Chapter 0098

Alexander

Fury burned deep within her soul.

Athena had endured so much, yet this level of rage was new.

It was strange, yet captivating, to witness the fire blazing in her eyes, all ignited by this one girl.

She leaned heavily against the wall of Sebastian's house.

Her head tilted back, staring blankly at the clear blue sky.

Her body slid down the rough surface until she landed on the grass.

So much anger consumed her, and she had no outlet for it.

No idea how to direct it.

“Sophia will be fine.” I muttered softly.

I would never throw a child onto the streets.

A child who has no concept of what she will become.

Returning her to her family was not an option.

Her first shift will be pure terror.

It would be a fucking miracle if she didn’t kill them all.

“Right.” Athena murmured, her voice low.

Her eyes were nearly solid black.

“Someone within the pack will take her in. I won’t abandon her.”

“This won’t be the last. Will it?” She looked up at me, her gaze intense.

“He will change more kids. He will send them all our way.”

She shook her head slowly.

“I knew he was evil. But this? This is sick. This is...” Her words faded, thoughts too jumbled to continue.

“What he did to you was monstrous too, Athena.”

She quickly brushed her cheeks, wiping away tears that hadn't even fully formed.

“I want him dead, Alpha Alexander. I want every single one of them dead.”

“I know. And I am working on it.”

‘His death must be slow.’ Titan mused darkly. ‘He must feel every ounce of pain he has inflicted. Athena deserves her vengeance.’

The door swung open suddenly.

“Guys. I really need your help in here.”

I offered my hand to Athena.

She hesitated for a moment before finally taking it and pulling herself up.

I noticed her eyes were shifting back to their usual blue.

Inside, Sophia was sobbing uncontrollably.

Her fingers clawed at her own skin, tracing the fresh mark on her neck.

“What... what did they do to me?”

Athena froze.

Sophia's words were likely an echo of her own past, spoken repeatedly in her mind.

Hearing them from someone else must have triggered painful memories.

“Sophia, come sit down. We need to talk.” I kept my tone gentle and warm.

Her soft blue eyes met mine, and I saw her swallow hard.

“Please, sir, I just want to go home. To my mum and dad. To my little sister. Please? I won’t tell them anything. I won’t...” Her fingers dug harder into her neck.

“We can explain everything to you.” I offered, maintaining my calm to avoid frightening her further.

Her eyes searched my face desperately.

More tears streamed down her cheeks.

Sebastian handed her a tissue, but she just stood there, staring, making no attempt to dry her tears.

“I’m not... I’m not going home, am I?”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple.”

She wiped sweat from her hairline with a trembling hand.

Sebastian quietly gestured toward an empty chair at the table.

She moved slowly, tucking strands of her red hair behind her ears.

“Please, please don’t hurt me.”

“I’m going to tell you something you probably won’t believe. All I ask is that you try to keep an open mind.”

“Your eyes are so weird.” She wiped her nose, trying to steady her racing heart.

Crimson eyes would indeed be strange to a human.

“The bite on your neck was from a Lycan.” There was no point in avoiding the truth.

She closed her eyes, shaking her head in denial.

“Like... like the stories.”

“Stories?”

She took the glass of water Sebastian offered and drank it slowly, draining it completely.

“Stories in the library,” she murmured, placing the empty glass back down.

How was it possible that a human library held more tales about Lycans than we did?

“Was I hunted? Was I chosen? Why me? I’m nobody. I barely get by at school. They all hate me because... well, just because.”

Fifteen-year-old girls were complicated.

She had completely missed the point I was trying to make.

I definitely did not miss being fifteen.

"I don't have all the answers right now. But I am searching for them."

"So," she sighed heavily. "what you're telling me is that you are a Lycan?”

“I am not a Lycan.”

“OMG you’re a fucking Vampire.” Her chair screeched as she jumped to her feet.

She held her fingers in a cross, as if that would save her.

“The eyes. I should have known.” She screeched in pure panic.