Chapter 0179

Isabella

Zachary paces my room, his movements tight with tension. He checked every window twice before drawing the curtains. At least there were no more bloody handprints tonight.

He looks exhausted. Midnight whispers.

A lot is happening. I murmur back.

Asking if he’s okay would be pointless. It’s written all over him. I’ve never been good at comfort. I tried with Athena when she first arrived, and ended up mentioning Alexander’s past brides. That was supposed to be a warning, but it came out all wrong.

Julian once told me I’m too honest for my own good. That it would cause trouble someday.

You’ve always been a terrible liar. Midnight snorts. It’s the only thing she ever agreed with him about.

Zachary checks the hallway again. He even inspects the bathroom, though the window is too small for anyone to squeeze through. He acts like Gabriel might leap out and attack us any second. I half expected him to look under the bed.

He’s just trying to regain some control.

“If he’s in human form, we’d catch his scent. If he’s Lycan, you’d definitely smell him.” I remind him.

“You’re right.” He stops in front of me and leans down to kiss me.

When he pulls back, he rests his forehead against mine.

“You think it’s too late, don’t you?” I’ve been desperate to ask. I kept the thought buried so he wouldn’t pick it up.

“No.” His voice is heavy. He doesn’t sound convinced.

“Don’t lie. I see it in your eyes. You warned Alexander, but you believe it’s too late.”

“There’s no way to know for sure. None of us are exactly alike. You and Julian are twins. Your wolves are twins. But you’re nothing like each other. We don’t know if we can bring her back once she crosses over. If she doesn’t want to…” He shakes his head, trailing off.

“I know Athena is your friend, Isabella. But there’s only so much we can do. Only so much anyone can do.”

He sits beside me on the bed.

“You’ll still try?” I ask.

“I won’t stop trying.”

“What about the pups?”

He avoids my eyes.

“Will they survive?” I press. Maybe if Athena knows what could happen, it might stop her from changing.

Zachary’s jaw tightens.

“Tell me. I can handle it.”

“There was a female in our Rogue group. She was pregnant when she turned full Lycan.”

“The pup died during birth?”

“She ate it.” His eyes flick to my shocked expression. “It’s not black and white, Isabella. Everything is food to them. Unless…”

I cut in, putting it together. “Unless the pup is born in Lycan form. Hers was human. So she ate her own child.”

He nods. “I warned you, Isabella. We are dark. Everything about being Rogue is food and games. Nothing else matters. The world could be ending, but if you have food, you don’t care.”

“It took me a long time to understand why we become obsessed with food. The simple answer is the same reason you eat so much after shifting. It makes you ravenous. But for a Rogue, the hunger never goes away. Ever.”

“You have to tell her.” I whisper. “Those pups mean everything to her. To this pack. To Alexander. To me. And to you, too. Maybe it will stop her from killing anyone else. Maybe it will prevent the change.” I hear the pleading in my own voice. I’m terrified of losing her. And in that moment, I understand there’s more to what Zachary is saying.