Chapter 0446

Athena

"Alexander was right. They're all gone. We ended them. They can't harm you now." Nyx's voice whispers through my mind as we trail Zachary through the hollow house.

We halt before the office door. My heart pounds violently against my ribs. Alexander's fingers tighten around mine, guiding me forward. "Not every memory here is dark. This is where I found you."

My gaze sweeps the room, landing on the dark stain marring the carpet. Marcus had fallen there. Typical Victoria—never cleaning up messes herself. That task always fell to me.

"Why did you lie?" My voice comes out hushed.

"Lie?"

"You told them I locked you in here. It wasn't true."

"I suspected they were hurting you. Dominic confirmed it when he struck you. Then again when they tried dragging you to the basement."

"It feels like lifetimes ago, yet..." I'd spent countless hours in this office, scrubbing every surface with a toothbrush while Victoria loomed over me, shouting orders or criticizing missed spots. So many times I'd fantasized about shoving that toothbrush through her eye.

Well, you did much worse than that.' Nyx murmurs inwardly.

A faint smile touches my lips. Alexander presses a kiss to my cheek.

"You've grown stronger since those days." He releases my hand, rummaging through the desk drawers. I drift toward the bookcase. Dozens of heavy volumes line the shelves—books I'd always yearned to read but was never permitted.

I pull out the nearest one. Fingertips trace the gold embossed letters. One single word: 'HARRISON'

I glance toward Alexander. He's now occupied with a cabinet, extracting stacks of paperwork.

Dust plumes around me as I sink into a chair. Coughing, I wave the particles away. Alexander asks if I'm alright. I nod, cracking open the book.

Page after page of elegant script in an unfamiliar language. What is this? I ask Nyx.

'Looks like Latin.' She responds.

'Latin?'

'I can't be sure! I've only existed with you a few years!'

Flipping further, I discover a family tree. Similar to the one Theodore created for me, but this one spans multiple pages with more names. Beside my mother's name reads 'Amelia Harrison' with birth and death dates. Branching from her is another line labeled 'Female, unknown.' Could that be Evelyn? That would make her my cousin.

"I found something." I murmur to Alexander.

"Good. Dominic and Victoria were terrible at record-keeping." He approaches, taking the offered book.

He sighs. "This makes sense. If Evelyn never knew her mother, the family wouldn't have recorded her existence."

"But someone must have known. Maybe Amelia claimed the baby didn't survive?" I shrug.

"Anything's possible. Unfortunately, this confirms Evelyn's claim. You're related."

"And she's a threat." I frown. "She carries Alpha genes. She could kill me and take my place."

"I doubt that."

"Why?"

"You're the last female Alpha. She can't simply replace you. Besides, if you died, your twins are next in line."

"Then what do we do about Evelyn? We can't keep her imprisoned forever. Levi might still come for her."

"Perhaps not. Maybe we can persuade her to help us."

"How?"

"By revealing her origins." He hands back the closed book. "Start with this."

My eyes lift to the shelves. Other identical volumes stand beside it. Pulling them out, I find the same gold lettering, but the pages are blank—waiting to be filled.

"Any luck?" Zachary asks as he and Theodore enter the office.

"We've found something. Not much, but we've identified Evelyn." Alexander informs them. "Athena's cousin. You were right, Theodore. Her mother did have a sister."

"Is she alive?" Zachary questions.

I shake my head. "According to this, she died fifteen years ago. I never met her—at least, I don't remember. I don't recall my mother mentioning her either. My clearest memory is watching my parents die."

"Search again." Alexander commands. "Ensure we missed nothing. Hidden rooms. Trap doors. Anything."

Theodore and Zachary nod, dispersing in opposite directions.