Filed to story: Watch Me Win Alpha (Olivia & Ethan)
I looked back out the window and watched as we drove past the exact area that Chloe had described in her drunken confession. There was a small hill, a field full of colorful wildflowers, a still pond, and a log cabin.
But not even three minutes later, we drove by an identical area down to a similar looking log cabin and the same colored flowers in the field.
“I guess ponds, hills, and flowers aren’t that unique in the country,” I muttered as a feeling of defeat settled low into my stomach.
“We should have known that it wouldn’t be as easy as driving through the countryside,” Ava said and crossed her arms with a sullen look on her face.
“We can’t get discouraged now,” I told Ava, even though I wasn’t exactly in the mood to give a pep talk. “At least we know that we are in the right general vicinity.”
Ava sighed, but then she straightened her shoulders and nodded. “You’re right. We can’t allow a little setback to throw a wrench in our plans.”
After another twenty minutes of driving, Kelly pointed out a weathered-looking wooden sign that read ‘Osten Village’.
“You can park in this clearing near the front of the village,” Kelly told Richard and gestured to the wide open field in front of us. “My uncle’s village is too narrow to fit a car through.”
As I climbed out of the car, I spotted at least three sleek luxury cars parked in the distance. /Their perfect paint jobs and hard edges stood out in the rustic village. Were most villagers living here rich? Had they chosen the countryside because of the quiet and the privacy? Or an entirely different reason altogether?
Kelly led the way to the main square of the village.
“Osten Village is divided into two sections,” Kelly explained as she led us down the cobblestone road past charming little shops and even ? wishing well. “North and south. The two areas are separated by a river, and the two are connected by a stone bridge.”
She pointed to a narrow white bridge that had been built over a running blue river. The weather was so humid that a small part of me wanted to take a dip in the flowing water.
The four of us followed Kelly to the north bank of the river. As we walked along the grassy, overgrown path, we passed large houses that had also been made from white stone. I was just admiring a house th a front door that had been painted a bright pink, when a large bla dog the size of a wolf came running from the backyard and leapt o us, barking and snarling.
My stomach plummeted, and I screamed in surprise and terror. Quickly, I backed away from the animal, Ava and Kelly following my lead.
Richard stood in front of us and put his arms out to protect us. But Aiden’s eyes widened, and he fan behind Ava. He crouched down behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, almost pushing her into the rapid river.
“Aiden!” Ava hissed. “You almost just made me go for a swim.”
“Sorry, sis. But you know how scared I am of dogs,” he uttered back in a shaking voice.
“He was bit by one when he was five,” Ava explained as we continued to back away from the growling dog.
I grabbed Ava’s hand and pulled her in the direction of a bent tree that was easy to climb up.
Without his sister to hide behind, Aiden jumped off the grassy bank and onto the muddy surface below.
“Careful!” Ava called down to her brother. “If you get caught by the current, you could be swept away. Don’t underestimate how strong the rapids are.”
There was real fear in her voice, and despite how Ava teased her brother, I knew that she genuinely did care for him and would be absolutely devastated if he were injured.
Kelly didn’t heed Ava’s warning and immediately followed Aiden hv jumping off the bank, spraying mud all over the place.
I looked around at the chaotic scene and shook my head. How had everything gone downhill so fast?
Unsurprisingly, Richard was the only one to hold his ground. He was standing motionless in the same spot we left him. His hands were raised, and he didn’t break eye contact with the snarling dog.
Just as the black hound was preparing himself to pounce on Richard, I couldn’t stay quiet anymore.
“Richard, run!” I yelled. “He’s about to attack you!”
He didn’t even turn around to reply but kept his eyes on the angry dog. “No, he will not.”
I didn’t understand how his voice could be so calm while he was standing so close to a beast that seemed intent on attacking him. It was like we were having a conversation about the weather.
“Sit and be quiet,” Richard told the dog in a loud and commanding voice.
But the wolfhound didn’t listen. Instead, he barked even louder.
I cringed as Richard walked even closer to the dog. Slowly, he lifted his head and gently patted the dog on the head,
“There’s no way that’s going to work,” Ava whispered, her warm breath right next to my car. “Richard’s going to get his hand bitten off.”
But to my complete shock, the dog seemed to be starved for affection because it immediately stopped barking and leaned into Richard’s gentle touch.
“You’re not so scary, are you, buddy?” Richard said in a soothing voice as he scratched behind the dog’s ears.
*Olivia*
“It’s alright, big boy.” Richard said in a calming voice that I’d never heard him use before. He continued to pat the wolfdog’s head, and eventually, the dog allowed its eyes to flutter close, and its large tongue was even hanging out of his mouth.
Even though the dog seemed docile for now, my heart was still slamming against my chest. Animals were unpredictable, and I was terrified that the wolfhound could flip a switch in a second and att Richard. I’d gotten a peak at the animal’s sharp teeth, and it wou take him half of a second to rip out Richard’s throat.
“Come on, guys,” Richard yelled to Kelly, Ava, Aiden, and me. “Stop hiding. This sweet dog isn’t going to hurt anyone.” He turned to Ava and me, gesturing for us to get down from the tree.
“Don’t turn your back on the beast!” Ava warned, her voice full of anxiety. Her eyes were wide with fear, and her legs were shaking, making the branch that we were standing on unsteady. “”It’s just pretending to be tame, then it’s going to attack you!”
“No he won’t.” Richard’s voice was full of confidence. “He’s my friend now.” He looked at Kelly and Aiden, who were still hiding in the ditch. “Come on, you two. You’re getting all muddy. This sweet boy isn’t going to hurt anyone. I promise.”
“Did he just call that beast who was snarling and growling at us not even a minute ago a ‘sweet boy”?” I whispered to Ava incredulously.
Because of all the noise and commotion we made from screaming in terror, climbing up the tree, and jumping into the muddy riverbank, our group had attracted the attention of the people living in the surrounding houses.
A couple who were holding hands and strolling down the river were looking at us with their eyebrows raised, and they were whispering to each other. A son and father who had been throwing a ball back and forth in the front yard a few houses down had stopped their game and were staring at us curiously.
The attention made a warm blush spread across my cheeks, and I turned to Ava. “Maybe we should get down from…”
But I trailed off when the pink front door of the house the dog had been so hellbent on protecting, swung open, and three guys wall out.
I squinted as I studied the man in the middle. He was the tallest man out of the three, and there was something about the set of his shoulders and the confident way he walked that made my legs tremble.
As he got closer, my stomach jolted with
I knew the man in the middle.
I knew him all too well.
It was Alexander.
What the hell was he doing here? recognition.
As soon as Alexander stepped down the porch steps of the house, his eyes locked onto mine
My throat became dry, and I had to grip harder onto the bark of the tree so I wouldn’t fall out of it.
Alexander’s eyes narrowed as he walked to Richard, taking in the odd scene in front of him.
“What’s going on?” he demanded as he stood in front of Richard. “Why is Olivia in a tree?”
Quickly, Richard explained the events of the past five minutes. How the dog had scared the three of us, and we all screamed in terror and sprinted to the first hiding spot we could find.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?