Chapter 0454

Athena

"Luc is gone? Is he returning?" I ask.

"What a fool." Nyx murmurs.

"Decided to stop ignoring me now?" I mutter back, but she stays silent.

Sebastian passes me a folded note. "It's uncertain. The note only states he needs to understand what's happening to him."

"So he does realize something is wrong with him." Alexander mutters, lifting Logan onto his shoulders.

"Seems so, but Hannah went with him."

"He forced her?" I ask. I knew they were mates, but Hannah always said the pack was her only safe haven.

"No." Brianna answers. "At least it doesn't appear so. I checked her room for clues. Some essentials are missing, but it doesn't look rushed. It seemed planned."

"After Levi?" Alexander frowns as I hand him the note.

"I know Luc wants Levi dead, but I doubt he'd endanger Hannah again." Brianna mutters.

"The problem is we can't mind-link either of them if they're in trouble." I groan.

Damn Luc and his relentless drive.

"You should tell them the other thing." Sebastian tells Brianna.

"Is this about Liam? I was just heading over." Alexander replies.

"No. There was a small incident earlier." Brianna drops her gaze.

"He shifted, didn't he?" I look down at Evrin, who's tugging at Alexander's shoelaces.

"Yes. Please don't be angry. They were asleep. Caleb asked me to watch Seraphina while he spoke to Sebastian about Liam. She was sitting right there." Brianna points to a chair on her porch.

"Evrin had already shifted. You didn't warn me he could climb out of his cot. Well, he made his way out here."

"Seraphina knows?" Alexander asks, raising a brow.

"Yes."

"Did she touch him?"

"No. She panicked. Then she asked why no one else knew. Honestly, it was strange seeing her scared. Nothing like the woman who showed up here announcing herself. Definitely not like the one who held me down and stabbed my leg. I'm sorry, Athena. He was asleep. I swear I wouldn't have agreed to watch her otherwise."

"Okay." I mutter.

She looks up, shocked. "Okay? I thought you'd be furious."

I shrug. "Everyone will find out eventually. Logan will be next. Seraphina wasn't the ideal person to discover it first." I glance at Alexander. "But maybe it will scare her enough to stop being reckless."

Brianna presses a hand to her chest, exhaling deeply.

"She's been stressing over this." Sebastian tells Alexander. They both roll their eyes. "Are you really going to bind the kid?" Sebastian asks. "I get it. From what Caleb said, he's a little brat. But binding him?" He glances at me.

"Preferably, no. It's what Caleb wants, unless I can change his mind. I'm hoping Athena can talk some sense into him."

"Me?" I ask, surprised.

"He's just a kid, but he's a Lycan kid. That means he answers to you."

"You want me to intimidate him?" I wasn't comfortable with that.

"Only if necessary. Sometimes it works."

Brianna and Sebastian agree to watch the twins while we visit Caleb's.

Seraphina opens the door. Her gaze drops immediately when she sees me. "Do you need something?"

"No. Where's Caleb?" Alexander asks.

"In the kitchen. This way."

She leads us through the house. A small boy tugs my sleeve. "Hi." He beams at me with blue eyes brighter than my own. "My name is Noah."

"Hi." I smile back. He blushes and quickly runs off.

"I think someone has a little crush." Alexander links me.

'Don't be ridiculous.'

'I think I'll have to keep an eye on that one.' He jokes with a smile.

Caleb appears. Seraphina makes an excuse and disappears through a door down some steps.

"Sebastian told you everything?"

"Yes." Alexander replies. "But before we discuss that, I want to try something else."

"You don't want to bind him?"

"Ultimately, you're his father. But from experience, binding is one of the worst things you can do. It might make him hate everything even more."