Chapter 0057

Sebastian frowned at her. "You never mentioned that."

"Athena's past holds many buried secrets."

"Let me guess, another million?" Alexander scoffed.

"Not this time. This time, you truly need to know."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Alexander's patience wore thin.

"Athena has been bound at least four times. Possibly more. It wasn't until I heard her pack's name that I realized who you spoke of. The newborn I bound myself."

"Four times?" Titan muttered, sounding alarmed.

"You bound her as a baby?" Disgust laced Alexander's words.

Madame Zora tapped her long nails on the table. "You claim to know she's a Lycan."

"Yes, though my knowledge is limited."

"They shift at thirteen." She smiled as if sharing vital information.

"I was made aware. What does that have to do with you binding her?"

"She shifted on the day she was born."

Alexander and Sebastian exchanged glances, speaking together. "That's impossible."

"I witnessed it myself, Alpha Alexander. Until recently, you didn't even know her kind existed."

"Bullshit." Alexander snapped, rising from his chair.

"She was different. She is different." Madame Zora sighed.

"You said four times. Her eighteenth birthday, age six, as a newborn, and when else?"

"Shortly after turning one."

"One? What could a one-year-old possibly do?"

"She began shifting again. Her father was desperate. He called me again. This time, she was strong. Powerful. I watched her shift in and out of her beast form like it was a game. Almost as if she knew why I was there."

"How could a one-year-old understand your intentions?" Sebastian asked.

"You tell me. To seal the binding, she needed to be in human form. Otherwise, she'd be trapped as a Lycan. We waited days. She fought sleep, forcing herself to stay awake. Like she knew what was coming."

It sounded nothing like his shy, stuttering mate. Years of abuse had perhaps hollowed her out, leaving a shell of her former self.

"You bound her twice. Who bound her at six and eighteen?"

"I don't know. But I tried to warn you, Alpha Alexander. I told you she had strong Alpha blood. I was right. I am right."

"Why come now? Why wait so long to tell me? What do you want from this?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Sebastian questioned. "You've been pestering me for days just to say this?"

"She's not just your bride, is she, Alpha Alexander? She's your mate. Destined to be at your side."

Alexander remained silent.

"Hmm. The Moon Goddess works in mysterious ways."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Alexander snapped.

"You are a powerful man, Alpha Alexander. You are either being tested or you have met your match. She will either break you or make you." Madame Zora stood. "Now I must go."

"That's it? You drop this bombshell and just leave?"

"There is only so much I can reveal, Alpha Alexander. I don't know what that girl is capable of. I only know what I felt around her as a baby. I felt it the moment I entered your pack."

"Felt what?"

"Her power." She locked eyes with him. "That is what drew you to her, long before you scented the mate bond."