Chapter 0302

"You heard?" Theodore's sudden appearance made me jump.

"Heard what?" His expression was grim. "Judging by your face, I assume you discovered it's impossible."

"Actually, my discovery has little to do with you and everything to do with me."

"You?"

"It shocked me too." He avoided my gaze. "Remember our first conversation?"

I frowned, thinking back to that nerve-wracking encounter. "About your binding?"

He nodded slowly. "And that I was born into another pack. Or so I believed."

"You weren't?"

"I was, but not truly part of it." He sank onto the steps. "Brax and I just returned from investigating. My parents were infiltrators."

"Infiltrators? Why?"

"According to Brax, Rogues attacked that pack ten years ago."

"Your parents?"

"My birth parents died right after I was born. The couple who raised me and later bound me were pack members. They died in that attack. The Luna confirmed it."

"They killed your parents? Because they infiltrated?"

"My birth mother was heavily pregnant with me. She begged for help. The Alpha and Luna provided it."

"You said they infiltrated?" I whispered.

"Wrong word choice. My parents warned the Alpha and Luna about an impending Lycan attack. Nobody believed them because Lycans were considered myths. The Alpha thought it was a trap. When my mother went into labor, he ordered their execution. A childless Omega took me in. She and her husband bound me when I became a threat."

"You're no threat, Theodore. You only want to help people."

"Now, yes. Being here changed me. Having support and a home. My life was different before meeting Alexander. If my parents had lived, I might have turned out like Brax."

"Don't say that. You're nothing like him."

"But I am. Athena, my parents were Hunters. That's how they knew about the Lycan attack. That's how they knew the pack was in danger."

"You're joking." He shook his head. "You're not a Hunter. You don't hate Lycans. You enjoy time with my sons. I've seen you talking with Zachary. You're not a Hunter."

"It shocked me too." He lowered his head, eyes filled with sorrow.

"You can see souls?"

"No." He shook his head again.

"Lucas mentioned knowledge passed through blood. You've never..."

"I suspected you weren't a Wolf when we met. Beyond the binding, you were different in ways I couldn't pinpoint. How do think I found those books about your kind so easily?"

"You were already researching?"

He nodded with a faint smile.

"Nature versus nurture, I suppose. I never knew Hunters existed. I was always a quiet child. Bullied for not having a Wolf for years. Perhaps being raised outside that life made my brain forget." He smiled weakly. "If you haven't noticed, I'm not much of a killer either."

"Does Alexander know?"

"I wanted to tell you first. I don't want you worrying about the twins' safety around me. I prefer keeping this part quiet because I don't identify as a Hunter."

I nodded slowly. "Are you related to Lucas then?"

"Not that I know, and he doesn't think so. He's not the only Hunter, Athena."

Why had I never considered that? 'Because you can be stupid,' Nyx muttered. She had been quiet lately, but this conversation clearly interested her. "So there are more." I scowled, ignoring my Lycan.

"Yes, and they could become a problem, especially if they learn Lycans are coming here."

"We'll be sitting targets."