“Olive.” She turned and looked at Holden as he spoke. “You doing okay?” She nodded. A big weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
Liam came up to her, his body so monstrous it was still a bit much to take in, and sat on his hind legs. He huffed out a lungful of air. He had protected both of them, made sure they were safe, and had almost died because of it. She cared about this male very deeply, and wanted to spend the rest of her life proving to him that she was the one worthy of him, because after all of this, she felt anything but. Resting her head on his big chest, she closed her eyes and sensed Holden sit beside her. Without opening her eyes she reached out her hand, clasped her brother’s, and held on tight. She would never let go, and never take anything for granted, because life was far too short.
Epilogue
Six months later
Liam sat at his father’s massive dining room table, the one currently occupied with many of Sweet Water’s shifter residents. He had Olive beside him, and she was currently talking with Maverick’s mate, Kettah. The two females were close in age, and he was glad that she had someone she felt comfortable enough talking to. He was always there for her, but Liam also knew that she needed female companionship and that there were things he just wouldn’t understand, no matter how much he loved her. When his mate had female problems she wanted to talk about, being a male left him at a disadvantage. He glanced over at Candace who stood by the far wall. She had a huge smile on her face, and it was contagious seeing as everyone seemed to have the same expression. The huge dinner Candace had been planning had obviously been pushed back after the attack and the destruction to his father’s home. But after everything had settled they knew that they all needed this gathering. Friends and family were what held everything together, and right now laughter was something that they all desperately needed. Even six months later there were still times that he felt his mate’s uneasiness. Olive hid it well, but there wasn’t anything that she could hide. Liam knew that over time things with Olive would become better, but until then he would give her support, his strength, and make sure no fucker ever touched her again. The last part was mainly to ease his bear, because after everything that happened with Trent, Liam had felt unstable himself, and the very territorial and possessive side of him had a hard time letting her out of his sight.
Candace hadn’t just planned this to get everyone together, although it was nice to have the easiness and comfortable atmosphere. Tonight was also about a very big announcement, which was also the main cause of everyone’s excitement and happiness. His old man and Candace were expecting another baby. The news had been somewhat of a surprise, to say the least, because Liam knew how hard they had tried for little Alivia. But he was glad that things were working out for them, and that there would be a new addition to the Dakota clan. Everyone was happy and laughing, talking and filling the room with warmth.
He looked over at his mate, wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her in closer. She was so beautiful, so patient with him, especially when he was over the top in his alpha attitude. But the best fucking part of it all was that he had been lucky enough to have found Olive, and that she was all his.
“You’re smiling,” Olive said and leaned her head on his shoulder. He turned his head to look down at her, and felt his smile grow for more than one reason.
“You put that smile on my face.” She lifted her head and leaned in to kiss him on the lips. Liam had never been one for PDA, but then again he had never had a female that he had wanted to do that with. But with Olive he didn’t give a fuck. He’d kiss her all day long and in front of a damn crowd.
His father had increased the security around the house after all the shit with Trent and his men getting through. The security before was laughable compared to now. The house had been repaired, and everything was as it was before. It was like nothing had happened, but Liam was glad everyone was able to go on with their lives and not let this stay with them. After Liam had taken Trent’s life, which he had done with pleasure, he had gone through a time where he couldn’t let Olive out of his sight.
If he was being honest he still was like that, but he also had a strong female that put him in his place when he was clearly overstepping his boundaries, and told him he was smothering her. He couldn’t help it though, and although he let her think he had backed up, he could never fully let go of his bear needing to make sure she was protected at all times. It was the animal inside of him, the instinct to protect what was his, and he knew no amount of time would ever make that need go away. But Liam never said he wasn’t possessive of Olive, and in fact made it perfectly clear that he was. The fear that something would happen to her, that she would be taken from him, rode him and his bear hard every day. Even six months later Olive still felt guilt over thinking she was the one that put everyone in danger, but it wasn’t her or Holden’s fault, and what he regretted was not finding her sooner so none of this would have ever happened. Trent was a sick fucker, and shit would have gone down regardless. If it hadn’t been them it would have been someone else, and whoever it was might not have been able to handle the fucker like they had.
Liam was a firm believer in things happening for a reason. Olive wasn’t this weak little thing who let people walk all over her. She could hold her own, gave as good as she received, and never let his animal pigheadedness override what they had. Olive Brownstone was just as strong as any male shifter he had ever come across, him included, and he was damn proud to have her by his side. Kettah started talking to her again, and she easily slipped into a comfortable conversation with the Pallas’s cat shifter. Liam took that time to glance around the table.
The sound of children laughing came from another room, and it made the atmosphere even lighter. Luke and his mate Alice were currently entertaining the shifter children. Those two deserved happiness more than anyone he knew, especially Alice with what she had gone through, and poor Luke for being royally fucked over. But fate had brought them together, and it had been a perfect match. Even Liam could see that. Two tragedies could make a beautiful outcome and positive future. Charlie, Ford, and Bram, the three Wylde brothers, who were also just as grumpy as his old man, owned the only bear shifting construction business in Sweet Water. They were currently at the end of the table talking with Holden about the fact they had branched their business out to the bigger cities. They had given Holden a job a few months back. It was manual labor in their Sweet Water division, but it suited the sheep shifter, and had gone a long way in helping him get his life back together. Liam stared at Holden and was pleased that he had bulked up, hadn’t relapsed, and even now lived on his own and supported himself. He had a small apartment in town, and came over to Liam and Olive’s place every Sunday for dinner. Liam looked continued to gaze around the table and looked at Candace once more. She was talking to Melissa and Ary. Both females were taking their turns rubbing Candace’s barely there baby bump. Talia walked past the females, stopped to take with them for a second and rub Candace’s belly, too, and then moved over to her mate, Ford. The big grizzly focused all his attention on his red fox shifting mate, pulled her onto his lap, and nuzzled her neck. The other two Wylde bear brothers kept glancing at their females, and it didn’t take long for Ary to go over to Charlie, or for the oldest Wylde brother to take possession of her mouth. Kenzie came down the hallway, but before she even entered the dining room, Bram, the youngest bear brother, was out of his seat, striding toward her, and had her in him arms. She giggled at whatever her mate had whispered in her ear.
None of this was an unusual scene when it came to shifters and their mates, especially when every male in this room was a little more animal than human. Candace had since moved over to Trace, who was talking shop with Maverick. His dad had one of his arms around Candace’s waist and had his other hand over her belly. Liam had never thought he’d ever see Trace look so vulnerable when it came to a female, but with Candace he was weak in every single way.
Liam focused on Olive once more, feeling
blessed every damn day that she was by his side. He traced a finger up and down Olive’s arm, and when she looked at him again his pulse picked up, as it did every time she was near. He had her love, but he wanted so much more with her. He wanted her to be his wife, wanted her to carry his children, and wanted them to spend the rest of their lives together. But even if they were mates, and he didn’t want any other female, he wanted to take things slow with her and make sure she was comfortable in where their relationship was headed. They had all the time in the world, and when it was time for him to ask for her hand in marriage, and, he hoped, she said yes, that was when everything would just fall right into place. At least that was this new optimistic side of him talking.
“I love you, Liam.”
He leaned forward and captured her lips with his.
“And I love you so damn much, Olive.” He murmured the words against her mouth and loved when her breath hitched. Funny how life could give him something as special as a mate, and how he’d never even thought he needed one. But now that he had her he couldn’t even imagine how he had survived without Olive in his life.
The End
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A Lamb for the Bear's Appetite Page 13