Chapter Forty-one

OLIVER POV

A lot of things to expect on a bright Tuesday morning: the sun rising and shining bright, a flood, a tsunami, the zombie apocalypse, and maybe even the sky falling. But the one thing I didn’t expect was for Sasha to seek me out on said Tuesday morning to “talk.”
Gabriel had settled Sasha and our mother into an apartment in the pack house, claiming that mother and daughter needed to bond. Although I enjoyed having my mother nearby, I had wanted her gone before heaven and hell descended on this place. Maybe if Gabriel had listened to me, Sasha wouldn’t be seated across from me now, chatting animatedly about anything and everything. Maybe she would have returned to wherever it was she came from, taking her anger and resentment with her. But alas, it wasn’t so.
I sat still as she spoke, my mind running agog with thoughts—thoughts I couldn’t quiet. I couldn’t shake the image of her by the river, her hands stained with blood, and it made me more suspicious of her every word. She spoke about her life with her father, how much he loved her, how they used to go fishing every weekend, and how whoever caught the biggest fish got to call the shots for the week. She even told me about the man who had died—the one she claimed was her brother, though not by blood.
She finally talked herself into silence, her chest heaving from the exertion of speaking nonstop for almost an hour. I stared at her, my thoughts churning as I wondered what in the world she was playing at. Just the other day, she had sworn to drag me through hell. And now, she spoke to me like we were lifelong friends, catching up after years apart.
Her gaze landed on me, a slight furrow forming between her brows. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked, her voice softer now, more guarded.
I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I shook my head instead, hoping that would be enough.
Sasha chuckled, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger. “Come on, Oliver,” she said. “Don’t be like that. You know you can tell me anything.”
I raised an eyebrow, leaning back on the sofa. “Anything?”
She nodded eagerly, her eyes wide and filled with some unsettling earnestness. “Anything.”
I took a deep breath, leaning my elbow on the armrest. “Then let me ask you this, Sasha. What are you doing?”
Her smile faltered, confusion flashing across her face. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb with me,” I said, sitting up straighter. “What are you doing? What’s all this?” I gestured between us, growing frustrated with her feigned innocence.
Her smile slowly returned, but it wasn’t comforting. It felt… off. “Why, we’re bonding.”
I blinked at her, disbelief flooding my system. “Bonding? Did you just say bonding?”
She nodded enthusiastically. “I’ve always wanted a brother, Oliver. And now that I finally have one, I’d like to bond with you.”
I jumped to my feet, my heart pounding. “A few months ago, you were threatening me. You hated me, Sasha! And now, suddenly, you want to bond? Who do you think you’re fooling?!”
Sasha flinched, her confidence waning as tears welled in her eyes. Her gaze dropped, and she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
I was taken aback. This was not the reaction I expected. “Sorry?” I echoed, unsure of where she was going with this. “Sorry for what?”
Her lower lip trembled, and tears began to flow freely. “Everything. For… for threatening you. For being so angry. For…” Her voice wavered, cracking under the weight of her emotions. “For not knowing you sooner.”
I stared at her, utterly confused. For a moment, I wondered if my mind had played tricks on me when I saw her at the river. Could she have been trying to reconcile all along?
“I don’t get it,” I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. “I don’t understand what you’re doing here, Sasha.”
She let out a bitter laugh, wiping at her tears again. “I’m sorry… it’s just… when my father told me about her -about our mother- and how she had a whole other family across the ocean, my heart broke. I had spent my entire life believing I was enough for her. But I wasn’t.”
Her tears flowed more freely now, her hands gripping the fabric of her pants. “When my father got sick, I thought she would come. I thought maybe, just maybe, I would finally meet the mother I had dreamed about my whole life. But I was stupid. She never came. Not even when he died. She abandoned us.”
Her voice cracked, the pain in her words resonating deep within me. And despite everything, despite my mistrust of her, I felt a surge of sympathy. I couldn’t help but understand what she meant. I, too, had suffered under the weight of our parents’ choices. I, too, had grown up questioning my worth, wondering if things would have been different had they loved us more.
“I’m sorry that happened to you,” I said, unsure of what else I could offer. “But… why tell me this now? Why now?”
Sasha exhaled shakily, wiping her tears once more. “Because I realized… I don’t want to be angry anymore. I don’t want to fight you. You’re my brother, Oliver. And for better or worse, I want to be part of your life.”
I watched her carefully, the sincerity in her eyes catching me off guard. Could I believe her? Could I trust that she had no ulterior motives, especially after what I had seen?
“I want to try if you’ll let me,” she added softly, her voice filled with hope.
I sighed deeply, rubbing my temples as my thoughts continued to race. “This isn’t easy for me, Sasha. We’ve been through so much. How do I know this isn’t some trick?”
Her gaze met mine, and for the first time, I saw the vulnerability she was hiding beneath her bravado. “I don’t blame you for not trusting me,” she whispered. “But I’m not lying, Oliver. I just want to make things right.”
I stared at her, my mind spinning with doubts and questions. But as much as I wanted to push her away, I couldn’t ignore the possibility that maybe, just maybe, she was telling the truth. Maybe we could start over. Maybe we could build something together, despite our complicated past.
“Okay,” I said quietly, my voice filled with uncertainty. “We’ll try. But no more secrets, Sasha. No more games.”
Her face lit up with relief, and she nodded quickly. “I promise. No more secrets.”
I wanted to believe her. I did. But the image of her at the river -of the blood staining the water and the goddess’s disapproving glare- still haunted me. Something wasn’t right, and I couldn’t let my guard down just yet.
As she settled back into the couch, her posture more relaxed than before, I took a deep breath. The air in the room felt heavy, thick with unsaid words. I glanced at the clock, realizing how much time had passed. Sasha had already fallen asleep, her breathing even and calm.
I stood up and quietly fetched a blanket, gently draping it over her. My hand hovered over her for a moment, and I whispered, “Maybe this won’t be so bad.”
But as soon as I walked away, a gust of wind blew through the back door, bringing with it the familiar whisper of the river. It was faint at first, almost too quiet to notice, but it grew louder, more insistent, pulling at my mind like a magnetic force. The goddess was calling.
I sighed, glancing back at Sasha one more time before slipping out of the house. My feet moved on their own, following the familiar path through the woods toward the river. As I approached, I could feel the air change -the water was disturbed, waves crashing and colliding with each other, the wind howling like an omen.
I stepped into the water, shivering as the cold liquid seeped through my clothes. The goddess’s presence was palpable, her energy swirling around me, whispering in my ear. Her voice, once soothing, now felt distant and urgent. Something was wrong. Something was coming. I closed my eyes, trying to focus on the whispers, to understand the warning she was giving me. But the words were unclear, lost in the chaos of the river’s movements.
What was happening? What was she trying to tell me?
The whispering grew louder, more insistent, and I felt a knot of dread tighten in my chest Something was coming-something dark, something powerful. And I had no idea how to stop it.