Chapter 7

Oliver stood nearby, eyes fixed on me, letting out just a hint of his Alpha presence. The pressure was real, but I ignored him. My hand clutched Ella's arm, nerves twisted tight inside me—I just wanted her to tell me something that made sense. But when I caught the slight look of disappointment on her face, my stomach sank. “Ella, did you hear something? Jackson, did he—” She suddenly looked like she’d made up her mind. Her voice dropped as she met my gaze. “I’ll never love him again. Ever.” Her big, bright eyes had this innocent look, and when she spoke quietly like that, she always seemed so soft. I took a step back, letting go of her arm. A storm of confused anger started bubbling up inside me. That’s when it hit me—she’d definitely heard what Jackson said at the dinner last night. Those disgusting words. I tugged at my jacket zipper, then rubbed the scratch on my cheek, mumbling, “Is that so? Well, good for you, then.” Ella just stood there quietly. In that one tiny moment, I wanted to hug her. But instead, I took a breath and put some distance between us. I turned my head and—yeah, Oliver was right there. I eyed him suspiciously from head to toe, then looked back at Ella. “There’s a pack meeting tonight. Ella, let’s go.” Look—I hated Jackson’s guts, would’ve loved to knock him out. But that didn’t mean I had to sit back and accept just anyone as my sister’s future husband. Even if it was Oliver. The supposedly perfect Alpha. The guy kept popping up around Ella like some smooth-talking flirt. Definitely not someone I trusted. I wasn’t buying that he actually cared about her. Oliver stood there leaned slightly, clearly relaxed, but his eyes challenged me—this time, Alpha aura full blast. I felt that raw Alpha instinct urging me to back off, but I stared right back, jaw clenched. “What are you staring at? Back off!” “Ella!” I snapped, stepping to the side so she was between us both. “We really don’t have time for this!” “If you’re in such a rush, go on your own and stop yelling,” Oliver cut in before Ella could answer. He leaned forward, looking me dead in the eye. “I get that you don't like me. But don’t take it out on your sister—it hurts her.” “What’s it got to do with you?” I shot back with a frown. “This is how I always talk to Ella.” “You, though... Seriously, who do you think you are judging how we talk to each other?” Ella suddenly tugged on my arm, her tone soft and troubled. “Thomas, don’t talk like that. It’s rude.” I pulled my arm free and shoved my hands in my pockets, walking ahead of them, pissed off. “He’s always like this, please don’t be mad,” I heard Ella say behind me. “I know,” Oliver replied, probably with that smug smile of his. I could feel his gaze on my back. “I’ve known for a long time.” “Oh, come on! I can hear you, you know!” I snapped loudly. “Alright, then let me tell you one more thing.” Oliver’s voice came loud and clear. “I’ve marked Ella. How do you feel about that?” I froze mid-step, whipping around. My voice came out all wrong, high and tight. “What?! You did WHAT?!” “To be exact, we plan to do it today,” Ella said, calm as ever. “No way. Not happening! I absolutely don't agree!” I shot both of them a glare, fury burning through me—especially at Oliver, who was already smirking again. “You’ve barely known each other for a day! You can’t just rush this!” Oliver’s smile dropped. He stood straight, meeting my eyes head-on. “Who told you we’ve only known each other for a day?”I shot Oliver a glare like he was my mortal enemy. “Do I really need anyone to tell me? I’m her brother, Ella’s friend—I know every single one of them!” Oliver stood still, calm as ever. He tilted his head slightly, showing the bite mark on his neck again, and locked eyes with me. “So what? You think that changes anything? Did you know I’ve been in love with Ella for ten years?” “No way!” I snapped before I could stop myself. I stared him down, trying to catch the slightest sign he was bluffing. But there was nothing. Just calm, serious eyes. Oliver wasn’t lying. Ella took a hesitant step toward me, looking worried. I ignored her and pressed on, “I don’t buy that you’ve been into her for that long. That makes no sense. Ella didn’t even know you all these years. You’re an Alpha! You’ve got people lining up for you—you can have anyone you want. Why would you secretly love an Omega all this time?” Ella looked like she wanted to say something, but in the end just stood there. Which only made me more sure—she didn’t know. Not a clue. Oliver had to be lying. He fooled me. He fooled her, too. He noticed Ella’s hesitation, but instead of answering me, he opened his arms and gently placed them on her shoulders, saying softly, “It’s okay. I’ll explain everything to Thomas.” Explain? Please. Like he could say anything now that I’d believe. Fuming, I shouted, “Stay away from her!” “Why shouldn’t I love Ella?” Oliver spread his hands, voice steady. “You might not get it from where you’re standing, but it makes perfect sense to me. I promise you, my feelings for her are real.” “You still can’t explain why she didn’t even know you until recently!” I yelled back. “Because she was in love with someone else,” Oliver said calmly. “I loved her, but she loved another guy. What was I supposed to do? Just push my way into her life?” His face fell a little as he looked at me, hurt and sincere. “Do you get it now?” I didn’t know what to say. And that threw me. For the first time, I started second-guessing everything. Ella had been hung up on Jackson for years, following him around like a shadow. That’s why she never gave any other guy a chance. She didn’t even look at them. Damn you, Jackson Brown. You wasted ten years of her life. I backed off a little, but I wasn’t done. “Why do you even like Ella? What is it about her?” No way he could answer that. Alphas don’t feel that deeply. But to my surprise, Oliver didn’t get annoyed. Instead, he grinned like a kid in love. His face absolutely lit up as he said, sweet as anything, “I love her. I just do. There’s no clean-cut reason.” I searched his face, but still couldn’t find a single thing that looked off. “That’s it?” I asked flatly, suddenly losing steam. “Yeah,” Oliver said with a goofy smile. “Ella, am I right?” He looked at her like she was his whole world. Ella’s cheeks turned bright red—completely caught off guard. Then she lowered her head shyly, her voice barely above a whisper, “Yeah.” The two stared at each other for a while. I glanced back and forth between them, then finally huffed, “I’m out of here.” Even if he really loved her... I just couldn’t accept it. “Whatever, stay here. Do what you want.” Without waiting for either of them to speak, I turned on my heel and stormed out of the police station, still seething.