Chapter 88 - The Spell
The silence after Athena's words felt sharp enough to cut.
I never did.
Victor's expression didn't change.
But his eyes did.
They hardened.
Focused.
Athena didn't see him move.
She felt it.
A sudden, invisible pressure slammed into her mind like a wave hitting stone.
Her breath nearly hitched.
Her vision blurred for half a second as something old and familiar tried to wrap around her thoughts.
Heavy.
Cold.
Commanding.
Be still.
Be quiet.
Obey.
Her heart pounded violently in her chest.
She knew this feeling.
She had lived inside this feeling her entire life without knowing its name.
But this time-
It didn't settle.
It didn't sink in.
It met resistance.
Her resistance.
Athena's nails dug into her palm as the pressure pushed harder.
Her mind flashed with images-
Her small self.
Her silent self.
The girl who made herself tiny to survive.
And then-
Silas's voice.
You don't get to shrink here.
Her spine straightened.
She refused to let it take hold.
Refused to let it pull her back into that cage.
On the outside, she didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't show a single sign that anything was happening.
But inside, she was fighting.
Pushing.
Breaking through something that had wrapped around her for years.
The pressure faltered.
Then slipped.
Then broke.
Victor's eyes widened slightly.
Just for a second.
Athena tilted her head at him calmly.
A slow, almost curious look.
"Is that all?" she asked softly.
James frowned.
Victor's face went still.
Athena took a small step forward, still tucked against Silas's side.
"You should try harder," she added quietly.
The air around them felt charged now.
Wolves bristled.
Silas felt the ripple of magic but never felt her weaken.
Never felt her falter.
Victor stared at her like he was seeing her for the first time.
And in that moment...
He understood.
He had truly lost control of her.