*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 itsrge tongue was even hanging out of his mouth.


    Even though the dog seemed docile for now, my heart was still mming 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 andmotion we made from screaming in


    0.00%


    11.44 M


    788 Noudes


    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.


    33.87%


    11:45


    1288 Vouchers


    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 exined 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.


    Alexander looked up at me, and there was humor shing in his eyes.


    An amused smile yed on the corners of his mouth, making me redden even more. I couldn’t believe Alexander had caught me in one


    the of the most embarrassing moments of my life. I should have just dog eat me.


    “Bring the dog back inside,” Alexander instructed the other two men he was with.


    The hulking man on the right nodded and whistled once, immediately calling the dog to him. Once the wolfhound was behind the closed front door, my shoulders slumped in relief, and it felt like I could actually take a breath again.!


    Alexander ambled over to the tree and offered me a hand. “Come on down,” he said, his voice full of amusement. “If you grip that tree any harder you’re going to snap the branch, then the whole tree will fall.”


    My embarrassment increased tenfold, and I considered denying his helping hand, but I actually did need help navigating safely down the


    tree.


    When I gripped into his strong, warm hand, my stomach swooped, but I tried to ignore it.


    62.80%


    11:44


    18 *****


    “Put your hand on my shoulders,” Alexander instructed as he wrapped his arms around my waist.


    I tried to focus on not getting hurt as he helped me down. But his hard, muscled body pressed against mine, made my head spin.


    94.93%