Chapter 0079

“We said no.”

“No, the… the witches?”

“Madame Zora claimed you were powerful. She said she’d never encountered anything like it. She bound you twice and refused to do it again. That deceitful witch!” My fist slammed against the desk, making Athena flinch.

Athena hugged her knees tighter, her wide blue eyes fixed on me.

“She knew the risks. She wouldn’t bind you a third time. That’s what she meant when she refused.” Rage simmered inside me.

“I thought…” Athena whispered, “I thought she told you everything.”

“She usually does. Sooner or later.”

‘Too many are testing us.’ Titan growled. ‘It’s time we reminded them who leads this pack!’

I glanced over at Athena. Her face was resting on her knees, eyes closed.

Is she asleep? Titan asked.

“Athena?” I had just been speaking to her.

She didn’t stir when I tried to rouse her.

She’s been sleeping too much lately. Titan noted. ‘Have you seen how tired she gets?’

She’s still adjusting. She was exhausted. Her body is recovering.

‘Stop lying to yourself. You’ve asked her daily if she’s feeling alright!’

I pressed the back of my hand to her forehead. Heat radiated from her skin. It was new. I hadn’t felt it when I held her earlier.

“Athena?” She didn’t respond.

“Athena?” I shook her shoulders gently. Her legs slipped down, her head lolled back. Her heartbeat was steady. It made no sense. Why wouldn’t she wake?

ISABELLA! I linked my sister, demanding her immediate presence. She arrived within minutes and rushed to Athena’s side.

After a quick examination, she found nothing wrong.

“Then explain why my mate is burning up?”

“I don’t know.” She frantically rolled up Athena’s sleeves, inspecting her arms.

“What are you looking for?”

“I’m not sure. An injection site, a bite mark, maybe an allergic reaction?”

“She can heal herself.”

Athena coughed in her unconscious state. A trickle of bright red blood appeared at the corner of her mouth.

I forced her mouth open. I smelled the blood before I saw it. Her mouth began filling with it. If I hadn’t leaned her forward, she would have choked.

“Shit, shit, shit. What did she eat?” Isabella muttered as she continued searching Athena’s arms.

“I don’t know. She hasn’t had anything since we entered the office.”

I scanned the room. I looked for anything she might have touched, anything out of place. Nothing seemed unusual.

“I need her at the hospital, Alexander. I can’t handle this here.”

I lifted Athena, keeping her on her side to prevent choking. There were many things we could heal from. Suffocation wasn’t one of them.

By the time we reached the hospital, Athena’s heart was racing. The constant hum made it difficult to distinguish individual beats.

“We need to undress her.” Isabella said urgently. “Something must have happened.”

“He wouldn’t be that foolish.” I muttered, helping remove Athena’s top.

“Who?”

“Caleb. Athena released him. He grabbed her wrist. Then he threatened her.”

“Whoa. That’s a lot to unpack at once.” Isabella murmured as she tugged off Athena’s jeans.

“Where did he grab her?”

“Her wrist.”

Isabella checked her wrists again. There was nothing. No marks. No signs of anything unusual.

Then I saw it. A small raised bump near her shoulder. As I looked at Athena, blood seeped from her ears. I knew instantly what she’d been injected with. This shouldn’t be happening.

Isabella quickly extracted fluid from the bump. Clear liquid mixed with a small amount of blood. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Wolfsbane Toxin.”