Chapter 0104

I was terrified of shifting.

Scared of becoming that monster who attacked the pack.

But standing here over the dead Lycan, I realized something.

It felt liberating.

Footsteps rushed toward us.

Alpha Alexander appeared with Theodore.

Their eyes instantly landed on the dead Lycan.

Neither spoke as their gazes shifted to me, taking in the fact I wore only a jacket.

“You shifted?” Theodore asked softly. “Completely?”

I remained motionless.

“She did,” Isabella exclaimed. “She shifted and killed him without a second thought.”

“Julian?” Alpha Alexander asked, his eyes briefly leaving mine to check on his unconscious brother.

Isabella repeated everything she had told me.

“Theodore, help Isabella get him to the hospital.”

Once they were gone, he removed his own shirt and replaced the jacket Isabella had given me.

His was longer, reaching mid-thigh.

His finger lifted my chin, tilting my face toward his. “You enjoyed it, didn’t you?”

I didn’t want to admit it.

I didn’t want to tell him how powerful I had felt.

I didn’t want to confess that I’d kill that Lycan a thousand times over if it brought me that same rush.

I didn’t want to speak the truth.

His lips brushed my cheek, his warm minty breath grazing my skin. “You don’t have to say it. I can read your thoughts.”

He stepped back and grabbed the Lycan by its ankles, dragging it across the ground into the trees.

“Where... where are you taking him?”

“I need to dispose of him. I won’t allow them to litter my territory.”

I followed him to a clearing where Alpha Alexander quickly set the body ablaze.

It burned fast.

The smell of burning flesh saturated the air.

Alpha Alexander moved away from the flames and stood behind me.

His arms wrapped around my waist, his lips finding the mark on my neck.

“How many more will come, Alpha Alexander?” I whispered as thick smoke darkened the sky.

“I think it’s time you stopped calling me that, don’t you? You’ve more than earned your place here.”

Dropping the ‘Alpha’ felt wrong.

For years, I was conditioned to respect those in power.

Disrespect meant punishment.

I only stopped using titles for Dominic and Marcus because I was ordered to.

“You are my equal,” he murmured near my ear. “You are an Alpha.”

He turned me to face him, his hand pressing against the small of my back as he held me close.

His crimson eyes searched mine.

“You... you didn’t answer my question,” I said, avoiding his name intentionally. He noticed.

His lips curved. “Because there is no answer.”

“You’re... waiting for me?” I sighed, wrinkling my nose as the stench of burning flesh intensified.

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me I was part of the plan? That you’re relying on me?”

‘Because he thinks we can’t handle it!’ Nyx snapped.

“I wanted you to be ready,” Alpha Alexander murmured.

He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. “As much as I adore this darkness in you, you must be prepared. We don’t know what they’ll throw at us.”

I stared at him, feeling the heat of the fire behind me.

Maybe this was the only way.

‘I will always have your back,’ Nyx whispered.

I pushed Alpha Alexander back as I stepped away. “I, Athena Harrison, accept my position as Alpha of the Lycans of Silver Creek.”

A current shot through my body.

It surged from my toes to my fingertips.

It wasn’t painful like shifting used to be.

It felt electric, coursing through my veins.

It felt powerful.

For one brief moment, I felt unstoppable.

It belongs to me.

My heart beat so loudly it made my body vibrate.

Voices echoed in my head.

Sounds of anger and annoyance, all shouting at me.

Nyx worked hard to shut them down, blocking each one until I heard a familiar voice.

It belongs to me.

“We are coming for you.”