Chapter 54

Olivia

Dread filled me.

In my rage, I’d barely registered the faces of the men I’d killed. In fact, it was shameful to admit that I hadn’t even cared.

Given the terrible way Mason had lived his life, some might wonder why I was feeling so remorseful that I had contributed so majorly to his death. The truth was: even though he hadn’t been a good person, I counted on the fact that I was. Besides that, he hadn’t been mine to kill.

As he dropped to the ground with a thud, unmoving, my heart dropped as well.

“I think he’s dead. There’s no aura around him.” It was the first thing Ginny had said since the chaos started. I turned my head to meet her eyes and when she shook her head sadly, I knew she meant it.

“Oh, God. I killed him,” I cried, inching closer into Lucien’s body. “I killed your brother. I’m so sorry.”

I was full on sobbing at this point and even Lucien’s efforts to assure me that I hadn’t done anything wrong were for naught.

“See? Like mother, like daughter,” Penny laughed.

I didn’t get it. Did she feel nothing? Was her heart that harden that she didn’t understand the full temerity of what had just happened? For Christ sakes, Mason had abandoned his brother at her behest. God only knew what she had promised him but he’d done it still. How then could she be so unmoved at his death?

“It should’ve been you,” I spat at her and when her nostrils flared angrily, I began to wonder why it actually hadn’t been her. A thought occurred to me. I started forward, drawing Xavier’s jacket closer to my body. After all she’d done to me and my Family, Penny didn’t deserve to live.

I was almost to her when Lucien stopped me.

“I know what you’re trying to do and it’s not worth it,” he said, grabbing my upper arm firmly so he could stall my movement.

“Yes, it is,” I told him. “She deserves to die.”

“Oh, you want to kill me,” Penny cooed, the corners of her eyes twinkling. “How cute. This oughta be good.”

I met Lucien’s eyes. “See what I mean?”

“Olivia.”

“Lucien’s right,” Ginny cut in. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut short by Sydney’s voice coming from behind her.

“Elena’s gone,” she said.

All eyes turned to face her.

“Gone as in dead or…?” Xavier asked.

She licked her lips which was swollen and red like she had been hit repeatedly. Her face was swollen and red in some parts as well. “Gone as in gone. She left.”

I saw Lucien narrow his eyes at her. “She left or you let her go?”

Sydney wet her lips once again, sighing. “I let her go.”

“Syd—”

“I know what you’re going to say and goddamnit, Lucien, we both know you don’t want to kill her as much as say you do,” she cut him off. “I let her go because even after all of this, I still care about her and I know you do too. I know she made some mistakes and joined the bandwagon of some very crazy people like your batshit crazy mother-in-law or aunt or whatever but deep down, she’s not a bad person and you know it.”

Since I hadn’t known either of them for long and Lucien didn’t argue with Sydney, I refrained from commenting. After all, I didn’t have anything good to say about Elena. She had been after my husband and it had almost cost him his life.

“Either way, it doesn’t really matter,” Sydney told a somber Lucien, her eyes watering. “I don’t know where she’s gone but I made her promise that we’ll never see her again.”

It was a shame that Sydney’s love was lost on Elena because she obviously didn’t deserve it.

Lucien cleared his throat. “Much as I wish you hadn’t.” I might have been wrong but I even thought I saw his eyes water. “I understand why you felt you had to let her go. As long as I never have to set my eyes on her again, I can deal with it.”

It was the best Sydney would get and she knew it, which was why she nodded at him thankfully, wiping beneath her eyes. Phew, emotions were certainly flying around today. I snuck a glance at my adopted mother. No matter what, I couldn’t completely forgive her what she’d done. Her betrayal had cut deeper than any pain I’d ever felt before and it wasn’t just something I could forget.

It certainly didn’t help that she wasn’t remotely remorseful. At least, it would’ve been something. Right?

“So, what happens now?” Sydney asked after a few seconds. “What do we do with her?” She gestured to Penny. “I mean, Mason’s dead, Elena’s gone, what’s going to happen with her?”

Letting her go was not an option, neither was killing her. At least, I would not be the one to do it. Mason was enough for me.

“If anyone’s too scared to wring her neck, I’ll do it,” Xavier announced, his grip still firm on Penny’s hand.

“I second that,” Ginny and Sydney said at the same time.

It was up to Lucien and me. The fact that we were debating who was going to kill my mother was absolutely ridiculous. What a family we would seem to an outsider. Not exactly the ideal werewolf family.

But somehow, I didn’t want her dead. Regardless of everything she had done, she did raise me and even though there had been bad intentions behind it, she had done a pretty good job.

At the same time, letting her go meant there would be no peace of mind because let’s face it, Penny would never rest until she achieved her sick goals.

I looked to Lucien, silently asking him for his next move. Whatever he did, I would follow.

“You let Elena go, didn’t you?” Penny suddenly voiced out. The look on her face told me she wasn’t exactly sure Lucien was not going to kill her. “Let me go too and I promise you’ll never see me again.”

Sydney snorted. “Sounds desperate to me. Where’s all that fire you were standing on before?”

“Died out, most likely.” Xavier let out a chuckle.

“Be that as it may,” Lucien’s deep voice thundered, "you’re not going anywhere. It’s time you paid for your sins.”