Chapter 0002
Athena, stay silent. Not a single sound.
I felt Alpha Alexander's gaze burning into me. Everyone stared. No one could comprehend how someone would commit such a horrific act—poisoning their own parents. My head remained lowered, wishing the floor would crack open and devour me whole.
Movement stirred around me. He stood directly before me. A calloused finger lifted my chin, forcing my eyes to meet his. His hand closed around my throat, but he didn't apply pressure. “You poisoned your parents?”
“I was six,” I choked out. “I only made them lemonade.” My voice came out strained and weak as I tried to explain. My parents were a blur, but the guilt they forced on me since that day remained sharp and clear.
His crimson eyes shifted to my brothers. “Blaming a six-year-old seems unjust.”
“A six-year-old should know which plants are safe,” Alpha Dominic snapped.
“Seems to me like she was framed,” Alpha Alexander shrugged, releasing my throat. “We all know common wolfsbane doesn’t affect us anymore. Our kind evolved past that poison centuries ago.”
What? What did he mean? Wolfsbane wasn’t deadly. That had been drilled into me since childhood.
“Which only leaves Wolfsbane Toxin,” Alpha Alexander muttered.
“You weren’t there, Alpha Alexander,” my brother growled through clenched teeth, his eyes narrowing. “It was wolfsbane.”
He gave a slow nod. “You are correct. I was not present.”
Perfect. Now another person could remind me of a childhood mistake.
“But answer this—where would a six-year-old get Wolfsbane Toxin?”
“I didn’t invite you here to discuss my slave!” Alpha Dominic spat. “Or my parents’ deaths."
Alpha Alexander grabbed his leather jacket from the chair. Unlike other alphas, he dressed simply—a black tee and jeans covering his muscular frame. No tattoos marked his skin; not a single trace of ink anywhere.
“You’re right. Now I have matters to consider.”
“I thought we had an agreement,” my brother protested.
“Nothing is signed. I’ll see myself out.”
The moment he left the office, both my brother and Beta Marcus turned on me. “What did you say to him?” my brother demanded, striking my stomach.
“N-nothing. He only asked why I smelled unusual.”
“Did you tell him?” Beta Marcus snarled, spraying spit in my face. I despised him. I vowed someday to make him pay.
“WELL?” my brother shouted when I didn’t answer immediately, slapping the side of my head.
I nodded involuntarily. “But I didn’t say it was you.” I tried to sound firm, but it came out a whisper. If they weren’t wolves, they might not have heard.
My brother seized my black hair, yanking my head back. Pain shot through my skull. “If you ruined this, you’ll never see daylight again.”
He dragged me by my hair out of the office and down the hall toward the basement. “Please…” I begged. “He was an alpha… I had to answer.” Tears scorched my cheeks as he flung the door open.
Alpha Alexander stood on the other side, leaning against the wall with folded arms, watching us. My brother released my hair, easing the pressure on my skull.
“Alpha Alexander, I thought you left,” Alpha Dominic said through gritted teeth.
“I said I’d show myself out. I found a basement instead, saturated with your sister’s strange scent. Is this how you treat family?”
“As I said,” my brother stood his ground, “she killed my parents. This is what she deserves.”
“You should stay out of other packs’ affairs!” Beta Marcus added.
Alpha Alexander laughed. “If I agree to this deal, everything about your pack becomes my business. So tell me, what’s her punishment? No food? Locked up for a week? Beatings?”
“We don’t—”
“Really?” He raised a brow. “You expect me to believe you’d just let her sleep? I already stopped you from hitting her once.” His eyes scanned me. “She’s underfed. Dark circles shadow her tired blue eyes. For an alpha’s sister, she’s not treated like one. Regardless of what she allegedly did as a child.”
“She did do it!” Alpha Dominic seethed. “And she has nothing to do with our deal.”
“That’s for me to decide.” His crimson eyes scanned the hallway. “Where’s your mate? I’d like to know how she feels about this.” I closed my eyes, silently pleading my brother wouldn’t call his Luna. Luna Victoria was worse than Beta Marcus and Alpha Dominic combined.
“On second thought, don’t bother her. I’m sure she’s just as vile as you.” He sneered.
I peeked through my eyelids to find his crimson eyes fixed on me. He had no reason to defend me, yet he did. I was a nobody. A traitor. Instead of a death sentence, my brother chose to make me suffer for life.
“I have a proposition, Alpha Dominic.” Alpha Alexander smirked at my brother.
“We already agreed on terms.”
“I’m adding one. If you refuse, you won’t get my help. Instead, you’ll become my enemy. And we both know you don’t want that.”
“I assume your new terms involve her?” Alpha Dominic muttered through clenched teeth.
“Correct. Let me take her to my pack. Then we have a deal.”
Me? Why would he want me?
As my brother and his beta discussed me, Alpha Alexander kept studying me. His intense stare made me nervous. What could someone like him want with me?
“Deal.” Alpha Dominic extended his hand. Alpha Alexander ignored it. His crimson eyes moved from me to my brother.
“I’ll have paperwork drawn up and return tomorrow.” He cupped my face. “Make sure you pack everything.” He dragged his thumb across my bottom lip and strode down the hall to the front door. He knew exactly where it was—so what was he really doing?
He paused at the door. “If I find out any of you laid a hand on her, the contract will be the least of your worries.” He walked out, slamming the door behind him.
“Get out of my sight!” my brother snapped at me.
I hurried upstairs to my tiny bedroom. It was nearly empty—just a few changes of clothes. Packing would take less than a minute.
By morning, I hadn’t slept. Alpha Alexander’s questions replayed in my mind. Why was I interesting to a wolf like him? His pack was the largest, known for their fighting skills. That’s why my brother wanted to ally Silver Creek with Alpha Alexander’s pack. But where did I fit in? And what was Wolfsbane Toxin?
Luc
Indy let Amy lead her through the crumbling hallways. I stayed close, ready to pull Indy away if anything shifted. Amy’s soul was shattered. I knew she was helping, but I still didn’t trust her.
Cracks and holes riddled what remained of her soul. She was broken beyond repair—the worst I’d seen in years. That she was still alive was impressive, but Athena taught me that Harrison blood was strong. No matter how close to the edge she got, she always found her way back. But that was Athena.
It didn’t make Amy trustworthy.
Amy hummed to herself as she shuffled down another hallway, oblivious to our desperation to escape this hellhole.
She stopped. Indy watched her, wide-eyed. “We need to keep moving,” Indy whispered, urging her forward.
“Baby girl, we’re here,” Amy murmured, smiling at a stone wall. She released Indy’s hand and dragged her thin fingers across the wall, searching for something.
“Secret door,” Theodore muttered to the white Wolf. “Like the other one.”
Amy’s humming grew louder as she crouched. Her fingers traced the grooves between stones, as if counting.
She pressed a stone. It sank into the wall with a click. A ridge appeared, outlining a door. Stone ground against stone as it slid open. Amy laughed softly as she stood. She spun, focusing solely on Indy. “Your home, baby girl.”
Theodore glanced at me. I shrugged. Amy believed Indy was Evelyn, though she’d given Evelyn up at birth. Did Amy not remember her daughter’s eye color?
I knew Charlotte’s mother would have recognized our daughters. I’d watched my first mate memorize every detail of our little girl. If only she could see her now.
Or maybe Amy was too far gone. Unlike Athena, she couldn’t find her way back. Trapped between life and death.
Indy slipped through the narrow door first. Amy followed, humming again.
“Guys, you need to see this!” Indy called out.
One by one, we squeezed through the narrow door into a tighter passage. My shoulders brushed both walls as I shuffled forward. I pushed through hanging clothes and stumbled into a bright bedroom. Indy spun around, amazed, taking it all in. It was airy and spacious compared to her home.
“This is beautiful!” she chirped.
High ceilings. Colorful stained glass windows covered the walls. I hadn’t seen this from the outside. A hidden part of the castle, perhaps by design. Who knew how Serkan and Thalia operated?
The room clearly hadn’t been used in years. Cobwebs filled every corner. Dust coated every surface. It made sense if this was Amy’s room.
“Is this your room?” Theodore asked Amy as Orion barricaded the main door with furniture.
Amy patted her chest and smiled at Theodore. “Mine.”
In this light, her skin had a grayish tint. She squinted as sunlight hit her face. Years trapped deep in the castle would do that to anyone. “Does Thalia know about this passage?” I asked.
“Witch!” Amy snapped, curling her lip in anger.
Indy took Amy’s hands. “We know. Does she know about the secret entrance?”
Amy cupped Indy’s face. “No.” She pulled Indy close. “Baby girl, leave. You have to leave. She will kill you all.”
“It’s okay.” Indy smiled and gestured to us. “My friends will help.”
I moved to the windows to determine our position in the castle.
The sea crashed against the rocks below with violent force. Dangerous, yet mesmerizing. Hannah would love it.
“We’re at the back of the castle,” I mumbled to Theodore. “The only advantage is the Witch can’t send her minions around to attack us.” I glanced at Xavi, still focused entirely on Indy. He needed to stop.
“There has to be a way out,” Theodore frowned, “or a way to lure Thalia away from the others.”
“You’re the Witch Hunter.” I tutted.
He rolled his eyes. “Xavi has been hunting Witches longer than I have, and look what she did to him.”
“Well, what does he suggest? All he wants is to kill Indy and slaughter Thalia. That doesn’t help.”
“He won’t kill Indy.” He muttered.
“You guarantee that?”
“No, but he won’t hurt her if I ask him not to.”
Xavi approached us. He sat, wrapping his tail around his feet. His amber eyes fixed on me.
“What’s the asshole saying?” I knew he was communicating. He liked me as much as I liked him.
“He agrees not to attack her unless she does something that endangers the rest of us.”
“Does it not count that she’s already tried to help?” I challenged.
Theodore sighed and rolled his eyes. “Witches only act for themselves.” He hated being the messenger.
I looked over at Indy and Amy. Indy pulled out clothes for Amy. Amy smiled and clapped like a child. Years locked up had destroyed her.
Indy glared at us, holding up a finger and swirling it. We turned away, giving Amy privacy to change.
“Does that look like she’s acting for herself?” I snapped at Xavi. “She could have let me drown or let the river take me over the cliff, but she didn’t. She tried to stop you from going up the tower. Every chance she’s had, she’s helped. She’s answered questions. She provided a hideout, food, and water.” I paused, looking at my hand. I’d never defended anyone this much. Blood ties were strong. “Can’t you give her a break?”
“That’s why he hasn’t acted.” Theodore smiled. “I told him you see more than most.”
“I want it to stay that way.” I turned back to Xavi. “You may kill Witches for a living, and we know how rare they are, but I’ve put more bullets in creatures than you’ve had hot dinners. I’m watching you.” Theodore sighed and shook his head. “He says he’s watching you too.”
“Good. At least we understand each other.”
“When you’re done arguing about me,” Indy tutted, “you can turn around. Amy says there’s another way out.”
“Where?”
She took a deep breath. “We have to jump.”