Chapter 0011

Luc

We watch Athena as she stands at the edge of the cove. Water laps around her ankles while she takes a deep breath.

"I can't do this. I wasn't made for this."

"Try to focus," Theodore mutters, frowning at Xavi.

"I know you mean well, but telling someone to focus doesn't actually help them focus." She curls her hands into fists and stares out at the water. "Are you even sure it was me?"

"It only slowed when you were standing in the window. It didn't do that for anyone else."

"And it rose to catch you," Theodore adds.

"It did?" She sounds skeptical.

"Athena, you can do this. Just like when the walls were going to crush us."

"No pressure." She blows out her cheeks. "You want the sea to retreat, right?"

"Just enough so we can get around the side of the cliff."

She holds out a hand and gestures for me to come forward. 'Maybe the bond will help.' She links me.

Stepping into the water, I grab her outstretched hand. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. Nothing happens at first. As minutes pass, I wonder if I was wrong; maybe she hadn't stopped the crashing waves, but that would mean someone else had. I'm about to drop her hand when the sea begins to retreat from around my ankles, pulling back on itself as if being sucked out.

Looking at Athena, I see her golden eyes are wide with a slight glaze. Her brow is furrowed in concentration. Her soul is incredibly bright to look at, like someone just switched on their Christmas lights.

Souls were becoming more and more unpredictable.

The water continues to pull back until there is a gap of a couple of meters around the edge of the cliff.

"We need to move," Theodore mutters as he steps onto the wet sand.

Xavi glances at Athena as he trots past. Orion stares at her in frustration but follows the others.

'Keep doing what you are doing.' I mutter to Athena, 'I will guide you out of here.'

Tugging her forward, her footsteps are heavy, and she sways a little as if drunk.

We hurry along the sand, keeping as close to the cliff as possible. Looking back, I already see the water starting to break free, smashing against the cliff as if angrier than before. "Athena, we have to move."

She doesn't respond and appears completely zoned out.

The water was coming in faster and faster. If we didn't move, we were going to be stranded. Pulling her over my shoulder, she hangs there like a rag doll as I quicken my pace. Finally, I see our way out. Climbing up the sand bank, I put Athena on her feet, steadying her just as the waves completely break free, crashing around the edge of the cliffs and sending a spray over us.

"I did it?" Athena asks as she rubs her eyes. "We are free?"

"Not yet. We still need to make it to Obsidian Howl."

She nods and looks around. "Where are the others?"

"Good question."

We were alone, standing at the bottom of the cliff that leads up to the Witch. Madame Zora must be pissed, or she was confident we didn't survive. I can't wait to see her face when she sees we are fine. Athena's hand tightens around my wrist as a van approaches.

"It's okay, Theodore is driving."

Her grip on me loosens as she sighs. "Good, because I'm not going back to that Witch ever again."

"You may not, but she is coming for us."

"Are you certain?"

"We just royally fucked her off. The moment she realises that we are alive, she is going to come looking for us."

She glances up at the cliff top. "I wish we could have helped Sophia."

I cock a brow at her, "She pushed you, and you still want to help her?"

"She was confused and angry. We don't know when she last got to see someone that wasn't Madame Zora. You saw what Madame Zora did to all those people. You've seen what she has done to Julian. All the crap has probably made Sophia be like this." "How can you be so forgiving?"

"If I believed everyone was as bad as you make them out to be, it wouldn't be worth living. I have to have some hope." She gives me a smile as the van stops a few meters from us. "Otherwise, the world is just dark."

Orion slides back the door and holds a hand out for Athena. He hadn't looked at her the same since he had learned what she was capable of. She thanks him and takes a seat, "Coming?"

I climb in after her, and she shuffles over, making room for me.

"Let's go." Theodore snaps, turning the van around and speeding us away from the madhouse.

Athena sleeps a lot on the way to Obsidian Howl while Orion, Theodore and I take turns driving. Xavi watches Athena with interest. It wasn't quite the same look as before. He was more relaxed, and now, it appeared he was curious. "He's confused," Theodore tells me when Xavi finally switches off.

"Because of the Witch thing?"

"He's a lot like you. Act first, think later." He smirks, "But he was also raised like you. He is a Witch Hunter his job is to snuff out Witches. Every single one he has come across has been like Madame Zora, and Athena is different from what he is used to."

"I get it. It's the equivalent of me accepting some Lycans."

"Exactly. Give him a break. He has been stuck in Wolf form for a long time. His hatred has grown over that time."

"What about you? You haven't exactly had good experiences with Witches." I ask

"I grew up not knowing what I was, never understanding why I didn't fit in. But I guess that helped me look at the good and bad in people.

People like Madame Zora and Levi Bennett are just dark all the way through.

However, there are others that fight between doing the right thing for others or the right thing for themselves."

"Point taken."

"And Athena has done the right thing over and over."

I glance over my shoulder at her. She has curled herself up into a ball as Orion drapes a blanket over her.

"Her soul is bright. Like the brightest I have seen in a long time. But when she was focussed, the brightness became like nothing I have ever seen." I tell Luc. "There were no clouds." He mutters

"What?"

"Magic leaves behind a trail, well, that's what Xavi told me. I learned to see it. The river outside Silver Streams could be crossed, but you had to find the remnants of magic. Sophia's prison cell was cloaked in it. Above Silver Streams, it was dark."

"Okay."

"Athena doesn't have that. There were no traces of magic left with the sea. There were no traces when she ripped a hole in the stone wall."

"What does that mean?"

He shrugs at me. "I'm still trying to figure it out."

"Maybe now that we are all in one place. We can figure it out together. We are here."

"Where?" Athena mumbles sleepily.

"Obsidian Howl."

Alexander

“Did anyone know?” I demand, watching my unconscious mate. She was completely out, likely for hours. Isabella had stitched her up after confirming the blood tie was severed and Athena’s system was flooded with medication.

Someone will pay for this. Titan growls.

“No,” Sebastian replies. “If Athena had a mate, she wouldn’t have left Silver Creek so easily.”

“But she didn’t leave, did she? She collapsed right at the door.”

“I thought that was because she’d never been outside. You said it was fear and sickness.”

I turn to see him leaning against the wall, studying me. He was the only one I trusted with the truth about Titan sensing Athena as our mate.

“Maybe he was close by.” He shrugs as my gaze shifts to my sister.

She was staring into her coffee, trying to stay unnoticed. But the silence told me she knew something. That girl could never stay quiet for long.

“Out with it!” I snap.

‘Why does it always have to be Isabella?’ Titan prowls in my mind. He wanted to confront her wolf, Midnight.

“I don’t know anything.” Isabella keeps her eyes down.

“Isabella! I almost killed her by kissing her because of that damned blood tie! A blood tie only exists if her mate is still alive.”

“Alright, alright. No need to go full Alpha on me. She had a mate. All I know is he rejected her.”

“Are you sure?”

She nods.

“Did she accept?”

“I don’t know. I’m sorry, talking about it made me think of Gabriel, okay? I started venting about why he rejected me! If I had known this was the reason, I would’ve asked more.”

“Come on, Alexander, you know she’s telling the truth.” Sebastian mutters. He moves beside me and looks through the window at Athena. “I’m more curious how she knew she was mated.”

“What?”

“You said she was bound, right?” Sebastian frowns.

I hadn’t considered that. I was too focused on the blood tie. “She shouldn’t have been able to scent him.” I mutter. “How did she know?”

Sitting by Athena’s bedside, I watch her silently, choosing my words carefully. There was much to unravel, though I knew it would be too much for her to handle all at once.

Under the hospital lights, she looked better. Her skin was less pale, her eyes less hollow.

Isabella comes in regularly to check on her and the fresh stitches. Each time, she apologizes, saying she never meant to keep it secret. She hadn’t thought it important.

In her words, who creates a blood tie after rejecting their mate? That just adds to my questions for Athena.

It’s nearly one in the morning when her eyes open.

She groans, trying to sit up, then freezes when she sees me. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

Her blue eyes dart around the room. “I caused trouble. I didn’t mean to… Ow.” She holds her stomach and lies back down.

“Isabella stitched you up. It’ll be sore for a while.”

Tears well in her eyes. “Am I in trouble?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“The pain came on so fast.”

“No, Athena. I mean about your mate. Why didn’t you tell me you were already mated?”

She bites her lip, closing her eyes. “He rejected me. He forced me to accept it. He…” She hesitates, peering at me through slitted eyes.