Chapter 0440
Zachary
Her gaze remains fixed on me from inside the cell.
Evelyn had been watching both of us for some time.
But once her grey eyes locked onto mine, I became her sole focus.
‘Rogue?’ Alexander links through our mind connection.
‘No. Luc would have detected it instantly, and so would I.’
I study the cell.
The deep claw marks at the top made sense now.
She must have been over eight feet tall in her shifted form.
It was difficult to tell while she remained seated.
The rest of us typically reached around seven feet when fully shifted.
“Can you speak?” Alexander asks her.
Her eyes briefly flicker toward him before returning to me.
“Perhaps we need Athena,” I murmur.
“I’ll ask her to come down,” Alexander says, frowning.
Evelyn gives a sharp nod, as if she knew exactly who we meant.
She doesn’t move while we wait, but her eyes never leave me.
It’s starting to unsettle me.
Athena’s footsteps are soft as she descends the stairs.
“What did you need—” She cuts herself off when she sees Evelyn’s Lycan form. “She shifted again?”
“She doesn’t appear to have control over it,” Alexander explains.
“But she’s aware enough to remove her clothes first?” Athena gestures toward the discarded clothing in the corner.
Alexander sighs. “Yes, it seems so.”
Athena suddenly raises a hand toward Evelyn. “I am speaking to my mate.”
I glance into the cell and see Evelyn bow her head in submission.
This was new.
She had shown anger, frustration, even tears before.
But accepting dominance was different.
Maybe it was the Lycan in her.
Maybe she couldn’t refuse.
Or maybe she was finally realizing she couldn’t win.
It had taken long enough.
“She just shifted?” Athena asks Alexander.
“She screamed and demanded we leave. Then this happened,” Alexander says, gesturing toward Evelyn.
“We all knew she was a Lycan,” I murmur.
Evelyn’s grey eyes flicker toward me.
“But she’s significantly larger than the rest of us. Could she be something more?”
Athena moves closer to the cell.
Evelyn continues watching me until Athena addresses her directly.
“Who are you?”
“What do you want?”
Athena falls silent for a moment.
Then she instructs Alexander and me to turn around.
“No one wants an audience if shifting causes pain.”
We turn and face the opposite cells.
A low growl escalates into a piercing howl.
It’s quickly replaced by a human scream, followed by sobbing.
“Get dressed,” Athena says firmly. “You need to provide clear answers.”
“I can’t,” a whispered reply echoes through the dungeon.
“You mean you won’t,” Athena presses.
“No, I can’t. I didn’t lie. I came here for help. That is the truth.”
“First you said you came for help, then you claimed your brother sent you. Now you’re back to saying it was for help. Which is it?” Athena demands.
“Help. I need help.” Her voice cracks with emotion.
“Then why threaten us with your brother?”
“You were going to kill me. He always promised to protect me. But this… the monster… It hurts so much. Is this what he was shielding me from?”
I turn to see Evelyn sitting on the floor.
One leg is folded awkwardly beneath her while she hugs the other.
Tears well in her grey eyes.
“Levi followed you here?” I ask.
She points to her neck. “I think he implanted something in me. I believe he does it to many people, to monitor them.”
‘A tracker?’ I link Alexander.
‘Possibly,’ he replies, though he seems deep in thought about something else. “The farm? You or Levi?”
“Levi at first, to prevent anyone from escaping. Seraphina wasn’t the first, but she was the first I liked. That’s why I helped her. She reminded me of myself. I thought maybe he wouldn’t notice if I helped just one. The others… they were different. Dangerous, even without Wolves and Lycans. My job was to keep them occupied until Levi came for them. That was my role. And I got to stay on my little farm.”
Her eyes settle on Athena. “Seraphina told me who you were. I thought… I thought this would be my salvation. But I knew I had to lie. To her, to him, to everyone.”
“That’s the problem with too many lies,” I tell her. “You unravel, and you end up in deeper trouble. The kind that gets you killed.”
“What do you want?” Athena demands.
“I just wanted to reach you. It took so long to persuade Seraphina to come here. I truly believed she would walk away after we traveled so far. I knew there was a chance you would kill her. I took that risk because I thought if I could just get her to show me where you were, then maybe I could convince everyone she’s not who she used to be. I didn’t consider my own death a possibility. I thought… it doesn’t matter now. I know you won’t help me.”