Chapter 43

Lucien

I drifted out of oblivion for what felt like the hundredth time. My eyes remained closed, as opening them caused the room to spin in different directions. I had no idea where I was. The journey here had occurred with me blanking out. I felt weak; my bones felt like liquid and I couldn't lift my arm. Someone had been injecting some sort of drug up my arm frequently and considering how I could barely feel my body, I figured it was probably wolfsbane.

I could hear noises coming from a distance but could not make out where exactly. If only I could walk…

When I did open my eyes, it was dark and, all of a sudden, extremely quiet. I bet if I paid more attention, I could hear a pin drop. Where on earth had Penny taken me? She was batshit crazy. When I got my hands on her, I'd show her what being an Alpha truly entailed.

Olivia must’ve heard the news by now. How was she taking it? My heart squeezed at the thought of her crying and alone. If I died, someone new would take over, and nobody wanted the pregnant wife of the previous Alpha. I vaguely remembered Penny saying she was the new Alpha and even I knew she wouldn't keep Olivia around for long. I imagined what they would do to her and I groaned in desperation. I needed to see her, reassure her that everything would be fine. I just needed a little time to regain my strength and I would put an end to this. She was pregnant and any kind of stress was bad for the baby.

Yet for some reason, I couldn’t exactly picture Olivia brawling her eyes out. She’d been the one to find me, had demanded that I marry her and give our child a father. She was too stubborn to sit helplessly and cry. Though slightly timid, she knew how to stand up for herself. It was one of the things I loved about her—how she never put herself down for anyone to walk over.

Which brought me to my next thought. Olivia was relentless when she wanted something, and I knew that she would be trying to find me. The thought scared me because she probably didn’t know who her mother was and was blindly fighting an enemy she didn’t even know existed.

Sydney must’ve told her, though. Penny had said Sydney was useless to her and had left her behind before dragging me away. I tried to imagine the betrayal she would feel, the sense of loss at the thought of being completely blindsided all these years.

Her mother had used her for revenge and was planning to kill her after she was done. After all, if I died, the properties would go to Olivia and our child. What better way to usurp my wealth than to kill my wife and child?

I still had trouble believing my wife’s mother was my aunt. All the while, she’d blended into the crowd, smiling when she should and crying when it was needed. If anyone had told me she had been leading an uprising and that was the reason she’d moved into my house, I would’ve called them crazy and recommended psychological help.

I hated to say it, but she’d had me completely fooled.

A clang made my skin jump. It was still dark, so save for the steady heartbeat of whoever it was, I could hear or see nothing else.

“Up yet?” Was it Mason’s voice? “About damn time.”

In the chaos of the past few hours, I’d totally forgotten about my half-brother. “Mason?”

His deep laughed boomed, making my skin crawl. “Surprise, surprise.”

I sighed, then scoffed, “Of course, it’s you. Who else would stab his own brother in the back due to jealousy?”

“Ha ha, miss me with all that bullshit. It’s never fun when it’s you, yeah?” I wished I could see his face so it could fuel my rage just enough for when I would kill him. “A couple of hours ago, you had me locked up. I was your prisoner. Who’s laughing now?”

Alright, I’d give him that. I certainly wasn’t having any fun. My head still felt dizzy and I couldn’t even sit upright. “What do you want? To gloat? Do it and be on your way.”

“You know,” he continued, like he hadn’t heard me, “I thought long and hard about what you said. It was true. I was trying to please a dead man. Chasing after what you had? Sheesh. Pathetic, wouldn’t you say? I spent my entire life hating you because you were our father’s favorite.”

I rolled my eyes then realized I didn’t know if he could see me since I couldn’t see him. “You play the victim so well I’m surprised you don’t carry around your own body chalk.”

“Then I thought, what if I was chasing the wrong thing?” At this point, if felt like he was talking to himself. “That's when Penny approached me. Gave me hope. Showed me what it was like to be valued and respected. When she asked me to join her, I didn’t even have to think it over. As long as it meant killing you, I’d do anything.”

Bitterness laced through every word and, again, I wondered what exactly I’d done to make him hate me so much. I’d never asked to be the first son. I’d never asked for any of this. Why did he choose me, of all people, to blame for his misfortune?

“Blaming me for your betrayal to our family?” I snorted. “How typical of you. Mason Steel, the man who's never at fault. It’s always someone else’s fault that life didn’t give you what you wanted.”

“You don’t see it, do you?” He stepped forward and I saw a quick shadow. I would’ve used my wolf’s eyes but I was too weak. “The entire pack turned against you because they think you’re weak. I don’t know what it is father taught you, but he did a terrible job. You’re nothing like him.”

“And I’ve never wanted to be!” I screamed with the little strength I had. “He was cold-hearted and never gave me any reason to look up to him. Being his ‘favorite’? Fuck that. I’d give anything to have had a different father. He showed no love, no care or affection. I refuse to be anything like that son of a bitch.”

“You ungrateful fuck.” I heard Mason’s angry whisper. I’d been given the life he wanted and yet I hadn’t wanted it. “I’m so going to enjoy watching you suffer. I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she sees your body.”

I saw red, “Don’t you dare go near my wife, you hear me? Do not even think about it or I swear I’ll rip out your insides.”

“How?” he snorted. “You can’t even stand.”

A low rumble rose from my throat. I hated it. I hated how weak and helpless I was, how easily I’d surrendered. I should’ve fought harder. “Please.”

A couple of days ago, I had been standing where Mason was standing right now. Life came at you fast. I was the most egotistical person I knew, and I’d just brought down my pride to beg the one person I never thought I would.

“Oh, yes,” he groaned throatily, “that’s it. More. Beg for your life. I want the realization that I hold the reins now to eat you up from the inside.”

It didn’t annoy me so much that he was enjoying it as much as that I was the one enabling the entire situation, so I shut up and allowed the silence do the talking. No matter what I did or said, I couldn’t stop the storm that was coming. All I could do was try to hold out.

Mason was right about one thing; I definitely wasn’t anything like Marcus Steel. He would never have given up.