Chapter 0099

I see Athena trying to hold back a laugh.

“I am not a Vampire,” I mutter, annoyed. “I am a Wolf, and you are a Lycan.”

Her mouth falls open. She shakes her head slowly.

“No… that can’t be right.” Her soft blue eyes dart toward Athena. “Please help me.”

Her voice comes out high and shaky.

“I’m a Lycan too,” Athena whispers, holding Sophia’s gaze.

“Your name is Athena, isn’t it?” Sophia asks, sinking back into her seat. “You’re the one they sent me to.”

“Yes.”

“Did you do this to me?” The girl doesn’t hesitate to ask.

“No. But I can help you.” Athena glances at me, sadness clouding her features. “The people who did this to you… they hurt me too. The only difference is, I was born like this. They forced this life onto you. That’s why you can’t go back to your family, Sophia. You might hurt them in ways you can’t even imagine. And trust me—you can’t control it. It happens when you least expect it.”

She’s talking about Caleb. How she killed him.

“But…”

Athena reaches across the table and takes Sophia’s hands. “This is something I know for sure, Sophia. We can keep you safe here. We’ll figure it out together. And I will personally make them pay for what they did to you.”

Sophia pulls her hands back and runs them through her red hair. “I’ll never see my family again?”

Athena looks at me. Her brow furrows. She sighs before turning back to Sophia. “No.”

Tears stream down faster now. Sobs shake her shoulders. I feel for her. Fifteen years old, thrown into a world she never knew existed. Victoria and Dominic are twisted. Far more than I am, and that’s saying something.

Sophia stays with Sebastian. It’s the first house she was brought to, and we think it makes her feel somewhat safe. Plus, his boys will be home soon. Knowing Sebastian is a father might comfort her even more.

“Is this what’s going to keep happening?” Athena asks as we walk across the grounds. “Young, innocent kids.”

“Probably.”

“I hate them,” she mutters.

“I know. What is Nyx saying about all this?”

Athena bites the inside of her cheek. Her eyes avoid mine.

“Athena?”

“She isn’t talking much.”

“But she’s been close to the surface. I saw it tonight, when anger took over.”

I try not to read her mind, but when she bends down to untie her shoelaces just to buy time, I give in.

“Can you really do that?” I snap, frustrated she kept something this important from me.

She looks up, a pink blush spreading across her skin. “I don’t know. Nyx thinks I can, but…”

“It would mean accepting your Alpha position,” I finish for her.

She frowns. No matter how many times it comes up, she always tries to change the subject.

“Even if I can, do you really think it will change anything? Victoria and Dominic have a whole pack behind them.”

“There’s only one way to find out. You have to accept who you are. Then we’ll see if you can link them all.”

Her eyes widen. She nibbles on her bottom lip. “I don’t want to be an Alpha.” It’s the one thing she’s always been sure of. She’s made that clear.

“What if it’s temporary?”

“I don’t follow.”

“Once they’re all dead, you won’t need to be an Alpha. You can exist just as you are now. As my mate. One day, as the mother of my pups. You can leave that world behind. Let the breed end with you, if that’s what you want.”

“And Sophia? You won’t kill her?” she whispers, warming to the idea.

“You and Sophia,” I confirm. “And any other children.”

She puffs out her cheeks. “What… what do I need to do?”