Goddess Of The Underworld. Chapter 72

 **Envy**

Warmth. It pulls me slowly from sleep like a tide retreating from shore. My body’s sore in that good, heavy way. Muscles languid. Heart steady. But my mind? It’s already moving. I roll to my side, only to feel a weight shift beside me. Strong arms tighten around my waist, and a soft groan tells me I’m not alone in bed. Noah. I peek one eye open to see his stupidly handsome face half-buried in my pillow, lashes brushing his cheek. One arm slung around my middle, the other tangled in the blanket. His breathing is deep, steady. Warmth.  Footsteps sound outside the bedroom. A soft knock. Then Xavier’s voice: “Morning. We’ve got food downstairs. Shower. Meet us in the war room in twenty.”

“Bossy,” I mutter.

“Charming”, He corrects.

 I sigh, nudging Noah awake with a knuckle to his ribs. He groans again but doesn’t protest and then…Pain. Sudden. Sharp. Blinding. I freeze as a wave of heat surges behind my eyes, and I’m not in bed anymore.

***Memory***

I’m cold. The room smells like burnt iron and wet stone. Chains rattle somewhere behind me. My skin feels too tight, too raw. I try to lift my hand and realize it’s bound. Rope? No, silver. I bite back a whimper. This is different to the first memory where I was simply observing. Now I’m…here? It feels like I’m here, like this is real. I feel everything. I see everything, but I can’t control my body, it’s like I’m just sitting passenger.

“Again,” a voice snarls…Alpha Marcus.

He steps into view, lips twisted into something between a sneer and a smile. There’s blood on his sleeve. Mine.

“I know you’re hiding something,” he growls. “You’ve survived things no pup should. You don’t flinch when you bleed. That isn’t normal. That’s power.”

I shake my head, tears falling now. “I…I don’t know…”

“You will.”

He lifts his hand, and pain follows. A whip. Coated in something sharp. Every lash burns like acid, and I scream until my voice breaks.

“Do you feel that, witch?” he spits. “Because I’m going to keep going until whatever lives under your skin finally comes out.”

Then there’s light. A woman steps into the room. Dressed in robes, pale eyes and no scent. She kneels in front of me and places a hand on my forehead.

“She’s close,” she murmurs. “But not yet. You’ll damage the vessel if you keep going.” Marcus snarls but steps back.

The woman hums a soft incantation. The words slither down my spine, and the world goes black.

***Memory – Later that Night***

“Hold still, little warrior.”

Felix’s voice is softer than usual. His hands move with practiced ease as he dabs something warm and healing against my torn back. I sit on the edge of a couch in his home, small, cozy, packed with bike parts and faded photos. I’m wrapped in a soft shirt that smells like motor oil and pine. The pain’s fading now, but I still feel hollow.

“Did I… fall?” I ask, blinking up at him.

Something flickers behind his eyes. “Yes,” he lies gently. “Training accident.”

I nod slowly, already forgetting the reason for the ache in my ribs. A small voice interrupts.

“Dad?”

Theo, probably five at the time, pokes his head into the room. Messy hair. Big eyes.

“Why did Alpha Marcus say I’m not allowed to play with Envy anymore?”

Felix freezes for a split second. “Because the Alpha doesn’t always make the right decisions.”

Theo blinks, confused.

“She’s dangerous?”

“No,” Felix says, kneeling to ruffle his son’s hair. “She’s important.”

**Envy – Present Morning**

I jolt upright in bed, gasping. Noah is already sitting up beside me, rubbing my back. “What happened?”

I shake my head, swallowing bile. “I remembered something. A… test. He hurt me. When I was a kid. He had a witch wipe it.”

Noah’s jaw tightens, eyes darkening. “Marcus.”

“Yeah.”

I take a moment to collect myself, Noah's hand doesn't leave my back, offering a constant soothing to the torment in my head.

"Okay. Time to start the day." I announce, pulling off the covers. Noah looks at me uneasy. I know he thinks I'm crazy and should probably just lay down for the rest of the day, but that's not going to happen.

The three of them are waiting when we come in. Xavier, Levi, Haiden, all seated around the map table, mugs of coffee steaming nearby. The energy in the room shifts the second they see my face.

“You okay?” Haiden asks.

I sit down. “No. But I’m here.”

I tell them the rest. What I saw. What I felt. Felix’s voice. Theo’s question. The witch. When I finish, no one speaks for a moment.

Then Xavier exhales like he’s just barely containing a snarl. “He tortured you. As a child.”

“Trying to force my powers to emerge,” I say. “And then wiped it so I’d stay obedient.”

“He’s not just a threat,” Levi mutters. “He’s a fucking war crime with a title.”

“I want him cornered,” I say. “Not just confronted. I want eyes on every exit. I want protections in place, in case he tries to use a witch again. And I want you, all of you, ready to rip out his throat the second he makes the wrong move.”

The silence that follows is heavy and final.

Xavier leans forward, elbows on his knees. “Then let’s make this dinner his last peaceful meal.”

Levi pulls out his phone, "Just in case, I'm going to give your brothers a quick call. We wouldn't want to go murdering another Alpha without them knowing about it."

"I'm pretty sure they'll try to race here just to enjoy the fun of it." Haiden laughs.

**Levi**

While the others finalize the plan, I step into the hall, phone in hand. I call them one by one, her brothers.

Alpha King Malachi, ever the voice of calm authority, listens without interrupting. When I finish explaining Marcus’s past with Envy, his voice turns steel.

“Do what must be done. If he touches her again, I expect his heart returned in a box.”

Alpha King Julian is less composed. “You’re telling me that bastard tortured her as a pup?” His voice is a snarl. “You want permission? You already have it. You have my blessing.”

Alpha King Arztec is the last to pick up, voice gruff from battle or training. “If he’s been playing games with the gate between realms, you don’t wait for him to act. You eliminate the threat.”

Three kings. Three green lights. Marcus may be an Alpha, but he’s not untouchable. Not anymore.