The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate Chapter 120

Athena's POV

"No."

The word comes out of me like a scream. I'm on my feet before I even realize I'm moving, my chair scraping against the floor so loud it makes everyone jump.

"No, Tristan. Absolutely not. I won't let you do this."

But he's already standing too, and there's this calm look on his face that makes my panic worse. Like he's already decided and nothing I say is going to change his mind.

"Athena, listen to me..."

"No!" I step back from him, my hands shaking so hard I can barely control them. "You can't ask me to do this. You can't ask me to risk killing you."

"I'm not asking you to risk anything. I'm asking you to save me."

His words don't make sense. How is me potentially killing him saving him? How is putting himself in danger helping anyone?

I look around the room, desperate for someone to back me up. Someone has to see how crazy this is. Someone has to tell him this is a terrible idea.

"Orion," I say, turning to my brother. "Tell him he's being stupid. Tell him this won't work."

But Orion doesn't say anything. He's looking at Tristan with this expression I can't read. Not agreement exactly, but not disagreement either.

"Sarah?" I try again.

Sarah bites her bottom lip and looks down at her hands. She won't meet my eyes.

"Derek?"

Derek closes his book slowly and sighs. "It's not the worst plan we've come up with."

"Are you all insane?" My voice cracks. "He could die. He will die. This isn't some game we're playing."

"I know exactly what this is," Tristan says quietly. "And I know the risks."

"Then why would you even suggest it?"

"Because I can't watch you live like this anymore." His voice gets stronger. "I can't watch you be afraid of yourself. I can't watch you pull away from everyone who loves you because you're scared of what might happen."

The tears I've been holding back start to fall. "And you think dying is better?"

"I think having a chance at a normal life is better. For both of us."

I shake my head so hard it makes me dizzy. "There has to be another way. We can find someone who's already dying. Someone who has nothing to lose."

"Like who?" Tristan asks. "Who are we going to ask to volunteer for this? Who's going to trust you enough to let you try when you don't even trust yourself?"

I open my mouth but no words come out. He's right and I hate him for it.

"Besides," he continues, "it has to be someone you care about. Someone you're desperate to save. The power responds to your emotions, right? It came out when you were scared for our death before. It'll come out when you're trying to save me."

The logic makes sense in a horrible twisted way. But that doesn't make it any less terrifying.

"How?" I whisper. "How would we even do this?"

Tristan looks at Orion. "You'd have to stab me with a silver knife. One I can't heal from. Maybe mixed with wolfsbane."

My legs give out. I sink back into my chair and put my head in my hands. "You're talking about murder. You're asking my brother to murder you."

"I'm asking him to help us save your life."

"By ending yours!"

"Only temporarily," Tristan says like it's the most reasonable thing in the world. "I trust that you'll bring me back."

The confidence in his voice makes me want to scream. How can he be so sure about something I have no control over? How can he trust me with his life when I can't even trust myself with a coffee cup?

"What if I can't?" I look up at him through my tears. "What if I try and nothing happens? What if the power doesn't work that way? What if you die and stay dead?"

"Then at least we tried."

"That's not good enough!"

"It has to be." His voice gets softer. "Athena, this is the only choice we have. If dying means I can save you, then so be it."

The room goes quiet except for the sound of me crying. Everyone's looking at me like they're waiting for me to agree to this insane plan.

Orion moves closer to my chair. "Are you sure about this?" he asks Tristan.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

I look at Orion with pleading eyes, begging him to talk Tristan out of this. To be the voice of reason. To save me from having to make this choice.

But Orion just raises his shoulders in a way that says there's nothing he can do.

"We both know that once Tristan sets his mind to something, you can't talk him out of it," he says quietly.

The truth of that statement hits me like a punch. Tristan is stubborn in a way that goes beyond normal stubbornness. When he decides something is right, nothing can change his mind.

Like when he decided to come after me when I was taken. Like how he decided he was going to love me no matter what I was or what I'd done.

Now he's decided he's going to die for me. And nothing I say or do is going to stop him.

"I need air," I say, getting up from my chair. "I need to think."

I walk out of the room on shaky legs. My whole body feels like it's vibrating with fear and anger and desperation.

Orion follows me into the hallway. We don't say anything for a long time. We just stand there listening to the muffled voices from the room we just left.

"He's really going to do this," I finally say.

"Yeah. He is."

"And you're going to let him."

Orion sighs. "I don't have a choice. None of us do."

I lean against the wall because I don't trust my legs to keep holding me up. "I'm so tired, Orion. I'm tired of being afraid. I'm tired of hurting people. I'm tired of being the reason everything goes wrong."

"You're not the reason everything goes wrong."

"Yes, I am. Mom and Dad died because of me. Daxon and Seraphine died because of me. And now Tristan's going to die because of me too."

"Mom and Dad died protecting you. That's different. And Daxon and Seraphine died because they were evil and they were trying to hurt people we love. That's also different."

"Is it?"

"Yes." He moves closer to me. "And Tristan isn't going to die. You're going to save him."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know you. I know how much you love him. I know you'd do anything to save him, including things you didn't think you could do."

I want to believe him. I want to have his confidence. But all I can think about is what happens if I fail.

"What if I can't control it? What if the power takes him and won't give him back?"

"Then we'll deal with that when it happens. I'll try to do what I did at the cave. I'm still your Alpha, remember?" I let out a light laughter.

"You make it sound so simple."

"It's not simple. It's the hardest thing any of us will ever do. But it's the only thing we can do."

I close my eyes and try to breathe. The hallway smells like coffee and something else I can't identify. Fear maybe.

"I don't want to be alone anymore," I whisper.

"You're not alone. You never have been."

When I open my eyes, he's looking at me with so much love it makes my chest hurt.

"We're all here. We're all going to help you get through this. No matter what happens, you won't be alone."

I nod because I don't trust my voice not to break.

"Come here," he says softly.

I start to shake my head. "I can't. What if I hurt you?"

"You won't."

"You don't know that."

"I do know that. I know you'd never hurt me on purpose, and I know you're in control right now. You're scared and upset, but you're not angry or desperate. The power only comes out when you feel cornered."

I want to step away from him. Every instinct I have is telling me to put distance between us. But the look on his face stops me.

He looks hurt. Like my pulling away from him is causing him actual physical pain.

"Please," he says quietly. "I miss my sister."

That breaks something inside me. I move toward him slowly, carefully, like I'm approaching something wild that might bolt.

When I'm close enough, he opens his arms. I hesitate for just a second before stepping into them.

The hug is gentle at first. Both of us are tense, waiting for something terrible to happen. But nothing does. No power surge. No electricity under my skin. Just my brother's arms around me and the familiar smell of his cologne.

After a few seconds, I relax against him. He feels warm and solid and safe. Like home.

"See?" he murmurs into my hair. "You're not a monster. You're just Athena."

We stay like that for a long time. Long enough for some of the fear to drain out of me. Long enough for me to remember what it feels like to be held by someone who loves me.

When we finally pull apart, my eyes are wet but I'm not actively crying anymore.

"I'll try," I say. "I'll try to heal him."

"That's all anyone can ask."

But even as I say it, I'm already planning. If this doesn't work, if I kill Tristan instead of saving him, then I'm leaving. I'm getting as far away from here as possible so I can't hurt anyone else.

I can't live in a world where Tristan is dead because of me. I won't.

We walk back into the room together. Tristan looks up when we enter, and I can see the question in his eyes.

"I'll do it," I say quietly. "I'll try to heal you."

The relief on his face is obvious. Sarah lets out a breath she's been holding. Derek nods like this was always the plan.

"When?" Tristan asks.

"Tomorrow," I say. "I need time to prepare. To get my head right."

"Okay. Tomorrow."

The rest of the conversation passes in a blur. Derek talks about finding the right kind of knife. Sarah mentions setting up a clean space. Orion discusses timing.

I stop listening after a while. All I can think about is that in twenty four hours, I'm either going to save the person I love most or I'm going to kill him.

When everyone finally starts heading to bed, Tristan hangs back.

"Are you okay?" he asks.

I almost laugh. Am I okay? No, I'm not okay. I'm about as far from okay as a person can get.

"We should sleep in the same bed tonight," I say instead of answering his question.

He looks surprised but doesn't question it. "Okay."

What I don't tell him is that I want one last night with him. Just in case tomorrow doesn't go the way we hope.

What I also don't tell him is that I'm not planning to be there in the morning.

We go to bed early. Tristan falls asleep quickly, but I lie awake staring at the ceiling for hours. Listening to him breathe. Memorizing the sound.

When I'm sure he's deep asleep, I slip out of bed as quietly as I can. I get dressed in the dark and grab the small bag I packed earlier while he was in the shower.

I don't take much. Just some clothes that Sarah had gotten for me, and the money I've been saving. Enough to get far away from here.

I write him a letter explaining why I'm leaving, but I don't leave it where he'll find it right away. I hide it under the duvet, where he won't look until after I'm gone.

The house is quiet as I make my way downstairs. Everyone's asleep. No one will know I'm gone until morning, and by then I'll be long gone.

I slip out the back door and walk quickly toward the street. My heart is pounding but I feel oddly calm. This is the right thing to do. This is the only way to keep everyone safe.

But as I reach the street, I stop dead.

Tristan is standing there waiting for me.

He's fully dressed and he's got his arms crossed over his chest. He doesn't look surprised to see me. He doesn't look angry either. He just looks tired.

"Going somewhere?" he asks quietly.