Chapter 18: Return to the Pack–1


    Chapter 18: Return to the Pack


    (Connor’s POV)


    I handed the phone back to Olivia, keeping my expression deliberately neutral despite the irritation I felt seeing that message.


    “Your friend seems to have sent you a message,” I said calmly, watching her reaction carefully.


    “Hm? Let me see.” Olivia took the phone, her face immediately stiffening as she read the


    message.


    I knew she’d realized I had seen the notification banner with Ethan Grey’s condescending


    words. Her amber eyes flickered with guilt as she turned back to me.


    “My ex–boyfriend. We’ve broken up,” she exined, her voice slightly strained.


    “Mm,” I responded, maintaining my nd expression, revealing nothing of my thoughts.


    I’d known about her rtionship with Ethan Grey for years. My visits to Harbor City weren’t just


    casual trips–I’d been keeping tabs on her, watching from a distance as she built her life here. I’d seen how Ethan treated her, how he took her for granted, and it had taken considerable


    restraint not to intervene.


    But now wasn’t the time to reveal that. Olivia needed to make her own choices, and I would


    respect that <i>process</i>, even as I positioned myself to be there when she was ready.


    (Olivia’s POV)


    A faint fluster rose within me as I stood there with my phone in hand. Why was I nervous? I


    was twenty–five years old, and having an ex–boyfriend was perfectly normal.


    Besides, I had dated Ethan before agreeing to the arranged mating with Connor. I’d done


    nothing wrong, nothing <i>to </i>betray my future partner.


    As this realization settled, my panic gradually subsided. I took a deep breath and steadied


    myself.


    To draw a clear boundary–both for Connor and for myself–I unlocked my phone right in front of him. With deliberate movements, I navigated to Ethan’s contact and blocked his number.


    “Don’t worry,” I said softly, looking up at Connor. “Since I’ve agreed to this mating arrangement,


    my ex will only ever be the past.”


    < Chapter 18 Return to the Pac


    25 Puntes


    Connor nodded quietly, his ice–blue eyes still unreadable. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking


    behind that calm exterior.


    I turned away, missing the slight curve that formed at the corners of his lips.


    The next few days passed peacefully. Connor and I continued exploring Harbor City together, building afortable rapport that felt surprisingly natural. But eventually, it was time to face


    reality.


    “I think I should return to Riverdale,” I told Connor over breakfast on our sixth day together. “I’ve


    been away from my family for three years. It’s time.”


    Connor nodded, understanding in his eyes. “I’ll arrange everything.”


    True to his word, he handled all the details. We flew to Riverdale the following morning, and


    Henry Morris met us at the airport with a sleek ck SUV.


    The drive to the Winters estate was quiet, filled with my growing apprehension. As we


    approached the familiar gates of my childhood home, Connor turned to me with gentle


    concern in his eyes.


    “Do you want me toe in with you?” he asked, his deep voice soft.


    I shook my head slightly, my amber eyes reflecting determination despite my inner turmoil.


    “No need.”


    Connor respected my choice without question. Once his car drove away, I was left standing


    before the grand gates of my childhood home.


    A surge ofplex emotions filled me–nostalgia, apprehension, and a faint ache that


    wouldn’t subside. After three years away, I was finally home, yet I had no house key. Like an


    outsider, I had <i>to </i>ring the doorbell.


    The <i>irony </i>stung my heart as I pressed the button.


    Momentster, the door opened to reveal Agatha Turner, the loyal housekeeper who had


    watched me grow up. Seeing me, she was momentarily stunned, her eyes widening in


    disbelief.


    “M–Miss Olivia, you’re back?” she choked on her words, her voice trembling.


    Hearing that simple question, a wave of sourness surged in my heart. “Mm,” I responded softly, unable to say more.


    Tears immediately glistened in Agatha’s eyes as she stepped aside to wee me home. Her <i>joy </i>and relief were overwhelming, making my own eyes sting.


    Chapter 18 Return to the Pac


    +25 Puntos <b>> </b>


    Agatha had served the Winters family for more than ten years and had always treated me like her own child. The night my mother died from wolfsbane poisoning, it was Agatha who found me copsed in the snow and carried me back inside.


    During those long nights of fever and grief, when I wasted away mourning my mother, Agatha stayed by my side. She coaxed me to eat, bathed my forehead when fever took hold, and held


    me through the nightmares.


    Without her, I might never have survived that dark time. Even after I left home, I still called her during holidays, maintaining our deep bond across the distance.


    Moved by these memories, I took out a delicate gift box from my bag and passed it to her.