Chapter 0193

I wasn't strong enough to go anywhere yet, but he needed the full moon's power.

'I have to watch Athena.'

'I can handle that. Alexander, you missed the last one because of Gabriel. You need to go this time. Athena will be fine. We'll probably eat ice cream and she can listen to me complain about Zachary.'

He snorts and raises an eyebrow. 'I'll consider it.'

Glancing at Sebastian, he tells me to let him sleep it off. 'We can only help him when he's ready.'

As Alexander leaves, I settle on the sofa across from Sebastian. He barely spoke when awake, and when he did, his words were either slurred or sounded like he'd developed a lisp. None of it made sense. I wanted to tell him everything would be alright, that... But it wouldn't be, would it? He had lost his entire world.

How could one beast destroy so much of our pack alone?

Alexander had worked tirelessly for years, building our strength and power. We always had the upper hand, and now one creature was tearing us apart piece by piece. Even all the turned Lycans with Victoria and Dominic hadn't caused this much damage. He had to have help, but who?

Midnight is quiet but panicking. I knew why - she shared my same terrifying thought. What if Zachary left because he was helping his brother and didn't want to get caught?

It couldn't be. That was a ridiculous idea. He wouldn't have bothered marking me if that were true.

'Brianna?' Midnight mutters.

'I don't think so,' I whisper back. Though we no longer shared quarters since she returned to her own home. 'She's trying too hard to prove her worth to the pack. If she were causing trouble, she would have given up by now.'

Maybe I was just exhausted and overthinking everything. Maybe Gabriel was simply a monster with no other goal than to slaughter us all.

Leaning forward, I rest my elbows on my knees and cup my chin, watching the drunken man sleep. There had to be something I was missing.

I hadn't moved when Sebastian began to wake. He rubs his eyes and stares at me, his gaze drifting around the room. 'How did I get here?'

'You practically broke down the front door. I think you were looking for Alexander.'

He runs his hands through his already messy blonde hair and yawns, stretching his limbs. 'Got any whiskey?'

'No.' I glare at him. If I had to follow him to ensure he doesn't touch another drop, that's exactly what I'll do. 'Why did you want to speak to my brother?'

'It doesn't matter.' He gets up and starts searching through the cabinets.

'Alexander had it all removed days ago,' I snap.

'Just forget it.' He storms out and I hurry after him as fast as I can, ignoring the spasming pain tearing through my leg.

Skidding across the floor, I slam myself against the front door, blocking his exit.

'Isabella, move.'

'No.'

He reaches for me and I deliver a swift punch to his groin. He howls and clutches himself. 'What the hell, Isabella!'

'I'm sorry, but you can't keep doing this. You're practically my brother, and I won't watch you drink yourself into oblivion. I'm sorry Gabriel killed your children. I'm sorry he targeted them. I'm sorry I can't bring your sons back-'

'They weren't mine.'

'What? What are you talking about?'

'They weren't my sons.'

'That makes no sense. I helped deliver your second son. I was there.'

'But you weren't there for conception, and it turns out, I wasn't either.' His fist slams into the wall. 'I found Brianna with them. If they were mine, I would have felt their deaths, and I didn't.'

I felt my mouth hanging open and struggled to tighten my muscles so I wouldn't look so shocked.

'You raised them. I watched you raise them. Your bond with them was-' They couldn't shift yet, which also meant he couldn't mind-link with them. He would have discovered the truth when they got their wolves. Instead, he found out because they were slaughtered.

'Who... who...' I struggled to form the words.

'I think you already know the answer to that.'

My eyes flicker to the open office door. Alexander stood there, his face rigid as he watched us. 'Is it true?'

'I had my suspicions,' Alexander sighs heavily.

'They were Julian's children?!'

He nods at me. 'We would have known for certain when they got their wolves.'

That's why he had been letting Sebastian drink himself into stupidity. Sebastian had lost everything.