Chapter 0362

Alexander

“That’s the smarter move.” Luc nods, running a hand through his dark, unruly curls. “Athena’s right. If others are part of this, they’ll expect her to return looking broken. Or not return at all.”

Brianna bounces Logan on her knee, her expression thoughtful. “And you don’t want Theodore informed? Why?”

“I respect everything Theodore has done for this pack and for Athena,” I say, holding my mate’s gaze. “But I’m concerned his thirst for knowledge could be used against him. He’s too open with information. That might lead him into danger. Only the people in this room need to know what’s happening.”

Everyone nods in agreement except Athena. Her blue eyes remain locked on mine, lips pressed tightly together. She senses there’s more to my reasoning but chooses to stay silent.

Zachary shifts forward. “Any sign of Hannah?”

“No.” Athena sighs, gently rocking Evrin in her arms.

“And you didn’t kill Seraphina?” he presses.

“No.”

“She was terrified,” Luc adds quietly.

Sebastian looks at Athena, confused. “You were scared?”

“No,” Luc clarifies with a faint smile. “Seraphina was.”

“After everything she’s done, she should be,” Zachary says, frowning at Luc. “I thought you, of all people, would have ended her.”

I watch Luc glance toward Athena. She had stopped him, though I haven’t had the chance to ask why.

'Perhaps because Seraphina has lost her abilities,' Titan murmurs. 'Athena may no longer see her as a threat.'

“There were no others in the area. Sebastian and I swept the perimeter,” Luc informs the group. “No additional tracks. Just those three.”

“But there were no scents, either,” Athena adds. “There could have been more. We just didn’t detect them.”

“So they’ve found a way to mask their scent completely? How?” Zachary asks.

“I suspect Levi is behind it,” Athena explains. “He stripped Seraphina and Evelyn of their Lycan abilities without a binding. According to Evelyn, he’s done the same to others—men and women, Wolves and Lycans. He doesn’t discriminate.”

Brianna looks concerned. “But Hannah? She hasn’t done anything wrong. She has her struggles, but who doesn’t? How does she fit into all this?”

“Levi didn’t like seeing us together,” Luc says, his voice low. “I was going to kill him. Hannah stopped me. She said she would talk to him. She should have let me pull the trigger.”

“You couldn’t have known he would do this,” Brianna murmurs.

“I should have trusted my instincts, but…” He doesn’t finish. We’ve all been there. So consumed by our mates that rational thought sometimes escapes us. A few seconds can change everything.

Zachary redirects the conversation. “Any issues with the deceased Wolves?”

“No.”

“That’s not entirely true,” Sebastian mutters. He looks at me. “A couple years back. Derek was one of the members questioning your decision to let Athena stay, right after you revealed she was a Lycan. Remember? He tried to stir up the pack, but it didn’t work.”

“Why wait this long to act?” Athena asks. “Why wait until there are more Lycans here? Why wait at all?”

“Because he’s a fool!” Luc snaps, cleaning his gun. “He just needed someone to validate his grievances. My guess is Levi did exactly that. And now those three are dead. They got what they deserved.”

“Put that away!” I command sharply. Luc rolls his eyes but tucks the gun into his belt.

“What about the others? Any past issues with them?” Zachary asks Sebastian.

“No. In fact, they always performed their duties. Never caused any trouble. Julian didn’t wrong them. They were always proud to be part of Obsidian Howl.” He turns to me. “Just like the rest of us. We could be facing multiple threats, Alexander, or this could be the work of one rogue Lycan. We simply don’t know.”

“Can you tell?” Athena asks Luc.

“Possibly.”

“I need a better answer than that,” she snaps.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Don’t kill any of them without speaking to me first,” I order as he heads for the door.