Chapter 0007

Zachary

"Evelyn?" I call out, following her quickening pace. She was clearly heading home, refusing to even glance back at me. She moved desperately, trying to escape any watching eyes.

She burst through the front door, slamming it shut behind her. This reaction was completely unexpected. When Alexander explained why Athena wanted to see her, I assumed keeping it quiet would be a pleasant surprise. I thought she would be thrilled. This was not the response I anticipated.

I found her curled on the sofa. Her knees were drawn to her chest, forehead resting against them. She wasn't crying. There were no hidden sniffles or attempts to conceal tears.

"We are not doing this." I tell her firmly, lifting her face until her grey eyes meet mine. "Whatever this is, it stops now. I am right here. Silence is not an option. I allowed that to happen once before. I won't make that mistake again."

She takes a deep breath, her chest rising steadily. "It's too risky." Her brow furrows into a slight frown. "So many pack members don't want me here, Zachary. It's not just Seraphina. They want me dead. The only reason I'm alive is because of you. They know crossing that line would end their lives. It's exhausting, Zachary. Dakota tells me daily that this is my destiny. That this is who I'm meant to be. Do you know how often she reminds me?"

"Too much?"

She rolls her eyes at my comment. "What if they blame Athena for this decision? What if it turns everyone against her?" "They won't."

"Of course they will. The only reason they stay quiet now is fear of punishment. Why can't they see me the way you do?" "Because if they did, I might have to intervene."

Her lips curve slightly, but the smile fades quickly.

"Evelyn, you've kept yourself completely clean. More than most can claim. Even Luc trusts you with his daughter. That speaks volumes."

"He's just one man." She glides her tongue along her lips. "Dakota wants me to accept. She says it's our calling. I know I won't let Athena down. But everyone outside that door will see it as the world's biggest mistake. All because they can't move past errors I had no control over."

"You don't give yourself enough credit."

"How can I? I'm one of the two most hated people in this pack. Even Brianna won't speak to you because of me. I know she came by."

"I knew you weren't napping." I muse. She had claimed she was lying down seconds before Brianna knocked. Brianna stared at me for several moments before stomping off without a word.

"Before you say anything, this isn't a pity party. I'm just trying to make sense of it all. I'm not wrong about Seraphina. You know she's a constant thorn in my side. She already uses our relationship as an excuse. She tells everyone you're the reason Athena lets me live. Maybe that's true. But this? This feels like rubbing salt in the wound."

I've been monitoring Seraphina from a distance. She does her job and keeps her head down—unless Evelyn is near. It's like she can't control her anger around my mate. Not enough to shift or physically attack. But I'm waiting for her to cross that line.

I drop onto the sofa beside her. My weight shifts her body against mine. "If you don't want to be Athena's Beta, that's fine. She won't hold it against you." I tell her, wrapping my arms around her. She rests her head against my chest and sighs. "She won't"

"No."

She frowns deeply. "I wish the answer were a simple yes or no."

Athena

“My brother seems genuinely fond of you.” Isabella grins, shoving a pastry into her mouth.

My gaze snaps to hers across the breakfast table. Alpha Alexander assigned her to watch me while he handled his mysterious errands. My earlier comment about being alone must have made him reconsider.

He didn’t share his destination, and I didn’t ask. It wasn’t my place to know.

“You’re much prettier than the last one.” Isabella mumbles, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Last one?” I nearly choke on my juice.

“You’re his contracted mate, right?”

I nod slowly.

“Did you honestly believe you were the first?”

The possibility never crossed my mind. My focus remained on what Alpha Alexander might do to me. He hadn’t made any advances beyond holding me while we slept. No wandering hands. No demands to sleep naked. Nothing. The waiting felt worse than knowing. He didn’t strike me as a patient man.

“Hopefully, you’ll stick around.” She reaches for another pastry.

“Stick around?” These casual phrases and her informal tone feel foreign. I’m accustomed to orders and abuse, not conversation.

“I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but it’s better if you’re prepared.” She takes a deep breath. “My brother has searched for his true mate for years. He’s twenty-eight. Still no heir. The others never last more than a few weeks. Some run. Some get killed.” She shrugs like it’s the most normal thing in the world.

“Because they won’t give him an heir?”

She shakes her head. “Because he loses interest.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I whisper. I’d rather not know if my death is imminent.

“There’s something different about you. He looks at you differently. I noticed it at the hospital.”

Her words don’t comfort me. Everyone looks at me differently because of my strange scent.

“Your real problem will be if he finds his true mate.” She mutters.

Marcus had been my true mate. He rejected me the second I turned eighteen. He burst into the basement in the middle of the night, screaming his rejection. He beat me until I accepted it.

"You have a mate, don't you? I can see it in your eyes."

"Had." I whisper. "He rejected me." I remember the agony, not just from the beating. It felt like my heart was ripped from my chest. Because I felt the bond, my brother had me bound again. That’s when I stopped healing like everyone else.

"I understand. Mine rejected me too." She sighs. "The moment he learned which pack I belonged to and who my brother is, he wanted nothing to do with me. Anyway, like I said, my brother seems to like you more than the others."

Is that supposed to make me feel better? Knowing I might last a bit longer than the others. That he might keep me like some prized possession because he likes me.

Isabella takes me to the hospital with her. She has work to do, and apparently Alpha Alexander ordered her not to let me out of her sight except for bathroom breaks. Maybe he thought I’d run like his other brides. As if I have the energy for that.

No one comes into the hospital. Isabella spends most of her time doing inventory. It seems pointless to have a pack hospital when everyone can heal.

"Hey." She smiles as she approaches me. "I'll be here a while longer, so I brought you some magazines to read."

She drops them on the table in front of me. I stare blankly at the pages. I don’t recognize the people in the photos, and I can’t understand the words written about them.

"Not your thing?" she asks curiously.

I shake my head, not wanting to admit the truth.

She stares at me from across the counter, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You can't read, can you?"

How did she guess? I shake my head, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"I'm guessing you never went to school?"

"No." Admitting it feels humiliating. What twenty-two-year-old can’t read or write?

"Does my brother know?"

"No."

"Well, at least now I have something to do besides counting." She smiles and sits beside me.

Hours pass, and I still struggle to grasp it. But she remains patient, continuing to teach me. Suddenly, she gathers the papers, shuffles them into a pile, and shoves them into a drawer.

"My brother is back."

"How do you know?"

"Pack thing."

Seconds later, the doors swing open. Alpha Alexander storms toward us. He looks furious. His crimson eyes darken. His brow furrows, and his focus zeroes in on me.

"I need a word with my mate!" He snaps at Isabella.

"Sure." she mutters, quickly escaping and leaving me alone with him.

He waits until she’s out of sight before turning to me. My eyes drop to the floor as his voice echoes through the hospital. "Where has Dominic gone?"

"Huh?"

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

I open my mouth to say I don’t understand.

"There was no one there, Athena. No one." I feel his glare burning into me.

That doesn’t make sense. How could there be no one?

"Homes empty. The packhouse, empty. Where have they gone, Athena?"

I shake my head, confused. "You... you went to see my brother?" I whisper, refusing to meet his gaze.

"Was this all a lie?" He gestures at me. "A setup to gather information on me?" He’s seething. "What does Dominic want?"

I close my eyes like I always do. It’s easier if I don’t see the blow coming.

"ATHENA!" His hand grabs my chin. "I said you would never have to fear me. But that was when I believed I was helping you. Open your fucking eyes and look at me!"

Tears escape my closed eyes. Isabella was wrong. This is the end for me.

I open my eyes. His crimson ones stare into mine. Slowly, his expression softens. "You don’t know what I’m talking about, do you?"

"No." I mumble.

He releases my chin. "The pack is empty!"

"Abandoned?" I whisper.

"No, nothing is gone. Everything is still there, but there were no people anywhere. It’s like they vanished. Trust me, we searched. You said they don’t do pack runs, but they clearly do something."

"I don’t know." I gulp. "I never left the pack until yesterday. I... I never went further than the gardens." I frown. "But sometimes, the house would be empty. If I wasn’t locked away, I would steal food."

"How often?" He questions.

"Every couple of months, I think."

If it weren’t for those times when the house was empty, allowing me to steal food, I would have starved to death years ago.

"No one talks about it?"

I shake my head.

"Are you sure, Athena?"

"They might, just not when I’m around."

Suddenly, he extends his hand to me. "Come, we’re going home."

His large hand envelops mine as he pulls me from the chair and against his chest. His arms lock tightly around me, squeezing the air from my lungs.

"You better not be lying to me, Athena. I don’t tolerate liars."

"I promise." I whisper, trying to ignore the pain from my wound. Instead of looking away, I find myself staring at him. Even without my Wolf, I can feel his power. It’s overwhelmingly intoxicating.