Chapter 42

Olivia

There had been a few times in my life where betrayal had cut deep. As I did not have many friends growing up due to my meek nature, I’d settled for being comfortable in my own company. It had worked out pretty well, considering how content I was being by myself. Even Penny had pushed me constantly to find some other company, arguing that being by myself all the time was the reason I was so standoffish. It was only when I met Ginny that I’d slowly began to open up.

But now, betrayal mixed with rage flowed through my veins. As I listened to Sydney recount the details of the earlier happenings, I couldn’t stop wondering how my own mother could have done this to me. How had she managed to conceal her true identity from me for more than twenty-two years? And, most importantly, had I been so consumed by myself and my ambitions that I never noticed it?

I still couldn’t believe it. Penny was an Impure like me. She experienced painful transformations too. Her father had once been the Alpha of the Luna pack. Her mother had been human. Now that I thought about it, Penny never talked about her family. Her mother and father had died when she was much younger, according to the story she’d fed me and, in my ignorance, I’d never felt the need to inquire further.

Had she ever been married or had that been a lie as well? How had she made so much money? If she bore a grudge since she was a child, what else was she capable of?

Who was she, truly?

She hadn’t even needed to put effort into fabricating her stories— I’d swallowed them down as easily as feeding candy to a child. My selfishness had resulted in my being fooled. Had she expected me to do her bidding because she’d been my caregiver? Probably not. If so, she’d have told me about her plans from the start.

Everything had been a lie. Yes, she’d provided for me and had trained me through school, paid for my tuition and made sure I was well taken care of... but all of that had been a small part of her grand plan to take revenge on her father’s family.

It all made sense now. Convincing me to attend the ball, introducing me to Lucien. It hadn’t seemed weird that she’d never talked marriage until that period. She’d planned it all. It had certainly worked in her favor that Lucien had fallen for me at first sight. All that talk about breaking the cycle of Alphas getting women pregnant and abandoning them; she’d been referring to her mother.

Tears ran down my face and my heart broke. Before I made any decision, I wanted to hear it from her lips. I wanted her to say to me that she never loved me and had only needed me to gain access into the Steel household. I wanted her to look me in the face and tell me everything she had done for me had been part of a ploy.

“We need…” my voice broke through my tears. “We need to find help. Xavier. He’s the only one I can think of.”

Sydney nodded. “I already sent him a mind alert. He should be here soon.”

I could barely hear what she was saying. A kaleidoscope of emotions ran through me; anger, pain, betrayal, rage. My own mother had kidnapped my husband. Oh, Lucien. I didn’t even want to think about what he was going through. I could feel his anguish and knew in my heart that he was more worried about me and the baby than he was about himself.

I would find him. I swore with everything I had, I would find him and make Penny pay. Betrayal gave way to rage and I cursed the day I met her.

“What else did she say?” I asked Sydney. I needed to know more; it would fuel my growing rage.

“She said she was the new Alpha.”

I looked at her. “The new Alpha?” One couldn’t become the Alpha without killing the past Alpha if he wasn’t already dead. Did that mean she planned to kill him? My blood ran cold.

Sydney looked like she was fighting an internal battle. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect him. I’m absolutely useless.”

“It’s not your fault, Sydney. From the picture you painted, it was you both against hundreds of men. There was only so much you could do.”

“Still...” She grabbed a handful of hair and pulled. “I’m supposed to be his security. What good is my magic if I can’t use it?”

I understood her torment, as I felt the exact same way. I should’ve known Penny was my mother. I had lived with her for more than two decades. I should’ve seen the signs; I should’ve paid more attention. When she’d begged to move into the villa for a few weeks, I should’ve absolutely known. Even when Lucien had protested, I’d foolishly argued with him about it.

There was no way Sydney felt worse than I did. I had done this. I had put them all in danger by giving her access to the villa. I had caused Lucien harm because of my foolish sentiments. And now… I could really lose him. How would I do this without him? How would I do life without him?

No, he was still alive. I could feel it.

A few moments later, Xavier appeared through the doorway. “What happened?”

I listened in silence as Sydney recounted the events to Xavier, wishing for the umpteenth time since I’d heard that I wasn’t pregnant. I could barely stand on my own as it was. How was supposed to find my husband in this condition?

“What are we going to do?” It came out as a weak sob and I cursed myself internally. Now was not the time to break down; I needed to be strong. There was absolutely no way I would raise this child alone. I cleared my throat and repeated the words. “What are we going to do?”

“First,” Xavier spoke up, “we need a seer.”

“Elena—”

“I’m pretty sure Elena is in cahoots with Mason. She’s not an option,” I cut Sydney off. “I have a friend, Ginny. She’s a powerful witch. She sees too.”

Xavier nodded. “Good. Call her. In the meantime, my men and I will see what we can find by searching the villa. Maybe your mother left clues as to where she was taking him. Without a seer, there’s only so much we can do at the moment.”

“Can you do a locator spell?” I asked Sydney.

She shook her head. “Someone’s blocking my spell. The location just keeps moving in circles.”

So Penny had a witch, too. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised. Everything I knew about her was a lie.

“Will you be alright on your own?” Xavier asked me, concern furrowing his brows.

I nodded a yes, wetting my dry lips. I wouldn’t show it but I was scared. Scared that we would be too late and Lucien would be dead by then. The fact that he was an Alpha and had the strength of a beast did not mean that he was indomitable.

Xavier left, a spring in his step. Lucien trusted him and I did too, though I was beginning to realize that Lucien was almost too trusting. Considering as I'd allowed Penny to fool me for so long, I wasn't any better.

“Oh. Right. I was going to tell you,” Sydney suddenly said. “Mason’s not here anymore.”

My brows raised. “Where is he?” Had he somehow escaped? Had Elena helped him?

Sydney’s tongue slipped out to lick her lower lip. “Penny took him as well.”