Raised By Wolves

Chapter Thirty Three | Moving On

There was only the steady beep of the monitors keeping Oliver company as he sat by Elizabeth's' body. She was gone despite the way her body was still functioning. Her chest rose and fell with slow, deep artificial breaths and holding her cold hand, there was no response there. His eyes studied each silvered scar by her wrist, not naive enough to wonder how they got there. There were other marks too, all over her body - signatures from doctors more curious than the last. A shiver ran up Oliver's spine, yet no tears came. Not anymore. His eyes were red, swollen and aching as numbness slowly closed around him and the pain began to cease into just, nothing.

The door opened, but he didn't look up or acknowledge Miranda in any way as she came inside. Her steps were silent as she moved to stand on the opposite side of the bed, and a tiny gasp left her as she took in the state of the other woman. Closing her eyes, Miranda regretted coming now, yet her heart hardened as she saw it all as a form of karma. Would that monster of a man have succeeded as well as he had without Oliver's help? He had done this to his mate, to his own kind and the hundreds of innocents sucked into this hell. That was something he would have to live with.

"Hello Oliver." Miranda said softly, unable to stop herself from feeling some sense of pity for the man before her. "A decision has been made."

Bloodshot eyes looked at her once before moving back to Elizabeth as he knew full well what she was referring to.

"By the time I worked out who she was. We never had a chance. Even if she survived, who could be with a monster like me, after everything?" His raspy voice sounded foreign to his ears. Oh how the mighty had fallen. "I saw her files. I had to, had to see what they did."

"You should know." Miranda agreed, unable to stop herself. "She didn't deserve this. None of them did, not even the half bloods you despise so much. They were all innocent!"

"I know!" He roared, standing up suddenly. Miranda didn't even flinch as she stared him down. Her anger matched his, and the gods only knew how different this meeting may have gone had May or Caleb been returned in such a state. "I. Did. This. Me! I can't but I wish I could take it all back."

Oliver looked at though he shrunk as he slumped back down by Elizabeth, his skin pale and sickly looking. The arrogant teen she had first met was nowhere to be found and the man who had controlled the rescue with such authority was equally as invisible. From what she had heard from May and Caleb, he hadn't been the cause of any of their pain, not directly, yet he had been involved. Then there was the fact it wouldn't be over yet if he hadn't done the right thing and slowly, Miranda found herself sitting beside him, one hand on his back as she managed to give him a moment of kindness.

"I don't understand how you are here." Oliver finally said, when the silence stretched on between them.

"I come on behalf of the pack." Miranda told him, taking a deep breath. "It was better this way."

"No, I mean. Here. Now. You could have told me what they decided and left, but you're here." He pointed out. "I don't deserve your kindness. Without me, they might not have even hit the pack how they did. Caleb and May could have never gone through any of that."

"True, but I also only have my daughter home now because of you. That's reason enough." She sighed. "I also came as I am the only one who doesn't have a wolf to argue with, and everyone's a little tense lately which has a lot of potential to end badly."

"They want me dead."

"Some, not all. The decision was made that you will be leaving with Carolina. She has taken responsibility of you. Living with the loss of a mate is a cruel punishment, in this situation, death would have been the kinder option."