Chapter 32

I was still shocked, the world had just collapsed on top of my head. I sat on the edge of the bed, I felt an immense desire to die at the same moment. Adam and Petros remained looking at me, the urgency of the looks didn't matter to me at all, nor did they really bother me... I felt like I was in a parallel reality, where no one could actually reach me.

“Olivia...”

Called Petros in a sweet voice, which was uncharacteristic of him for a second.

“I think you should get some rest, gather your thoughts, and we'll head back to the castle later.”

I looked at him with as much hate as I could manage, did he really think that in the face of that damn information I would cringe and go back to the castle like a good daughter?

“I'm going after the Lycan got My mother pregnant.... I want to know everything in depth.”

“And what do you want to torture yourself with? What good will it do?”

“I make my own decisions, don't worry about it Petros, you go back, tell my father I'm on a long trip. Don't reveal anything to him... I'll think of something, but for now you tell him I'll come back and marry you.”

"What?"

Both spoke in chorus, one indignant and the other moved. But don't get me wrong the reason this arranged marriage was accepted by me is only one... Reclaim my throne. And crush one by one, including my motherfucking father.

“Are you in your right mind Olivia?”

Josh was outraged, his expression the same as someone who's been punched in the pit of the stomach.

"You will marry me?"

The smile on Petros' face irritated me.

“I will, but not for the reasons you think. It will have absolutely nothing to do with Petros love, I'm only marrying to ascend to the throne, which is rightfully mine. And if that's the price I have to pay...Whatever wasn't your deal with my idiot father? Didn't you betray your entire Lycan bloodline for this?

“Marrying me is such a heavy burden?”

His gaze was lower now, but even my earlier comment hadn't made Josh's frown melt, not even for a second.

“This is crazy! You don't have to marry "him"

the word sounded terribly strange, more like a swear word

“You can claim your throne without it.”

“It doesn't work out the way I want it... I'm not going to go in there and make a fuss, I want everything to be behind the scenes. And that. I want to slither in like a snake, and poison everything from within. My father won't even know what hit him.”

I spoke relentlessly, my anger was real, it was latent inside me, it made me feel so covered with hate that my face seemed to burn.

“This is suicide mission Olivia, you know your father's strength! You are playing with fire!”

Petros wasn't trying to be mean, he was just trying to protect me, he wasn't wrong my father is really ruthless, I always knew that but now it was even clearer. He killed my mother, the favorite, the pupil, the peerless.

“Petros, please don't try to stop me, okay? If you refuse to help me, no problem! I find another way

“I won't refuse to help you, damn Olivia! Of course I won't leave you alone! I'm just trying to stop you from dying too, even though I don't know what it would be like if that happened.”

What was he trying to say? Don't know how he would live without me? Was that it?

He didn't say anything else, just looked at me... He walked over to me, totally ignored Josh's gaze, and gave me a chaste kiss on the forehead.

“Please Olivia, just don't die ok? I'll see if I can arrange everything now."

He smiled at me and tucked my hair behind my ears.

He left the room still ignoring Josh, I sat on the bed again, with the letter from My mother in my hands, oddly enough I couldn't cry, I just felt my throat tighten. And as Josh got closer to me, things didn't get better.

“I say I love you, you say you don't belong to anyone, I say I want you for myself, you announce marriage to someone else. What do you really want Olivia?”

He had an icy look, he didn't even look like him anymore.

“ Were you here inside the room? What part of "not a romantic match" don't you understand? And you know Sam, even if it was... I already told you to give up.”

“And I can? Speak to me? You're stuck with me, the stigma I can't ignore, wherever I go I bump into you, wherever I look I see you, when I close my damn eyes I see you too! So tell me, how do I give up? How do I get you out of me Olivia?”

“You do like me, ignore the feeling.”

I looked now at the ground, avoiding looking him in the face.

“I know you're hurting, I know hearing about your mother came as a shock, but the idiot is right, are you going to confront your father? Have you gone crazy? Now that you know that... We have to leave here, go to another country, live away from everyone. I would protect you, I swear I would.”

“And I look like a helpless princess on top of a tower to you Josh? Does it look like I need protection? I will not run away, I will not hide!”

“You said it yourself, your father loved your mother, and yet he killed her, just so she wouldn't give birth to one of ours. So what do you think he's going to do with you?"

“He won't do anything to me Josh, because I'm so much smarter than my mother. Do you know what her downfall was? Waiting too long to attack..."

I got up to pack my backpack again, I had someone else to meet before returning, this Adam guy was not going to escape my radar.

"Where are you going?"

He asked curious and confused.

"Where we go? We're going after Adam, you promised me!"

Josh came close again, he didn't bother to run his hands around my waist pulling me back to him, he held me tight in his hands, and despite the delicious feeling it was to be his, I couldn't feel complete. Hatred had taken hold of me, and my urge for revenge was real.

“The proposal still stands Olivia, we can get out of here. You and me..."

“What are you afraid of Josh?”

“I'm afraid your father will take away another person I love! That's what I'm afraid of.”

This time I took control, putting my hand on his chin, forcing Josh to look at me.

“Didn't you want revenge? Wasn't that your intention when you tried to kill me?"

“There was a time I would rip his head off without thinking, but when I think you might get hit in the middle of it, I give up! I've already lost too much... And now you want to lose yourself, marrying Petros, returning to the castle! He knows what you were after!”

“Josh, unfortunately that choice is not yours. And as much as I love you... I will always choose revenge, and now not just for my mother and my brother or sister, but for your mother as well. You can stay out of this, you have no obligation to follow my crazy plans.”

“I will never leave you alone Olivia. Forget it!"