Chapter 88: Test of Loyalties

OLIVIA

“Feeling jittery?”

“Can you guess?” Olivia shot back, her head cocked to one side.

She was known for making a mountain out of a molehill. There was no way she could face what was coming with nerves—or back out now.

The tension coursing through her veins was enough to make her question her own judgment. What if—what if everyone was wicked~? All that would do was prove Alex right.~

He’d never let her forget this.

“I bet you’re about to bail,” Maya jested, popping a grape into her mouth. “And I can’t wait to see you crumble,” she added, grinning.

“Appreciate it. Where would I be without you?” Olivia retorted, her words heavy with sarcasm.

“Anytime,” Maya winked back.

Olivia stared at her plate, her stomach churning and knotting in protest, already rejecting any food.

It wasn’t morning sickness; it was anxiety. Truth be told, she’d been fortunate with pregnancy symptoms. Apart from a rough patch before she discovered she was pregnant, it had been a ~breeze~.

Then again, everything seemed less severe when you’d survived a lethal abduction. Maybe her perspective was skewed.

Regardless, her loss of appetite wasn’t due to the growing baby inside her, but her skyrocketing stress levels. Perhaps she should force herself to eat—for the baby’s sake.

~Ding!~

Or maybe not…

She glanced at her phone, seeing Alex’s name flash on the screen. ~It was time~. Her hands shook as she picked up her phone, swiping the lock screen to reveal the text message.

Alexander

Head down

Straight to the point.

That was enough to tell her that his attitude towards this situation hadn’t improved. Not that she expected him to have a change of heart.

The fact that he was even agreeing to this was surprising enough. She couldn’t help but wonder though…how the ~purging of the group~ went.

That word alone sent chills down her spine.

He’d promised he wouldn’t let her near anyone too dangerous—but what did that mean? He already believed ~all~ of them were dangerous. Where would he draw the line? And was he right? Was she losing her mind?

“Maya…do you think…”

“Nope,” she cut in before pursing her lips. “I’m not getting involved in this argument.”

“It’s not an argument.”

“Oh, it’s an argument.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Alright,” Maya gave in, rolling her eyes.

“Your…‘dispute,’” she added, making air quotes.

“I just think it’s a bit extreme to eliminate an entire pack.”

“I understand.”

“So you agree with me?”

She knew most of the pack was aware of what was going on; how could they not be? But no one had discussed it with her. That was probably Alex’s doing; she was sure he’d put a stop to that conversation.

“I didn’t say that,” Maya responded, pushing the fruit plate away. “I said I understand.”

“So, you don’t agree?”

Maya tossed her hair back, her loose red curls falling behind her.

“See, for you, a ~semi-human wolf~...it’s logical to see it that way.”

“But if I was a ‘real’ wolf”—she paused, mimicking Maya’s earlier air quotes—“Then I wouldn’t have an issue with it.”

“It’s not as simple as black and white, Livy. Alex is doing what he believes is best...in the long run.”

“I think—”

“That an innocent and uninformed person got caught up in the mix. Like ~you~. I get it.”

Great, everyone could see ~right through~ her. But was that so wrong? No. She wasn’t going to second-guess herself. She’d let her stubbornness bring her this far and she was determined to see it through.

She didn’t need anyone else to understand. No one else ~could~ anyway. Maya’s point—though a constant reminder of what she wasn’t—was valid.

She wasn’t like them.

They weren’t like her.

She couldn’t fathom what it was like to exist as a wolf for an entire lifetime, and they couldn’t comprehend the loss of their human essence. She dropped her shoulders, attempting to mask the tension coiling within her muscles.

She had to keep her doubts hidden; she couldn’t let fear seep through. The wolves below could sense everything: emotions, smells…

She wouldn’t give Alex a reason to haul her out of this place.

“Wish me luck.”

“Good luck,” Maya chimed in a playful tone.

This was ~funny~ to her. Olivia guessed it might be amusing for her too if she wasn’t the one stuck in the middle of it. This was her home now; this pack was her family.

She wanted to make a difference; she didn’t want to erase her identity, her history. That meant changes. Of course, they had their traditions and she didn’t expect Alex to abandon everything…

But perhaps she could present...alternatives. Different approaches. Something.

She inhaled deeply, her shoulders shaking as her lungs filled with air.

Her gaze fell on the handle of the basement door, her hand quivering as she reached out to grasp it. ~Enough~. She couldn’t remain the person she once was.

Olivia had evolved.

She no longer feared the concept of a pack—she had learned better.

She understood that alphas weren’t beasts. The venom was gone from her life for good. She had ensured it. Will was out of the picture, and with him, the years of torment and manipulation.

From this point forward, she would form her own judgments and make her own decisions, and she wouldn’t let anyone’s views or words influence her.

Perhaps Alex ~was~ correct. Maybe they were all worthless. But she’d make that determination herself.

And if he was wrong and there were some worth saving, she would discover that on her own too. Either way, she’d gain something from this experience.

Olivia allowed her shoulders to relax as she finally swung the door open, revealing the staircase. She descended, fighting the urge to crane her neck to see what awaited her.

She had witnessed her fair share of bloodshed by now, but the shock factor never seemed to fade.

Her ears perked up at the sound of pained groans emanating from the basement’s darkness. ~Not a promising start~.

She swallowed hard as she took her first steps down the stairs, her hands clenched into fists. Time to put on a poker face. She could handle this.

She expected to see Alex first, playing the protective guardian as he always did.

But that wasn’t the case. Instead, Jason’s head appeared as he waited for her at the bottom of the stairs. She raised an eyebrow, her forehead creasing as she looked at him.

“We thought it was best if Alex wasn’t here.”

“Oh.”

That was…somewhat perplexing.

While she couldn’t deny the likelihood of Alex meddling in the process, she was taken aback that he was able to step back and let her handle this without him.

Moreover, she was certain he was close by—she could sense it. ~Deep down~, she could feel his presence. In a way she never had before.

Then again, a lot had shifted since ~that night~.

That transformation, born out of desperation, out of her pleading with every ounce of her being. She could feel Alex…wherever he was. Sometimes his emotions, but it was vague.

However, it wasn’t difficult to discern that he was furious right now and she didn’t need to see or feel him to know ~that~.

She cleared her throat, naively hoping it would alleviate some of the tension; it didn’t.

“So, how do we do this?”

Jason laughed. “You tell us. ~We~ don’t do this.”

Right. Death sentence; the only option they knew. She tightened her fists, her blunt nails digging into her palms as she flexed her knuckles.

This was her plan. It wasn’t about defending it, about persuading anyone. It was all about execution.

And now that it had come to this, she felt like an absolute idiot. She knew her reasons for doing this. They were logical. They ~had~ been logical. But how was she supposed to know?

Was observing them enough?

Conversing with them?

Relying on her barely present wolf instincts to guide her?

She didn’t know ~jack~.

And now everyone was staring at her, waiting for her to take the lead. ~Fantastic~. Was this why Alex chose to skip this little ~performance~? So she wouldn’t have anyone to turn to?

Then again, if she had sought answers in his eyes, he probably would have said ~I told you so~.

She relaxed one of her hands, bringing it to the back of her head, scratching her scalp.

Olivia would have to improvise and figure it out as she went along.

“Where could they be?”

“They’re restrained in the back.”

“And they can’t—”

“Do you really think Alex would allow you to be here if he thought there was a chance one of them could reach you?”

~No way~. But then again, she was shocked he even ~allowed~ this to happen. So, anything was possible now.

“Will you stay here?”

“I’ll be close by.”

It made her sound frightened. She wasn’t—well, not exactly. Maybe a tad. It would be foolish not to be a little afraid of them.

They had arrived with the intention to abduct her, to transform her into… she gulped, her throat tightening.

She didn’t want to dwell on it. The mere thought twisted her stomach into knots. No, she needed to concentrate.

The purpose of this was to find the ones who were ~not~ beasts. There had to be some. She had to have faith in that.

~She just had to~.

Olivia moved cautiously, her nostrils overwhelmed by smells.

They were all wolves, but until this moment, she hadn’t realized that the pack had a distinct scent. A sense of familiarity, of trust. This was not the feeling she was getting here.

The atmosphere was heavy, saturated with moisture.

She rounded the corner, and then she saw them. Olivia couldn’t determine if there were more or fewer of them than she had anticipated. Most of them were sprawled on the floor, while some were seated.

All their hands and feet were secured with sturdy metal cuffs.

Her heart skipped a beat. ~They were like the ones Will and I used.~ She shut her eyes for a moment, allowing her chest to expand as she inhaled deeply.

That chapter was closed. This wasn’t her life—it would never be again. She wasn’t a monster. He was, and he was gone.

Some cast glances her way, but most of them disregarded her. Naturally.

They were presuming that she was here to execute them and finish the job. She imagined that she reeked of Alex’s scent, and, by now, they must know he was the alpha.

They were probably thinking that the alpha was sending the omega to do the dirty work, which probably didn’t reflect well on Alex. But this wasn’t about that. It didn’t matter what they thought. She wasn’t here for that.

Should she engage them in conversation? Should she observe them?

What was supposed to indicate to her what was different about them?

Her nose twitched and she tried to sniff the air, hoping it would provide her with a clue, but it didn’t.

Some of them smelled more foul than others, but then again, some were more injured. It was to be expected. The wounds were festering. It felt like being in the ER of the hospital all over again.

Her gaze swept the room until she spotted a girl—perhaps a woman—propped against the wall. She seemed young, young enough that she might not have known any better.

That was a good starting point, right?

Her dark hair was plastered to her face due to the blood that had dried around her injuries. Her eyes were closed, but she could tell from her breathing that she wasn’t asleep. Obviously.

No one could sleep in a situation like this. They were awaiting their demise.

She navigated around the bodies strewn across the floor, careful not to step on anyone’s hands and limbs—which was more challenging than it appeared.

As she neared the girl, the potent smell of urine hit her and Olivia recoiled.

She had been in dire situations before; she had been imprisoned, but she had never wet herself.

That was an indication that someone had given up, right? Or that they absolutely couldn’t hold it in any longer… She was overthinking it.

“Um, ex-excuse me?”

But the girl didn’t stir; she didn’t twitch; she didn’t respond.

“Excuse me?”

There was a scoff, loud enough to echo in the silent space. “Just get it over with,” she said, her eyes still closed.

“Get what over with?”

“Great, they sent a rookie,” she retorted before coughing.

She doubled over, the coughs shaking her body. “Are you going to do it here or are you going to drag me out?”

Olivia frowned. ~Well~. First impressions: she was a tough cookie. She’d seemed so small, so fragile from a distance. She hadn’t expected that kind of ~spunk~.

“I’m not here to kill you.”

~Be careful~.