

Know your place.

It didn’t matter that I didn’t fit into their neat little categories—Alpha, Beta, Omega. They gave me a label anyway. Zeta . A polite way of saying “something else.” Something they didn’t understand and didn’t want to.

And they didn’t just tolerate the rules—they worshiped them. Alpha George had ruled this town for over six decades, a living legend who made the law with a smile that never reached his eyes. Eighty-two years old when he died, and no one had ever dared challenge him. Not once. His strength was a story they whispered to their children, his wisdom a legend they believed without question.

I didn’t like him. He didn’t like me. He didn’t even bother to hide it. But the town? They revered him. I might have been born in modern times, but I knew enough to realize that in the past, someone like me wouldn’t have even been allowed to grow up. Rejected by the pack, maybe even killed at birth. Because wolves fear what they can’t understand. What they can’t smell.

“Liv?” Sophie’s voice pulled me out of the spiral. “How are you?”

“Tired,” I muttered, still staring at the rain-blurred world. “Long flight, two-hour train ride. Just wanna get to my hotel.”

“Oh, come on! You know you could’ve stayed with me. We have plenty of room!”

“I know, Soph. I just… I really need to sleep. We can do this in the morning, okay?”

She pouted, her perfect smile fading slightly, but it didn’t take long for her glow to return. “Fine. But tomorrow, I’m picking you up for the rehearsal. No excuses!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“And honestly, you wouldn’t believe the stress I’ve been under. The dress was supposed to be ready last week, but then they messed up the hem, and the flowers—don’t even get me started. I swear, nothing is going right except you being here.”

She talked, her words spilling out in a warm, bright rush, and I let the sound of her voice wrap around me, a soft hum against the rain. And for a moment, I tried to forget the town outside, the past creeping in through every raindrop.

I sighed, letting Sophie’s voice wash over me like a warm tide. She was still talking—something about flowers, dresses, the catering nightmare of the century. An endless list of tiny disasters that somehow felt like the end of the world in her perfectly polished life. But I’d spent enough time around her to know she needed to vent, so I leaned back, let the leather seats cradle me, and nodded at the right moments.

“...but then they lost the reservation, can you believe that? And I thought I was going to have a meltdown right there. But thank the gods, Adrian stepped in and fixed it.”

I blinked, her words finally breaking through the fog of my thoughts. “Wait. Who’s Adrian again?”

“Seriously, Liv?” She gave me a look that was half exasperation, half fond amusement. “Karl’s brother. The new Alpha.”

“Right. The one who inherited the crown and the fancy SUV collection. Got it.”

Sophie’s smile widened. “His family was already rich before he took leadership of the pack. But, yeah. He’s thirty-nine, but he’s so down to earth. He’s been amazing through all of this. Like, he’s strict— but he doesn’t rule with an iron fist or anything.”

“Iron fist?” I snorted, shaking my head. “Gods, that’s such an archaic saying. Maybe it worked back in medieval times when pack leaders actually had to fight off predators, but what do these Alphas even do these days? Growl a bit? Collect taxes?”

Sophie burst out laughing, a bright, bubbly sound that filled the car like a burst of sunshine. “Oh my god, Liv, I missed this. I missed you.”

A reluctant smile tugged at my lips. “Yeah, yeah. Missed you too, Soph. Even if you’re now the queen of mating ceremony dramas.”

“Guilty.” She grinned, leaning into me, her warmth pressing against my side. “But I promise, tomorrow’s going to be amazing. And you’re going to have so much fun.”

“Sure. Fun. That’s exactly the word I’d use.”

Sophie’s laughter rang out again, and I tried to soak it in, letting her joy push back the cold edges that still lingered in the back of my mind.

The rain had thinned to a mist by the time Sophie’s SUV pulled up in front of a tall, elegant building with a sleek, glass facade. Warm, golden lights spilled out onto the wet sidewalk, and the front entrance was guarded by a polished brass awning. A doorman in a sharp uniform stood at attention, ready to greet us.

I frowned, glancing at the name on the building’s sign. “Sophie, this isn’t the place I booked.”

“I know.” She turned to me, eyes sparkling with a mix of pride and excitement. “I canceled your reservation and got you an upgrade.”

Of course, she did. My lips stretched into a smile, but it felt a little too tight. “An upgrade.”

“Trust me, Liv, you’re going to love it! I couldn’t let you stay at that tiny inn when we have this amazing place right here.”

“Right. Thanks, Soph.”

But as we stepped out, and the doorman rushed to take our bags, a familiar knot twisted in my stomach. Sophie was radiant, practically glowing as she breezed past the lobby doors, waving at the concierge like she owned the place. Which, given her fiancé’s family, she practically did.

Meanwhile, I was the sister who couldn’t even hold down a job for longer than two years. The one who went to college and didn’t finish, who bounced from one dead-end gig to another. Assistant manager at a supermarket had been my “career high,” and even that hadn’t lasted. I was thirty-six and coming off a failed marriage, with nothing to show for it except a sarcastic streak and a suitcase full of regrets.

I even felt the wolf inside me—a quiet, dormant thing I barely acknowledged most days—stir and lift her head, a whisper curling up from somewhere deep and dark.

Pathetic.

I shoved the thought away, forced another smile as Sophie swept me through the grand lobby with its sparkling chandeliers, plush carpeting, and the soft murmur of wealth in the air.

“Let’s get you changed, and then we can have a drink at the bar.” Sophie’s voice was all sunshine, her fingers gently guiding me toward the elevator.

“Yeah. Great idea.” I tried to keep the bitterness out of my voice. She meant well. She always did.

My room—no, my suite—was a palace. A king-sized bed with sheets that looked softer than clouds, a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the glittering lights of the town, and a bathroom big enough to host a small party.

I stepped into the bathroom, peeled off my soaked clothes, and let the hot water of the shower scald away the cold that had seeped into my bones. But it couldn’t wash away the knot in my stomach. I wasn’t just wet. I was drowning.

When I finally joined Sophie at the bar, I’d traded the drowned-rat look for a dark green dress, something that fit me perfectly and made me look more put-together than I felt.

The bar was warm, filled with the low hum of laughter and the clink of glasses. Sophie ordered some signature cocktail that came with a slice of something tropical. I settled for a glass of whiskey—neat.

“To you being here!” Sophie beamed, raising her glass.

“To me being here.” I clinked my glass against hers and took a long, slow sip. The burn was a welcome distraction.

Sophie dove right back into her tales of wedding preparations, her voice bright and full of that unshakeable joy she wore like a second skin. Dresses, flowers, seating arrangements. Everything was a whirlwind, and yet she handled it all with the grace of someone who never doubted the world loved her.

And I listened. I nodded, I laughed when she did, I leaned into her glow like a moth desperate for warmth. But somewhere beneath the surface, the knot of discomfort twisted tighter, reminding me of every bad choice, every missed opportunity.

Pathetic.

I drowned the voice with another sip.

“The ceremony’s going to be at the temple,” Sophie was saying, swirling the tiny umbrella in her cocktail with a delicate touch. “And the party’s in the restaurant out back. They’ve rearranged it so wonderfully—fairy lights, a gorgeous dance floor, and the most beautiful floral arrangements. It’s like something out of a dream.”

I raised an eyebrow, taking another sip of my whiskey. “Sounds magical. How many people are coming?”

“About two hundred.”

I nearly choked. “Two hundred?”

Sophie’s cheeks flushed, a faint pink that only made her look more like a porcelain doll. “Well, you know how it is. Karl’s family is very… connected.”

“Connected? Soph, they’re not just rich. They’re rich-rich, huh?”

She shifted, her smile turning a little tight. “I don’t like to talk about money.”

Of course, she didn’t. She didn’t have to. When you’re an Omega, the world just treats you differently. Doors open, smiles widen, people fall over themselves to make you happy. Sophie’s life was a parade of attentive partners, all of them high-class Alphas who saw her as a prize. Even before Karl, her dates were always well-dressed, well-mannered, and well-off.

Meanwhile, my romantic history was a series of bad decisions on a budget.

Her phone buzzed on the marble bar top, and she glanced at it, her expression brightening instantly. “Sorry, it’s Karl.”

“Of course it is.”

She picked up, her voice going soft and sweet in a way I hadn’t heard in years. It was a sound I used to be able to make too—when I thought I’d found something that would last.

“Hi, love! Yeah, I’m with Liv now. No, everything’s fine. Yes, I’ll be back soon.” Her laughter was like a wind chime, light and carefree. A little bubble of sunshine.

She ended the call and set her phone down, smiling at me. “I should get going. Feel free to order anything from room service. It’s on the house.”

“Of course, it is,” I muttered, but I matched her smile.

“I’ll send someone to pick you up tomorrow at nine. Sharp.”

“Looking forward to it.”

She leaned in, wrapping me in another warm, soft hug. For a moment, I let myself sink into it, breathing in her floral scent, feeling the warmth she radiated so easily.

And then she was gone, a pastel blur of sunshine and laughter sweeping out of the bar, leaving behind the faint trace of her perfume and a world that suddenly felt a lot darker.

I finished my whiskey in one gulp and flagged down the bartender. “Another, please.”

If I was going to survive two weeks in this place, I was going to need it.