Hunted by the Wolf, Claimed by Three Bears

chapter 19

Olivia POV

“Who is that man down the stairs, Mommy?”

Timothy asked me sleepily as I lay him down on his bed after a long evening. “I know he’s Hudson, but who…?”

I held my breath, wondering how I was going to explain this properly to my son. I had ripped him away from his father, for good reason, but he didn’t know that. Then I brought another man into his life, a man he didn’t know and had no reason to trust. How did I explain this to Timothy in a way he would understand and wouldn’t scare him?

“Hudson is helping us by protecting us for a while. Guarding us.”

I stroked Timothy’s hair, praying this wouldn’t be something that hurt him. “It might not be just him. A few people might do it. Just to make sure we are safe, that’s all. We have to be safe.”

We didn’t have to go into detail right now. We could wait and see what questions he had later on. It was bound to be a lot.

“Okay.”

Timothy murmured, his eyes already closing. Sleep was coming for him, whether he was ready for it or not. “Thank you, Mommy.”

I sat with him for a few moments longer, waiting until I definitely knew that he was sleeping. Timothy’s breaths deepened, his facial expression relaxed, and I really hoped he was living a wonderful life in his dreams, because reality was closing in on us by the second. And I didn’t like it one bit.

A lot had happened since I got to Twin Lakes, and not just the death of another poor she-wolf and my slashed tires, but with other guys.

I didn’t come here with any intention of finding a relationship or friend with benefits or anything like that. I just wanted to fly under the radar and keep to myself. But that hadn’t quite happened. Instead, I kissed Hudson, more than once, then I mistook his twin brother for him, creating a scene in the Italian restaurant. Then things got hot and heavy with Aiden, which felt amazing at the time, and incredibly right as well, but now it was all very confusing and conflicting in my brain.

And that was without even considering Jaxon. I couldn’t forget what happened to him. We actually had s*x, which was crazy when I thought about it. I was just so caught up in the heat of the moment that I threw caution to the wind. That wasn’t like me at all. I wasn’t that woman, ever. But I had to admit it felt damn good to have fun for once.

I’d been committed to Brady for far too long, and I didn’t even know him. Why shouldn’t I have fun and enjoy myself for a change? God damn it, I deserved it. As long as I didn’t get too attached and end up making things harder for myself. But I could already sense myself slipping, falling into something I shouldn’t. I bit down nervously on my thumbnail and tried to focus. Not that I could come to any conclusion. Not before I heard the clicking of my front door opening and closing.

Was that Hudson leaving? Or someone coming in? My heart pounded anxiously as I raced down the stairs, forgetting all about my nerves. I was constantly living in survival mode, my fight or flight instinct leaving me on edge at all times.

“Hudson, I…”

My breath hitched in my throat. It wasn’t just Hudson in my living room anymore. Aiden was beside him, a concerned look plastered on his face. I imagined Hudson had filled him in on the tire slashing incident. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize you were here too, Aiden.”

As I looked between them both, I couldn’t help but notice all their differences now. It was crazy to think that I had actually mistaken them for one another. Yes, they were identical, so I suppose one glance would be sufficient to mistake them, but knowing them better, I knew Hudson’s expressions played easily on his face, whereas Aiden seemed more reserved.

They were the same, but so different. It only increased my very selfish need to have them both in my life. Now that really wasn’t like me, but I guess Twin Lakes was bringing out a different side to me. A side I didn’t know existed before. A side that I kind of liked.

“I know you have already reported everything to the police,” Aiden insisted with a worried smile. “But as soon as I heard from Hudson, I knew I had to get here right away. I hope that’s okay with you.”

I nodded slowly. “Yeah, of course. The more protection I have, the better.”

I swallowed hard because the nerves were zigzagging through my system. The last time we were all in the same room together, s**t got weird, and I wasn’t prepared for that right now. I had already had an insane enough day as it was.

“Well, that’s what we need to discuss,” Aiden insisted. “Taking care of you, making sure you aren’t alone while all of this is going on. We’re just working out our schedules.”

“Oh really?”

I took a seat in the chair across from the couch where they were sitting. How the hell was I going to get a moment to myself to work out my feelings if I was with them all the time? Then again, I didn’t want to spend time without them. “I don’t want you to go out of your way for me. I know you already have a lot going on with your own lives.”

“We are here for you, no matter what,” Hudson insisted, with Aiden nodding beside him. “We want to do this and there isn’t anything you can do to stop us. So, let’s all work out our schedule together to make this work. We have to keep him away from you.”

This wasn’t us committing to a relationship or anything like that, but it felt dangerously close. And that made me feel terrible about Jaxon. Was this something I needed to tell them about? It wasn’t like we had a commitment, so it had to be fine. They couldn’t be mad at me, could they? I hadn’t done anything wrong.

With Brady, toward the end, everything I did was wrong. I just had to remember that these guys weren’t Brady and I hadn’t actually done anything wrong.

“Hudson and I have already been working out our days, but we need to know more about your schedule so we can be sure we aren’t in your way or anything.”

I pushed all of my worries out of my head, refusing to freak out over nonexistent panic any longer. It was better for me to lose myself in the present moment, rather than thinking about a future that might not even be there.

We talked through the schedule until we had a decent plan set in place. My head was spinning with it all, but I trusted the twins with my safety. I knew that if anyone could make sure I was looked after, it was them.

Funny how a man I had known for years had become my enemy, but people I had known for a very short period of time I could easily put my life in their hands and be happy. I just hoped I could put the same faith in the chief of police, because I knew Aiden had full faith in him. But I just wasn’t convinced he was taking me seriously.

My tires didn’t s***h themselves, and it wasn’t something that I would do. It was a targeted attack, aimed directly at me, to send a very specific message to me. They had to at least understand that much. At least, with Aiden by my side, I hoped so.