Chapter 0426

"He wants me back."

"Your brother is a complete asshole." I mutter under my breath.

She shakes her head fiercely. "No, you don't understand. He protects me. He's always protected me."

"Is that the lie he feeds you?" Alexander questions sharply. "He stripped you of your Lycan nature to protect you? Do you know what we call people who do that?"

Her grey eyes flicker up to us nervously before she shakes her head again.

"Abusers. Cowards. Weaklings. I could list more." Alexander tells her coldly. "But you wouldn't believe a word I say."

"He's my brother. His only job is to protect me."

"Yet here you are in my dungeons while he's nowhere to be found. We know you can mind-link him, Evelyn. And judging by those deep claw marks on the wall, you've shifted recently."

I had been so focused on reading her soul that I missed the savage gouges scarring the stone walls.

"It was agony." She whispers, dropping her head in shame.

"First shifts always are." I shrug. She would've known that if Levi had bothered to teach her anything about being a Lycan.

"When is Levi coming?" Alexander demands as her stomach growls loudly. Her grey eyes keep drifting toward the untouched food.

"He said he's on his way."

"She's lying."

Her head snaps up. "I'm not!"

"You are. I can see it plain as day. Your entire demeanor shifted when you said it."

"So he's not coming?" Alexander asks for confirmation.

She presses her lips together in a tight line. "He said he would and then..."

"And then what?"

"Something more important came up. He wants you to go to him instead."

"Did he tell you to say that?" Alexander demands.

She nods quickly. Alexander looks to me for verification. I confirm she's telling the truth this time.

"And you still can't see how he's using you?" He asks incredulously.

"He isn't!"

"Really? He planted you in that house exactly where he predicted Seraphina would run. He had you befriend her. Convince her to return here even when she knew she might be walking to her death. What else? Did he want you to spy on my pack? Draw him maps of our territory? Connect with his other lackeys?"

"I don't know."

"What did he want you to do, Evelyn?"

"I..."

"What is his plan?" Alexander's voice rises with each word.

"I... I truly don't know."

"He's using you as a pawn and you don't even know the game?"

"No." Tears stream down her face. "I just had to get her here."

Alexander glances at me. I nod. “She's telling the truth now.”

He slams his hands against the steel bars and storms out. My patience wears thin most days, but Alexander was clearly losing his composure over the lack of real answers.

"Eat. Stop that stomach from making those disgusting noises." I snap at Evelyn before following Alexander.

"You believe her?" He demands as we step into the harsh daylight.

"Several things are clear. She genuinely believes Levi is helping her, not punishing her by taking her abilities. She thinks she's Seraphina's real friend despite the lies. And she has zero clue what Levi actually wants."

"So he's manipulating her?"

"We both know that. But he's careful about how he uses her. If he's the only one who knows the full plan, it makes him harder to stop. In some twisted way, the bastard's a genius."

He glares at me. "He's a monster."

"Never said he wasn't. But even you have to admit not sharing his plans is strategically smart!"

His scowl deepens. "Go check with Caleb. He's compiling names of Wolves causing problems for the Lycans. They might be working for Levi."

"I've already vetted them all."

"Luc, just do it."

"What are you planning?" I ask cautiously. His anger radiates off him. My sarcastic comments weren't helping.

"I need to speak with my Betas."

"Well, today's your lucky day." I nod toward Sebastian speaking with a Wolf several hundred yards away.

I watch Alexander stride off, making a mental note to talk to Athena. An enraged Alpha losing control of his pack was a disaster waiting to happen. And if he feels that control slipping, we're all in deep trouble.