Chapter 0174

Athena bites her lower lip, her eyes narrowing into slits. "You could have ended him. But you held back. You deliberately avoided his heart even after what he did to Isabella."

"That was an emotional decision."

"Because some part of you still believed your old brother existed beneath it all?"

I remain silent. No answer was necessary. The topic needed changing. "Why do you refuse to be called Alpha?"

"It's not just you. I hate when anyone uses that title."

"But you use it when required. Like when you confronted Gabriel. And I heard you used it to stop the other Lycans from attacking Obsidian Howl."

A faint crease forms on her forehead. "I was forced to address people by status my entire life. Disobedience meant punishment. Even with Alexander, I kept doing it for too long. I won't force that on others. It makes me sound..."

"More powerful than the rest of us? Because we all know you are."

Her gaze lifts to meet mine. "It makes me sound like a power-hungry asshole."

I can't help but laugh.

"Alexander mentioned you resisted your Alpha position at first. Maybe it's time you reclaim everything taken from you."

She lets out an involuntary snort.

"Is that it, Zachary? Is that why you're really here? To convince me to become something I'm not?"

"No. I can't convince you of something you're already questioning. And I don't need to convince you of your power. You already know it."

"I haven't been questioning anything."

"Right." I mutter, knowing she's lying. I've seen it in her actions. Her need to fix what's broken.

"Let's test your theory." she says quietly. "How exactly am I supposed to lead two bitten Lycans and a Rogue?"

"You're not seeing it."

"What?"

"Those are signs our kind will thrive again." I gesture toward her stomach. "What if there are more? What if they're all in hiding?"

She laughs and shakes her head. "That's insane."

"You didn't know we existed until Alexander and Julian found us. You didn't know you were Lycan. What if there are others? What if some escaped Victoria and Dominic?"

"Just stop." Athena snaps, raising her hand. Her eyes close. When they reopen, the blue has vanished, replaced by near-black darkness. Isabella mentioned this happens when Athena communes with her inner Lycan.

"You want to find more?" she asks after a long pause.

"Wouldn't it be better for the twins to have more of their kind to help raise them?"

"You need to leave." she whispers.

I don't argue. I turn and leave immediately when she asks.

Downstairs, Brianna recounts her ordeal to the others. Her eyes meet mine as I enter, and she offers a bright smile.

"I'm alive."

"Why did that bastard come after you?"

"I was telling them he showed up at my house. I was so shocked to see him in human form that I reacted too slowly. He shifted and..." She gestures to the deep, bleeding wound on her stomach.

"Did he say anything?"

"That he wants us all dead. I know I said he's crazy. But he's in full demon mode now. Talking about making everything his. That we'll bow to him."

Alexander laughs. "If he wants to kill us all, how exactly are we supposed to bow to him?!"

"It's a choice." Theodore mutters with a frown. "He's saying bow down or die."

"Then he picked the wrong pack to attack." Alexander snarls.