Chapter 0083

“Go on,” I whisper softly. “It might help.”

Theodore reads to her. I watch for any reaction, any sign she hears him. There’s only the slightest twitch of her fingers now and then. But it seems to calm her. Her mind feels less chaotic.

Footsteps pound down the hallway, rushing toward us. Theodore and I shift quickly to the foot of Athena’s bed, shielding her just as Caleb bursts through the door.

“Is she alright? Tell me she’s okay!”

I step aside so he can see her.

“Who did this? Was it that blonde witch?”

“Yes,” Theodore answers when I can’t form the words. Caleb’s reaction is fierce, much like how I would defend my own sister.

“Alexander will end her!”

“You’re late. Alexander already had her executed,” Theodore informs him.

Caleb moves past me to Athena’s side, taking her hand gently. “Why won’t she wake up?”

“We don’t know,” Theodore murmurs, his eyes flicking to me. “She received the antidote. All her vitals are stable. I believe after years of trauma, her mind has shut down temporarily to heal.”

“Where’s Sebastian?” I ask quietly.

“He went to check on his men. Today… changed his perspective.”

I narrow my eyes. “Why didn’t he answer my link?”

“We ran into some trouble.”

“In the city?”

“Seems you were right. He’s creating more Lycans. They were waiting for us.”

As the light shifts, I notice dried blood smudged on his skin that wasn’t properly cleaned.

None of my contacts reported any issues.

“Where in the city?”

“Sebastian called it Riverside. Down by the river. We were ambushed. We took down as many as we could. No trace of Dominic or Victoria.”

“You couldn’t sense them?” Theodore asks.

“Yes and no.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means Dominic is the one turning them, binding them to himself. He knows what he’s doing. He’s making it hard for me to pinpoint him in a crowded area. I never thought the fool was clever. Makes me think this is Victoria’s plan too.”

He leans close to Athena.

“Wake up. You’re safe now. You’re protected. You are loved.”

Still, nothing. If not for her steady heartbeat, she’d seem gone.

When Theodore leaves, Caleb takes the empty seat across from me. He holds her left hand while I hold her right.

Unlike the others, he doesn’t tell me to leave or rest. He sits in silence, which is unusual for him. He’s playing the devoted brother well, but Titan still doesn’t trust him.

Hours after sunrise, Isabella returns, checking all of Athena’s vitals again. “I don’t understand,” she murmurs.

“What’s wrong?” Caleb demands.

“That’s just it. Nothing’s wrong. She should be awake.”

“Are you sure you didn’t miss anything?”

She frowns at him and turns a monitor around, pointing at the readings. “Heartbeat is strong. Oxygen levels are excellent. Blood pressure is perfect.”

Isabella leans over Athena, shining a small light into her eyes. “Pupils are reactive.”

“Isabella?”

“There’s nothing more I can do, Alexander. She just needs time.”

“That’s not what I was going to ask. Who was the Witch you saw?”

“For the antidote? My usual source. Madame Zora.”

“Madame Zora?”

“Yes. She was very helpful,” Isabella smiles. “Told me it wouldn’t be easy to make, but it was possible.”

“Madame Zora is the one who bound Athena originally. Why would she help?”

“I never said it was for Athena. I asked if it was possible. I told her it was for the pack’s safety, and she agreed.”

“She agreed?”

“Yes. Just like that.”