The Broken Crown

Pretty Little Things

"The master of puppet masters," I sneer as I cannot believe just how much Oliver thought he could manipulate me. "Why did Asger agree to hire an assassin? What does Asger get out of this?"

"I swear, Leala, I do not know."

"Do you take me for some pathetic fool?"

"I swear I do not know," Oliver cries, crawling to my feet as he balls up, tears streaming down his face as a sob escapes his mouth. "I am so sorry, Leala, I am so sorry, I only did what I thought best to keep you safe. I brought you here to this pack to rule and become what your mother intended."

Holding my head high, I take a step back from Oliver's fingers which brush across my shoes. "You brought me to this pack, but you have left me here behind. You are not sorry, Oliver...you are just afraid to face the consequences for what you have done."

As I walk for the door of the room, Oliver cries out my name, each cry becoming more desperate. The moment I open the door and my warriors step into the room, he cries out something which causes me to spin around. "Repeat that. What do you mean?" I ask, watching as my warriors grab Oliver's hands and pin him to the floor.

Shaking his head, Oliver swears he does not know what I mean. Looking to my men, they await my orders, but I ask Oliver once more to state his phrase. "I loved your mother, Leala, just as much as I love you. Please forgive me."

"I am not like my mother in every way," I snap at Oliver, looking up to my men as I nod my head and motion for them to proceed. As I step away from the room, the ear-piercing scream can be heard followed by a dead silence which fills the hallway.

Walking from the hallway, I enter the courtyard of the pack house, pack members staring at me with wide gazes as I know that they too heard Oliver's last scream. I hold my gaze and chin high, walking past each pack member as I walk through the crowd as whispers begin to erupt in waves as I move past. As I free myself from the sight of pack members, I rush towards a narrow staircase in the pack house, up towards a secluded bathroom where I slam the door shut and rush to the toilet as I can hardly hold in the vomit.

The sickness which fills my stomach causes me to lay my back against the wall as tears begin to fall down my face. Using a towel, I wipe away the tears and muffle my sobs as I try and calm myself down. I try and steady my breathing as I know I need to keep up a strong appearance outside of these four walls, to make myself seem still capable of making decisions of this pack even though the man I trusted most I have just sentenced to death for his betrayal.

My mother trusted Oliver and I did as well. She trusted him till the end...I could have as well. Oliver let an elf kill member of Crimson Lock and he even killed members of Crimson Lock with his bare hands. I cried over the body of Bryson before Oliver's own eyes and he watched without showing any remorse. He let an assassin into my own personal house to kill two valuable alphas, their men, and almost kill my own gamma. That same elf even tried to kill me. I know Oliver did not intend for that elf to come after me, so it means Asger intended that elf to come after me.

Taking in a shaky breath, I steady myself as I rise to my feet and splash water across my face. How am I strong enough to do this on my own? I cannot trust anyone...at least that is what it feels like now. Oliver was so afraid to tell me anything about Asger that it makes me worried to reach out to River about this attack, no doubt he has heard what has happened.

Looking up, I push my hair back and wipe away a few stray tears. Dark bags form under my eyes, cuts across my face from the attack, and the spark once in my eyes a week ago has faded away. Oliver's words still sound through my head, the words he dare not repeat as he thought those were his last ones.