Chapter 0277

Athena

This was bad.

I arrived just as Lucas demanded Zachary hand over Charlotte.

"You lying bastard. I knew something was off about you. Is this your game? Stealing children from their homes?" Zachary snapped.

His arms were locked tightly around the little girl.

Alexander positioned himself and our sons between the arguing men.

My boys.

My stomach twisted into painful knots.

How could he forget he was holding them? How could he place them in danger like this?

"I'm not the one stealing them. She's my daughter!"

"Right. And I'm the King of England," Zachary shot back.

Lucas moved fast.

I didn't even see where he pulled it from.

A gun was now pointed directly at me.

"Hand her over, or I kill the person I'm supposed to be helping." His hazel eyes locked onto mine.

I couldn't tell if it was just a threat. Not until his finger moved over the trigger.

Pure rage flooded my veins.

How dare he threaten me!

'Kill him,' Nyx growled.

'Quiet!'

"Lower your weapon," Alexander commanded.

Lucas laughed. "That tone doesn't work on me. I'm not from your pack. I don't bow to Alpha status. So maybe rethink your demand. Your mate is about a minute from shifting. I won't hesitate to put her down." He winked at me.

I closed my eyes.

If I shifted, he would shoot me.

If I moved, he would shoot me.

I couldn't let the darkness win.

I took a deep, steadying breath and opened my eyes.

He was staring at me, one eyebrow cocked.

"How do you know she's yours?" I asked, forcing my voice to remain level.

"I thought I smelled her in the house. Thought my mind was playing tricks. How did she end up here?"

"Zachary saved her," I muttered.

His eyes flicked to Zachary for a second. "I want to know what she did to her."

"Who?"

"Seraphina."

"She wasn't with Seraphina," I whispered, confused. "She was found chained in a bar. Full of humans. About a year ago. Zachary brought her here. We took her in because she's a Wolf and..." My voice trailed off.

I wasn't ready to tell another stranger about my past. Or how I felt compelled to save Charlotte because no one had saved me.

"A Hunter," he muttered. But he kept watching me, like he knew there was more I wasn't saying.

"Seraphina took her?" Alexander asked, struggling to keep the wriggling twins in his arms.

Lucas lowered the gun slightly, but his finger stayed on the trigger. "Charlotte and my pregnant mate were with my parents while I was on a hunt. She killed all of them. Except Charlotte." He let out a bitter laugh. "The fucking whore took her. Guess she got bored of looking after a toddler and pawned her off."

'You should still kill him,' Nyx growled. 'Just for pointing that thing at us.'

"That proves nothing," Zachary snapped. I tried to ignore my Lycan.

I watched as Lucas slipped two fingers into his jeans pocket.

He pulled out a small, worn photograph and handed it to me.

A pregnant woman stared back. She had bright green eyes and a smile that could light up a room.

A small girl leaned over the woman's shoulder, beaming at the camera.

Charlotte got all her looks from her mother. Including the dimples when she smiled.

A deep sadness filled me.

His mate looked near her due date in the photo. That meant she was killed shortly after.

Lucas had lost everyone in the blink of an eye.

Including the only survivor of Seraphina's attack on his family.

Alexander moved closer to me.

Both boys reached out for me as I showed him the photo.

He saw it just like I did.

There was no mistake.

The young girl in the photo was Charlotte.