Chapter 65: ⁶⁵: who hurt you?!

Until now, all I had been able to feel was anger. Anger at myself for taking everything so lightly. Anger at the realization that someone I considered one of my own might actually be an enemy.

And perhaps the worst of all - anger because even though I now knew that someone close to me had been planted by them, I had no idea who that person was.

But throughout all of it, there was one thing that unsettled me.

Not once had Athena crossed my mind. Not even for a moment. Even though I had been verbally claiming that I didn’t trust her, even though I had repeatedly told Nyx that there was something suspicious about her, when Shanel had mentioned that someone close to me was working for them, Athena hadn’t been the person I suspected.

Not until now. My gaze fell on the letter in Ryan’s hands. Something inside me shifted. The doubt I had always claimed to have about Athena suddenly felt different.

It was no longer something I said merely because I wanted to convince myself that I didn’t trust her. Now, for the first time, it was beginning to take root.

"Give that letter to me." I extended my hand. Ryan placed the letter in my palm without saying another word.

Behind me, the dungeon chamber’s door opened again. The guards carried Shanel’s body out of the chamber while I unfolded the letter.

My eyes moved across its contents. Just as Ryan had said, it contained the announcement I had made six months ago, the announcement in which I had agreed to accept a mateless she-wolf as my chosen partner.

At the bottom was a suggestion encouraging people to seize the opportunity.

My eyes narrowed. That couldn’t be a coincidence. If I had made that announcement six months ago, there was no reason for someone to suddenly come up with this idea now.

And if this letter had been old enough, then there should have been someone else who was sent by these people.

There should have been someone who had accepted my conditions. Someone who had taken advantage of the opportunity.

However there was no one who had come forward for this. The only person who had ever come forward was.

Athena Moonvel.

My fingers tightened around the paper. I crumpled the letter in my fist. Only one face occupied my mind now.

Athena.

After all, I had been right. There was no way she had approached me simply because she liked me. Like I had told Nyx from the beginning, she had followed a plan. And now I had another reason to believe it.

I looked at the rumbled paper in my hand, feeling as if suddenly something heavy was placed on my chest. "Keep this letter between us," I ordered before I slipped the crumpled paper into my pocket and looked straight ahead.

"Give Derek the position of Imperial High Chancellor of Education."

Ryan nodded, waiting for my next command.

"Also, investigate the background of every warrior in our pack. I want every detail checked again, no matter how insignificant it seems."

My voice hardened.

"Keep a close eye on every member of the pack holding a significant position. Today’s explosion was only a warning. If they were bold enough to attack the heart of our military forces, they may attempt something far worse next."

"Yes, Alpha."

"Strengthen security everywhere. I don’t want a single weakness left unchecked."

"Yes, Alpha," Ryan repeated firmly.

He immediately turned to carry out my orders.

I remained where I was.

...

I looked ahead taking a deep breath as I realized the sun was already beginning to set. I wasn’t even sure how long I had been standing here. Somehow, my steps had brought me to the packhouse.

I stood in front of it, staring at the massive building as the fading sunlight cast long shadows across the grounds.

My mind was still occupied by a single question. Athena Moonvel... Could she really be the person they had planted beside me?

Deciding to not think about it anymore, I moved around to the back of the packhouse.

The moment I saw the long stretch of the building, I knew exactly where I needed to go. Just this morning, I had teased Athena about enjoying sneaking into other people’s houses. And now, here I was, doing exactly the same thing.

I reached her window and jumped down, my boots landing against the floor with a loud thud.

I immediately looked around the room. There was no one here. Where was she? At this hour, she should have been in her room.

I was still wondering where she could have gone when I heard a door opening behind me. I turned around. And there she was.

Athena Moonvel, apparently planted by my unknown enemies.

She must have just taken a shower. Her hair was still damp, with a few strands clinging to the sides of her face.

If this had been the Kael from this morning, perhaps I would have noticed more.

But now, my mind was occupied by something else entirely. I had expected to feel nothing but disgust when I saw her after everything I had just discovered.

Yet that wasn’t what happened. Not even close. Despite everything I had learned or thought I had learned something inside me still reacted to her exactly the way it had before. And I didn’t understand why.

"You scared me so much!" Her voice broke through my thoughts. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at me.

"Did you sneak into my room?" I didn’t answer. My gaze had already fallen to her face. Her temple. Her lower lip.

There were visible injuries there. My brows immediately drew together. "How did you get injured?"

I ignored her question completely. She narrowed her eyes at me, clearly confused by my sudden change in behavior.

Then she shrugged. "It’s nothing. Just a little scuffle at the Academy. Apparently, wherever I go, I automatically invite trouble."

"Academy?" I stared at her. "Isn’t violence forbidden there? Of all places, how did you end up getting injured like this, at the academy?"

I kept my voice cold and controlled, but my hands had already curled into fists at my sides. Anger surged through me at the thought of someone hurting her.

I didn’t understand it. I shouldn’t have cared. Not after what I had just learned.

Not when I had come here specifically because I suspected her.

Yet seeing those injuries on her face was enough to make something inside me tighten. I quickly pushed the feeling aside.

"Why do you seem so reserved right now?" she suddenly asked before she stepped closer, studying my expression."Did something happen?"

"I asked you how you got injured. Don’t change the subject." I moved toward her. Before she could step back, I reached for her hand and pulled her closer.

My gaze remained fixed on her injured temple. "How did you get injured?" This time, there was no room for her to brush the question aside.

"It really isn’t anything serious," she said giving me a shrug as if nothing had happened.

I tightened my grip around her hand. "Tell me everything, Athena." My eyes remained locked with hers. There was no way I was leaving this room without knowing exactly what had happened to her.

"Okay... okay, I’ll tell you." She glanced down at my hand around hers. "But loosen your grip a little. You’re hurting me."

I immediately released her as if my instincts were against hurting her even though I clearly knew she wasn’t someone who deserved this care.

She rubbed her hand for a moment before quickly moving away from me and sitting down on the edge of her bed.

"A girl at our academy named Maria did this," she began with a sigh. "She’s just a little abnormal, I guess. I was sitting in my classroom when she suddenly came in and started beating me nonstop."

"What?" The shock in my voice escaped before I could stop it. "She dared to do something like this inside the Academy?"

My anger surged again. "Who is she? Tell me. I will—"

I stopped myself. What was I doing? Why was I reacting like this? Even if she had been hurt, why did it matter to me? I forced myself to calm down.

"Why did she do that?" I asked, my voice more controlled this time.

"Nothing," Athena said with a shrug. "It was just a minor girlish fight. And don’t worry, you don’t have to do anything. I already fought back."

A small smile appeared on her little face. "I even got suspended for ten days because of it."

I stared at her. She was smiling as though being attacked and then suspended from the Academy was nothing worth worrying about.

"Who said I would do anything to her?" I deliberately made my voice colder. "Our relationship isn’t the kind where I would go around fighting people for you."

The words came out more sharply than I intended. Perhaps I needed to remind myself of that as much as I needed to remind her.

I couldn’t afford to forget why I had come here. I couldn’t afford to let my strange concern for her cloud my judgment. Not anymore.