The Lost Rogue Heiress

ONE - We Can

Olivia Nova Greenwood was not in the mood. It was almost midnight and she had just dozed off when the young girl barged into her room without so much as a knock. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and sat up, leaning lazily on her arm as she stared at the intruder.

The girl paced back and forth beside her bed with two fingers rubbing each side of her temples. She didn’t need to see her face to know it was Lizzie, Alpha Andrew Jadewood’s only daughter. She was nearly seventeen and her life mission over the last year had been to do everything in her power to make Olivia lose what little shred of sanity she had left.

Olivia could hear the girl mumbling through the fog of her sleep, but she couldn’t make out any full sentences. Something about “kill me…not my fault…so stupid.”

The brat needs a good lesson in humility. And discipline. That's what she needs. Let her suffer a little while, it’ll do her some good. Keep covering for her and she’s just going to keep coming back for more.

Hearing Athena through their bond, Olivia gently pushed her wolf back under the surface. Her wolf wasn’t in the mood either, it seemed. Athena meant well but she was losing patience with the frequency of these visits. It also didn’t help that she was not as submissive as she should have been for an Omega in her attitude towards the Jadewood family.

“Okay. Tell me what you need from me again. This time in complete sentences,” she said to the Alpha’s daughter who was at least embarrassed enough to blush and look at the ground before answering.

“I need you to cover for me. Liv, please, I really think he might kill me this time,” Lizzie pleaded as she grabbed Olivia’s hands and squeezed them together for dramatic effect. Her big round green eyes started to glisten as she looked up with her signature pout face.

There it is. Only took her 12 seconds to get there this time, that’s a new record. Go ahead. Maybe this time will be different. Surely she’ll learn this time.

Athena’s sarcasm was evident through their bond, but Liv knew better. No matter how much the brat deserved their scorn, they both had a soft spot for the entitled little princess. Olivia was nine when Lizzie was born and she immediately became one of the many who took care of the young infant when the Alpha or Luna were busy with pack matters. Over the years, she had played many roles in Lizzie’s life, including caretaker, babysitter, tutor, servant and assistant. Over the last year, however, Lizzie had forced her into taking on the additional role of accomplice as she increasingly pushed the boundaries of the rules that were in place for her as the Alpha’s daughter.

Olivia looked at the girl who had grown to be like a little sister to her and frowned. She knew she would cave, but she also knew that there would be consequences. Although Lizzie was like family to her, the rest of the royals were not. On good days, they tolerated her. A bad day, however, could be anything from hard physical labor to confinement and hunger, or even the occasional beating. Their Luna seemed like a gentle and fair woman, but she had no say in the decisions of the Alpha or their sons, nor did she have the backbone to openly disagree with anything they did. That’s where Lizzie was different from her Luna mother. She always spoke up if she saw someone being mistreated or hurt, even if it was at the hands of her family, and she somehow got away with her resistance due to being the spoiled baby. Her wild spirit wasn’t tempered by her gentle heart like her mother’s was, and Olivia knew she would make an excellent Luna one day.

It was this combination of wild spirit and gentle heart that coexisted in surprising harmony that made Lizzie beloved within her pack. Her family loved her for her spirit and strength and her pack loved her for her gentle heart and care. Right now, though, all Olivia wanted to do was wrap her fingers around the young girl's pretty little neck and squeeze until she understood what an i***t she was.

“Damnit Lizzie, what did you do now?” Olivia sighed before throwing her large quilt off and swinging her legs to the side.

The younger she-wolf let out a sigh of relief as if she didn’t know that Olivia always covered for her. Every. Single. Time.

“I just might have accidentally gone into the Northern territory. Again. For just a minute. I didntevenrealize I was overtheborderthistime, Liv I swear! I had to let Aries out she was driving me crazy with that constant howling and she wasn’t taking no for an answer.” Lizzie said the words so fast that Olivia barely understood her.

“How many times are we going to do this Lizzie?” Olivia sighed audibly while she shook her head in disapproval. “Damn, kid, I know you’re not trying to cause trouble, but do you realize what lengths some of us have to go through to protect your crazy ass sometimes?”

Lizzie had the good graces to look ashamed while she tilted her head ever so slightly downward and looked at the floor. It was an extreme sign of respect for her to show any kind of submissiveness to another who was supposed to be beneath her in ranking. It was these moments of true humbleness that pushed on Olivia’s soft spot for her and made her cave even quicker.

“I’m sorry, Liv. You’re right. I can’t believe I’m such an i***t. I shouldn’t take advantage of your love for me, either, that’s not fair to you,” Lizzie rubbed her hands over her face and through her hair with nervous energy.

There was a pause just long enough to make her sweat before Olivia sighed and wrapped her arms around the young girl.

“No more. Swear it this time.”

“Liv, you’re the best, I swear it. I will never ask you to do this ever again,” she still rushed the words out in one breath but she slowed down enough to be understandable.

Olivia looked at her with wide eyes and arched brows while tilting her head, silently letting the younger one know she was waiting for the rest. Lizzie rolled her eyes but was smiling nevertheless.

“I, Elizabeth Reagan Jadewood, vow to you, Olivia Nova Greenwood, to never, ever, under any circumstances ask you to be an accomplice in my criminal activities moving forward. Furthermore, I vow to never step foot in the Northern Territory again without your express permission and consent.”

Lizzie had her hand over her heart with her chin raised in militaristic fashion appearing to make a mockery of the situation, but Olivia knew her word was stronger than steel, so she simply nodded before hopping out of bed.

“Alright, where do I need to get your scent covered? Where exactly did you go and did anyone see you? You know this one might cost more hush money right? The warriors love you, Liz, but you’re pushing their patience, even if you are their little princess.”

Olivia rolled her eyes as she turned to find her keys so she could get this mess cleaned up quickly and get back to bed. It was after midnight now, and she had to be in the kitchen for morning assignments at 5 a.m.

“Where the Silver River sits against our Northwest border. At the far end of the meadow, you’ll see a small hill with a giant oak tree at the top,” Lizzie paused and bit her lip. “That’s where I crossed the river, on the other side of the hill.”

“You didn’t know you were going into the Northern territory? When you literally crossed the river that separates our pack lands?”

“See, technically, I didn’t know.”

“What do you mean, technically?”

“Aries…well…she might have done that thing again where she blocks me out and takes over,” she finally admitted.

Worry immediately creased Olivia’s forehead and she felt Athena come to the surface with concern as well.

That’s twice now. You need to let me speak to her wolf, Liv. She’s putting the child in danger.

“How long did she block you out for?”

“It couldn’t have been more than ten minutes. I was already near the meadow when she pushed me away and blocked me out, and she let me back in on the other side of the river. I was still drenched, so she must have just crossed.”

“Alright. Alright. Everything’s going to be ok, don’t freak out.”

“I’m not freaking out, you’re freaking out.”

“Nope. Not freaking out, everything is going to be fine.”

They both looked at each other with the same fear and alarm in their eyes. A wolf that took control completely was a dangerous wolf. Olivia needed to tackle one problem at a time, however, so she pushed the fear to the back of her head so she could prioritize.

Olivia quickly put some gym shorts on and pulled a baggy sweatshirt over her t-shirt. She would forego the keys and just shift to make things quicker, so she didn’t bother looking for her shoes either. It’s not like she needed to lock up before leaving, she didn’t actually own anything that had value. None of the servants' rooms in the pack house did, so she doubted anyone would ever bother messing with her things.

“Alright kid, get to bed. I’ll take care of it. Hurry up before someone figures out you're not there.”

Lizzie wrapped her arms around Olivia’s neck and squeezed her close, throwing Olivia off balance. Lizzie was a good five or six inches shorter than Olivia’s tall frame and much more petite, but her Alpha blood gave her strength that didn’t fit her size.

“Yea, yea, yea. You owe me one, I know. Get to bed.”

More like seven at this point, but who’s counting.

Lizzie squeezed her one last time before bolting out of the room. Olivia followed right behind her but walked in the opposite direction down the hall towards the kitchens. It would be the easiest place to sneak out this late at night because the kitchens were always open and it wouldn’t be that suspicious if someone saw her down there.

All she saw was dim lighting as she descended the servant stairs in the back that connected the kitchens to their living areas. Hopefully this meant that it was empty and Olivia wouldn’t have to lie her way around the task of getting Lizzie’s tracks covered. The longer it took for her to get out of the house the longer Lizzie’s scent was where it shouldn’t be, just waiting to be discovered.

As soon as her foot hit the bottom stair she knew her hope was in vain. Olivia could smell the vodka first and the scent instantly put her on alert. Then she caught the scent of lemons and cedar only making it worse.

Not now. I will not let you cower to this filth tonight, Liv, I’m warning you.

You’ll let me handle it, like you always do, because we’re a team and this is how things are done and you’re not completely out of control like Aries. My body, my rules, right Thena?

Olivia knew that using her own words against her would end the debate. Olivia and her wolf were devoted to each other, and part of that devotion was allowing the other control when it was fair and the best option for both of them. That meant that when Athena came out, she had control of their wolf form. She got to decide where to go and what to eat, much to Olivia’s dismay at times.

Neither of them ever fully took over the other, however. Not like Aries pushing Lizzie out to the point of her feeling like she blacked out with no memory. There was a delicate balance between give and take; a deep respect that had to be mutual between wolf and person for them to coexist in harmony.

This mutual respect and the “my body, my rules” stipulation is what gave Olivia and Athena strength in spite of their less than ideal circumstances. Once Athena woke from hibernation, which for Olivia was when she was about 10, it didn’t take her long to realize that her wolf couldn’t have possibly been a full blooded Omega. Athena was way too opinionated, way too confident and not nearly submissive enough to not have some higher ranking blood somewhere down the line. Even her 10 year old self didn’t take long to figure that out.

“Going somewhere?” The familiar and deep voice instantly gave Olivia chills, and not the good kind, snapping her back to her present situation.

“Yes. Barefoot and barely dressed,” she replied with sarcasm and annoyance dripping from every word. It was probably a mistake to poke the bear, time was not on her side at the moment, but it was too late.

In an instant, Olivia was pinned up against the nearest wall with a forearm pressed against her collar bone. It wasn’t enough to hurt, yet, but enough to make it difficult for her to walk away. Hot breath that reeked of vodka covered her left ear and neck before he spoke.

“I don’t think I like your attitude, Liv. Wanna try again?”

Olivia held her ground and stared into his eyes without dropping her chin a millimeter.

“Get. Off. Me. Alex…Now.” Olivia gritted between clenched teeth as she maintained eye contact. She could see his lip twitching into a snarl at her audacity and she didn’t care.

“Or what?” He practically growled as his eyes started to glow the trademark jade color of the Alpha family.

Olivia wasn’t entirely sure why she suddenly felt the need to assert herself, but she could feel the blood tingle as Athena came to the surface with full force.

“I’m not sure why, but I get the feeling that neither of us knows how strong I really am, Alex. And I don’t think either of us wants to find out right now.”

“You cocky b***h, who the hell do—”

A deep rumble came from her chest as she felt her eyes smoldering, a much darker color than her usual lavender glow. Athena was in control now, and Olivia was more than okay with it. Her instincts told her that the only way she was getting away from Alex safely at this point was with Athena taking over some control.

His eyes widened with shock and he lowered his arm as he took a step back in one quick motion. It wasn’t an act of submission, but one of surprise. Either way Olivia took advantage of the moment and walked past him and out the door that led to the back patio. As soon as the door clicked shut, she turned around and ran north for the perimeter of the woods.

Athena, what the hell was that?

Well, hun, that was a little strength coming to the surface. It was needed. That wolf was not in control and his intentions were…not pure.

Strength?! Athena you practically just challenged an Alpha’s son! We can’t do that!

Olivia was still running at full speed when she crossed the edge of the forest and immediately felt the familiar snapping of her joints as she gave over to Athena and shifted. Once in her wolf form, Athena picked up the pace significantly and veered slightly to the left in the direction of the meadow.

Even with Athena in full control, Olivia could still feel everything Athena felt; the familiar damp ground covered in moss and dead leaves, the wind in their thick silver fur, the smell of the woods and the vision that only a wolf could have at night. All of this she was familiar with, but something still felt different. She felt stronger and more confident. She was sure of herself and her steps landed on the ground as if she owned the land.

Yes, Liv. WE can.