Chapter 396

Olivia

The sound of approaching sirens grew louder, and soon, the room was cast in the color of flashing red and blue lights. It was strange, seeing Nathan holding his demented sister in that cacophony of sound and color, but it was also strangely beautiful.

But then the officers burst into the room, guns drawn.

“Get down on the ground!” they shouted, not at us, but at Jenifer. Surprisingly, she complied with little hesitation. Either the magic that she had stolen from the witch had finally run its course, or perhaps she gave up.

Either way, she went down with no fuss, laying on the ground with her hands behind her back.

Nathan stood, and the two of us stepped aside, creating a path for the officers to approach her. I took a deep breath, still shaken by the terrifying events that had unfolded in the basement, where Alvin’s body still laid cold and lifeless on the floor.

“You have the right to remain silent,” the officer cuffing Jenifer began. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law…”

As they spoke, their voices felt further and further away. My gaze was fixed on Jenifer, who just laid there, unblinking, her cheek pressed into the cold wood of the floor. Her tears had subsided, but her eyes were still red-rimmed and puffy.

Just then, a young officer with a stern but compassionate face approached me, his badge reflecting the blue and red lights from the cars outside.

I must have looked like I was in shock—hell, I was in shock—because he unfurled a silver reflective blanket and wrapped it around my shoulders as he studied my face intently.

“Miss, are you okay?” he asked, his voice gentle but firm.

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat as I tore my gaze away from Jenifer. “Yes, I’m... I’m okay now,” I stammered. “It’s… over.”

He nodded in understanding before pulling out a small notebook and pen, ready to take my statement. He started by asking me some basic questions: my name, the date, anything to make sure I was mentally sound enough to not warrant an immediate trip to the hospital.

Despite how I felt, though, I was all there. My heart felt like it was still sitting in the bottom of the basement next to Alvin’s body, but my mind seemed to be all in one piece—for the time being.

“Can you tell me what happened here?” he asked gently. “If you’re able, of course.”

I nodded, just wanting to get the necessary stuff out of the way. “Of course. Um… it began when I went to the Council building to confront Edward, Nathan’s supposed uncle…”

As I spoke, the words came out faster and faster, as if someone was turning the faucet on my mind. Before I knew it, I was spilling everything: Edward, Jenifer’s disguise, the hex, waking up in the basement, all of it.

And then, finally, came the final detail.

“She killed our friend,” I said, my voice barely more than a whisper. “A… A knife through his heart. He’s still down there, in the basement. He didn’t deserve any of this.”

The officer listened intently, jotting down the details. I could see the shock and sympathy in his eyes as he scribbled down the account of our nightmarish encounter. After I finished telling him about Alvin, though, he finally snapped his notebook shut and nodded to another officer, who began making their way down into the basement.

Meanwhile, Nathan stood a few feet away, his expression a mix of exhaustion and sorrow. He had gone through so much in these past few hours, and I knew the weight of it all was heavy on his shoulders.

Slowly, I made my way over to him, closing the distance between us. But he didn’t notice; his attention was fixed on Jenifer, who was cuffed and being led out of the house.

“Wait,” he called out, causing the officers who were leading her to stop. “I want to talk to her.”

With a hesitant glance at each other, the officers nodded and stepped away to give Nathan and Jenifer some semblance of privacy.

Nathan and Jenifer just stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. I could see the madness dancing through Jenifer’s eyes, but I also saw a scared little girl, a girl who had endured far too much throughout her life.

“Why did you do all of this?” Nathan finally asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Jenifer, after a moment’s hesitation, met his gaze with a mixture of anger and bitterness in her eyes.

“My life has been nothing but hell, thanks to your father,” she spat out, her words dripping with venom. “As if killing my entire pack wasn’t enough, Colin even sexually abused me throughout the entire time I lived with you. And then… you were the one who sent me to that awful asylum. You all had to pay for what you did.”

Nathan’s face contorted into a complex blend of emotions—guilt, anger, and sadness.

He ran a hand through his hair, his voice barely above a whisper. “Jenifer, I’m so sorry about your pack and what happened to you,” he murmured. “But it’s no excuse to hurt innocent people. Olivia, Alvin… They had no part in this. You could have found another way to seek justice.”

Jenifer’s gaze dropped to the floor, her anger momentarily subsiding. “Maybe... maybe you’re right,” she admitted, her voice cracking ever so slightly. “But it’s too late now. I’ll pay for my crimes.”

The officers began the process of escorting Jenifer out of the house once again, and I watched as they led her away, her face stony and cold. I felt oddly relieved and devastated at the same time.

If only we could have helped Jenifer in some way before it came to this… but then again, this was years in the making.

As they reached the edge of the front porch, Nathan called out to her one last time, his voice soft and gentle.

“Jenifer, maybe someday you can get the help you need. Maybe someday, you can reintegrate into society.”

Jenifer’s eyes met his, and there was the tiniest glimmer of surprise and uncertainty in them.

“And when that day comes,” Nathan continued, “my arms will be open and waiting for you to come home.”

A tear trickled down Jenifer’s cheek as she was led away, but nothing more was said. Nathan and I watched as they loaded her into the back of the police car for the second time that year, and then it was pulling away, its flashing lights fading into the distance.

The world turned into a blur after that. Police officers surrounded the house, putting up yellow tape to mark the crime scene. Neighbors came out of their homes, their expressions turning from curious to shocked as they saw their Alpha and their Luna standing on the sidewalk, frozen to our spots.

But Nathan and I hardly noticed. He put his arms around me and pulled me close, and we huddled there under the silver blanket, just silently taking in each other’s comfort.

“I love you,” I murmured, taking Nathan’s hand and placing it on my belly, where the little life inside of me was still growing—alive, healthy, and hopefully no longer hexed.

Nathan let out a soft sigh and pressed his forehead against mine.

“I love you too, Liv,” he whispered. “Let’s go home.”