Chapter 119: ¹¹⁹: something strange

Athena’s POV:

"No wonder... no wonder."

Luna Selene whispered those words almost to herself, her gaze dropping to the floor as if she had suddenly been reminded of something from the past.

Her brows drew together, and for several seconds, she remained completely silent, lost in deep thought. Then, slowly, she looked up at me again. "Tell me everything about you. What had happened to you on the day we found you?"

My hands clenched around the sheets beneath me. Just hearing her ask about that day was enough to make the strange urge to cry return.

I lowered my gaze, my fingers tightening around the fabric as memories I had been desperately trying to push away began resurfacing one after another.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to push the emotions back down. I took a slow breath, squinting my eyes for a moment as I tried to ground myself before finally looking at her again.

"It was my accession ceremony that day," I said, my voice quieter than before.

I paused, taking another deep breath. The weight pressing against my chest seemed to grow heavier with every word I spoke.

"I had just lost my dad in a war– that’s what I had thought at that time. But as soon as I reached the temple where I had to complete the last part of the ceremony, I was attacked by some strange wolves. They weren’t from my own pack."

Luna Selene’s expression changed instantly. "Do you remember anything particular about them?"

Her question came so suddenly that I blinked, caught off guard. I stared at her in confusion. Why was she asking me that?

She was looking at me as though I had just said something completely unexpected. The coldness that had filled her eyes earlier was gone now, replaced by a strange intrigue that I couldn’t quite understand.

For some reason, her reaction made me feel as though there was something about those wolves that she already knew.

"I..." I hesitated, trying to recall every detail I could. "There was nothing particular. They were just normal wolves," I finally said, still trying to understand what exactly she was looking for in my answer.

I shifted slightly on the bed, my mind returning to that day. "I killed all of them pretty easily and was just about to do the same to their leader when..."

My voice faltered. Even now, thinking about Harry being the one who had betrayed me felt unreal.

How could the person I had once trusted with my entire life have been the one to turn against me?

I swallowed the bitterness that had risen in my throat before continuing. "Harry stabbed me with that cursed dagger."

Luna Selene’s eyes sharpened. "That cursed dagger... Do you think it could have been related to that leader you were about to kill?" Her voice sounded urgent now, so different from the calm questioning she had been doing moments ago.

"I can’t say for sure, but..." I stopped. My mind immediately went back to that moment.

Harry had spoken to that man as though they already knew each other. Not like strangers who had met by chance, but like people who had some kind of connection.

And then there were the people who had settled in the pack. They could use dark magic. The more I thought about it, the more pieces seemed to connect, even though I still couldn’t say for certain what the connection was.

"But what, Athena?" Luna Selene asked. Her voice sounded more and more impatient as she waited for me to continue.

I looked at her even more confused, unable to understand why this particular detail seemed to matter so much to her.

"When Harry stabbed me, that man said to him that he was happy he hadn’t made a mistake by choosing him as his accomplice. Maybe he had been the one who gave that dagger to Harry."

I paused, my gaze shifting toward Damian as I debated whether I should tell Luna Selene about the strange things that man had said about my wolf.

My fingers curled slightly into the sheets as I tried to remember his exact words.

"After all, he was also there just to kill me. He had even said something like, ’No wonder Steven kept you hidden,’ and something weird about how he could sacrifice countless of his comrades if it meant he could kill me."

I slammed my hands over my face, unable to understand why any of this had happened to me. "I don’t know what connection I have to those people!" My voice cracked as the words left my mouth.

Now that I thought about it, everything that had happened to me and everything that was happening to my pack seemed to be linked to something hidden. Something I had never been made aware of.

My fingers trembled beneath the pressure building inside me.

"Why would a complete stranger be so hell-bent on wanting to kill me when my dad never even let me join any fight alongside him?" I asked, my voice quivering with confusion and frustration. "How could I have offended someone so much?"

I lowered my hands slowly and looked back at Luna Selene. My eyes had reddened, the tears I had been desperately holding back threatening to spill over.

"I can understand Harry doing it for the power, for making himself the Alpha, but I don’t understand what those people wanted. Even now, when I went back to my pack, they had started helping Harry with an army, making it impossible for me to claim back my rights even if I show up in front of the pack council."

The moment I finished speaking, Luna Selene suddenly staggered. Her face had gone strangely pale. The regal composure she had maintained since entering the room vanished in an instant, replaced by an expression of shock and something that looked dangerously close to despair.

"Mother, are you fine?!" Mother Elena exclaimed, quickly moving toward her.

Damian also stepped forward without hesitation, catching Luna Selene before she could lose her balance completely.

"Grandmother, what happened?" he asked, his voice filled with worry as he helped her steady herself.

Mother Elena held onto Luna Selene’s hand, examining her with concerned eyes as if trying to understand what had caused such a sudden reaction.

For a few seconds, Luna Selene remained silent. Then she finally straightened herself, forcing her expression back under control.

"I am fine," she said, giving Mother Elena and Damian a reassuring nod.

But when she turned back toward me, I could still see something unsettled in her eyes. "When you went back to your pack, what did you see there?" Her question came almost immediately.

I glanced at Damian. He was already looking at me, his expression tense and confused. I could see that he was just as anxious about Luna Selene’s strange reaction to everything I had told her.

It was almost as if she knew something.