Chapter Fifty Four

Brielle's POV

“Brielle,” Lucien's voice buzzed through my mind. Slowly, I opened my eyes, fighting through the pain that was shooting through me from my shoulder.

“Hey,” he muttered when I opened my eyes. I smiled, reciprocating the beam he had on his face.

“Brielle,” Another voice cut into the moment. I reacted and my gaze met that of Zane. He was helping some of the mansion's security to cover a body up with a tarp. I cowered when he came close, afraid that he was still under their control.

“No,” Lucien held my hand, he took a deep breath before he continued.

“He is our Zane and I think you should hear him out,”

“Brielle,” He grabbed my hand. I wanted to believe that it was him but I couldn't shake off the dead look I saw in his eyes. He was too ruthless for my memory to forget.

“I would never hurt you, never. I can't even think about hurting you, so please, believe me when I say I'm sorry,”

“I know,” I exhaled. My shoulder had been treated while I was unconscious but it still burned badly.

“I know, Zane,” I gripped his hands tighter.

“Do you want to tell her?” Lucien asked as he poured whiskey into a glass. I gulped it down and groaned loudly at the burn.

“Where is Ken?” I asked. I looked around and he was nowhere to be found.

“Ken died by the hands of Chase,” Lucien muttered, staring at the distance, avoiding my gaze.

“Ashe died by my hands,” He added as he swiftly gave me a cold look.

“He is dead,” I muttered. I caught his scent by the bed and I slowly went over and pulled the tarp off the body. Imagining him dead was far better than seeing his actual body. My body felt like it was being sucked by a vacuum when I touched his cold body.

“I'm sorry Brielle,” Lucien whispered behind me.

“I had no choice,”

“No,” I sighed as I closed the body back up.

“I was the one who had the choice but I left him to die,”

***********

“Brielle!” Lucien and Zane charged after me. I was heading out with one goal in mind, confront Chase.

“Where the hell are you going?”

“He caused his death, he should pay,” I responded.

“Please, listen to me,” Zane pleaded. I had never seen him with such an expression before, one of fear.

“The only reason I am in control is because Rio is holding the little brat responsible at bay,”

“Rio? What does he have to do with all of these?” I asked curiously.

“We are the only two districts that haven't bent the knee and he was attacked by Suzie,” Lucien responded as he pulled the travelling bag I had set up out of my hand.

“He defeated her and now he is holding her hostage in his pack,”

From the looks on their faces, I already had an idea of what their plan was.

“Absolutely fucking not!” I retorted swiftly.

“Brielle, listen,” Lucien urged.

“He wants us to come sever the link before the next ten hours or else she would take control of me again and this time, there might be no coming back from it,” Zane explained but I could still feel that they were holding something back.

“You can't trust Rio, going there is a bad idea,” I responded.

“We are not going alone, baby doll,” Lucien said with a conniving smirk.

“He wants us to bring you or else no deal. At first it felt like a trap but I can't see any other option available at this point,”

“Me? He had the guts to want to see me?” I reacted angrily.

“After ruining my life? I would be thrilled to see him,”

“One of the main reasons for him seeing you is that he claims to have a relationship with you,” Zane spoke carefully.

“For Goddess's sake, Zane. Tell her and stop making a thriller movie out of the moment,” Lucien blurted impatiently.

“He claims you share the same mother,” He admitted swiftly.

“He says you both have a lot to discuss concerning the mother you both share,”

“Lies,” I uttered instinctively, my body rumbling with anger and shock. The audacity he had for bringing my mother into his filthy mouth disgusted me.

“You feel something,” Lucien pointed out. The feeling came in for a second but I wasn't shocked that Lucien saw through me.

“I need to be alone right now,” I walked away from them.

“Brielle!” Lucien called out but I didn't stop.

I walked into the woods to the lake by the creek. I sat there and thought, memories of my mother coming back to me slowly.

I remembered her telling me that she left her other family, just to be with my dad. She left duty to start a simple life and somehow it began to make sense. The secret discussion, the on edge feeling anytime we got visitors, they were always at alert.

“He can't be!” I growled to myself.

“So he was telling the truth,” Zane emerged from the shade behind me.

“To have you this rattles says enough. For the idea to even cross your mind says a lot,”

“Please Zane,” I had my hands over my face as I inhaled and exhaled heavily.

“I just need a moment,”

“It is dark, lonely and the scariest thing I had ever felt,” he said as he took a seat behind me.

“I couldn't move. Not because they stopped me from moving but because the darkness came with fear that froze me to the spot,”

“Was that where you were trapped?”

“I'm terrified of going back,” he admitted with tear filled eyes.

“Now I remember everything, how he trapped me in there in the first place. That feeling that I wasn't in control that kept pulling on me,”

“I'm sorry,”

“Don't be,” he said.

“It's mine for not being strong enough to resist them. What kind of Prince am I?”

“You are one that knows when to ask for help,” I grabbed his hands and looked into his eyes. The guilt was already eating him up and I was tired of seeing people I love suffer because of me.

“Let go of that pain,”

“I remember choking the man to death,” he muttered as he allowed the tears out.

“I kept yelling at myself but I couldn't move, I couldn't do anything. His family __”

“Chase killed him,” I stopped him from driving himself further into the depression.

“Not you, Chase and you can't eat yourself up for Chase's handwork,”

“Okay,” He sighed, trembling but trying to get his grip.

“Thank you, Brielle,”

“No, thank you,” I replied. I looked around as the decision became certain to me.

“I can't tell you to face your fears while I'm scared to face mine. We are going to see Rio,”

“Good,” Lucien's voice shot behind us. I knew he had been standing there for the last minute but I just wanted him to have the satisfaction of being subtle.

“First, we need to pick up a few things,”

“Like what?” Zane asked.

“Silver daggers, wolfsbane and my personal favourite, witch priestess,” He replied with a smile.

“Let's go put an end to this,”