Chapter 0449

Zachary

We've searched every inch of the pack territory.

I don't think there's anything left to discover.

I relay this to Alexander as we head back to the vehicle.

Whatever evidence existed here, Dominic or Victoria must have destroyed it.

Probably to prevent Athena from learning the truth about her origins.

"I was hoping for more." Alexander admits, though he knows I'm right.

His crimson gaze shifts to Theodore, who's leaning over the car hood.

"What's he looking at?"

"A map he discovered. He's trying to locate any hidden structures those bastards might have used."

Alexander's eyes move to Athena, curled asleep in the passenger seat.

The vomiting and pregnancy revelation have completely drained her.

"I'm curious," I say. "If you knew she was pregnant, why keep it from her?"

"She wasn't ready to hear it. She made that clear not long ago. Though she's handling it better than I anticipated." He smiles faintly.

"You'd have an entire army if she allowed it."

"Nothing wrong with that. You'll understand someday."

I remain silent. My first mate had been unexpected. Finding another seemed improbable.

"Anything?" Alexander asks Theodore.

"Nothing." Theodore frowns, folding the map. "This feels like a wasted trip."

"Not entirely." Alexander counters. "We identified Evelyn. And Athena learned something new about herself."

I raise an eyebrow. Why wasn't he telling Theodore about the pregnancy?

'Too early.' Alexander links me, as if reading my thoughts.

He moves Athena to the back seat so she can lie down comfortably.

He slides in beside her, his protective hand immediately resting on her stomach.

Theodore takes the driver's seat.

"Are we telling Evelyn?" Theodore finally asks.

"Yes." Alexander confirms.

"Is that wise? I get she's family, but that doesn't make it right."

"It's only fair. She's started opening up. Maybe this will encourage more cooperation."

"What if that's exactly what Levi wants? Maybe he needed confirmation and we're handing it to him."

"I doubt it." Alexander says. "He already suspected something. That's why he monitors her. Why he threatened us with her. But from what we know, he's never encountered her Lycan. He wouldn't have if he kept drugging her."

"He claimed it was an accident. That he drugged her for protection but miscalculated the dose."

"Do you believe that?"

"No."

I notice Theodore's grip tightening on the steering wheel.

"What really happened when Levi held you captive? You've never discussed it."

He presses his lips together, eyes fixed on the road. "It's nothing."

"Nothing?"

"You felt a connection to him, didn't you?" Alexander keeps his voice low to avoid waking Athena, but his tone demands answers.

"Yes, but it's more than that. He was desperate for me to admit I was his mate. His moods shifted violently when denied. I think he's always gotten his way, and when challenged, he revealed his true nature. Angry. Aggressive. He tried to mark me."

Silence fills the car, broken only by the engine.

"Did he succeed?"

"No. I lied and gave a false name." His hands slam against the wheel. "Luc is wrong. He has to be. A Witch Hunter mating a Lycan... It's impossible."

"Luc's knowledge is unreliable lately. He's missing things." I glance back at the sleeping Athena. "Missing obvious things. He messed up by not killing Levi and now contradicts himself. Something's changed. He's weakening."

"You think he's mistaken?"

"Yes. Luc is a Rogue Hunter who happens to be mated to a Lycan."

"That's different."

"Is it?" I ask. "Hannah may not have her Lycan abilities now, but what if they return? Like yours did. She could still turn Rogue while remaining mated to a Hunter."

"So what does that make me? His mate and potential killer? I can't be bound to someone like him. He's unhinged. A psychopath."

"Not necessarily his killer. Remember that." Alexander murmurs.

"But it explains why you're so agitated about this." I shrug.

Theodore slams on the brakes abruptly.

"Dammit, Theodore!" Alexander snaps from the back as we lurch forward.

"Sorry, but I need to make this clear. I love my family. I love Obsidian Howl. I'll do whatever it takes to protect it. I won't accept him."

"Then why not just reject him?" Athena whispers from the back, sitting up. "Like Julian tried with Sophia."

Silence falls as Athena adjusts herself.

Theodore frowns deeply. "Sophia still refused. She wouldn't accept the rejection, so what good would it have done? And I already made my point. I stabbed him."

"You stabbed his projection because he stabbed you first. If it came down to it, could you actually kill him?" I couldn't bring myself to kill Isabella. Athena had to do it eventually, something I deeply regret.

"Theodore, it's okay." Athena tells him. "I understand what it's like to be mated to someone you don't want. It's confusing. Frustrating. So many conflicting emotions."

It takes me a moment to realize she's not referring to Alexander, but her first mate.

Someone I never met.

If I had, I would have torn him apart.