Chapter 0259
Alexander.
“You see it too, don’t you? You have to. You’re his brother. His Alpha.” Isabella leans heavily on my desk, dark eyes burning into mine. Zachary stands behind her, hands resting on her hips in a calming gesture.
“Which is it? It can’t be both. He can’t be trapped and trying to kill his own Wolf’s spirit.”
“What if it is both?” Brianna speaks up from the corner chair. She rises, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Her brow furrows deeply. “Like some twisted cry for help. He knows his Wolf and Isabella’s are twins. Maybe this is his way of asking. Maybe he’s doing it so Seraphina remains unaware.”
“Yes!” Isabella jabs a finger toward Brianna while glaring at me. “That’s exactly what I mean.”
“Isabella…” Zachary begins.
“No. I love you, Zachary, but I’m not giving up on him. My gut says this is wrong. He’s skin and bones. His speech is off, yet he uses familiar phrases. Even his laugh is different.” She turns her pleading eyes back to me.
“Julian chose to mark her.”
“It’s not like you’ve never made a mistake. Remember all those women you dragged into contracts before Athena came along?” She slams her palm on the desk. “What if things changed after that?”
I see Zachary raise an eyebrow in my direction.
I lean back in my chair, studying her. She’s begged me for many things over the years. But never like this.
“You’re the Alpha.” Zachary mutters. “Your call.”
My brother has caused endless problems. I’ve bailed him out countless times. For years I tolerated his excuses. I let them slide until my mate entered my life. Even now, he’s still digging himself into holes. He’s learned nothing.
“He’s hurt too many people.”
Tears stream down Isabella’s face. “You promised. You promised to look after us. You promised mum and dad.”
“Isabella, he’s not a child anymore. He hasn’t been one for a long time. Some decisions haunt us forever.”
“So you’re giving up?”
I sigh, crossing my arms over my chest.
“She’s killing him. I don’t know how, but she’s killing him.” She shakes off Zachary’s hands and storms out. He follows as she stomps up the stairs. Multiple doors slam shut above us.
“She loves him.” Brianna murmurs.
“I know. He’s her brother.”
“He’s more than that.” She frowns. “I know it’s complicated. I know you’ll probably tell me to stay out of it. But you must see it. He should have woken long before you threw him in the dungeon. Wolves heal fast. Those with Alpha blood heal even faster. But he didn’t. That’s weird on its own.”
She blows out a breath. “I’m a watcher, Alexander. I observe people. I learn how they operate, how they hide things. It’s what I’m good at. Most of the time.”
“Most of the time?”
“Yeah. Though trying to read Athena is like searching for a needle in a haystack.”
I laugh. That much is true.
“Something doesn’t add up.”
“You took her mate. That’s why she shifted.”
She raises a brow. “I don’t think so.”
“Zachary said you pushed her.”
“She had already shifted long before that. Probably the moment she realized that I… That I put Julian in the car.”
I cock a brow at her. She’s trying hard to keep her mate’s identity secret. Though I’m fairly certain I know who it is.
“I already know you had help, Brianna. Honestly, I don’t care who you’re mated to as long as you don’t try to kill him.”
“What if he tries to kill me?”
“Has he?”
She scrunches her face like she’s said too much.
“Is that how you ended up with the mark on your stomach and not your neck?”
She nods. “He ignored it for a while. Then he snapped. He attacked. Somewhere in the struggle, he claimed me.”