Chapter 863

Daniel:

I had been so angry.

No, livid.

Livid was the right word.

I was losing my mind just remembering the smile on Livia’s face when she talked about that stranger.

I couldn’t believe Livia would go out of her way just to catch a glimpse of a half- naked man, practically foaming at the mouth while talking about him with her sister.

I mean, of course she was single, and I had been angry with her, so I hadn’t exactly been giving her much attention.

Still, that wasn’t okay.

Or maybe I was just jealous.

What bothered me more was that when Madeline came to me and explained all the reasons behind Livia acting like a douchebag, it gave me the perfect excuse to talk to her, make her apologize for using the wrong approach for the right reasons, and finally make amends.

And maybe, to apologize to her and tell her I didn’t mean to be rude to her either.

But no.

I’d grown too cocky lately because of the power and status Baxter had given me. I’d been getting so much praise and affection that my douchebag brain decided Livia needed to chase after me and try a little harder.

That was my first mistake.

When you love someone, you don’t make them suffer just to prove a point.

I had ended the meeting early so I could go home, because the longer I stayed at the mansion, the longer Livia would stay there too. And the longer she stayed, the more I’d have to hear Byron this, Byron that, until I completely lost my temper.

Eventually, I found myself waiting for her in the car.

She came out looking perfectly happy, slid into the passenger seat, slammed the door shut, and immediately went back to her phone.

She had been trying to talk to me constantly until today.

Then she saw Byron.

And suddenly, she was back to her old ways, chasing the attention of some powerful alpha.

I kept driving and deliberately took the longer route.

She didn’t even notice.

She was probably texting her friends, giggling about the handsome alpha. Byron this, Byron that. Blah, blah, blah.

“Some people are really shameless,” I finally commented after biting my tongue for several minutes.

“Huh?” Livia lifted her head from her phone. “Did you say something to me?”

“No, no. You keep texting your friends and talking about Byron,” I taunted.

She groaned, leaned back against the seat, and dropped her hands into her lap.

“Do you have a problem with me talking about someone?” she questioned, her tone turning sharp.

“No, but I don’t think it suits you, Livia. You’re a fairly decent woman. Peeking through a window to watch a half naked man and then gossiping about him isn’t exactly what I’ve known you for.”

I was done holding back, so I finally spoke openly.

“I think I am exactly that kind of woman, and you’re the one who’s proven it to me

over the last few weeks,” she shot back with a shrug.

That made me ease off the accelerator before eventually pulling over to the side of the road.

“When have ever said anything like that to you? I ignored you because you’ve been so dismissive of my feelings, hissed, finally letting out everything I’d been bottling up inside.

“Well, you moved on. You said so.”

I gulped and fell silent.

“What do you mean, I moved on?” I asked in a much softer voice.

“You used to like me. You were in love with me.”

For once, she spoke honestly, without hiding anything or holding herself back.

“Who told you that? That’s not true. So not true,” I replied childishly, rolling my eyes, pouting, and folding my arms across my chest.

“Then, mister, what are we even doing here if we’re not going to be honest with each other? Just keep

driving and drop me home, she

grunted when I tried to deny it again.

Then she picked up her phone and started texting.

I stared at her for a moment before finally deciding to handle the conversation like

an adult.

“Fine. Yeah, I’ve always loved you. And the fact that you knew that and still ignored me?” I admitted, my voice thick with emotion.

She slowly set her phone on the dashboard and turned toward me. “Because I have a gray wolf, Daniel. I’m a monster. I was scared I’d hurt you. You deserve someone different. Someone unique. Someone fragile.”

Hearing her admit that she’d always kept her distance because of her wolf made guilt twist in my chest.

“Well, that’s because you think I’m so weak that I couldn’t overpower your wolf,” I said before realizing how ridiculous that sounded.

I could never overpower her wolf.

And the look she gave me said she knew it too.