Chapter 0092
Athena
Alexander’s fingers were laced tightly with mine as we stood outside the house.
Four days had passed since the attack.
He hadn’t let me out of his sight since.
All training and lessons were canceled.
He refused to discuss it.
I knew he was silently questioning my every move.
The rest of the pack bore the full force of his rage.
It had been years since they lost a member to anything but old age or Alpha Alexander himself.
The entire pack was on edge.
Meetings were constant.
New security measures were being implemented.
No one except Julian would be granted entry to the territory.
Not for now.
“Are you okay?” Alexander asked without turning.
“Mhm.” I kept my eyes on the grounds.
The snow had finally stopped.
Spring was approaching.
He asked me that multiple times a day.
As if he expected me to shatter at any moment.
Alexander glanced at me from the corner of his eye.
A look I was growing accustomed to.
It wasn’t just him.
Everyone I encountered these days gave me the same look.
It wasn’t blame.
I knew that look well from my time at Silver Creek.
This was different.
I couldn’t decipher it.
Nyx didn’t help, challenging anyone whose gaze she disliked.
She would surge forward, seizing control for just a second.
I hadn’t figured out how to stop her.
She wouldn’t tell me either.
Like it was some great secret.
A luxury car approached.
Not the one Alexander had sent Julian away in.
I looked up at him.
His frown deepened.
He didn’t want his brother back.
But the events of four days ago left him no choice.
Julian stepped out, slinging a bag over his shoulder.
His dark hair had grown out since I last saw him.
It nearly reached his shoulders now.
He stopped less than a meter away, dropping his bag.
His dark eyes fixed on me.
“Well, you’ve caused quite the problem, haven’t you.”
He didn’t know everything.
Alexander suddenly slid his hand into my hair.
He pulled it back, exposing my neck.
Revealing the mark he had given me.
A silent warning.
“Interesting.” Julian grinned at me.
“Big brother has finally settled down.”
His dark eyes remained locked on mine.
‘Fucking douche!’ Nyx muttered.
“Office.” Alexander said to his brother.
“We have much to discuss.”
The ice in his voice sent a shiver down my spine.
Not the good kind.
I sat quietly in the corner of the office.
Alexander revealed my ancestry to Julian.
He didn’t mention I was supposed to be an Alpha.
Julian’s response surprised us both.
“So they do exist?”
“You’ve heard of them? Why didn’t you tell me?” Alexander demanded.
“Heard a comment in the city, ages ago. Thought I had too much to drink at the time.”
“When?” Alexander pressed.
“A year, maybe eighteen months. Wrote it off as drunken nonsense.”
Alexander’s crimson eyes flashed to me.
I knew exactly what he was thinking.
The same thing I was.
They had been recruiting much longer than we thought.
Perhaps Caleb was one of the early recruits.
Perhaps he had been changed long ago.
Long enough to learn everything about me.
“They are surprisingly skilled. Compared to the first one, anyway.” Alexander scratched the stubble on his chin.
“One took out eight of my men.”
Julian turned to look at me.
“Eight?”
“It was a trap... He... he was going to hand me over to Dominic.” I mumbled.
“I see you haven’t lost your stutter yet.” He winked.
“Some things never change.”
“Focus on something else.” Alexander growled.
“I didn’t bring you back to hit on my mate. This is your chance to prove yourself, Julian.”
Julian turned away from me.
“You mean if I help, you’ll let me come home.”
“That’s the deal.”
“Going to write me a contract too?” His sarcasm was thick.
Nyx called him a douche again.
“That can be arranged. But I’d prefer you do something for your family for once instead of just yourself!”
“I said I’d help.” He muttered.
“But I get the feeling you’re not telling me everything. I can’t work with half the information.”
Alexander looked at me.
Julian followed his gaze.
“They want me... they want to put a pup in me.” I muttered in disgust.
The thought still made me feel gross.
Julian’s eyes narrowed.
“But you’re marked. It would kill you if they tried.”
“They don’t know that. At least, we believe they don’t. I’m not sure what they know.”
“There’s still a lot of missing information. It depends if the traitor shared any of what we learned.” Alexander murmured.