Chapter 21.
I gripped the crumbling letter in my hand. There were so many ways this discussion could play out, and each one ended with Oliver killing me. I imagine him yelling at me, shouting at me for thrusting such a drastic fate on him. I see Lilura walking in at the worst time, and Oliver telling her what must be done. I can just see her understanding why I need to die, and even killing me as well.
The door of my brothers office creeked open, and Oliver stepped in gingerly. He shut the door softly, and when he noticed my tense figure his eyebrows scrunched together. He took a step towards me, but I just took one back. I couldn't risk anything, even if he didn't know. The closer he was, the less time I would have to react if he attacked me.
"I'm honestly sorry Penny, I was busy doing things." He looked down at his watched and examined it. "I'm only three minutes late, it's no big deal right?"
"Of course not." I said bluntly, moving around so the main desk was between us. I needed as much space as possible.
"Are you alright?" He asked, worry edged into his voice.
"I need you to promise me something before I give you this." I held up the paper in the air not far from my face.
"You're the next Moon Goddess, I'm pretty sure it's some sort of sin to defy you." He chuckled, but regained complete seriousness when he noticed my face. "Alright what am I promising?"
"You have to promise to do what you think is right for yourself, not for me, when I give you this. Because you have a decision to make that requires you to be selfish."
"Alright, I promise to do this for myself." He held out his hand, and I cautiously handed him the letter his mother had wrote to him all those years ago.
He was silent while reading it, his face completely blank as he read it. I knew he finished it the moment he looked at me, an indecisive look on his face. He clearly didn't know what to do, but he had to do something. If he killed me, he knew it would be an automatic death sentence by Lucian. But wouldn't it be worth it if people were free from the current Moon Goddess. For all we know, she could be scripting another persons unfortunate future.
"What do you want me to do Penny?" He asked with surprise in his voice. "Kill you? Have you lost you god damn mind?"
"It's the only way to rid this world of everything that's happened." I told him frantically. "If I die, this world will be free of that evil Moon Goddess who's calling all the shots."
"How could you ask me to be selfish, my answer is simple." He barked, tossing the letter swiftly onto the desk. "I would rather die than to see you dead."
"Don't say that." I cried in frustration, linking my fingers through my short hair. "You can't say that."
"What is family to you Penny?" He asked plainly, crossing his arms over his chest. "To me, family is everything. We fight each other, we disagree with each other, but in the end we always fight for each other. You are my family Penny, and you thinking I would ever kill someone in my family proves to me that you have clearly lost your sanity."
He didn't understand, he couldn't. Why was he trying so hard to draw this out? A wolf usually plays with its kill before finally gobbling it up. Is he doing the same to me? Maybe he's trying to confince me that he won't hurt me so he can catch me by surprise.
Oliver took a step towards me. "Don't come any closer." He only ignored me.
"Penny somethings wrong with you, and I need you to understand that I will never intentionally hurt you." His face looked sincere, but somehow I saw through it. I saw a small glint in his eyes, a murderous one.
"Don't touch me!" I shouted, grabbing his shoulders and trying to shove him away. "Don't force me to use my powers on you, I will!"
"No you won't." Oliver stated. "Your wolf won't allow you to hurt someone who was born to protect you."
By now I was up against the bookshelf, a single book digging into my spine. Oliver wasn't that far for me, but it I needed to I could easily put an arm through the distance between us. The look he was giving me wouldn't go away, as if I was a gazzel lost in a meadow. Something sparkled from his hand, but I was too late to stop him front pushing whatever it was into me.
I felt something flow into my bloodstream, and my eyes slowly started to become foggy. Oliver started going in and out of focus, and I could hardly focus on my own. I shook my head, feeling like every inch of my body was falling. I saw his lips moving, looking like an apology directed towards me. I felt my body finally slump, and my mind go black.
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"Something's wrong with her." A voice said, but I couldn't find the ability to determine who was speaking. "Her eyes screamed crazy."
"That's enough Oliver, I don't need you talking about my mate in such a negative way." Another voice spoke, and I instantly recognized it as my mate. However, it felt like he was too far away, and I couldn't reach him.
I was somehow trapped in my own sub conscious. Everything was black, but I could still see where everyone in the room was. It felt like I was in the room with the people talking, but I wasn't at the same time. Everything felt like a blur, like nothing was real. Nothing felt real anymore.
"I hate to break it to you Lucian, but Oliver is right." It sounded like my mom, but I couldn't be sure. "She isn't handling anything correctly, and I think it's best if she stays in this state until the war is over."
"We need her." Lucian argued. "We need her in this war, we need her to win it and you know I'm right."
"We have Lilura." She corrected. "We have one witch on our side and that's all we need."
"We can't fight more than a hundred witches on our own." Something broke, and I could tell it was glass shattering against the ground. "Wake her up."
"She'll be out for a good few days, by the time she wakes up everything will be over." My mom argued calmly. "By then we'll be able to help her mental state."
"You know she'll never forgive any of you for putting her here like this." That was the last I heard before a door was slammed shut. My mate left the room in a moment of rage.
"He's right you know." Oliver said after a moment of silence. "We'll lose this war, and if we do Penelope will be killed even easier like this."
"I asked you to put her here because I thought you understood."
"Celia, this isn't right. Your daughter wants to fight and you're taking that choice away from her."
"Cooper and Clayton need to focus on bringing the rest of the five packs here. We can't have Penny doing something that could turn them against us."
After that they were gone, leaving me all alone in a dreary silence. I had to get out of here, I couldn't just lay here in a coma like state until the war ends. We'll lose, and that's a fact. All those lives lost, Savannah, Sage, and everyone I know would have died for nothing. I can't let their deaths be counted as something pointless.
I fought to wake up, trying to use my magic to losing whatever was binding me to the bed. If I knew I was bound to the bed then at least I was starting to wake up. If I woke up, then I would be able to move around freely.
I started moving through my mind, trying to find my wolf for strength. She was sleeping, giving me no capacity to be able to shift out of this. I would have to do this in the most human way possible. The best way was to scare myself wake. What image could I project in my mind that would scare me to the core.
Images of Sage and Savannah laying dead all those weeks ago popped in my head, but none shook me in the way I was hoping. Dead family members and friends passed through my head, but none seemed to hit home. My parents did nothing, and neither did my brothers. What if I couldn't find a way to wake up. I would be stuck in here until we lost and would be killed easily in this vulnerable state.
Then I though of Lucian. Him dying on the battlefield being unable to help him. I was bound to the floor, my chest digging uncomfortably into it. Lucian was on his back in submission while he was held down by four witches. Ayana was there, a silver dagger being held tightly in her hand. She was going to kill him.
At that moment where his skin and he dagger met, I bolted up right in the bed. The binds snapped and I moved my arms away in a flash. The room was lit brightly, and I had to squint to be able to see it right. The moment I woke up my wolf did too, and she was even more furious than me. My nails grew longer, and my teeth got sharper. I could feel my eyes changing from the sudden control my wolf was trying to take.
I let out a furocious snarl, shaking the pictures hung in the room. I wasn't in my room, instead it was a small simple decorated hospital room. I can't believe Oliver would do that to me. He drugged me in order to bring me here under my mother's wishes. Wherever they were, I would surely make them know I was not to be messed with.
They had no right to put me under, and it was under their choice that made me even more frustrated. They could've asked if I wanted to be out of the war. Of course, I would say no, but the thought of them doing that would have comforted me more. Now, I was beyond the line of angry and I needed to let it out.
I charged out of the hospital, knocking over people in the process. I was still dressed in my previous clothing, which made me believe I had only been out for a short period of time. However when I exited the building, all I could see was the late twilight around me.
Thousands of wolves were outside, many I knew were from different packs. I saw Lucian, running a hand through his beautiful hair. I ran as fast as I could to him, and grabbed his arm when I was right behidn him. He jumped at the sudden touch, and spun around quickly. When he noticed it was me, his eyes widened in surprise.
"You're awake." He said breathlessly.
"Of course I am." I narrowed my eyes at him, a small spark of betrayal hitting me in the heart.
"I would've woken you up if I knew how, believe me I tried everything to convince your mother to let you fight in this." Lucian explained, running his hand through my hair and down my face.
"There is no reason to convince her to let me, this is my fight." I said confidently, and moved over to where the other alphas were conversing, along with my father.
When he saw me, his eyes widened in surprise, and he kindly excused himself. He grabbed my arm roughly, and began moving me back towards the hospital. I started squirming in his hold until I finally mustered the strength to break out of it.
"You shouldn't be here, we're leaving in ten minutes." He said coldly, his eyes darkening severely.
"This is my fight as well dad, and you know as well as me how many people we are going to lose today. In the end, you know everyone here is going to be dead." I told him, knowing well enough that I was speaking the truth.
"You can't expect me to just let my only daughter fight in a war this dangerous." My father responded, his eyes showing a flash of fear.
"I don't expect you to." I said softly. "But you have to let me for everyone elses safety."
He sighed, shaking his head with a small smirk. "You have your mother's unbelieveable fire."
I couldn't believe this was actually happening. After so much distruction and lives suffered, we were finally going to fight Ayana. I was dead set on killing Ayana, knowing she wouldn't be too difficult to find. Being the coward that she is, she will be hiding in the shadows to remain undetected. By then, I would catch her by surprise, draw off all the body guards that she may have around her.
All I needed was the element of surprise, and I'll be able to wipe her head clean off her neck. She won't even realize what's happening until she's already dead. Though I wish she would suffer for everything she's done, I can't risk her getting away; not again. I want her gone from this earth, somewhere where she can't hurt anyone ever again. She deserves to go to hell, and hell she will most certainly go.
"You still think I plan to kill you?" I looked to my right, noticing Oliver shove his hands in his pockets. However, he refused to even spare a single glance in my direction, which wounded me.
"I don't trust anyone but myself at the moment, no hard feelings." I told him honestly, turning away from him and watching our warriors march into the woods in the direction we knew the witch was hiding.
"I'm meant to kill you, but I'm also meant to protect you." Oliver finally looked at me. "I choose protecting you over killing you. Once you get that through your thick skull maybe you'll learn. Hopefully I'm not dead in the end for you to realize that."
"I have a feeling you won't die today." I looked around the groups forming of friends and family members saying goodbye. "But a lot of people here will be mateless, motherless, and fatherless today."
"Why do you think that?" He looked at me with confusion.
"I don't think it." I shook my head and began walking. After a few feet apart from the other, I turned around and our eyes connected. "I guarentee it."
I looked around the area and stopped on a couple, one I knew all too well and was familiar with. I sighed, mildly understanding what was going to happen to them. The man said goodbye to his mates swollen belly, and the woman said goodbye to the mate I knew she would see again. All I knew, was some mothers and fathers would be losing their children as well.
Paige walked over to me, a sad smile on her face. She wrapped her frail arms around me, holding me tights as if feels the pain I know she would be feeling later. She looked me in the eyes, a proud glint behind them, one I was happy to look at.
"You're insane if you are actually planning on fighting." I sighed, shaking my head at her.
She scoffed. "I'm not fighting, Adam for sure won't allow it. But that doesn't mean I can't be a helping hand on taking care of the wounded on the battlefield."
"Just be careful." I smiled, giving a small pat to her pregnant stomach and walking away.
I watched my family from a distance, knowing full well that we would be seeing each other. I watched as each mated pair smiled. My mother with my father were holding each other tightly, afraid this may be the last time they see each other. Clayton was tryingn to calm London's tears, since she was struggling to contain her strong composure. Rylan and Kory were speaking in hushed voices, and my heart cracked at the looks they were giving the other. Kory was an Alpha of a completely different pack, and he had to be there to fight with his men. That meant leaving Rylan with my pack, since he was part of the Alpha bloodline.
I looked at my mate's family with a warm heart. Jeremy and Trixie were trying to make the most out of this situation, cracking the best bad jokes. They were grinning ear to ear, and I had a feeling neither of them were worried. I knew Trixie came from a rough background, and war probably was second nature to her. She would be fine, and so would her mate. They made an inspirational team.
My mate's little sister was blushing as Shaw said something lowly in her ear. Jackie's heart was beating, obviously nervous from being unable to fight. She was too young, and would have to stay in the house until someone came back for her. All the underaged and the overaged stayed; it was just something that was needed.
Fia and Sal were the last couple I saw, and I noticed they were both having a difficult time with this. They refused to stay inside where the more elderly people were staying. I understood them, since Ayana had been the one who ruined their lives as well. They wanted to see her dead just as badly as the rest of us. Hopefully I'm the one who gives them that favor.
"I refuse to die knowing that Ayana isn't." Fia concluded, running her hand over her mate's face.
"I promise you, today is her finally day." Sal spoke, kissing her forehead lovingly before stepping away.
After scanning everyone around the scenary, I noticed one person standing alone. I walked over to her, looking out at the snow landscape with sadness. Her arms were crossed, and a sour face was plastered across her face. She looked uneasy, and also very helpless. She looked like a strong warrior, but also a nervousn children. She had no idea what was going to happen to her, and she had no idea what was going to happen to Oliver.
"Your mate will be safe." I promised her.
"Just because you are the next Moon Goddess doesn't mean you can predict the future." Lilura hissed. "People change their minds, and just like that everything changes."
"Sometimes people changing their minds helps, and if that happens things can only go to the best." I explained to her wisely.
"Or bad." She turned her head to examine me. "You're different, somethigns changed about you and I don't like it."
"I'm still the same me." I argued calmly, turning away from her and looking up at the darkening sky.
"The Penny I know would be freaking out, but you're calmer that ever." She tilted her head, as if she were a confused dog. "You know what's about to happen, don't you."
I ignored her question. "You'll be with me the entire time right? I'll need more guidance if I want to killl all the witches on that battlefield."
"I won't leave your side." Her eyes narrowed with suspicion, but she kept quiet. "If this war changes you, I hope you understand the reason why I'll leave."
"Oliver won't allow it." I told her, remembering how Oliver made the decision to protect me.
"Then I'll leave him." She told me confidently. "I don't want to be in the same country as the next Moon Goddess."
"Why?" I asked Lilura, and gave her my undivided attention. "What aren't you telling me."
"When the Moon Goddess spoke to me all those years ago and told me to take care of you, I managed to look into her memories." Her eyes locked with mine as she spoke. "She was exactly like you as I grew up with you, but a war between her tribe and another made her cruel."
All of a sudden, a war cry was heard in the distance, and at that moment I knew someone had attacked a witch. It was miles away, but the warriors we had stretched for miles. Everyone was circling Ayana, and we had all the men we needed. Those few hundred witches would be gone soon, and all of this will finally be over.
"Lets hope that doesn't happen to you. We don't want history repeating itself."
______________________________________________________*(A/N)*
Hello my lovely fans! Happy Sunday and Happy Mother's Day!
I know it's been a few months, and I feel incredibly awful! There's just been a lot going on in life and I couldn't find the time to write. I wanted to start moving this story along, since it is getting closer and close to the final ending. I know, I'm pretty sad too ;(
But don't you worry, the ending will be epic and it's not going to happen for at least another ten chapters. So no worries!
I'm back on track with this story, and I hope I'll be able to finish this story by the end of summer! Keep your fingers crossed! I've got a great idea for another story that I'm VERY excited about!
I promise not to take as long as I did this time, believe me, I'll try. No update next week, but hopefully the following!
If you have any questions about what's going on, don't hesitate to private message me. I know it's been a while, and some of you may have forgotten.
Much love and I hope to see you guys again soon!
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