Athena didn't feel drained after the anger.
She felt clear.
Like a fog had burned away and left something sharp and focused behind.
Silas watched her from across the room, sensing the shift in her before she spoke. The way she stood straighter. The way her eyes no longer searched for reassurance.
"I don't want to sit in this anymore," she said.
He tilted his head slightly. "In what?"
"In not knowing," she replied. "In waiting for things to happen to me."
She took a step toward him.
Not timid.
Not uncertain.
"I want to understand this place. Your people. How you live. How you lead. Everything."
Silas's eyes darkened slightly.
"Why?"
"Because if whatever is inside me is waking up..." she swallowed, "...I don't want to be the last one to meet it."
His chest tightened at her words.
She wasn't running from this.
She was stepping toward it.
"Teach me," she said quietly.
Silas studied her for a long moment.
He could feel it now - the pull toward her stronger than it had been yesterday. Stronger than it had been an hour ago. Being near her was becoming difficult in a way he hadn't expected.
Not because she overwhelmed him.
Because his wolf was starting to recognize something his mind was still trying to control.
"You want to learn how we live," he said.
"Yes."
"You want to see how this world works."
"Yes."
He stepped closer to her slowly.
Close enough that she had to tilt her head slightly to keep looking at him.
"You understand that the more you learn," he said quietly, "the more you will realize how different you are from the life you knew."
Athena didn't hesitate.
"I already know that."
Silas's jaw tightened.
The scent of her was starting to affect him more. Richer. Warmer. Familiar in a way that made his instincts stir restlessly beneath his skin.
His hand lifted without him realizing it and brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face.
Athena didn't step back.
She didn't flinch.
She leaned into the touch slightly without meaning to.
The small movement sent a jolt through him.
His voice lowered.
"Very well," he said. "I will teach you."
Her expression softened.
"Thank you."
But she didn't move away.
And neither did he.
Silas realized they were standing far too close for a lesson to begin.
Yet neither of them seemed willing to be the one to step back.
"What will you teach me first?" she asked.
He forced himself to think past the way her eyes were holding his.
"Our structure," he said. "How we function. How decisions are made. How we protect our territory."
Athena nodded slowly, absorbing every word like it mattered deeply.
Because to her, it did.
"Do your people all know each other?" she asked.
"Yes. We are not just a group. We are a unit."
"Like a family?"
"More than that."
She watched him carefully. "You care about them."
Silas paused.
"Yes."
She smiled faintly.
"I can tell."
Something about the way she said it made his chest tighten again.
She wasn't impressed by his strength.
She was noticing his care.
"You will meet them," he said.
Her eyes widened slightly. "All of them?"
"In time."
She hesitated. "Will they... expect something from me?"
Silas's expression softened.
"They will expect nothing from you except honesty."
Athena exhaled slowly.
"I think I can do that."
A quiet silence fell between them.
Not awkward.
Heavy with something unspoken.
Silas could feel it building now - a steady, undeniable need to be closer to her. To touch her. To pull her into him and never let go.
He stepped back first.
Not because he wanted to.
Because he had to.
"We will begin after you eat," he said.
Athena nodded.
But as she turned to leave, she glanced back at him.
And the way her eyes lingered told him she felt it too.
Every hour she was here...
His need to be near her was growing.