Chapter 117

Agnes

Olivia stepped into the house before I could say a word. She looked more irate than I had ever seen her, her face red and her mouth quivering with fury.

“Where are they?” she hissed, jabbing her finger into the center of my chest. “Where are my husband and daughter, you little whore?”

I blinked, stunned. Gertrude and Evelyn rounded the corner from the living room, looking just as shocked as I was.

“First of all, watch your tongue—” Evelyn began, but I cut her off with a raised hand. I knew that Olivia was trying to get a rise out of me, and I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.

I turned back to Olivia and folded my arms across my chest. “Elijah and Thea are busy,” I said, keeping my voice as calm as possible. “Why are you here? It’s late.”

Olivia scoffed. “I saw those pictures and videos, you know. I mean, I knew you were low class, Agnes, but kissing another man in public? Right in front of my daughter, no less? You’re disgusting.”

“It was not a consensual kiss,” I explained quickly. She should have understood, considering how she had kissed Elijah nonconsensually multiple times now. “And frankly, Olivia, it’s really none of your business. So if you came here just to berate me in my own home, then I’d suggest you leave now before I have security escort you away.”

Her eyes narrowed. “This was never your house,” she retorted. “It’s my home. And Thea is my daughter. I want to speak to her and Elijah, now.”

With that, she stormed past me, Gertrude, and Evelyn, making her way into the living room. Of course Elijah and Thea weren’t there, because they weren’t home at all. Olivia stopped in the middle of the room, staring at the coffee table strewn with wine glasses, food, and paper.

The letter I’d written was sitting in its sealed envelope with Elijah’s name clearly displayed on the back. Olivia stared at it for a moment as if in confusion. Or maybe something else; I wasn’t entirely sure.

“Where are they?” she finally said, whirling around to face me.

“If you must know,” I sighed, “Elijah took Thea on a weekend camping trip.”

Olivia’s eyes widened. “He what? Thea can’t go camping!”

“Why not?”

“Because she has a deadly poison ivy allergy!” Olivia dragged her hands down her face, looking exasperated. “Where did they go, exactly? I have to bring her her epipen.”

I frowned, considering. Elijah hadn’t mentioned any such allergy to me. But he was her father, so surely he knew what sort of allergies his own daughter had. “Doesn’t he have one?” I asked. Knowing Elijah, he likely would have scouted the camping spot beforehand to check for poison ivy even if Thea wasn’t severely allergic.

“He doesn’t know,” Olivia replied, already heading for the door.

Gertrude, Evelyn and I exchanged glances. “He’s her father. How can he not know?”

“Because I never got the chance to tell him before he divorced me and married you,” Olivia scoffed. By now, Beta James had heard the ruckus and came downstairs, confused. Olivia pointed at him. “You. Tell me where Elijah took Thea camping. Now.”

James glanced at me, but I nodded, giving him permission. He told Olivia the location, and she headed for the door.

At the last minute, though, I made the snap decision to go with her. If it was true that Thea was genuinely in danger, I wanted to be there. And it didn’t feel right letting Olivia disturb them on her own, knowing how afraid Thea was of her.

Olivia, surprisingly, didn’t argue when I told her I was coming with her. Gertrude and Evelyn weren’t thrilled, but I assured them I would be fine and asked them to wait at the house for me. I grabbed my jacket and ran out the door, following Olivia to her sleek silver car.

We climbed in, and before I even had a chance to put on my seatbelt, Olivia was flying out of the driveway with a screech of the tires. I gripped the door handle as she flew through the winding country roads.

She was driving with only one hand on the steering wheel, and I swallowed, feeling anxious. I hoped Thea would never be in a vehicle with Olivia driving, because she drove like a maniac. But I assumed perhaps she was just driving more frantically because she was worried, which was fair but still concerning.

As Olivia drove, sipping from a tumbler of coffee—which was strange for this time of night—I read the directions to her from my phone. The camping spot wasn’t far, just a twenty minute drive away from the estate.

“The entrance is on the right here,” I said, pointing to a narrow road leading toward the main campgrounds.

But Olivia flew right past it. I turned in my seat, frustrated. “You missed the—”

“I know where I’m going,” she barked. “There’s a better trail this way.”

I frowned, not sure if I should believe her or not. Either way, she was the one driving, and it wasn’t exactly like I could jump out of the moving vehicle.

A few minutes later, Olivia pulled off onto the side of the road. I didn’t see a trail anywhere as we got out of the car, but Olivia seemed confident as she stepped into the woods. When I didn’t follow her, she paused, shooting me a glare over her shoulder.

“Are you coming or not?”

I hesitated at the edge of the tree line, briefly glancing back at the car. For a moment, I wondered if it would be wiser to wait here, since Olivia seemed to know where she was going. I wasn’t sure if I trusted her enough to follow her into unmarked woods.

But then I thought of Thea’s scared little face—about the tears streaming down her cheeks when Olivia had manipulated the mate bond in public, kissing Elijah against his will.

I knew Thea was upset with me after what happened today, and rightfully so. But I also couldn’t bear the thought of her feeling helpless around Olivia and Elijah if Olivia tried to manipulate him again.

So, taking a deep breath, I followed her into the woods.

The woods were dark, the moon blotted out by a thick cover of clouds. Without my wolf, my night vision was poor, and I nearly stumbled over multiple exposed roots and fallen logs.

But all the while, Olivia marched ahead, grumbling to herself. She didn’t look back once. I followed her voice, trying my best not to fall and break my ankles.

“Where’s the trail?” I finally asked, growing impatient when we had been walking for what felt like hours. “This feels pretty unkempt for an official trail.”

“It’s just up ahead,” Olivia replied tersely. “Try to keep up, will you? You’re slowing us down.”

I grit my teeth and picked up my speed, choosing not to say anything cruel. Just as I was about to ask again, however, my foot caught on a root. I went flying forward, my hands splaying into the soil beneath me.

“Oof—Olivia,” I groaned, climbing to my feet and dusting myself off, “if there’s no trail, then…”

My voice halted as I straightened. The forest was quiet. Too quiet. Olivia’s stomping and grumbling was gone, and as I turned around, looking for her, I realized that she was nowhere to be found.

“Olivia?” I called out.

No answer. She had left me. What a fool I had been, following her into these woods.

And to make matters worse, I had no idea which direction I had come from.

I was lost.