Chapter 0374

Seraphina

"We gave her the warning. Now we should go." I sigh, pulling a thick sweatshirt over my head. The cold is absolutely brutal. I've never experienced anything like this before. My body feels foreign, vulnerable. Every gust of wind cuts right through me. Is this what being human always feels like?

Evelyn brings me a heavy blanket, carefully tucking it around my legs. "I don't think we should leave. Not yet."

"We've overstayed our welcome already." I insist, my voice tight. "You only came here to tell Athena about Levi. We did that. Somehow, I'm still breathing. I'd like to keep it that way, even if it means I freeze to death in this miserable place."

She rolls her eyes, calling me dramatic. "What about your mother? She confirmed your mother is in the pack. Just like you thought she would be."

"So?" I snap.

"Don't you want to see her?"

"What I want doesn't matter. They want nothing to do with me. I already explained why."

"I never took you for a quitter."

"I'm not the person I used to be, Evelyn. He stripped all of that away. Too many people in that pack hate me, and that's just the Wolves. Staying here is a death wish. Someone will kill me, and you won't be able to stop them."

"Is that what you truly want?"

"I don't know anymore."

She sighs, sitting beside me and pulling part of the blanket over her own legs. "Are you scared?"

I consider her question. It wasn't sarcastic. It wasn't mockery. She meant it. I guess, on some level, I am scared. It would be stupid not to be. I used to say that to all the targets I hunted.

Lycans have probably taken over most of Obsidian Howl by now. If they have, that means they submitted to Athena. Maybe even to Alpha Alexander. Who knows how many are living there now? Who knows how many of them I've personally pissed off? I'm not ready to find out.

When I saw Lucas, I truly believed he would kill me right then and there. But he just watched me. His expression was unreadable. That made it so much worse. I know what I did to him. He knows what I did. Yet he just stood there, asking his questions.

It's easier when people outright threaten you. At least then, all the cards are on the table. I wouldn't have to feel this constant, gnawing dread sitting heavy in my gut.

Not being able to read people is terrifying.

"Neither of us can fight them off," I mutter. "We're nothing compared to them. They could break us like dry twigs if they wanted to."

She frowns, taking a slow sip of her coffee. She's completely addicted to the stuff. "Maybe she will help us."

I let out a bitter laugh. "Please don't tell me you're talking about Athena?!"

"I just think... she had a clear chance to kill us. She didn't take it. They found us here. They could have forced their way in, slit our throats, and vanished. But they didn't. Maybe there's a chance for us here."

I shake my head. "Or maybe she just wasn't in the mood. Or maybe she was too focused on getting her answers. She wanted information."

Evelyn nods slowly. "Maybe you're right." She leans her head against my shoulder. "I've been thinking about her questions. I think someone is missing."

"That means he's already here." My heart hammers against my ribs. The thought of being his prisoner again makes me sick. What would he do to punish me for escaping? He already shaved my head. My hand instinctively moves to my scalp, touching the short, dark fuzz.

I haven't looked in a mirror since Evelyn made me. It probably looks like I got electrocuted.

"It'll grow back," Evelyn murmurs, noticing my movement. "It won't be this short forever." She wraps an arm around my waist. Her reflection in the dark TV screen shows a small smile. Her constant positivity is something I can't understand. But I guess she's had more time to get used to this life.

As much as I don't want to die, the thought of living like this forever is terrifying. I hated humans when I was a Lycan. That hasn't changed. I like Evelyn, but I think that's only because we share a common enemy.

"Do you think it's true?" I whisper, watching a candle flame sputter and die.

"What?" Evelyn asks softly.

"That Athena was right. That I was let out on purpose?"

She sighs and sits up straight. "I've wondered that myself. For five years, I waited for someone else to escape that place. I always wondered if there were others who took different routes. Maybe they stuck to roads instead of the woods. That's why they never found my farmhouse. But you said your door was unlocked, just like all the others. So yes, I believe she was right."