Chapter 10
Olivia opened her eyes to see the sun pouring through the window a few feet away. Her head turned to glance at the clock on the nightstand.
It was going on 10 AM and Isaiah was nowhere to be found. She sat up, swinging her legs over the bed to stretch, before standing up with a loud yawn.
She walked over to his closet and grabbed whatever she thought would fit her and dressed before heading downstairs.
The aroma of bacon and coffee filled the air as she stepped on to the landing and continued on to the kitchen. She could hear male voices talking.
“Well, good morning.” Isaiah turned to her and smiled. “There’s coffee on and breakfast if you're hungry.”
At the mention of breakfast, her eyes turned to the pans on the stove that still sizzled from just being taken off. The coffee machine just finished brewing a new pot, and Olivia couldn’t be happier. Her eyes finally fell on Chief Frank, who was sitting next to Isaiah at the island table.
“Good morning, Olivia. I’m Frank, chief of police here in Crimson Creek,” He said, holding his hand out to her.
“Very nice to meet you, Frank.” She smiled and shook his hand. She walked over to the coffee machine and filled her cup with the steaming brew. “I assume Isaiah has filled you in?” She asked, leaning against the counter.
“Yes, he has, but I still want to hear it from you. This is the first time anyone has been killed in Crimson Creek by the hands of a shifter. I don’t want the town panicking,” he said before lifting his mug to his lips to take a sip of coffee.
“I understand.” She agreed with Frank, eyeing him over. He looked to be in his late fifties, not too tall, not too short, with salt and pepper hair that formed a crew cut on his head. Her eyes met his own two blue orbs, but they showed nothing but friendliness as he spoke. Finally, it all came down to the large belly, that suited a man like him, which she assumed came from too much food or too much beer. Either way, she found him adorable.
She told him the story and it took Olivia twenty minutes to explain to the Chief exactly what had happened, the location and how many wolves had attacked them. However, she did leave out her history about the large brown wolf and her suspicions about them being tainted in some way. She had assumed Isaiah had as well.
Olivia already had everything planned out. Once they located the bodies and she gave her statement, she would start her hunt.
This time she wasn’t giving up until he was dead. She knew he wouldn’t leave the area until he found her. He now had the motive to finish her off.
Olivia had killed his mate and she didn’t know any wolf that wouldn’t want revenge for the act of killing their soul mate. She just had to prepare for it.
“Olivia!” Chief Frank yelled, waving a hand in front of her face.
She snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the Chief. “Sorry. What?”
“Once my men arrive,” he paused, looking at his watch. “Which will be any minute now. Can you show us exactly where they are?”
“Yes. Of course.”
Isaiah passed her a plate with two eggs, a slice of toast and a few strands of bacon. Olivia walked over to the counter, nodding her reply to confirm it as she broke a piece of bacon off with her fingers and shoved it in her mouth.
“Chief do you mind if I have a moment alone with Olivia?” Isaiah asked, bringing over a tub of butter and a jar of strawberry jam for Olivia’s toast.
Frank nodded his head, rising from his seat and putting his chief’s hat back on his head, “I have to go radio the station. I’ll be back in a bit. You two take your time.”
**
Isaiah walked over to the island, pressing both his palms on it, leaning in to whisper to Olivia, “I know what you’re thinking and you can’t do it.”
She shoved a piece of bacon in her mouth and smiled. “Olivia!” He said, raising his voice.
“What, Isaiah?” She growled harshly. “I’m not going to track him. I don’t have to. He’ll be tracking me.” She glared at him before she dove into her eggs.
Isaiah paced back and forth, rubbing the back of his neck. “Listen. We’ll find the bodies. You give your statement and then we’ll go grab some of your stuff. Then you're coming back here with me. If he is tracking you, waiting for you, then at least you won’t be alone. If what you told me last night is true, you don’t want to fight this wolf alone.”
Her eyes trailed to his face, landing on his. So intense, she thought as her eyes fell on the table.
“Isaiah, don’t take this wrong way but you don’t know me or have to protect me. This is my battle and I don’t need your help.”
A frown marred his features and his eyes flashed that familiar, amber color. His chest heaved as he took in a large breath and released it. “I really don’t give a shit!” He hissed. “I found you left for dead and after spending the last thirty six hours with you, I think we can both agree that I know you more than most.” He stood with arms across his chest and stared her down waiting for her to respond.
She let out a sigh. “Ok. I take it you didn’t tell Frank what I told you?”
Isaiah put a hand on Olivia’s upper arm, squeezing softly “He doesn’t need to know. We’ll deal with that ourselves. Once I see this wolf and figure out what we're dealing with, I’ll know if we could use backup or not. I have a few brothers that could come in handy if we need them.” He tried to reassure her.
Olivia continued eating, putting butter on the slice of toast, with the egg on top. She then devoured the rest of it, before taking her plate to the sink and running it under warm water. Finally, she returned to Isaiah, staring directly at him, “You're really sexy when you get upset.” He leaned down, giving her a quick peck on the lips.
A second later, they heard the door open and Olivia broke the kiss and leaned up against the counter, trying to control the grin that was now plastered on her face.
“Did I interrupt something?” Frank asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Isaiah ran his fingers through his hair and looked at Olivia and then back to the Chief. “Nope.”
“The search party will be here any minute. You guys should get ready.” He looked at Olivia. “How far of a walk is it from here do you think?”
“The bodies are in the forest at Peaks Landing, but with all this snow it’s going to take longer to get there. Maybe an hour?” She guessed.
“I have an extra set of snowshoes that will help speed up the walk.” Isaiah walked into the living room and gathered the gear.”
Chief Frank headed out the front door to gear up his snowshoes and Isaiah gave Olivia a snowsuit that would fit her. After they got dressed and ready, they headed out of the house just in time to see the search party arriving.
Olivia explained to the six men exactly where to go once they got close to the area. They were also told to keep an eye out for any wolves in the area, to take no chances.
They would split up into three sets of three to cover more ground. Each party had a snow sleigh behind them in order to bring the bodies back down the mountain. Because the forest was so thick, it would have been impossible to ride on sleds, but it would have been a hell of lot easier. Olivia led the way with Isaiah and Frank while the other six men split into two groups following wide on either side as they descended into the forest. Olivia had only hoped that they would find the bodies quickly and get them off the mountain before encountering the rogue wolf.