Page 51 of Outrun The Devil
“Your reasons are your own.” And she believed that.
“How long have you been a werewolf?” Olivia's voice carried a hint of disbelief, searching for answers that had eluded her for far too long.
Nathan met her gaze, his expression serious yet tinged with a trace of vulnerability. “Since I was born,” he confessed, his voice steady. “I come from a long line of werewolves, and it's a part of who I am.” Which meant his brother was a werewolf too.
Her mind raced with questions. “Do you know other werewolves? Are there more of you?”
He nodded, understanding the depth of her curiosity. “Yes, there are others. There are three packs in Tolleson alone, each with its own alpha and territory. And there's a larger pack in Phoenix as well. Rachel is one.” His eyes watched her. “But from a different pack.” As if the clarification made any difference in how she felt.
Olivia's eyebrows furrowed as she tried to process the information. “And is that why you two were arguing about me?”
She wasn’t going to let that go.
“Yes,” he answered. “She’s jealous. Her and I…” he paused as he looked down. “We used to date before we had this falling out.” Olivia waited for him to continue but that’s all he gave her.
Olivia’s lips tightened into a thin line. She’d get the truth eventually but tonight wasn’t it. Perhaps Xavier, with his knack for delving into every corner, held the answers she sought.
“What about Liam? Is he a werewolf too?”
Nathan nodded once again, his tone grave. “Yes, he belongs to one of the packs. But not all werewolves are the same. Just like humans, we have our differences, our alliances, and our conflicts.”
She absorbed his words, the world around her expanding with newfound knowledge. The intricacies of the supernatural world intersected with her reality. Olivia couldn't deny the weight of the revelation and the impact it would have on their investigation.
Nathan's presence took on a different meaning. He was no longer just her partner, he was someone who had shared his deepest secret with her. The walls that Olivia had carefully erected around herself started to crumble, and a glimmer of trust flickered within her.
Taking a deep breath, Olivia's fingers brushed against the edge of her jacket, a subtle gesture of readiness as she prepared to share her own secret. Her voice, though layered with the storm of emotions swirling within her, remained steady as she uttered her revelation.
"I'm a Seer," her words carried a quiet strength, the unspoken weight of what that entailed hanging between them.
Nathan's eyes widened, the corners of his lips twitching in a mix of surprise and disbelief. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, a subtle physical response to the unexpected revelation. His voice, usually steady, softened slightly as he sought clarification.
"How did you find out?" Nathan's question held a hint of vulnerability, a glimpse into his curiosity, and a trace of the emotions he was trying to process.
Olivia's gaze held his, her eyes a mirror of determination. She squared her shoulders, her body language a reflection of her resolute resolve as she replied succinctly.
"Xavier," her response, though brief, carried an undertone of complexities that stretched beyond the mere mention of a name.
Nathan's lips pressed into a tight line, his jaw clenching imperceptibly. His distrust of Xavier was palpable, a shadow that darkened his gaze and added tension to his body language. Suspicion laced his words as he sought to understand her choice.
"Xavier? That guy gives me a bad vibe. Why would you trust him?" His words held a tinge of accusation, his skepticism clear in the furrow of his brow and the guarded shift of his stance.
Olivia's gaze remained steady, her fingers now interlacing before her, a subtle nervous energy coursing through her. She paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully, her body language indicating the weight of what she was about to share.
"Because of the visions," her voice held a softness, an indication of the vulnerability she was exposing. Her body language softened too, a small tilt of her head inviting him to listen.
Nathan's expression shifted, his curiosity now mingled with a mixture of surprise and concern. He uncrossed his arms, a subtle relaxation of his stance indicating his willingness to engage in this revelation.
"Visions? What do you mean?" His question, though still cautious, carried a new layer of openness, a signal that his guard was beginning to lower.
The tension in Olivia's shoulders eased slightly as she felt him leaning in, his body language telling of his genuine interest. She took a breath, her fingers relaxing as she shared her truth.
"I... I see things, glimpses of events or people. Sometimes before they happen, and sometimes after they've happened," her confession carried a weight that was evident in her tone, her posture, and the flicker of vulnerability in her eyes. "But they're not always clear, not always easy to decipher."
Nathan's footsteps reverberated through the room as he paced, each one punctuated by an undercurrent of anger that sent ripples of unease through Olivia. She wondered if revealing her encounter with Xavier had been a mistake and if her openness had inadvertently ignited this fiery reaction.
As Nathan moved, his fists clenched at his sides as if he were grappling with emotions he struggled to contain. Olivia's eyes followed his restless path, and a wave of doubt surged within her. She hadn't anticipated this level of anger from him. Did wolves inherently despise vampires as they often did in the tales spun by movies and folklore? The question, heavy with uncertainty, lingered in her thoughts like a specter.
“I should leave,” she said.