Chapter 45: Live or Die

ELAINE

I’ve never wanted to kill someone as much as I wanted to kill Sorin. It was a shock to realize that he was the traitor, the one who hurt me the most.

From the moment I met him, he had my heart. I was drawn to him, hanging on his every word.

I was head over heels in love with him.

He was the one I longed for, the one I desired so much that I made a terrible mistake.

I gave my heart to someone who played with it, who didn’t value it. And the one who did value it, I pushed him away.

I pushed him away because of the fear and anger that consumed me every day, as I watched my goal slip further and further away.

How foolish I was to think that the one I asked for help wouldn’t come to collect her payment. I was naive to believe that my mother’s plan would work.

It didn’t. Not for her, and now not for me.

When I learned of my mother’s dream, her wish, I was determined to fulfill it, to finish what she had started but never accomplished because of ~someone~.

To avenge her death.

I was sure it would work. It almost did until she came and took that dream away.

In an instant, with just a snap, it was gone, and my hatred for her grew.

But my mistake was forgetting. Yes, I had forgotten because of her. That day in the tower, she took away my memories. The Moon Goddess warned me. She did, and I didn’t listen.

I let it get locked away with the rest of my memories, until they slowly came back, like pieces of a puzzle.

Piece by piece, they fell into place until they formed the complete picture of that day, until I finally remembered her words, her warnings.

Now there was nothing I could do. I lost my pack. I lost the throne. I lost my other soul, Ashina. But most of all, I lost the one I love, Connor.

My true mate. The one meant for me.

How pathetic of me to think that hating him, pushing him away, making him think I was stronger than he could ever be would be my victory.

No, it would never be, not then, not now, not ever.

Now I was the pathetic one, fighting for my life in front of a group of armed hunters, while I was bleeding, weak, with no lycan, just some broken metals, and no backup.

Now I had to deal with this mess, the mess I created. It was a lesson I would definitely remember if I survived this.

“Augh!”

The metal bar slipped from my hand as Fabian punched me in the gut, making me stumble.

“You might have killed my men with those fighting techniques. But you won’t get me, Elaine,” Fabian sneered as he approached. “I’m different.”

I spat next to his feet as I stood, dizzy.

“Yeah, well then, boy, show me what you got. I prefer less talking, more fighting.” I spat again.

I had killed his eight men with just two metal bars. But Fabian, there was something different about him, something I couldn’t put my finger on.

“You know,” he smiled wickedly. “If you hadn’t killed my brother or escaped, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“Hmm, the mess would have still happened,” I chuckled. “I would still make your life a living hell.”

Fabian stopped smiling. His face slowly twisted, and a chill ran down my spine.

I took a step back as a growl escaped his humanoid face.

He was a wolf?

Eyes wide, I watched as he shifted completely. I glanced at one of the dead bodies. There was a weapon strapped to his hip.

I swallowed, trying to come up with a plan before he tore me apart.

~“You took my only family left from me,”~ Fabian growled, his voice echoing in my head. ~“And avenge him I should.”~

He lunged at me, and I rolled to the side, trying to get closer to the body.

Moving again, his snout scraped my leg where my earlier wound was.

I hissed as the pain made me stumble.

Panting, I glared at him. It was strange that Sorin hadn’t come for me, even stranger that no other backup had arrived.

Was it because Sorin knew Fabian wouldn’t let me escape? That he was a wolf and knew I stood no chance?

Dodging his snout again, I reached for one of my metal bars and slammed it against his jaw. A small snapping sound echoed as he whined in pain, shaking his head.

My heart pounded as I rolled and landed next to the body. With trembling fingers, I reached for the gun strapped to the dead body.

My fingers fumbled as I unstrapped it. But the moment I did, Fabian’s teeth sank into my thigh, making me scream out.

Tears slid down my face as my body ached from the pressure he was applying, tearing my muscle.

My head felt light as my body succumbed to the pain.

“You can’t escape from our clutches, Elaine.” Fabian had shifted back. “Not from me, or your mate, Sorin!”

I gathered my strength and kicked him in the balls, making him double over in pain.

Throwing my arm to the side, I finally grasped the gun. I turned just in time as he shifted and lunged at my face.

My finger pressed the trigger, and a loud bang echoed, silencing his growls.

Eyes wide, I stared at him. He wasn’t moving. He didn’t say a word, until a single drop of blood dripped onto my face, making me blink.

With a thud, his body fell on me. Panicking, I pushed it away.

My hands trembled as I held the gun and looked down at his lifeless body.

He was dead. I had killed him with a single shot.

I trembled as I held onto the gun. Swallowing hard, I nudged him.

A wolf couldn’t die easily. Not with normal bullets, unless…

I nudged him again, but there was no response. He was really dead. I had killed Fabian.

My hand shot to my mouth, stifling the scream that threatened to escape. I’d never been one for killing, even in competitions. It felt wrong, so wrong.

I blinked my eyes open, and there was Fabian, still on the ground. He hadn’t shifted back into his human form, which was odd.

But I didn’t have time to ponder that.

I needed to get out of there, and now was my chance.

I pulled my phone from my dress and swore loudly. The screen was shattered, probably from my fight with the hunters.

I gripped it tightly, frustration bubbling up inside me. I needed another phone.

I knelt down and checked the bodies of the hunters. I found three guns with bullets, but not a single phone.

With no other options, I stood up and surveyed the scene. Eight dead humans and Fabian’s wolf. I shook off the disturbing thoughts and turned back to the stairs.

With one last look, I descended into the unknown.

***

“Damn it!” I yelled as two gunshots echoed around me. The pillar I was hiding behind crumbled as bullets hit it.

This place was worse than any pack house I’d ever been in. It was like a prison.

I glanced over my shoulder and fired at the hunter. The bullet hit him square in the chest.

I sprinted for the tree in the garden.

I knew that walking out the front door was out of the question. Hunters and guards were everywhere, and they’d been on my tail since they spotted me.

I fired at the two hunters chasing me and rolled behind a concrete bench.

There was still no sign of Sorin. Where the hell was he?

I heard a grunt from one of the hunters and noticed a gate at the end of the garden. I didn’t know where it led, but it was my only chance.

“Fuck it,” I muttered and made a run for it.

I only had two bullets left.

I slid behind some bushes and looked up. The gate was too high to climb, and without any weapons, my escape would be pointless.

I peeked over the bush. Four hunters were nearby, hiding behind statues.

A risky idea popped into my head, but it would mean putting my life on the line. I wasn’t ready to do that, not unless I was ready to give up and let them kill me.

But something told me they wouldn’t kill me.

“Give up!” one of them yelled. I chuckled.

I raised my arms as if surrendering and stepped out. “I give up!” I shouted. “I’m unarmed, okay?”

They exchanged a glance before two of them stepped out from behind a wall and approached me.

Without a second thought, they hit my legs, forcing me to kneel. I groaned. ~Idiots~.

I grabbed my gun and shot the one in front of me, then kicked the other one. He fell to his knees, and I shot him in the head.

The other two started shooting. I grabbed one of the bodies to use as a shield and took a fresh gun from his holster.

I was getting tired, and the wound on my thigh was throbbing.

Every second that passed, I was getting weaker. My vision was even starting to blur.

I’d lost a lot of blood.

“Die!” one of them shouted. I pulled the trigger, and the bullet hit him in the arm.

I ran forward as the other one moved to help his partner.

He fired back, but the body shielded me. I threw it at him and shot his partner in the forehead. Then I kicked his arm, knocking his gun away.

He tried to pull out another gun, but my last bullet hit him in the knee. He cried out in pain.

I used the butt of the gun to hit him in the face until he passed out.

I let go of his collar and bent over, panting. I felt sick.

I moved to the side and threw up.

I wiped my mouth and looked around the garden. I was the only one left. Finally, a break.

I gathered the guns I could use and turned towards the gate.

My vision was starting to go black, and my body was unsteady.

I looked down at my wounded leg. Blood was pooling on the grass as I limped towards the gate.

But as soon as I touched the gate and smiled, a gunshot echoed through the garden.

Blood splattered on my trembling hand that was on the gate lock.

With a loud thud, my body slumped against the gate.

I felt numb, and my body was cold. I brought my hand to my chest, where blood was soaking my dress.

“Goddess, you are stubborn,” Sorin’s voice echoed in my ears. “All you had to do was obey me, Elaine.”

I gasped for air, clutching my chest.

“But you left me no choice~ my love~,” Sorin scoffed. He was standing behind me now. “I really do love you, but well, there’s nothing we can do, right?”

He laughed as I weakly turned around.

Sorin crouched in front of me, his smile the most genuine I’d ever seen.

“You look beautiful covered in blood, my love,” he whispered, twirling my hair around his fingers. “Just as beautiful as the first night I met you.”

He pulled me forward and kissed me.

“Delicious too,” he chuckled and shook his head. “You could have been mine, Elaine. My queen, my one and only, if you’d just followed ~my~ plan. But, well…”

He stood up and let go of my hair. I stumbled forward and fell face-first onto the ground.

“It’s a shame you won’t get to see me kill those you hate,” he continued.

I glared at him through my tears.

“I…hate…you…” I managed to gasp out. “I hate you!”

Sorin’s laughter echoed through the mansion as the alarm blared once more. The air was filled with the sound of voices barking orders. He glanced over his shoulder, then shrugged at me.

“Go ahead, hate me. You won’t get the chance to do anything about it. But”—his smile was chilling—“I wish you could see me rip your love to shreds in front of everyone.”

Fueled by rage, I lunged for his leg, but Sorin’s boot connected with my face, sending me sprawling against the vibrating gate.

“Goodbye, Elaine,” he said, leveling the gun at my face.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I squeezed my eyes shut.

So this was it. My ~end~, my ~punishment~. Just what ~she~ wanted.

My only regret was not confessing my true feelings to Connor. That I loved him deeply, that he was my everything, and that I was sorry for causing him pain, for letting my blind greed hurt him.

But it was too late now. There was no going back.

As Connor’s face flashed before my closed eyes, Sorin’s insane laughter filled the air—followed by the sound of a gunshot.