Klepto POV

My feet are freezing even though they are wearing socks and shoes. The wood under my heels soaks up the warmth out of each of my toes, the fingers of chill creeping up to grasp my ankles.

I gulp down the tough knob in my throat. I am beyond nervous, but this is something I have to do. And I'm going to do it... maybe.

"Are we going to do this?" It's Ezra. He stands behind me, watching me carefully. He taps his shoe against the hardwood floor as I stand there on the top stair. He can feel my anxiety.

"There's no we." I say, and my mate's eyes grow wide, his jaw clenching. The fury buzzing off of him is enough to draw a strained laugh past my lips. "At least not right now. I need to do this by myself."

He looks apprehensive now. Ezra's whole form seems to crowd me, trying to shield me like an umbrella. He's my favorite umbrella.

"You're sure?" He asks, and I nod reverently. I try not to dwell on speaking to the witch. Not to mention the fact that where she's imprisoned holds bad memories for me.

My lycan watches me smoothly, trying to hide his unease and failing miserably. I can read him like a freaking book.

I reach up and hug him. Since he's 10 inches taller than me, and on the step above me, my cheek is pressed against his abs and I shiver. Let's just say it's not from the chilly basement.

"It'll be fine. I'll be fine." I say without pulling away. The fabric of his shirt smells nice. His arms around my shoulders gives me a wonderful sensation that I savor.

The warmth of our bond curls up in my chest like a well fed cat.

"I hope so, or I'll have some ass to kick." He chuckles, but he's completely serious. I hate it that I love that so much.

When I told him I wanted to do this, he went ballistic saying he would kill the woman that raised me before he let me near her destruction anymore. It took some major convincing to get this to happen.

Now here I am, ready to face the devil herself without anyone beside me.

I can do this. I have to do this.

We have everything packed. We're leaving tomorrow. It's quite literally now or never as I doubt we will ever be back here to pay a little visit. Something inside me holds guilt over that, but I quickly bury it down.

I don't need to come back here. I'm starting my life fresh, making a clean slate.

I wander down the stairs slowly. They creak underneath my weight and I hope she hears it and knows exactly who she is coming down to say hello.

My brain goes haywire when I spot her crumpled up on the floor of the cell. The same cell I became accustomed to during my jail time.

Her normally straight blonde hair is a mess of tangles around her pretty face. There are no silver manacles encasing her writs anymore, because as soon as Alpha Green was gone, Veiler changed some things.

He said cruelty is not a way to fix things. I believed him, especially when he explained to a very angry Ezra that it would help my Mother to focus on her wrong doings as she was punished instead of being blinded by searing pain.

Mother is thinner now, if that's even possible. Her bones and joints stick out under her skin. Her typically manicured nails are chipped and smudged, the once luxurious clothes she wore are now tattered.

She looks like a homeless person. Good.

"Why are you here?" I immediately notice the pain in her voice. Not a physical pain, but something much, much worse.

"So you heard about dad, then?" Her sky blue eyes nail me where I stand and she hisses. My Mother sounds like an angry tigress.

"Of course I did. He's gone. My mate is gone." I don't have the desire to inform her that I know he isn't her real mate. There's no time to get into all of that anyway.

Her mate rejected her, my father accepted her as his own. Maybe that's more romantic in its own sort of way. My Dad chose her to be his partner rather than fate.

I bite my lip when sorrow surges forth. Now is not the time to think of him. It is just her and I hashing things out.

"Yes. You should know that he sacrificed himself to protect me and my siblings. He was brave. He fought well." I manage. A venomous glare meets my words as the she-wolf I've despised for years crawls forward on the floor.

"I know that too! How could he give his life to protect you! You of all people. He should've left you to die." Her words should cut, but they don't.

My life has taught me better than to let her control my emotions. I am in control now. I have confidence in myself, and she can't take that away.

Instead of lashing out, I take a controlled breath.

"Why?" I ask.

My mother's thin brows scrunch up in confusion. Her skin crinkles as her expression sours.

"Why? Why what?" She demands, still crouched on the dirt floor. She's poised on the defense.

"Why have you despised me all of these years? Why did you frame me to get me kicked out?" I grasp at my thoughts as they wizz around in my brain like firecrackers.

It takes a moment for my questions to sink in. All the while she glares at me, her breathing heavy and labored.

"Because you ruined my perfect life! Don't you see, you stupid girl? I had it made when Micheal mated with me. We were having beautiful, blonde children. Perfect! Then you came along. You're a thief. A fat, ugly pig. My perfect family was ruined. It's all your fault! All of this is your fault!" Her voice gains in volume as she rants. Her tangent ends as she seems to wait for my reaction.

She isn't getting what she expects.

I'm calm. Cool and collected. I shake my head and ask something else instead.

"What about Tressandra? Why did you abuse her? What did you hope to gain from that?" I ask her softly, still not sure how to respond to her sudden outburst.

My mother scoffs, flipping her hair that resembles a rat's nest.

"She was supposed to be perfect. She could've been if she'd just listened to me! Mate with Nathan, be in charge of the pack! She's too quiet. She's too nice. How is she supposed to become a Luna when she's so.... so... timid!?" She grumbles something vulgar under her breath. "She's never been good enough. She always fell short, and I was the one who had to pay for it. Imagine my embarrassment at her behavior. The nerve!"

Although she's clearly not done with her rant, I cut her off with a harsh tone.

"She found her mate! He takes care of her. He's a lycan. He loves her just the way she is! Tressandra didn't deserve the torture you put her through."

"Tressandra! What a horrid name. Your father chose it, and I've always hated it. He went on and on about how it means enlightenment and balance and blah, blah, blah. He always had a soft spot for hippie dippie bullshit. Tressa sounds more elegant, beautiful. If only she could see that!"

I narrow my eyes down at this disgusting female. How did we survive all this time having her as our Mother? She's a tornado tearing our lives apart with a whirlwind.

"If only you could see that you used her. You tried to live your life vicariously through her, didn't you? It was your dream to be a pristine Luna, wasn't it?" I laugh without humor, letting every ounce of bitterness shine through my voice.

"And look where that got you."

She doesn't deny it. My mother sits there staring at me with wide eyes in silence. She knows I'm right, and that I'd figured her out.

"Martha is gone. Dad is gone. I'm leaving, Tressandra's leaving, and we're taking Daniel and Felix along with us too." I inform her. She actually has the audacity to look sad.

Do monsters mourn?

My mother appears pathetic in that little cell. No hope, no soap, no dignity. Now she knows how it felt to be subject to something this horrible against your will.

I sigh at the big round eyes she flashes my way. I'm over it already.

"What about Teller? Where is he?" I roll my eyes at the desperation in her voice. She's so entirely entitled, and even being in this dungeon hasn't diminished that awful quality.

"He won't come for you. He's busy. He's helping around the pack, and helping Tabitha with Penelope and Parker. Someone has to, because you won't be there, at least not for a while."

My older brother hasn't spoken to me at all through the disaster. I see him at the house often when I visit. He's never around, but now he is. It's a strange sight. Someone has to fill the role, though.

My siblings need parents now. One is dead and one is a psychopath... it's not much of a family.

Teller is a strong male. I can trust him better than my mother to look after the younger kids. And I always have the reassurance that Alpha Paullini will make sure everything works out.

"What about me? What am I supposed to do down here, rot for the rest of my life?" My mother questions, lifting her hands and motioning to her cell walls and silver caged door that seal her into the cold box.

I shrug, observing my nails indifferently.

"I guess so, I mean, I really couldn't care less."

She gasps in horror, eyes brimming with tears.

I can't help but remember all the times she's mocked me for crying over the years. Mother dearest always told me that it's a sign of weakness.

What a ridiculous thing to say.

"I'm joking, you'll be happy to hear that, I'm sure." I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest. "Our new Alpha will be coming down here frequently for some much needed therapy. You can talk out all your issues with him."

My new information does not please her in the slightest. She huffs out a large breath like a bull ready to charge.

"I don't need therapy! I'm not some loony." She insists.

Wow, her opinions are way off kilter. I'm not exactly surprised by the comment, but my mom definitely needs some new angles to see life from.

"Yeah, right, because only loonies have problems? Everyone's got problems, mother, that's the thing. It's just that some of us know how to deal with them." I'm still shaking my head. She is unbelievable.

"Talking with Paullini will help, believe me. If he deems you fit then you can come back to the pack. Don't try to trick him, he's not an idiot and he knows how to deal with one." I say casually and the witch lets out a predictable gasp at my insult.

Funny, seeing as how the only thing she's good at is dishing them.

"I'm leaving soon. I won't come back, and I won't see you again." I don't get a reaction from her when I say this, but I don't care, I keep going. "I know you won't apologize, but I want you to know that I forgive you. Not for you, oh no, but for myself. I don't want to hold onto bitter hate for the rest of my life. You want to know why?"

She doesn't say anything, but I can see that curiosity that sparks in her evil eyes, and I take a few slow steps towards her.

"Because that hate weighs you down like an anchor in the ocean, and I'd hate to drown."

They're the last words I say to the she-wolf I despise before I storm away. I can't stand around for another second in her soul draining presence.

I make it up the stairs in record time to be greeted by Ezra. He's been worried, probably pacing the small hallway. My mate lights up when he sees me, pulling me towards him in a swift motion. My temples throb at the suddenness of the movement, but I'm quick to lean into him.

"You alright?" He asks when he pulls back slightly, smoothing his thumb over the worry lines on my forehead.

I sigh before nodding my head.

"Just taking out the trash."

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If you're reading this, I love you:)