Chapter 0075

He gives me a gentle smile. “But look at you now.”

“I’m still small,” I whisper. Compared to the other women in the pack, I felt tiny.

“What I’m saying, Athena, is that you shouldn’t have survived the journey here. Yet somehow, you did.”

“Because I’m a Lycan?”

“Maybe. Maybe it’s because you were traveling with your true mate. Maybe it’s because you have a stronger will to live than you realize. Maybe you survived because the world still needs you.”

“Caleb got in your head!” I mutter.

“Maybe he just opened my eyes a little.”

“What… what does that mean?”

“It’s no secret there are more than just humans and Wolves in this world. Looking at it that way, we shouldn’t be surprised when something new appears.”

“Me?”

He nods. “We messed up. We entered this agreement blindly. We should’ve done more research. We should’ve questioned Dominic more. Alexander probably would have, if he hadn’t been so drawn to you.”

“You blame me?”

“Not at all. I enjoy a good war, no matter how it starts.”

A war was the last thing I wanted.

“Would you like to speak to Caleb? I can take you to him if you want.”

“Alpha Alexander won’t like that.”

“Then why did he suggest it?”

Beta Sebastian makes me eat a sandwich first. He says he won’t let me pass out from hunger.

Alpha Alexander still hadn’t returned by the time we walked across the snow-covered grass. It made me nervous. After forcing our closeness earlier, he was now keeping his distance.

“You came.” Caleb smiles as I step in front of his cell. “I didn’t think you’d come back after last time.” His blue eyes shift to Beta Sebastian. “Good to see you, too.” He glances toward the steps. “No Alpha Alexander?”

“Not right now,” Beta Sebastian tells him.

I just stare at Caleb. I didn’t know what to say or ask. I didn’t even fully understand why I had agreed to come with Beta Sebastian.

He smiles at me. “I know you’re not just here to stare. You have questions.”

“I was… bound four times.”

“That’s not really a question.”

“Should…” I glance at Beta Sebastian. “Should I be dead?”

I see him swallow. He shifts his gaze to Beta Sebastian and sighs. “In theory, yes.” He sits back on his small bed. “You were last bound when you were eighteen, right?”

I nod.

“Dominic, Victoria, whoever did it probably hoped it would kill you. And yet, you survived.”

“If they wanted her dead, why not just kill her?” Beta Sebastian asks.

“I don’t know. I’ve been trying to figure that out for years. If it were anyone else, they would’ve just killed their problem, right? That’s what Alpha Alexander would do here, right? And other packs, too. So there must have been some benefit to keeping you alive.”

“It can’t be because Athena is an Alpha,” Beta Sebastian murmurs.

Beta Sebastian’s eyes flicker up behind me just as Alpha Alexander’s strong, woody scent washes over me.

“You’re right.” His crimson eyes lock onto mine. “It’s because you are able to carry the next Alpha.”