Novels by Athena Maps

Before I could get to know Audrey better Yolanda came to call us. Yolanda and Audrey’s relationship was characterized by brutal teasing, nothing was off the table. Yolanda only needed to say a sentence before Audrey criticised it.“Where did you pick up that atrocious accent?” Audrey asked as we walked down the hallway.At the first step Yolanda tittered.“Must’ve been from those years when you tutored me. Heads up, read a book before you think you can lecture someone.”“I love to see you taking initiative, I didn’t know you could read.”The two giggled between each other. I didn’t know how to feel about the jokes though, since I couldn’t read.It never mattered if I could read or not back home, what advantage would such a skill afford a culture of people who hardly read. School didn’t exist either, at least in the formal sense. All older wolves saw it as their responsibility to educate those who were younger than them. One morning I’d find myself hunting with my father and the next,

I was told I was not needed for the meeting that was happening in the living room. What could I say for myself anyway? I could hear them shouting from downstairs, anger and confusion laced in their voices.Audrey and I sat in Khai’ and I’s room… my room. She dressed up in Yolanda’s sweater and jeans and she looked better in them. As I was dressing up in the bathroom Audrey had already made the bed and put everything away.“It still smells like him in here,” she said as she folded a blanket and put it away in the wardrobe.“You didn’t have to do that,” I said as kindly as I could.Inside I was fuming. How dare she change everything? The room was so neat and tidy it was like any other day. She smoothed the bed until it had no wrinkles before she sat on it.“I cannot sit in disorder,” she stated.Her face was placid and innocent, I couldn’t find it in myself to yell at her

I could hear them just as we were a few trees from the main house.Abomination!Surely you cannot expect us to bow to a woman. This is not something we decided for ourselves; it was placed upon us. Have you lost trust in your ancestors?The last voice was Khai’s grandfather, to my surprise he was defending me. It seemed he was the only one on my side.Malcolm placed me on the ground. The sun hid behind a couple of clouds and I was still helpless as my body healed at a snail’s pace. If I had been like other wolves I would’ve healed by now. Intiyago’s head would be between my jaws. My body boiled with anger and rage and a surge of power I had no business having. This must’ve been what Khai experienced when he suddenly became the alpha.No, but that couldn’t be. I wasn’t the alpha. Firstly a foreigner, no matter how long they have assimilated to a pack, could never become an alpha but a woman... That was impossible for natives.The whole pack had been summoned, perhaps by my transformat

With that, I launched into the forest, following my nose. Their smell hurt and that had to end. It had to end. I was going to end them. After all they put me through I would kill them slowly.The strength I felt pulsing through my veins and the size I was at then, I could taste their blood on my tongue. I wanted to tear them to shreds, starting with every pack member and ending with dessert. Intiyago. I wanted to first tear him from limb to limb and crush his skull.Tears tore from my face in the wind, my heart still mourned and I howled painful howls as I followed my nose. Yaga and Traga must’ve given me this power to do this exact thing. This would be for everything. For my pack, for the lives they took from Traga and lastly for Khai.Navigating through the trees was hard this time, I wasn’t as small as I used to be so I could not fit into places I used to. I was bigger, stronger… an alpha? Not only was I bigger, but I was also heavier and therefore slower.A few hits from miscalcul

Knock. Knock.“Go away!” I shouted.“The elders are requesting you.” Malcom’s whisper pierced through the door.He sounded tender, kind and genuine. I think he was trying to comfort me but I wanted to be left alone. Forever.The elders? What did they want from me? Probably to hate me in my face or say in ten different ways how I killed Khai. And if that Whitney woman was there, they are here to tell me crap.They are probably going to kick me out.“Roman?” His voice became softer.I quickly rubbed my face against the duvet, wore Khai’s black gown and opened the door. Malcom’s strong and tall body leaned on the frame of the door, his upper arm resting above me. The middle of his forehead grew deep as his different eyes narrowed.“What were you doing?”I walked past him and went to the living room. I was not in the mood for Malcolm, for anyone. I’d face this quickly and swiftly.I found them gathered in the living room. The curtains were drawn and they all looked at me when I entered. I

The man was right it had been two days. Two days was not enough for me to act like it was something that was supposed to happen. I had whiplash. It was just yesterday. He kissed me, held me, and read to me. Had he known all along? When he called the whole pack here to protect me, did he know he would die that night? I couldn’t wrap my head around it.“Is that how you guys do it?”Hannah sighed and looked up at me from the table.“Do what?” she asked tiresomely.“Death? You just move on?”She shrugged. Falcon rubbed her shoulders. Her eyes were swollen, and everyone’s eyes were swollen with grief but I couldn’t buy it. I couldn’t believe they were feeling the pain I was feeling. Where was the screaming, the crying, the drama? This wasn’t just anyone. This was Khai.“What do expect us to do?” she asked.This felt like a dream. Oh, how I needed it to be a dream.I expected the world to stop and not in a superficial way, I meant literally. The earth to stop turning, the sunrise, the birds