The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate Chapter 118

Tristan's POV

My heart started beating faster. "What kind of information?"

"The kind you need to hear in person. Can I come over?"

I looked towards Orion who was watching me.

"It's Derek," I said. "He says he has information to share about what happened."

Orion looked up at me with tired eyes. "Tell him to come over. We should discuss it here."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Orion never let outsiders into his house. Ever. His home was family only.

"We can't leave Athena alone," he explained through our mindlink when he saw my expression. "And we can't take her anywhere until we know more about what's happening to her." I nodded

"Come over. I'll text you the address."

"I'll be there in twenty minutes," Derek said.

While we waited, I felt like pacing around the living room but I stayed still, just the way Athena did too. Sarah made coffee and Orion sat in his chair with his head in his hands. None of us talked about what Derek might have found, but I could tell we were all thinking about it.

When the doorbell rang, my stomach jumped. Sarah went to answer it and brought Derek into the living room. He looked grim and tired, like he hadn't slept much either.

"How are you doing Ath?" he asked first thing.

"Much better" she responded in a low voice.

"What did you find?" Orion asked immediately.

Derek sat down on the couch and pulled out a thick folder. "I've been digging into Daxon's background since we got back. Going through old pack records, talking to people who knew him before he went rogue."

He opened the folder and spread some papers across the coffee table. "Daxon wasn't just after Athena because she rejected him. He was after her specifically because of the power."

"No, they had a history. He'd be an asshole towards her when they were mate" I said with anger.

He didn't treat her well when they were together, so what did he want?

"No, you don't understand." Derek looked at each of us. "He knew about the power before any of us did. He knew what she was carrying inside her. But he got his information wrong."

Sarah leaned forward. "How is that possible? What information?"

"He thought you were the carrier" Derek said looking at Orion.

"I don't understand. Me? Then why did he kidnap her if he wanted me?"

"Because he and his dad had been hunting people like her for years," Derek said. "People from families with werewolf witch blood. He's been tracking down bloodlines and trying to find someone who still carried the active gene."

My blood went cold. "How many people did he kill?"

"At least twelve that I can confirm," Derek said quietly. "Maybe more. All of them from families with the old bloodlines. But none of them had what Athena has. None of them could actually use the power."

Orion's face had gone white. "If he thought I was a carrier then, he thought my mom was too," he said quietly like he was picking the piece together.

"What?" Sarah asked.

"Our parents," Orion said, looking at Derek. "You're saying their deaths weren't random." My stomach dropped.

Our parents had been murdered? By Daxon's family?

Derek nodded grimly. "It was a trap. He'd caught Athena to get to you." The room went completely silent. I could hear my own heartbeat pounding in my ears

We all looked at him shocked, well except Athena.

"He was going to kill you" Derek continued. "After he figured out how to steal your power. He wanted to take it for himself and use it to build an army of wolves who could drain life force on command."

"That's why it got so angry," I said suddenly. The pieces were clicking together in my head. "In the cave, when Daxon was threatening to kill Orion. The power inside her wasn't just responding to her fear. It was protecting itself."

"Exactly," Derek said.

"And that's why I got shocked when you touched her skin hours ago. It's not just protecting Athena anymore. It's protecting its own survival."

I thought about the electric feeling when my fingers had brushed against her face. It hadn't felt malicious exactly, but it had been a clear warning. Stay away.

Then something came to my mind, if it was trying to protect itself. It means Daxon said something.

I turned towards Athena who was looking at her feet. "You knew."

She raised her head up with guilt, then nodded.

"When he told me about Jess's death, the only on my mind at that moment was to make them pay" she took a deep breath.

"But when he mentioned killing mom, dad and your parents. I felt something I'd never felt before. Then immediately he said he wanted to kill Orion to get his powers, I saw red" she was now crying.

"Ath" I called trying to touch her but she moved back.

"It was my fault. Our parents had died because they were trying to protect me. It was my fault." I moved towards her immediately and hugged her, we all did.

"It's not your fault babe"

"It's not your fault Ath" we all said it together like we'd rehearsed it.

"What we should focus now is to find solution, not blame ourselves. Mom and dad were ever they are would be happy they were able to protect you." Orion said

"They'd all died to protect you. But we're all alive and we'll all protect you with our lives" I added and I meant it.

After a while, her tears subsided. We all turned towards Derek, we needed to find answers and find it quick.

"So what does this mean for Athena?" Sarah asked. "If the power is getting stronger and more protective, what happens to her?"

"I don't know," Derek admitted. "But I found something else. Something that might help."

He pulled out another set of papers from his folder. These looked older, like photocopies of handwritten documents.

"These are records from the 1800s," Derek said. "From the last known family that carried this bloodline. They documented everything they could about the power and how it worked."

Orion leaned forward to look at the papers. "What did they find?"

"The power isn't actually evil," Derek said. "It's not trying to turn people into monsters. It's a defense mechanism. It only activates when the person carrying it is in mortal danger."

"But I drained those people completely," I said. "I killed them."

"Because they were actively trying to kill you, they were after who ever has the power." Derek explained. "The power responded to eliminate the threat. If you had been in a different situation, with people who weren't trying to hurt you, it probably wouldn't have been fatal."

Sarah was reading over one of the documents. "It says here that people with this bloodline used to be healers. They could transfer life energy from one person to another. They could take away pain and sickness."

"So Athena could potentially help people instead of hurting them?" I asked.

"If she could learn to control it," Derek said. "But that's the problem. According to these records, learning control takes years of training. And it requires a teacher who understands the power."

"Do we know anyone like that?" Orion asked.

Derek shook his head. "The bloodline was supposedly wiped out. Athena might be the only person left who carries the active gene."

We all sat there absorbing this information. It was good to know that Athena wasn't becoming some kind of monster, but it didn't solve our immediate problem.

"There's something else," Derek said quietly. He looked uncomfortable about whatever he was going to tell us next.

"What?" I asked.

"The records mention that if someone with this power goes too long without proper training, the defensive mechanism can become permanent. The power starts seeing everyone as a potential threat."

My stomach dropped. "What does that mean?"

"It means Athena could lose the ability to touch anyone at all," Derek said. "Ever. The power could isolate her completely to protect itself."

I felt like I couldn't breathe. The thought of Athena spending the rest of her life unable to touch another human being was worse than anything I could imagine.

"How long do we have?" Sarah asked.

"The records aren't clear," Derek said. "But based on what I've read, it could be anywhere from a few weeks to a few months before it becomes irreversible."

"Your power isn't evil, Athena. It's meant to protect you and everyone around you. But if you can't learn to control it..."

"I'll never be able to touch anyone again," she finished for him. "I already figured that part out."

The resignation in her voice broke my heart.

"We're going to find a way to help you," I said.

She looked at me with those sad brown eyes. "What if you can't? What if I'm stuck like this forever?"

"Then we'll deal with it," Orion said firmly. "Whatever happens, you're not going through this alone."

"But I am alone," Athena said quietly. "I'm sitting six feet away from all of you because I'm dangerous. I can't hug my brother or kiss my boyfriend or even shake hands with a friend. How is that not being alone?"

None of us had an answer for that.

Sarah cleared her throat. "Actually, there might be something else we can try."

We all turned to look at her. She looked nervous, like she wasn't sure she should be sharing what she was thinking.

"I've been researching this too," she said slowly. "And I found something. A way to... to stop the power completely."

The room went dead silent.

"What do you mean stop it?" Athena asked.

Sarah's hands were shaking slightly. "There's a ritual. An old one. It can permanently separate the power from the person carrying it."

"That sounds too good to be true," Derek said. "What's the catch?"

Sarah's face went pale. "The ritual kills the person. The separation is so traumatic that the body can't survive it."

I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. "No."

"It might be the only way," Sarah said quietly.

"No," I said again, louder this time. "We're not even considering that."

"Tristan," Athena said softly.

"No," I said, turning to look at her. "Don't you dare even think about it."

"What if it's the only way to keep everyone safe?" she asked.

"I don't care about everyone else," I said. "I care about you."

"But I care about everyone else," she said. "I care about you and Orion and Sarah and the kids. What if I lose control again? What if next time it's one of you that I hurt?"

"That won't happen," Orion said.

"You don't know that," Athena said. "None of us know that."

I could see her starting to shut down again. Starting to pull away from all of us because she thought that was the only way to protect us.

"There has to be another option," I said desperately. "Derek, those records you found. Was there anything else? Anything about other ways to control the power?"

Derek was already looking through his papers. "There are some mentions of binding rituals. Ways to limit the power without destroying it completely."

"What kind of limitations?" Athena asked.

"Making it so you can only use it consciously," Derek said. "So it won't activate automatically when you're scared or angry."

"Would I still be able to touch people?" she asked.

Derek scanned through one of the documents. "It says here that with proper binding, physical contact becomes safe as long as the person isn't intentionally trying to drain energy."

"Wait" they all paused and looked towards me.

"I think I've found a solution" I say with a bright smile.