Chapter 0429

Alexander

Her blue eyes lift to meet mine as I enter the room. "Did you hear that?" She scoffs.

I nod slowly. I only caught the tail end of Luc's speech. "I didn't need to hear it all. I'd already considered the possibility. But this isn't about that. This confirms everything." I hand Athena the book I'd been carrying under my arm.

Zachary, Sebastian and I had returned to Theodore's house because I knew he'd been researching Athena's past. I wondered if there was a connection between Athena, Evelyn and Levi, especially after Evelyn linked to Athena in her sleep. But there wasn't.

She opens the book and unfolds the pages. Theodore had been busy. While her father's family line was limited, her mother's side was extensive. Name after name stretched back through generations, all the way to Aldous Harrison and beyond.

How Theodore managed to gather so much information was beyond me, but it was his specialty.

"Wow." Her whisper is soft as her fingers trace the family tree. "This is... It goes all the way back..."

"Centuries. You know how Theodore loves his research." I smile at her.

I let her study the names for several minutes before she frowns. "There's no mention of Evelyn or Levi. That's good, right?"

"Yes and no. It means you're not connected to them, thankfully. But it also means we're not making progress in discovering who they are or what they want. Evelyn seems detached, almost unstable since regaining her abilities. She claims to know nothing beyond Levi sending her here, and even that information is limited."

"At least I don't have another half-sibling appearing out of nowhere!" Athena tuts, and I catch the way Luc looks at me. I glare back, and he quickly makes excuses to leave as I sit beside my mate.

She rests her head against my shoulder, her hand sliding onto my thigh. "Is Theodore okay?"

"Yes. He hasn't gotten anything useful from Levi yet, but he's working on it."

"We can't leave him there."

"It won't be forever. Theodore will come home." I drape my arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. "I'll make sure of that."

"What if--"

"It's not an option, Athena. He's said it himself. He'll never accept Levi."

She falls silent. "Don't lose control," she whispers.

"You listen to Luc too much."

Her eyes search mine. "What does that mean?"

"It means you don't need to worry. We'll figure this out." I kiss the top of her head, and she buries herself against me.

"Evrin shifted again. Luc says he has his Lycan spirit."

'Crap.' Titan mutters. I ignore him. It wasn't necessarily a problem.

"Was Evrin okay?"

Athena nods. "He did it in his sleep. I left him sleeping as a little Lycan. I didn't want to wake him."

'In his sleep?' Titan mutters. 'How is that possible? Is that even a thing?'

'I don't know, but it is now,' I mutter back.

"Evrin will be fine," I tell Athena, and she sighs.

"We don't know what this means. Does it mean he's more powerful than Logan? Does it mean he's the next true Alpha? Logan is first born—I thought that's how it works."

"You're worrying too much. Right now, he's just a baby who's only started walking." I pull her onto my lap so she's facing me, her legs straddling my thighs. "But it's not just him you're worried about, is it? Me, Theodore, Hannah, Zachary, and probably many others." I tuck a strand of her dark hair behind her ear, her blue eyes locking with mine. "It's probably one of the hardest things about being an Alpha. You feel responsible for everyone else. Just as one issue settles, something else comes up. It's a never-ending cycle. I grew up expecting that—you didn't. Though you've adapted to it remarkably well."