Chapter 0014

"You should be resting in bed, not slumped in that chair." Alpha Alexander's voice was low as he lifted me effortlessly. He carried me back to the mattress and tucked the blanket around me. I struggled to sit up again.

"Sleep is what you need to heal." His hands pressed gently on my shoulders, urging me back down.

"No." I resisted, pushing against his firm hold. "Something isn't right."

"I already told you the pain from your injury will linger."

"Not that." My words were slurred with exhaustion. My thoughts felt tangled and slow. "It's a trick." I mumbled, fighting to stay conscious. "I think it's all a trick."

"A trick?"

I managed a weak nod, my eyelids heavy. I was battling sleep just to share my suspicion with him.

"Rest now. We can discuss this when you're stronger." His tone left no room for argument.

When I woke later, I forced myself out of bed immediately. I wouldn't let drowsiness claim me before I could explain.

I splashed cold water on my face and studied my reflection. My blue eyes seemed clearer now. My skin had lost its sickly pallor.

"You're awake." Alpha Alexander's voice made me jump. I hadn't heard him enter.

He moved behind me, his crimson eyes locking onto mine in the mirror. I could feel the heat radiating from his body.

"How are you feeling?" His hands settled on my hips.

My temperature spiked instantly. A flush crept up my neck and warmed my cheeks. His fingers slid under my top, dipping inside the waistband of my pants. They edged lower, brushing the line of my panties. His lips found my neck, and a soft moan escaped me. "Athena?"

My eyes flew open. Alpha Alexander was standing over me, not touching me at all.

"You really should be sleeping in the bed, not the chair." he stated flatly.

It was just a dream. Only a dream. But the dream couldn't mask the scent of my arousal now hanging in the air. I squeezed my thighs together tightly.

"Do you need help?" he asked.

"No!" My reply was too sharp, too loud. He raised an eyebrow.

"I was merely offering to help you back to the bed." A faint smirk played on his lips. He could definitely smell it.

I dropped my gaze. "I prefer it here. I like to watch." I muttered, desperate to change the subject. "It's different."

"Different?"

"You don't demand anything from me. You let me sleep as long as I need. The food... Everything. It's just different." I couldn't find better words, but he nodded anyway. "Not every Alpha is a monster." He said this while pulling a red shirt over his head, replacing his black tee.

He turned back to face me, fastening the buttons. My initial observation was correct. No ink. Not a single tattoo marred his skin. It was unusual. Every wolf in Silver Creek was covered in them. "Yes?" he prompted.

"Nothing."

"Athena, I haven't known you long, but I know when you have a question. Ask it."

"You have no tattoos."

"That's not a question." "Why?"

"They're not for me. Others use them to show dominance or pack loyalty. But I'm certain you'll agree I don't need them." He pointed to his own intense crimson eyes. "These are enough to show my place in this world." He was right. I'd never seen another wolf with eyes like his. Though I'd initially thought it was some kind of trick—contacts or magic.

"Trick." I said the word louder this time.

"I can assure you these are my real eyes."

"No." I shook my head. "No, I was thinking about everything you told me before I fell asleep. The blood tie. The fact that I'm still partly mated."

His eyes narrowed slightly at the term 'partly mated.'

"What if it is a trick? You said a blood tie lets a mate move freely in another's pack. Isabella told me no one has heard of Silver Creek. You said the blood tie is new."

He just stared, listening.

"You told me your other brides were snooping. I haven't." I added, meeting his gaze. "Could they get in undetected because of the blood tie with me?"

It was the most I'd said at once since arriving.

"It's a good theory, but no. You would need to be an official member of my pack for that to work."

"Official? You mean if you mark me?" I asked quietly. He'd mentioned it before but never elaborated.

"If I mark you." Alpha Alexander confirmed. "But I can't do that while you have a mate out there. You think the blood tie pain is bad? It's nothing compared to being marked by one Alpha while mated to another. It would kill you."

Luc

"Hannah, wait!"

Seraphina shoots me a venomous glare. She places both hands on Hannah's shoulders, physically preventing her from turning around as she pushes her forward. "Hannah!"

"Back off, traitor." Seraphina snaps as I quickly close the distance between us.

"You're one to talk. This," I gesture sharply between myself and Hannah, "is none of your business."

"She's my friend. How could you be so heartless?"

"You're questioning my cruelty? That's a fucking joke, Lone Wolf?" I deliberately throw her old nickname back at her.

Her eyes lock onto mine with fierce intensity. "Don't call me that."

"Isn't that what everyone called you?" I retort with a sneer.

"Let's just go," Seraphina mutters to Hannah.

Hannah keeps her gaze averted until I step directly into her path. Her chestnut eyes briefly meet mine before darting to something behind me. Her face is already flushed and blotchy from trying to hold back tears. I expected this reaction. No one wants to discover their mate has bound themselves to someone else.

"Seraphina, get lost. Let us talk privately."

"Not happening. She needs a friend right now," Seraphina snaps back.

I'm certain she wouldn't be so bold if I had a gun pressed to her temple. Apparently, she's grown too comfortable during my absence.

Bare hands can be just as effective as a weapon.

"Should I remind you that playing happy families here doesn't erase what you did to mine?"

"Athena isn't-"

"Athena isn't here." I stare her down coldly. "Don't try pulling the sibling card either. I already know whose side she'd take." Her expression hardens. "You wouldn't dare."

"Are you certain you want to test that theory?" I muse darkly.

"Stop. Please just stop," Hannah whispers pleadingly. "Seraphina, it's alright. You can go. I'll catch up with you later."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, she is." I snap impatiently.

Hannah gives a slight nod. "I'll be okay."

"I'll be watching. The front door to Caleb's place is right there."

Hannah takes a deep breath as Seraphina stomps away, arms swinging angrily. It's strange seeing her care about someone other than herself.

"You didn't have to be so harsh with her. She's trying."

"Trying with everyone else." I shake my head in frustration. "You need to understand I can never forgive what she did to my family or the danger she put my child in. I only tolerate her because I was asked to. But if she crosses that line, nothing will stop me." She crosses her arms over her chest, staring at me for a long moment before dropping her gaze. Her red waves cascade around her face as she bends to retie her shoelace. "Why did you bind yourself to that woman?"

"It was a life or death situation."

She straightens up, nodding slowly. "You said that already. It doesn't explain why. Couldn't she heal? Were you trying to keep her alive?"

"We were trapped with walls closing in. We were being watched and couldn't discuss anything. The only solution was to link minds, which required the blood tie. We would have been crushed if I hadn't calmed her. It helped her access her abilities."

She nods, her eyes narrowing as she looks directly at me. "Do you like her?"

"She's been helpful, and her soul is-"

"That's not what I asked, Luc. Do you, Lucas Adler, like her?"

"She's mated to Julian. You're mated to me."

"Yet you refuse to mark me. I know you hesitate because I'm Lycan. You think you shouldn't be with me."

"I haven't believed that for a long time."

She rolls her eyes dismissively. "I don't think that's true. You never considered a blood tie with me, but you did it with her without hesitation. I don't understand why. Did I do something wrong? Are you that angry about my Lycan side? I can't even shift." Her eyes glisten with unshed tears.

"It's not... it was the only option. You've done nothing wrong, I promise."

She shakes her head. "I know you, Luc. You can talk your way out of anything. You have this way with words that either infuriates people or makes perfect sense. But you're avoiding the one question I need answered. Like you can't answer it. Or won't."

I frown deeply. "I don't know anymore."

Her eyes widen. "What does that mean?"

"The blood tie does strange things. I can't fully explain it. I just know I need to keep Indy safe and unharmed. I feel compelled to protect her from Xavi. I want to understand her unusual bright soul, but if you're asking if I want to sleep with her, the answer is no. That thought never crossed my mind. She isn't mine. You are."

"From what I understand, the blood tie didn't work that way for Athena. So why is it affecting you like this?"

"Athena came from darkness. It was never going to work the same for her. My tie with Indy was consensual."

She hunches her shoulders. "Are you going to break the tie?"

"That's the plan."

"Then will you mark me?"

When I don't respond immediately, she punches my chest and stomps off toward Seraphina, who smirks at me triumphantly.

"That looked productive," Zachary comments as he emerges from the trees.

"She's angry about the blood tie with Julian's mate."

"Caleb mentioned it. Knowing you, I assume it was your only survival option. Though I'm curious what you would've done if you'd already marked Hannah?"

"I guess we'll never know."

"She has every right to be angry."

"I know that." I tut in frustration. "I see her soul. I know she's hurt and frustrated, but she'd be more devastated if those walls had crushed us. Seraphina isn't helping the situation." I watch Seraphina embrace Hannah. They disappear into the house without a backward glance.

"While I agree Seraphina has issues, she didn't create Hannah's feelings. Those existed before her."

I shake my head. This wasn't a discussion for anyone but Hannah. "What were you doing in the forest?"

"Setting traps. If you go in there, don't venture more than a mile out. You might not return."

"Things are getting serious."

"Things have been serious for a long time."