Chapter 0378

Alexander

"Stay here." I tell Athena, pulling on a shirt.

"Who is it?" She asks, already climbing out of bed and heading to the closet.

"It doesn't matter. You need to stay here."

She continues pulling on underwear as though I hadn't spoken. "I was right." She murmurs. "My gut feeling was right." She shimmies into a pair of jeans. "Is it Levi?"

"No."

"Who? Hannah. Did something happen? Has she said something?"

"It's not Hannah. Please will you just stay here until I know more."

"Our children are not even in the house."

"Athena and Sebastian won't let anything happen to them." I reassure her.

"Do they need to be kept safe? What's happened? You are not answering my question Alexander!" She plants her hands on her hips and stares at me. She was trying to read my mind.

I shake my head because I knew what her reaction would be when she found out who was at the gate.

"It's Seraphina."

She stops what she's doing to stare at me.

'Three, two....' Titan starts counting down, preparing for Athena to snap. Instead, she sinks into the large chair, her soft blue eyes fixed on me. "Why is she here?"

"I don't know, but will you please stay here? Just until I know what she wants. Besides, you are supposed to be staying in the house."

She doesn't answer me.

"Athena?"

She puffs out her cheeks, "I will stay."

I grab my jacket and kiss Athena before leaving. Whether she would actually stay put was another thing.

Down at the gate, Zachary is staring at Seraphina while Caleb is asking her questions. The blonde with her was sitting on the ground, leaning against Seraphina's legs, half asleep, clutching an old backpack.

"I was expecting Athena." Seraphina mutters.

"Well you have me." I snap. "Why are you here?"

Her brown eyes shift between us as she tries to come up with a response. She tugs her sweatshirt tighter as though it was going to protect her.

"Well?"

"I don't know." She looked genuinely unsure. "I could have left. I wanted to leave. I was ready to go. All I had to do was turn right."

I see Caleb roll his eyes. I'm guessing he has heard a similar story before.

"Then I decided to come here or maybe it wasn't my choice."

"Why?"

"Would you believe me if I said I'm still trying to figure that out. I'm probably going to die here. I deserve it." She puffs out her cheeks just like Athena does when she is contemplating something. She screws her face up. "I think Athena was right."

"Are you fucking shitting me?" Caleb scoffs. "Your mother and I told you that for years. You go and lose your Lycan and suddenly you have seen the light. Maybe we should have packed you off to this prick years ago."

"Hey!" I snap. "There is no need to wish this on someone." As much as I despised Seraphina, no one deserved to lose their beast. Death, yes, but this was just pointless.

Seraphina gestures to Evelyn who is snoring. "She helped me understand a lot." She returns her gaze to Caleb. "I made some mistakes."

"Mistakes?"

"Alright. I made some big fucking cock ups. Is that what you want to hear? I learned to survive and thrive from it. I made money. Got myself a home. I lived a life that I thought I loved. And now I am no one, happy?!"

Caleb takes a few steps away. I'm not sure if he was trying the tough love act as a father figure, but I knew he wasn't helping.

"You tried hunting down my mate and also slowly sent my brother over the edge in the process."

"So he is dead?" She asks, rocking on her heels as she keeps her gaze off of mine. "I didn't feel it, but I thought as much."

"Fucker tried to pull off something that hasn't been done before. He didn't survive it." Zachary growls. "But you, you made him into something else."

She raises her brown eyes to me. "I did like him. I fell for him and let him mark me and then...." She shakes her head and her hood falls down, revealing her short hair. She quickly hikes the hood back up and pulls it down around her face. "I'm sorry. I dragged him into my mess, preyed on his need to get revenge. You're right, I screwed him up, because that is what I do. I have always worked alone. That was why I was known as a Lone Wolf. Ironic when I wasn't even a Wolf."

"Why are you telling me this?" I demand. "Do you think I'm going to welcome you with open arms? Let you stay in the pack? I could give you a list as long as my arm for everyone who wants you dead. Me included."

"Right." She bobs her head. "I told you because can't hide it. Because your Hunter will know the moment he sees me if I am lying, that's if he doesn't kill me first, I screwed with his life too." She frowns and takes a deep breath. "My name is Seraphina Blackwood. I was never a Harrison, nor will I ever be one. I am not a Lycan anymore, nor am I or will I ever be a female Alpha."

She focuses on me." But I am scared."

"You're scared?" Zachary asks with a tilted head "You, the one who slaughtered Gabriel. The one who killed a pregnant Lycan and then stole their pup." She nods. "We have all killed people, but I am scared, because I think I'm about to become responsible for the downfall of hundreds."

My eyes flicker over the possible hiding places, maybe she was lying and someone was waiting, or maybe she was telling the truth. "Bind them both."

I tell Zachary and Caleb. "Put her in the dungeon," I point at Evelyn, "And bring Seraphina with us."

Evelyn squeaks as she is hauled to her feet by Caleb. Big dark circles sat under her eyes. She seemed confused and she didn't protest immediately. I don't know how much she had heard, but it would be better to split them up. Make sure their stories are the same.

"No, please, don't." Evelyn begs Caleb. He binds her hands together and throws her over his shoulder like it was nothing and carries her away. "Don't hurt her." Seraphina pleads.

"Then let's hope for her sake that she speaks the truth."

"Where are you taking me?" Seraphina asks as Zachary marches her across the grounds. Thankfully it was quiet but she still got a few stares. It wouldn't be long until everyone knew she was here.

Zachary pushes her onto the chair and reties her wrists to the wooden arms. Her breathing is heavy and she screws her face up while twisting to one side.

"What's wrong with you?"

"It's called a stitch." She mutters. "Evelyn said it's part of being Human."

"You trust her?" Zachary asks

"She helped me." Seraphina frowns

“Funny that, isn't it. She just happens to be just like you and she is the first person you ran into when you escaped.”

Her frown deepens to a scowl. "She has been nothing but kind to me. I never asked for it. I never wanted it."

"Yet she talked you into coming back here."