Chapter 0070

Athena

I stared at my hand.

My thumb traced the smooth skin of my palm.

Not a single mark remained.

It had been years since I healed this fast.

Dominic and the pack used to take pleasure in making my bruises last.

They hit harder each time.

Sometimes they broke bones.

Then they’d hit me again as soon as the fractures sealed.

After the final binding, the beatings didn’t stop.

They just changed.

Their satisfaction came from seeing me permanently wounded.

“It’s the Alpha in you,” Alexander murmured. “The bindings were the only reason it ever took so long before.”

I curled my hand into a tight fist.

My own nails bit into my skin.

Tiny beads of blood surfaced.

The moment I released, the small wounds vanished.

Only droplets of red remained, staining my skin.

“This is what Dominic wanted, Athena. To break you. To strip your power. To make you nothing.” He tipped my chin up with one finger. “But you are not nothing. I need you to see that.”

His hands settled on my hips as he held my gaze. “We’re telling the pack today.”

“No.” I shook my head. I wasn’t ready. I didn’t want to see the monster I would become.

“Athena, it’s time. I’ve delayed as long as I can. They need to know.”

“I don’t have a choice, do I?” I whispered, dropping my eyes.

“Not this time.”

Maybe it was better this way.

If they rejected me, better to know now.

“They will want you here.”

I looked back at Alexander.

His crimson eyes watched me steadily.

He didn’t seem worried at all.

I closed my eyes and gave a slow nod.

I still couldn’t believe I was agreeing.

“Good. The meeting starts in thirty minutes.”

“Thirty minutes?” I thought I’d have more time to prepare myself.

“I’ll be right beside you. Sebastian will be on your other side. But there’s something else you need to do.”

“I can’t… I haven’t even shifted yet.”

“I’m not asking you to shift. I’m asking you to decide about Caleb.”

“Oh. Do you… do you think he’s a risk?”

“Titan still doesn’t trust him.”

“What about you?” I asked quietly.

“I’m still undecided. But ultimately, he’s your family.”

I snorted involuntarily. “Technically, so is Dominic.”

“You have a point. Talk to Sebastian. He’s had more conversations with Caleb than I have.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a long story.” He picked up the earplugs from the table and handed them to me. “You’ll probably need these.”

I quietly pushed them back into my ears.

My eyes scanned the room for a dustpan to clean up the broken glass.

“Someone will clean it up,” Alexander said, guiding me toward the door. “It’s time to go.”

We walked across the snowy ground.

We passed the training hall.

We moved further south than I had ever been.

We ducked into the trees.

We followed a well-trodden path.

We moved deeper into the forest.

Alexander kept his fingers locked with mine the entire time.

My nerves built with every step.

The knot in my stomach tightened.

We had to stop multiple times so I could vomit.

We were surrounded by pack members.

Some had shifted.

Others remained in human form.

There were so many of them.

More than I had ever seen.

It made everything scarier.

If they attacked, I didn’t stand a chance.