Chapter 31: A Heavy Price

OLIVIA

As the elevator doors slid open, Olivia tilted her head back. ~What a headache~.

After a vague, odd call, Alexander had abruptly ended the call, and then he hadn’t returned. She’d waited, thinking he needed some medical attention and that he’d finally stop avoiding her. She was mistaken.

Once the sky had turned dark, she’d given up on him showing up. This wasn’t how she wanted to end her week at the pack house but…

At first, she was worried that something had happened to him; another attack.

Jason had reassured her that he wasn’t hurt but there was something pack-related he needed to handle immediately. The way he spoke of it, this kind of thing happened frequently.

Alexander was their leader, and he had a lot on his plate. She was nobody. She wasn’t even part of the pack. Of course, his pack members were his priority.

She couldn’t be angry about that.

Even if she wanted to be, he had hung up on her.

He had worried her. And then he didn’t come back.

It didn’t help that the hospital kept calling her, probably to confirm she’d be at her next shift. She couldn’t wait for him. Maya had driven her back.

Olivia had to put her foot down, threatening to ~walk home~ before she finally relented. What choice did she have? She had a job, obligations to meet.

Besides, he never had trouble locating her. When he had the time, he could come to her. She wasn’t about to run after him.

He was a constant source of stress. Drawing her in, pushing her away. He was indecisive.

All she craved was to sink her face into her pillows and ~scream~. And she still had to deal with ~Will~. A sigh escaped her lips as she trudged towards her door, which was surprisingly ajar.

Her heart missed a beat as she clutched her chest. Why was her door open? Could it be—did Alexander forget to shut it when he came to collect her things?

Her lower lip quivered, and her mouth felt dry as she swallowed.

~Stay calm, Liv~. She tiptoed towards her apartment.

She sniffed the air, but nothing seemed out of place. She used her index finger to push the door further open, listening to its creak.

She peeked inside, keeping most of her body in the hallway—just in case.

But there was nothing. It was vacant. Silent.

It must have been Alexander. It had to be. She gripped her backpack strap as she stepped inside.

“Hello?” ~Great idea, Olivia. If there’s a psycho killer, he’ll definitely respond.~

Everything was fine. There was no one here, right?

Then why couldn’t she shake off the feeling that something was amiss?

She ventured deeper into her apartment, bracing for something to startle her. As she neared her bedroom, she finally detected it—the smell of blood.

“Liv.”

Her name being called made her gasp.

A few moments passed before she relaxed, recognizing the voice. She spun around, her heart pounding. There he was. Hiding in the corner, a trail of blood leading to him.

He was injured.

“Will…” She was angry at him, sure. But seeing him like this, drenched in his own blood, clutching his side as if he’d been stabbed? She was concerned for him.

Yes, they needed to have a conversation, and he owed her an explanation, but that didn’t mean she wanted him to ~die~. “Wh-what happened to you?”

He snorted before taking another step towards her. “Your fuck buddy did this.”

“Excuse me?”

“That alpha you’ve been screwing behind my back.”

His eyes held a darkness. One she’d witnessed for the first time during their argument. It was back. But his words didn’t make sense. Alexander wasn’t here.

He—he couldn’t be. “We’re not together, Will. I can sleep with whoever I want.”

“So, you ~have~ been screwing him?”

“That’s none of your concern.”

“It is my concern.”

“Really? Because you hide things from me. Can’t I do the same?”

He scoffed. “I warned you alphas were monsters. He’s manipulating you. He’s turning you against me, Liv. Wake up.”

“You lied to me, Will.”

“Why? Because he said I did?”

She balled her fists.

“No, because your stories don’t add up.”

“He’s making you believe that, Liv. You know I’d do anything for you.” Each time he spoke, he moved closer to her.

She’d tried to maintain a distance between them but all it had done was back her into a corner. This wasn’t good.

He was looking at her differently. She felt like prey.

“Then why didn’t you use to tie yourself?”

“What?”

“You found me on the night of the full moon. You weren’t chained in your basement. So why do we do it?”

“Liv…”

“Why? Did we attack someone that night?”

Her memories of her transformation were hazy at best. Maya had told her she was in control during the full moon nights but Olivia had never managed that. She’d depended on Will.

“Liv, stop.”

“Why? What are you hiding? Why do we tie ourselves up? Is it something I did?”

He winced, avoiding her gaze.

“Is it…something you did?”

His upper lip curled, his breathing was rapid and loud as he evaded her stare.

His gaze was fixed on the ground, his chest puffed out in a defensive stance. He attempted to angle his body away from her, a grimace of pain crossing his face as he twisted his torso. His injuries were more severe than they appeared.

“Will…” Her stomach was in knots. A sense of impending doom crawled down her spine, almost preventing her from voicing the question that was eating at her. “Will—what—what happened?”

“I THOUGHT YOU WERE JESS!”

Her heart pounded in her chest, a buzzing sensation filling her head. “W-what?”

“DAMN IT!” he shouted, pulling away from her. “You were supposed to be Jess. It was 11 o’clock. Her shift was over.”

A wave of nausea hit her, and she swallowed hard to keep it at bay. “Wi-Will. Did you—did you?” Her legs felt like jelly, threatening to give out beneath her. ~No, no, no~.

Will was muttering to himself, his fingers raking through his hair. He wasn’t looking at her. “I—she rejected me. She didn’t understand. She couldn’t ~feel~ our connection. I knew we were meant to be, she didn’t.”

His words were rushed, his speech slurred, but she could decipher what he was saying. But it didn’t make any sense. Meant to be?

“I tried to do it the normal way…~but she rejected me~. She kept rejecting me. What was I supposed to do Liv, what was I supposed to do?” he asked, finally looking at her.

“I was dying. And she didn’t know. She didn’t ~care~. I knew what I had to do. If I turned her, she’d know. She’d feel it too.”

That part, she understood.

~Will~. Will had attacked her. Will had left her for dead. She was a werewolf ~because of him~.

“I waited. I waited for her. I watched from across the street… I thought… I thought you were ~her~. I couldn’t ~think~ Liv. My wolf took over, and I was ~angry~. I was so mad at her. I—”

“You attacked me from behind…” Her stomach churned as the memories came flooding back.

She remembered the excruciating pain as teeth sank into her neck. Fangs had pierced through the hood of her hoodie, embedding into her flesh.

“I tasted you…” He moved closer, his hands reaching for her face, cradling her cheeks. “I realized you weren’t Jess.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision. “So—so you tried to kill me?”

“I was trying to be merciful,” he quickly replied, wiping away a tear with his thumb. “I didn’t want you to become a monster.”

Was he fucking kidding her? ~He~ bit ~her~. And then he didn’t want ~her~ to become a monster?

She had been terrified all this time. All the sleepless nights she spent fearing the monster would return to finish the job, he had been there to comfort her. But he was the nightmare. He was the monster.

“I-I thought you were dead, I left…but then. The news…there was no report of a dead girl. I went back…and I followed your scent…to the hospital.”

He rested his forehead against hers.

“You were alive, you were my responsibility. I waited for you to transform on the night of the full moon, and then I helped you, Liv. I took care of you. I couldn’t have Jess, but…”

~He could have her~.

He had destroyed her life, turned her into a monster. And then he kept her like a plaything, a substitute for the girl he truly wanted.

And then he got Jess.

“You understand, right?”

The question made her snap.

She shoved him away, her hands forcefully pushing against his chest. “ARE YOU CRAZY?” She had no control over her voice, her emotions, her body.

“~You tried to kill me~. You turned me into a wolf because A GIRL REJECTED YOU. YOU RUINED MY LIFE.”

His eyes hardened. “I took care of you.”

“~You’re the reason I needed help,~” she retorted. “You did this to me? For what? So I could be your second choice. Until you got the real one? You’re a fucking psycho!”

She loved him. She trusted him. All these years, she believed everything he told her… How could she have been so naive?

How could he do this? How could he make love to her after what he’d done? How could he touch her, lie to her as if nothing had happened? How was he not consumed by guilt?

~Because he didn’t give a damn about her~.

“GET OUT OF MY HOUSE,” she screamed, sidestepping to free herself from the wall. He was angry, and she needed to create space between them.

This Will was a stranger to her.

She didn’t recognize the Will who assaulted ~people~ in the dead of night. He believed he had killed her, and it hadn’t phased him. His only worry had been for himself.

“You don’t mean that.”

“~You tried to kill me~. Because Jess said no?”

“YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND. SHE’S MINE. SHE HAD TO SAY YES.”

What did he think they were? Possessions for him to claim? Things he had a right to? How had she missed this?

How could ~this~ be the same Will she’d fallen in love with?

He’d always put her first, always cared for her. He’d held her, stroked her hair while she wept… For weeks she’d been unable to leave her bed.

He’d fed her, kept her alive…

And he was the cause of all her pain.

She didn’t know a heart could shatter like this. It felt like someone had torn it from her chest and split it in two.

She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t think.

When she managed to refocus, his hands were on her. He held her shoulders, preventing her from retreating into her bedroom. “Liv, Liv, you have to understand. I had to do it.”

“You didn’t have to do anything,” she retorted, slapping his hand away.

He’d touched her. He’d ~slept~ with her. Oh God. The nausea returned and she couldn’t suppress it this time. She leaned to the side, vomiting.

He squatted down, rubbing her back. “It’ll be okay, Liv. We’re gonna be okay. We just—he’s put a bad idea in your head. You can’t see him anymore.”

Him? ~Alexander~.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, recoiling from his touch. “He’s never lied to me.”

“That’s what you think. We were good, you and me. Before ~he~ came along.”

“He’s not the one who did this to me, Will. You are.”

She backed away, stepping on ~something~ as she finally entered her bedroom. W-what? She took her eyes off Will and looked at the floor. Was that her mirror?

Why was it shattered? Did—did Alex and Will really fight?

Was Alexander hurt? No, Jason—Jason would have been concerned about him. Unless he lied to him too? Was he injured somewhere?

“Will, where’s Alexander?”

His nose wrinkled and his eyes locked onto her face. “~Don’t say his name~.”

“Will—”

“WHY ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT HIM? I’M THE ONE WHO’S HURT!”

“Will, ca—”

She didn’t get to finish her sentence.

Will shoved her to the floor, causing her to cry out in pain as she felt shards of mirror piercing her skin, cutting her. “W-will.”

“You’re not gonna see him anymore.”

He was on all fours, trapping her body between his legs. His hands moved to her neck and wrapped around it.

Fear gripped her and she clung to his forearms, trying to loosen his hold.

“Never, again. He hurt me because of you. He hurt me because he thought ~I~ was the problem. What did you tell him, Liv? What, he slept with you good, so you trusted him?

“Is that all it takes? Spread your legs open and you give in? That’s what you did with me. As long as I slept with you, you listened.”

Her nails dug into his skin, scratching it, but it wasn’t enough to make him move. He wasn’t getting off her.

His words were stabbing her like knives. Why was he saying this? Why was he doing this?

“P-please.”

“Are you gonna listen?”

His grip tightened, and she found herself growing faint. What would happen if she passed out?

What would he do to her? She didn’t know this Will, she didn’t know how far he would go. Murder wasn’t beneath him.

Would he finish what he started all those years ago?

That night had left her yearning for death.

But not anymore.

Now, she craved life.

A spark ignited within her.

Yet, overpowering him seemed impossible. Not in her current state.

Her arms fell limp at her sides, the urge to surrender and close her eyes was overwhelming. Time was slipping away. She needed to act.

Then, she felt it. Cold and sharp beneath her fingers.

A shard of mirror. Her instincts took over as she gripped it tightly. It cut into her skin, blood trickling down her palm—but she was beyond caring. This was her only chance.

“Are you gonna be a good girl, Liv?”

~Screw you~. She mustered all her strength, raising her arm and plunging the shard into his side, right where his shirt was already stained with blood.

“YOU FUCKING BITCH.”

She didn’t hesitate; she reacted. She stabbed him repeatedly until she could finally breathe again. His hold on her weakened, and he fell back, clutching his bleeding wound.

“Liv, I’m gonna fucking kill you.” His words were garbled by the blood spilling from his mouth, his body convulsing on the ground.

She would never let him threaten her life again.

With a scream, Olivia lunged forward, her eyes squeezed shut as she stabbed him.

She would never let him harm her again. She wouldn’t let him pursue her.

She wouldn’t let him steal any more of her life than he already had.

She continued to stab until she finally dropped the blood-soaked shard onto his body.

She crumpled to the ground, her hands shaking as she wrapped her arms around herself.

~Oh God~. Had she—was he ~dead? Pull yourself together, Liv. You’re a nurse~.

But she couldn’t. She couldn’t think, she couldn’t move. His warm blood on her skin was a chilling reminder of the body lying next to her.

She was dimly aware of her own sobs, tears streaming down her face.

What was she supposed to do now? Call the police? ~But he was a werewolf~. What if something strange happened when they died?

What if he transformed back?

And what would she tell them? That she defended herself against his violent rage? That he had turned her into a werewolf?

There was only one call she could make.

Her trembling hands reached into her back pocket for her cellphone. The screen was cracked but it powered on.

That was enough. She felt shards of glass flake off as she swiped to find ~his~ name.

Her finger trembled as she hit the call button.

It rang. She waited for him to answer.

“A-Alex? I-I need help.”