Chapter 0160
Isabella
The crutches were a pain.
Not for me.
But for them.
Alexander and Zachary flanked me like I might collapse at any moment.
Every slight misstep made them tense.
I could practically hear their unspoken thoughts.
One of them would suggest carrying me soon.
Alexander had done that for Athena when she first arrived.
I caught a subtle head shake from Alexander directed at Zachary.
"I've got this." I muttered. "You might not remember, Alexander, but I've used crutches before."
"When you were seven." My brother shot back as we reached the dungeon entrance. "And only for a few hours."
"Then this should be easy." I grumbled.
Alexander unlocked the heavy door and pulled it open.
The stench hit me immediately.
Dried blood.
Urine.
Feces.
I fought back the urge to gag.
Why are we doing this? Midnight groaned inside me.
Because it's Gabriel.
She knew the real reason.
I wasn't entirely sure why I needed to see him.
Closure?
To understand his rejection?
To face the man who had ruined my physical capabilities for weeks?
Maybe all of it.
I just knew I had to look him in the eyes.
I needed to see the cruelty for myself.
'Well, more visitors.' Ethan's voice echoed from his cell as Alexander stepped inside ahead of me.
"Shut your mouth!" Alexander snapped at him.
"You shut up!" Ethan retorted weakly.
Before I could process it, Alexander unlocked Ethan's cell and delivered a sharp punch to his face.
His death couldn't come soon enough.
Then I saw him.
Gabriel.
Chained to the wall.
Zachary hadn't been exaggerating about Athena taking part of his leg.
The remaining limb hung at a sickening angle from his hip.
Bone still visible.
Zachary stood watching him.
Arms crossed over his chest.
His expression was unreadable.
No anger.
No frustration.
Just cold neutrality.
Athena had described that look to me before.
I finally understood what she meant.
Gabriel's eyes locked onto mine.
His snout curled into a silent warning.
His gaze flickered to my crutches before returning to my face.
I expected to feel something.
Anything.
But this emptiness was worse.
"Ask him whatever you need to." Zachary whispered to me. "Don't hold back because of what he was."
"You hurt me." The words came out flat. "Why me? I loved you. You loved me. I thought you rejected me because of my brother?"
"I did." He tugged at his chains uselessly.
They had been shortened until he was pressed against the wall.
"Just because of him? Not because you were Lycan?"
"Both."
"He wanted you, but Victoria was afraid he'd reveal the truth. Wasn't she?" Alexander asked as he locked Ethan's cell again.
"And you found out anyway." Gabriel snapped. "Do you even know why she wanted that contract with you?"
"You weren't there when the contract was made."
"Years, you idiot. She planned that contract for years."
"It's true." Zachary confirmed. "A Wolf discovered the pack. They didn't have enough numbers to defend themselves."
"Ethan." Alexander answered, glancing back at the cell. "Ethan found Silver Creek. He was moving in to kill you all. He admitted it to Athena."
Alexander explained how Athena had met Ethan as a child.
She didn't remember.
But he became obsessed with her and their kind.
"Are you serious?" I asked, stunned.
Alexander kept his eyes on Gabriel. He pointed toward Ethan's cell. "Did he forget to mention that during your planning sessions? If he had attacked Silver Creek earlier, you wouldn't exist."
"You don't know that!" Gabriel growled. "They were strong. They manipulated an Alpha."
"You mean a child?" I snapped, immediately defending Athena. "Your current Alpha?"
"She is not my Alpha!"
"Why are you defending them, Gabriel?" Zachary demanded. "Can't you see Victoria played you? She promised you everything and gave you nothing but the desire to be a predator!"
Gabriel yanked at his chains, growling uselessly.
I didn't know what he hoped to achieve.
He wasn't going anywhere.
Alexander had made sure of that.
This dungeon would be the last thing Gabriel ever saw.
After Gabriel rejected me and shattered my heart, I questioned the Moon Goddess and her plans.
I questioned fate itself.
Wondering if it was just a concept invented to make people feel better about themselves and their future.
To give them false hope.