Chapter 0418

Athena

'What if we just end her? It's a viable option, isn't it? No one has to find out until it's done.' Nyx suggests.

'As much as I'd love to, Alexander is right. We need Seraphina for the trade along with Evelyn. I don't want Theodore to die. He doesn't deserve that fate.'

'Fine. Then we wait until the deal is finalized. After that, we eliminate her? Make it appear accidental? She's human now—it should be simple. Let her bleed out? I know you've considered it too, so don't pretend otherwise.'

No thought remained private anymore. Either Nyx was listening in, or Alexander was reading my mind.

'We are!' She clicks her tongue.

'As much as I want to, I'll wait. Let Alexander play his game. If anything goes wrong, I'll happily tear her heart out myself.'

I collapse onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling as my body sinks into the mattress. The omega had taken the twins to Victoria and Sebastian's shortly after I left last night. She was young, and even at their age, the twins knew how to test her patience. Though she hadn't witnessed Evrin shift yet.

Damn it. I forgot to warn Victoria and Sebastian too.

Closing my eyes, I'm instantly hit with a wave of Alexander's woody scent. The door swings open, letting in a cool breeze. "Are you still angry?" He asks softly.

"No. I'm too exhausted to stay mad."

He pauses, and I know he's sifting through my thoughts to verify my honesty.

"Then this might upset you."

I push myself up on my elbows to meet his crimson gaze. "What do you mean?"

"Theodore linked me."

"He linked you? How... he was... where?" Questions swarm my mind.

"He was drugged, as we expected. But it seems to have worn off, just like Evelyn's did."

I try to process how. Evelyn claimed she lost her abilities long ago. And Hannah and Seraphina were still without their Lycan traits. "Levi has him." Alexander continues.

"Where?"

"He doesn't want us to rescue him. He believes it's a trap—exactly what Levi wants and expects."

"We can't just abandon him!" I scowl.

"We won't. For now, he's unharmed and safe. But he wants to gather more intel on Levi and his motives." "Where is he?" I press.

"There's more." He evades my question. He clearly doesn't want me to know. "Theodore asked me to speak with Seraphina about the scent Levi used. The one he manipulated to make her believe he was her mate."

"Wh..." I stop myself as realization dawns. "He thinks Levi is his mate?"

"He explicitly stated he won't accept him, even if he is. He refuses to be with someone like Levi."

"Is that why he left with him? Because of a potential bond?"

"I'm not sure. He severed the link before I could ask."

"He cut the link?"

"Yes." He sighs. "His last words were that he won't accept the bond. That's why he wants to know what Seraphina smelled. If it's the same, he'll know it's a trick. I'm allowing him to link me on his terms, when it's safe."

"What if it's not?" I sigh. "What if that scent is what his mate is supposed to smell like? Levi might not be fabricating the scent but the idea of the bond. That means everyone he desires would smell identical."

'For someone so tired, you're sharp today.' Nyx murmurs, impressed.

I study Alexander, who remains silent. "There's something else, isn't there?"

"Yes. Levi is half-Witch. He wasn't using anyone. It's all been him."

I exhale heavily. The only other Witch I've met was Madame Zora.

"He told Theodore they bear a mark."

"Like a Witch's mark?"

Alexander closes his eyes and nods. "The mark is the initials of their mate."

"And?" I know he's doling out information slowly. Not for dramatic effect, but to let me absorb it all.