Chapter 0016

"Damn witches. They don't even have a scent to track." Julian muttered under his breath.

"That's your main concern right now?" I snapped. "Thank the moon you weren't born first. Did you see her reaction when I mentioned Silver Creek? Something's deeply wrong with that pack."

"What's our move then?"

"I need to speak with Sebastian." I tossed cash onto the table for our drinks and strode toward the car. "Take us home," I commanded the driver.

"Relax." Julian flashed me an amused grin. "Don't take it out on him because you're pissed off."

He moved to enter the limo but I grabbed him, slamming him against the vehicle's side. "Shut the fuck up!"

"Why are you so triggered by this one? What makes her different?"

He slid into his seat while I took mine. His eyes locked with mine. "She's the one, isn't she? You finally found your mate."

I remained silent. Right now, I couldn't predict when I'd be able to claim her as mine. If her pack never returned home, how would we eliminate Marcus and sever their bond?

Back at the pack house, I found Isabella and Sebastian in the office.

"How did it go? Is she willing to help?" Sebastian rose from my chair and moved around the desk.

"She was going to help." Julian informed him.

"Was?" Isabella's eyes narrowed. "Julian, what did you do?"

"Hey!" He raised his hands defensively. "I didn't do anything."

"He didn't." I confirmed. "Madame Zora heard Silver Creek's name and walked away."

"She just walked away? Seriously?" Isabella asked.

"Yes." I massaged my temples. "How's Athena?"

"In and out of sleep. Several pain-induced screams. What's our plan? We've never been undermined by another pack. Is that what they're doing? Trying to destroy us?"

"We'll figure it out." Sebastian assured Isabella. "We always do."

Athena's scream echoed through the house.

"I'll go." Isabella murmured.

I stopped her. "None of us can help. There's no medicine for this. She must endure it."

'We can't abandon her.' Titan growled internally. 'She needs us.'

I looked at Isabella and saw the guilt in her eyes. She felt responsible, having nearly completed her own blood bond with her mate. "I'll go."

Athena thrashed violently in bed. She'd changed out of her previous clothes and now wore one of my t-shirts. Sweat glistened on her skin as she convulsed, yet her eyes remained tightly shut.

Approaching her, I felt intense heat radiating from her body. She stilled momentarily before unleashing another piercing scream.

Four agonizing days passed. Each day brought less sleep and more screaming. No one in the house rested. Sebastian, Julian, Isabella, and most omegas left at nightfall just to get some sleep.

On the fifth morning, the house fell silent. I'd taken to morning runs to clear my mind with Titan. Returning inside, I heard no screams.

"Shit!" I charged upstairs, expecting to find Athena gone. Instead, she lay sprawled on her stomach like a starfish. Sweaty black hair covered her face as she slept peacefully.

'Is it over?' Titan whispered cautiously.

'We won't know until she wakes.'

Turning the chair around, I watched her sleep. Her breathing sounded even, her heartbeat steady—the slowest rhythm in days. I hoped this signaled recovery.

After an hour, she began stretching. She swept hair from her face and met my gaze.

"I'm naked." she murmured.

"You are." I smirked, relieved to see her improved condition.

"Can you look away? Please."

"You've been naked for days. You overheated. Isabella put you in a tee but even that was too much. I removed it."

Blush spread from her cheeks down her neck. "Please." She repeated, searching for nonexistent covers.

Rising, I grabbed the blanket from the chair and tossed it to her. "No need for embarrassment."

"You...you didn't take advantage?"

"You were ill and not in your right mind. I'm not my brother." I turned my back, watching her reflection in the window as she stood and wrapped the blanket around herself.

"You didn't let Titan do anything?"

"No, he was too worried about helping you."

In the window's reflection, I saw her press a hand against her chest and sigh deeply in relief.

"Trust me." I added while observing her reflection. "You'd know if I had claimed you."

"Hunters." He exhales slowly. "A Hunter's soul remains unbroken."

"How is that even possible?"

"It's our nature from birth. Perhaps that's why I perceive souls with such clarity." He gives a slight shrug. "When our own soul is complete, our perception shifts."

My gaze drifts to his glass. He's only taken a small sip of brandy, gently swirling the remaining liquid.

"You didn't consider telling me this earlier?" I ask.

"Would it have changed anything? You care for my daughter. Though it pains me to admit, I'm grateful. You were the father she needed when I couldn't be there." He downs the rest of his drink in one go.

"Even with your gratitude, what happens if Serkan or Thalia discover her existence? I sense Lottie possesses greater potential. I feel it deeply. She has her own power, making her valuable to them. We already know Cooper reached Kade. We can't let the same happen to Lottie."

"They won't touch her if they value their lives. Besides, their focus is on Athena."

"What better way to target someone than through the children she holds dear?"

"Let them try." He sneers, tapping his empty glass on the table, lost in thought.

"Is it Lottie's mother?" I press, desperate for answers. "Just give me a yes or no. I'll find out the rest myself."

He gives a slight nod.

"And I suppose Lottie's mother is why you refuse to mark Hannah! It has nothing to do with her being a Lycan, does it?" I push further.

Annoyance flashes in his eyes.

"You told me to release Isabella, to find happiness with Evelyn. Why can't you do the same?"

"It's not that simple." He speaks through clenched teeth. "She was a significant part of my life and gave me a beautiful daughter. I vowed to love her until my dying day."

"You can't move forward because you haven't allowed yourself to grieve." I stare at him, surprised. He always emphasized accepting death. He encouraged others to grieve, yet he hasn't, and years have passed since her death.

He rises to his feet. "Thanks for the drink."

"You're not going to discuss her or Lottie, are you? It could be crucial given the current situation."

"What do you think? Now tell me, where can I find my daughter?"

I inform him of her location. He nods and strides out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind him.

The Hunter, so attuned to others' souls, remained blind to how this was hindering him.

"Hey?" Silas murmurs as he cautiously opens the door. "Can I come in?"

I gesture for him to enter.

"I didn't want to interrupt anything again." He mutters, hesitating.

"You're in luck. I'm alone."

"Good." He takes the chair Luc had occupied and lets out a groan.

"Indy?" I murmur. I had seen the white-haired woman embracing him but kept my distance.

"Alexander asked me to meet him at the gates. The one with white hair launched herself at me. She wouldn't let go, clinging to me tightly while repeatedly saying how happy she was to see her mate." He frowns deeply.

"That's because she is your true mate."

He doesn't respond, just stares. Slowly, he closes his eyes. "Not Thalia."

"No. That was Indy, the half-Wolf, half-Witch you mentioned."

"She's a teenager."

"Is that how you see her?" From my viewpoint, she appeared to be in her mid-twenties.

"She looks fourteen or fifteen." He shakes his head in disgust. "Why would I be mated to a minor?"

"She's not that young. I believe this is part of the spell. Designed to prevent you from wanting to go to her."

He props his elbows on the table and buries his face in his hands.

He mumbles incoherently.

Content bohat < she was hurt by That

"She lost you. So yes, she was hurt. She likely had to watch you two together, knowing you were right there, within reach, completely unaware of who she truly was."