Chapter 0476

Zachary

Her floral scent is overwhelming.

Far more intense than Isabella's subtle vanilla ever was.

When I told Athena that Jasmine carried a distinct scent, I never clarified it was the mark of my destined mate.

Was I prepared for another mate when even speaking Isabella's name still felt like a blade twisting in my chest?

“Are you going to say something?” she demands, her golden eyes fixed on me as she hurriedly twists her long obsidian hair into a low bun.

I turn to Athena. “We need to bring the body back to the pack.”

“You’re just going to ignore me?” Jasmine scowls, her voice sharp.

“I’m not ignoring you,” I reply, frowning.

“Is there someone else?” she presses, her gaze unwavering.

“Yes, and she is dead!” I snap, the words tearing out of me.

She immediately drops her gaze.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I… me and my big mouth.”

“I need time to process this. There’s too much happening right now.”

“His heart is beating,” Athena murmurs, cutting off whatever Jasmine was about to say next.

Her hand is pressed against his chest, and she takes a quick step back as his lungs suddenly expand with a ragged breath.

“I broke his neck,” Theodore states, his voice low and grim. “He has no abilities. He can’t possibly survive that.”

“What do we do?” Evelyn asks, her voice tense.

I move quickly, yanking the belt from my jeans.

While Levi is still disoriented, I bind his hands tightly behind his back, ensuring he can’t move them.

“Cover his eyes,” Athena mutters, pulling off her sweatshirt.

I rip a sleeve off and tie the fabric tightly around his head, blocking his vision.

Lifting his shirt, I frown. “His wounds have healed, too.”

“What?” Athena leans over my shoulder to look. “How is that possible?”

“Is it possible his own potions don’t work on him?” Jasmine suggests. “Or maybe they don’t work completely?”

“I don’t…” He begins to stir.

I glance at everyone and press a finger to my lips.

Levi didn’t need to know our plans or our destination.

“Theodore,” Levi calls out, his voice unnervingly calm. “I know you’re still here. I can smell your delicious scent. I know you’re frustrated, but I can forgive what you just did to me. All you have to do is let me see those beautiful deep green eyes of yours.”

Athena shakes her head at Theodore, a silent warning not to speak or move.

It was strange to see Theodore so enraged, but he stayed quiet.

He understood this was some kind of trap.

A slow smile spreads across Levi’s face. “Is the Alpha telling you to keep your distance? You know you don’t have to listen to her. She isn’t your Alpha.”

Theodore’s hands clench into tight fists.

Evelyn places a calming hand on his shoulder, shaking her head at him.

“Is someone going to say something?” Levi presses, a thread of irritation weaving through his falsely pleasant tone.

He starts to laugh when we all remain silent.

The sound is forced, and his irritation is clearly growing. “You can’t kill me, but you’ve figured that out now. I will continue to be your problem, and you will never be able to stop me.”

Athena creeps closer to him and leans down, her voice a venomous whisper near his ear. “There is a way to kill everyone, but I want your death to be as slow and as painful as possible. You staying alive means I get exactly what I want.”

“Have you learned nothing?” he seethes, his body tensing.

Athena gestures for me to haul him to his feet. “More than enough,” she tells him coldly. “You keep telling me there’s always someone worse. Well, I’m about to become your worst someone. You will wish you had stayed dead just now.”

“Bring it on,” he dares, a smirk in his voice.

Athena turns and strides decisively toward the pack.

Evelyn and Jasmine hurry past me.

While Evelyn seems focused on catching up to Athena, Jasmine’s golden eyes are filled with a mix of confusion and wonder as they linger on me.

Theodore grabs Levi’s left side, and I quickly take his right.

We haul him roughly to his feet.

“You are making a mistake. Theodore, I can offer you so much more,” Levi insists.

Theodore finally breaks his silence. “No, you can’t. If they don’t kill you, I will, and I will be a damn sight more thorough. You’re right, Levi. Those initials on your chest are for me. My name is Theodore Daudet, and I am a Witch Hunter.”

Levi tenses up, digging his heels into the ground to resist being dragged forward. “It’s a trick,” he scoffs, though doubt now colors his voice.

“No trick. You just didn’t do your research.”

“You’re lying. You know I don’t like it when you lie,” Levi growls. “I can smell your scent.”

“I’ve already killed you once. Why would I do that if we were mates?” Theodore challenges.

I was truly seeing a different side of him.

He was always the voice of reason, but push him too far, and a dangerous predator emerges.

“I know you can smell me,” Levi insists, a desperate edge to his voice now.

“You’re right, I can,” Theodore says, his voice cold and flat. “At first, I believed what you were saying was true. Until I spoke to another Hunter. What I was smelling is what tells me I’m supposed to kill you. It was tolerable at first, but the more time we spent together, the more it turned vile.”