CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

**OLIVER**
My eyes fluttered open, and I groaned at the headache steady pounding in my skull. I slowly sat up on the small, thin mattress that sat in the corner and surveyed my surroundings. I was in a cell. I knew that much. Made of stone, and no bars or barricades in sight, it made for an odd cell. The only light streaming into the ancient structure came from a small window high up in the wall, and the low-voltage bulb in the middle of the stone ceiling.
I held my hand as I forced my brain to recollect everything that had led to me being in this strange situation, and I swore under my breath as the memories came flooding back.
“Fuck…”
I started when I saw a shadow seated silently at the farthest corner of the room. Even in the darkness, I could feel eyes on me, watching me with an intensity that unsettled me. I squinted my eyes to see who the strange shadow was and somehow failed.
“Who the fuck are you?” I asked.
“It was about time you woke up,” Sasha said, coming out of the shadows into the stream of light. “I was about to wonder if I had killed you. Our mother wouldn’t have liked that very much.”
She giggled again, and in that moment, I was convinced that I had never hated anyone more than I hated this bitch. Sudden strength surged through my body, and I lunged at her, arms outstretched and ready to snuff life out of her.
I swore loudly as an invisible force threw me backward and I hit the stone walls with deadly force, falling to the ground. Sasha bent over laughing, her eyes filling with tears and spilling over. She fell to her knees, something about me being flung back carelessly must have been amusing.
“What the fuck was that?” I asked as I struggled to my feet, my body aching from the impact of the stone wall.
I swore loudly, my mind refusing to believe what my body had just felt. I struggled to my feet and shrugged off the effects of the first hit against the wall. I took a deep breath and charged again and white flashed behind my eyes as
“This is an ancient castle, Oliver,” Sasha said, her right hand resting on her hip. “In case you couldn’t tell by the stone walls. Here, you don’t need physical chains to keep you bound. We have spiritual ones.”
Sasha had a smug look on her face, a certain pride that had been missing during her time with Gabriel, me, and my mother…our mother. I looked at her, at the expensive lace of her floor-length gown that looked extremely out of place in this hell, to the gold necklace, earrings and rings that adorned her person. This Sasha was different. She was nothing like the one who had stumbled through the pack like a feral dog and held on to a dead body. This Sasha was regal, her blonde hair was brushed back with amazing care, and her alabaster skin shone even in the darkness. Realizing this made me realize just how much pretense she had put up, and the amount of time and energy it must have consumed. I was almost impressed.
Almost.
“No matter how hard you try, dear brother, you can never escape this place,” she said. “Neither can you be rescued.”
I badly wanted to wipe the grin on her face. I so hated the way she looked at me; back straight, shoulder squared, brows slightly raised, as though she was assessing my person, and considered me no better than vermin.
“I see that man is your father?” I asked.
Her eyes lit up immediately at the mention of her father, and despite myself, I couldn’t help but smile. I could tell they had a beautiful relationship, which was much more than I could say for mine.
“An amazing man, is he not?!” She gushed.
I scoffed and thought of Gabriel. As soon as he crossed my mind, my heart skipped a beat and my fists clenched. I wracked my brain to remember if he had been okay before I was knocked out. Had he died? Had he been seriously wounded? Had the attack situation been handled? I took a deep breath, feeling the right leave me at that moment…feeling like a failure. I hadn’t been able to protect Gabriel. I had failed.
I thought of the river goddess and realized that I could no longer feel her in the back of my mind. I closed my eyes and tried to reach her, to no avail.
“Oh, don’t bother doing that. You will never be able to reach her here. My father made sure of that,” Sasha said gleefully, as though she had been able to read my mind.
“What? What did you do?”
She raised her hands, “Me? I did nothing. My father on the other hand…”
I felt my heart in my chest, my mind conflicted on whether to be happy sad, or angry about the situation. After all, I had been trying to rid myself of the river goddess, however, I wasn’t sure this was how I wanted to go about it. Leaving her in the hands of Sasha and her father wasn’t exactly the wisest decision. But there was nothing I could do. I was powerless to stop it.
I was angry all over again. All this to what end?
I let out a sardonic laughter. “So, all that time you spent telling me about your life, about your father, how you had grown up…always wanted to be family…that was all a lie, wasn’t it?”
Sasha nodded her head enthusiastically. “Yes! Why would I want to be family with a man who stole everything from me?!”
I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose. “So this was the plan all along?” I asked.
“Brilliant, is it not?”
I shook my head. “No, Sasha. No, it isn’t. How do you think our mother would feel when—“
“She would feel happy to finally be a family with the only two people in the world who love her!” She screamed, her brows drawing down in anger.
I scoffed. “And you think she doesn’t love me?”
Sasha’s eyes gleamed as she stepped closer, her voice low but filled with conviction. “Don’t you see, Oliver? Our mother doesn’t belong with you. She belongs here—with me and my father. With us, she’ll finally be free. She’ll live the life she always deserved, a life without fear, without pain.”
I stared at her, my heart pounding. “What are you talking about?”
Sasha’s grin widened, almost manic. “Our mother deserves better than what you’ve given her. Do you think she’s happy, stuck in your world? In your pack, constantly having to look over her shoulder, terrified that she might lose you, lose Gabriel? That she might never truly be free? My father and I can give her a better life. A life where she isn’t being beaten down by the weight of your responsibilities. She can live without the constant fear of the pack and the shadow of your curse.”
I blinked, shaking my head. “You’re wrong. She’s happy. She’s safe with us.”
Sasha laughed, the sound harsh and cutting. “Safe? Is that what you call it? Do you think dragging her into your world, forcing her to watch you drown in the goddess’s demands, is safe? Oliver deserves more than this miserable existence. With us, she’ll have a real chance to live. To be free. She’s not a servant to your pack, your life. She could be happy.”
My blood ran cold at the words. “You don’t know anything about our mother. You think she’s going to come here, live with you and your father? You’re delusional, Sasha.”
She stepped even closer, her eyes blazing. “You’re the one who doesn’t understand. She’s already halfway there, Oliver. I’ve spoken to her. She’s tired of this life. She’s tired of the lies, the deceit, the constant fear of losing you. We could give her something better. She could live a life free from everything that’s holding her back. All she has to do is come to us.”
My stomach churned. “She would never.”
“She would,” Sasha snapped, her expression hardening. “And she will, once she realizes that we can protect her. We can give her what you never could. You should be happy for her, Oliver. Instead of clinging to her, forcing her to watch you struggle with the goddess’s power, you should be glad that she’s finally going to get the life she deserves. A life free of this mess.”
I swallowed hard, Sasha’s words hitting me like a punch to the gut. For a moment, doubt crept in. What if she was right? What if my mother did want a different life? One where she didn’t have to watch me drown in the goddess’s power, constantly wondering when the next tragedy would strike.
But then I remembered my mother’s face—the way she looked at me, the way she stood by my side despite everything. She wasn’t running away. She wasn’t abandoning me.
“No,” I said firmly, shaking my head. “You’re wrong, Sasha. She’s not going to leave me. She’s not going to live with you and your father. She’s with me because she wants to be. She’s chosen to stand by my side.”
Sasha’s smile faltered for just a second, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her face. But she quickly masked it with a sneer. “You’ll see, Oliver. Soon enough, she’ll realize that we can offer her more than you ever could. And when that day comes, you’ll be left with nothing.”
I took a step forward, my jaw clenched. “You’re the one who doesn’t understand, Sasha. You’re so consumed by your hatred, by your twisted idea of what our mother wants, that you can’t see the truth. She’s not going to abandon me. And I won’t let you drag her into your mess.”
Sasha’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment, the room seemed to grow colder. The shadows lengthened, and the air thickened with tension. Then, with a low, dangerous laugh, Sasha turned away from me.
“Believe what you want, Oliver,” she said, her voice dripping with malice. “But the goddess won’t protect you forever. And when she’s done with you, you’ll have nothing left. No power, no mother, no pack. You’ll be all alone.”
I stared at her, anger and fear swirling inside me. She was wrong—she had to be. But as Sasha moved back into the shadows, her words continued to echo in my mind, gnawing at the edges of my confidence.
And then, out of nowhere, I heard it—the voice of the goddess. Quiet at first, but growing louder, more insistent.
Your time is running out, Oliver, she whispered, her voice wrapping around my thoughts like a cold hand. Submit to me fully, or everything you hold dear will fall apart. You cannot remain divided. You must choose.
A chill ran down my spine. I stood there, frozen in place, as the weight of the goddess’s ultimatum settled over me. My connection to her was fraying, slipping through my fingers, and I knew that if I didn’t make a decision soon, everything I cared about would crumble.
Sasha’s laughter echoed in the darkness as she disappeared, leaving me alone with the goddess’s words ringing in my ears.