Chapter 51: Is There Still Hope?

Summer's pov

The first thing I noticed was the faint smell of pine and lavender. My eyes fluttered open, the sunlight streaming through the curtains blinding me for a moment. 

No. 

I sat up quickly, my head throbbing with the effort. My heart sank as I took in my surroundings. The textured walls, the familiar furniture—the room in the Lycan house. I was back. 

My throat tightened as frustration clawed at my chest. After everything I’d done, every careful step I’d planned to get out, I was here again. I thought I’d finally made it. I thought last night would be the end of this nightmare. But here I was, sitting in the same room, surrounded by the same walls I had been so desperate to leave behind. 

My hands trembled as I tried to recall the events of the night before. We'd talked so much and even the way he spoke to Hilda; he seemed like an entirely different person. The possession he claimed over me and even the way he looked at me.

My stomach churned as the memory of the night resurfaced. I didn't know what direction it would have gone but I wasn't sure I could stop.

The creature, that thing, that creature—it had appeared out of nowhere, its red eyes glowing in the darkness, its body shifting like smoke and shadow. I’d been frozen, helpless, my mind blank with fear. 

And then Dominic came. 

The image of him tore through my mind—his movements swift, precise, deadly. The creature had stood no chance against him, and before I could even process what was happening, it was over. 

I swallowed hard, the memory making my chest ache. He had saved me again. 

I stood shakily, my feet touching the cool wooden floor as I made my way to the bathroom. The faint sound of water dripping echoed in the quiet, and I avoided my reflection at first, too ashamed to face myself. 

Dominic had saved my life twice now. And what had I done in return? Yelled at him. Accused him of things I wasn’t even sure were true. 

I finally forced myself to look in the mirror, my pale face staring back at me. My auburn hair was a tangled mess, and dark circles shadowed my eyes. I looked just as tired as I felt. 

But what caught my attention wasn’t my exhaustion. It was the way my hand unconsciously moved to my lips. 

The kiss. 

I exhaled shakily, my fingers brushing against my lips as the memory consumed me. Dominic had kissed me last night. It had been unexpected, intense, and impossible to forget. 

But it wasn’t just the kiss that lingered in my mind. It was the name he had whispered. 

“Athena.” 

The word felt like a weight on my chest. It wasn’t my name. I wasn’t Athena. I didn't know who she was and why he was so sure I was here when I wasn't. She might have been a past lover of his that just had a little bit of resemblance with me but that had to be it.  I wasn’t whoever he thought I was. I was Summer—a girl who didn’t belong here, a girl who just wanted her freedom.  A girl who just wanted to find her own people and know the truth.

I turned away from the mirror, my emotions swirling like a storm. I couldn’t let myself get caught up in whatever Dominic was feeling. It didn’t matter. What mattered was escaping. 

But as I stepped back into the room, my eyes landed on the silver locket resting on the nightstand. 

My chest tightened as I picked it up, the cool metal familiar against my skin. I opened it, my parents’ faces smiling back at me from the tiny photograph inside. 

“Never stop fighting,” I whispered, running my thumb over the engraving. 

It was a message I had held onto for as long as I could remember. A reminder of who I was, of the strength my parents had believed in. 

But for the first time, I felt doubt creeping in. 

Could I keep fighting? 

I had tried to escape twice now, and both times I had failed. The forest beyond the Lycan house was a death trap, filled with dangers I didn’t even understand. 

And then there was Dominic. 

He had saved me. Protected me. Kissed me. 

I closed the locket with a soft snap, tears prickling my eyes as I placed it back on the nightstand. The question that had been haunting me since the moment I woke up refused to leave my mind. 

Would I try to escape again? 

Even if I wanted to, I didn't feel like I owned myself again. The way he claimed my ownership made Mr. flutter a little but didn't still stop the fear from creeping in

I didn't know if I could ever be myself to escape again especially due to the new creatures creeping in the Lycan woods and even far beyond.

The answer should have been obvious. I couldn’t stay here. I couldn’t let myself get comfortable, not when every moment in this house felt like a cage tightening around me. 

But leaving wasn’t just about running anymore. It was about survival. 

I sat down on the edge of the bed, my fingers gripping the edge of the blanket as I stared at the floor. If I tried to escape again, would Dominic save me? Or would he let me go? 

The thought of his golden eyes, the way they softened when he looked at me, made my heart ache in a way I didn’t want to admit. 

I shook my head, pushing the thought away. I couldn’t think about him like that. Not when everything was so uncertain. 

The locket’s weight seemed heavier now, as if it carried all the decisions, I wasn’t ready to make. 

Was I ready to leave again?

This Athena, what relationship did she have with me that made Dominic so certain that we were the same people.

Why was he so drawn to her?