Chapter 80

Chris

The scent of disinfectant and herbal remedies stung my nostrils as Leonard and I made our way down the narrow infirmary corridor. My boots echoed off of the walls, my steps short and clipped.

“Are you sure you want to see her?” Leonard asked. “After what she did, no one would blame you.”

“She needs to hear it from me,” I ground out, my jaw clenched so tightly that the words almost had to be forced through gritted teeth. “What she did... there’s no going back from that. Not this time.”

Leonard didn’t respond, but I could sense him nodding beside me.

When we finally reached the closed door to Olivia’s private recovery room, Leonard stopped short, resting one hand on the doorknob as he turned to give me one last look.

“Ready?”

I answered with a terse nod, already feeling the fury I had managed to bottle up temporarily slowly beginning to uncork itself from deep in my gut. The simmering rage toward my former sister bubbled up hot and viscous until I could practically taste the bitter venom on my tongue.

With a twist of his wrist, Leonard pulled the door open, and there she was.

Olivia.

She sat reclined in her hospital bed, wrapped in a stake white blanket. Those eyes—once the eyes of my sister—stared unblinkingly at me, filled with a seething fury only temporarily abated by the leftover remnants of the anesthesia in her veins.

“Brother.”

I held her stare for a long moment, waiting until my fury had subsided a bit before I spoke. “Olivia,” I finally replied, unable to bring myself to refer to her as my sister. She had been on thin ice already, and had fully thrown away our familial ties when she had poisoned Ava.

Silence fell over the clinic room after that. I could feel Leonard hovering behind me by the door, but Olivia didn’t deign to look at him. Her icy gaze remained fixed on me, waiting… hoping.

She would find no hope here.

“Your banishment ceremony will occur in three days’ time,” I stated bluntly.

Olivia didn’t respond, but I could see her jaw set hard beneath her skin. It was cathartic, in a way, to see her face betray her.

“I’ve already arranged for a private transport boat to take you to the human world afterwards, just to make sure you don’t try to pull any of your wicked stunts,” I continued, my voice clipped and utterly devoid of anything even resembling warmth or affection for the person I used to call my sister. “From there, you’re on your own. I trust I’ll never have to lay eyes on you again once it’s done.”

This time, Olivia didn’t so much as flinch or even flicker an eyelash at my words. In fact, the barest hint of a mocking smile seemed to tug at the corners of her lips as she shook her head.

“Tsk tsk,” she purred out, the sound like nails on chalkboard. “Is that any way for a man of faith to behave? I thought you were a believer in the Moon Goddess now, brother.” That sadistic grin of hers stretched taunting and wide, her fangs glinting menacingly in the dim lights of the clinic. “And yet you still don’t believe in forgiveness?”

White-hot rage worked its way through me at her words, the muscles in my arm tensing involuntarily as I fought against the overwhelming urge to lash out. To strike. To throttle her until that smug, contemptuous look was permanently wiped from her putrid features.

I could feel Leonard stiffen beside me, no doubt bracing himself in case he needed to restrain me—but that was unnecessary. With an admittedly great amount of effort, I managed to wrestle my emotions back under control, shoving down that primal urge for violence with a harsh inhalation through my nostrils.

“The Moon Goddess has shown herself to be benevolent,” I bit out in a carefully measured tone. “Merciful. Willing to bestow miracles upon those she deems worthy of her blessings.”

I leaned in closer until I could see the tiniest flicker of uncertainty flickering behind Olivia’s impassive mask. “But you would do well to remember that she has also been known to unleash her unforgiving wrath when the circumstances demand it.”

As I spoke, I thought back to that warehouse in the woods—to the blight that had consumed entire men. Olivia, too, seemed to think of this, because I could see pure fear ripple through her at the mention of it.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she lied.

“Ha!” I couldn’t help but laugh. “I saw the blight in the forest,” I said. “And I see it now, right in front of me; my own blood.”

I was so close now that I could feel her shallow breaths fanning across my face, could detect the smallest trace of uncertainty flickering in her eyes.

“When you find a rotten fungus,” I continued, straightening, “you pluck it out before its spores spread. And you, sister, are the most rotten of all.”

A heavy silence fell over the room after I spoke. Olivia remained as still as a statue, her cold eyes gleaming with hatred—but also with terror.

There. I had said my peace; and if I had to remain in her presence for even a moment longer, I knew that I would have done something… regrettable.

“Guards,” I called out brusquely, turning back toward the door where Leonard stood. Two tall, hulking pack guards stepped into the room, waiting for my command.

“Once she’s recovered enough to walk, take her to the cells beneath the Packhouse,” I commanded. “She’ll await her banishment there.”

The guards nodded, and behind me, I heard the tiniest whimper escape Olivia’s lips. But I didn’t bother to turn and look at her, to pay her any mind. Without another word, I stalked back out into the hallway, Leonard soon falling into step behind me as the infirmary faded into the distance.

Only once we had put a considerable distance between us and that wretched woman did I finally let out the breath I hadn’t even realized I had been holding. We stepped out into the afternoon sun, and I came to an abrupt halt to give myself a moment to breathe.

“You did well, Alpha,” Leonard said from beside me. “Good riddance.”

I nodded in agreement; all of my sadness over banishing my last surviving family member had dissipated a long time ago, from the moment I had seen Ava sick in bed after barely surviving that awful poison.

“I have to ask, though,” Leonard continued, his gaze sweeping over the crowded village square, “about the Alpha selection…”

“Yes. About it.” I grit my teeth as I looked out over the square—over my people. “I’ve made up my mind.”

Leonard quirked an eyebrow in my direction. “Have you?”

Nodding, I turned to look at my Beta. “I’ve learned a lot these past few days,” I said, lowering my voice. “About myself, my pack, my culture. And I realized that maybe I’ve been a bit foolish; maybe leaving the pack isn’t the wisest choice.”

“So you’re staying?” he asked. “As Alpha?”

“That’s the plan.”

Leonard paused for a moment, considering my words before shooting me a knowing glance. “And you and Ava…?”

I swallowed, not entirely sure how he knew about us but also not entirely surprised. My gaze swept across the square again, taking in the bustling marketplace beneath the light of the Saturday afternoon sun.

There, crossing the market with a basket in her arms, was Ava: chatting happily with a friend, a smile on her face, her skirt billowing around her tanned thighs.

I couldn’t help but smile as I turned back to Leonard.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “I have a plan.”