I pack the last of my clothes into my suitcase while Beta Jason is on the phone with Alpha Peter.
“Yeah. Room 12. Mhm. Yes, Alpha. We’ll wait here until they arrive. Thanks,” he says and ends the call. “Alpha is sending a group of warriors to escort us back to the compound. They’ll be here in about 30 minutes,” he tells me.
I nod as I head into the bathroom to grab my toiletries and makeup, packing them into a small bag. Then I turn to leave and crash straight into Beta Jason.
“Shit, sorry,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was coming to see if you needed any help.”
“Oh, I’m nearly done,” I smile awkwardly. “Thanks though, Beta.”
“You can call me Jason,” he says as he moves to the side, my breasts rubbing against his chest as I move past him into the room. I feel his eyes on me as I get the last of my things from around the room and pack them in my suitcase. I turn and look at him, my heart rate picking up as we stare at each other.
‘Today has been a whirlwind of emotions. Hell, the last three weeks have been. Maybe we could let off some steam,’ I think to myself.
‘He’s not our mate, Athena,’ Enyo growls softly.
‘Who cares? Who waits for their mates anymore? Guys definitely don’t,’ I say, my eyes travelling down Jason’s body and back up again.
He leans against the bathroom door frame and crosses his arms, a playful grin on his face.
‘This is a bad idea, Athena,’ Enyo tells me.
I glide over to Jason, a smile creeping across my lips as I stop just in front of him, my nose almost brushing against his. I lock my gaze with his, daring him to make a move. His breathing is shallow on my face, and I can hear his heartbeat matching mine. I’m about to turn away when he grabs me and lifts me, his lips slamming into mine. As he moves over to the bed, I wrap my legs around his hips and sit on his lap when he sits down. He strokes my back and wraps his hand around the back of my neck. I press my hands against his chest and deepen the kiss, our tongues running over each other, tasting and exploring each other’s mouths. I reach down and pull my shirt over my head, and my nipples harden in the cool room. He runs his hand up my side and then across my right breast, his thumb resting on my tight bud. I squirm in his lap and gasp into his mouth, rubbing my moist mound over his hardening length.
I jump when the phone in the room rings.
“Ignore it,” I say as I pull Jason’s shirt over his head. Finally, the phone stops ringing, and I push him back onto the bed, kissing him deeply again. My breasts rub on his hard pecs as I start to grind on him. He moans as he grabs my hips, his fingers digging into me hard as he turns us over and he settles in between my legs and kisses my neck, but stops and hovers over me, looking into my eyes.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” He asks softly.
I nod. “It’s my birthday, and this can be your gift to me,” I smirk, and lift my head to kiss him.
He smiles against my lips, “Happy Birthday,” he says, then takes my hands in his and raises them above my head, holding them in place. He kisses and nips down my jaw to my neck, and I shiver as he drags his canines down my neck.
We both groan when there’s a knock on the door. “For fuck’s sake,” I say harshly, annoyed by another interruption.
“There’s no way they got here this quickly,” Jason says, sounding just as annoyed.
“Miss Argos? It’s Tim from the front desk. Are you there?” The old man says.
I groan and reach for the shirt I was wearing, and Jason rolls over, frustrated. I get up from the bed as there’s more knocking. “Coming!” I yell as I walk to the door.
I look through the peephole and see the old man from reception standing there, so I open the door and greet him, “Hi Tim, what’s up?” I ask as I brush my fingers through my hair.
“Hi, Miss Argos. I just wanted to let you know that there has been a man calling here looking for you,” he says brightly, unaware of his interruption.
“Did the man leave a message when he called?” I asked, wondering who it could be. Only Mom and Uncle Alex knew I was staying here, and they wouldn’t have told anyone.
“No, Miss. They just said they needed to confirm you were staying here but refused to give a name, saying that they were trying to send you something but needed to confirm the address and when you’d be available to receive it.”
Jason gets up from the bed and walks over to the door. “Tim, did anything end up arriving for Miss Argos?”
“No, sir. When he called again this morning, I told him she’s been unavailable,” he says. “There’s something else, though, Miss. About 20 minutes before you arrived today, a man came in looking for you as well.”
“Do you think it was the same man that was calling?”
Tim puts his hand on his chin, his brow furrowed. “No, Miss, the man on the phone sounded older. The man that came in looking for you was younger. Around your age, Miss. Tall, around 6’5, muscular, dark brown hair, amber eyes.”
I look at Jason. “Does that sound like anyone you know?” I ask. He shakes his head no.
“The man today left a number, but no name,” Tim says, as he pulls a piece of paper out of his shirt pocket and gives it to me.
I look at the paper. It’s a local area code, but I don’t recognise the number. So, I go over to the desk and get my phone to call the number, but Jason stops me.
“Maybe we should get someone to investigate the number before you call it. Whoever this is obviously doesn’t have your number if they’re trying to track you down in person,” he says.
I nod and put the number into the pocket of my suitcase.
“Thank you, Tim. I need to come and check out, anyway. I’m leaving earlier than I thought,” I tell him.
“Of course, Miss. Come with me, and we’ll get it sorted for you,” Tim says and turns and walks towards the reception building.
Jason puts his shirt on, grabs my suitcase, and follows us out of the room.
“You can wait here if you want,” I say.
“No way. There’s too much weird stuff going on right now. You need someone to watch your back,” he says firmly.
“I can look after myself, Jason,” I say as we follow behind Tim.
“Of course you can. But some backup never hurts,” he says with a smile and puts his arm around my shoulders.
I roll my eyes but smile.
#
I finish signing the checkout paperwork with Tim, and then Jason and I go back outside to the SUV. Jason puts my suitcase in the back, and I get in the passenger side as my cell rings. I get it out of the pocket and smile when I see that it’s Ryna.
“Hey Ry!” I answer cheerfully.
“Hey beautiful! I know I spoke to you this morning, but I wanted to call and check in properly,” he explains. “Have you learnt anything from Moonstone?”
“Kind of. I’m not sure what it all means or if I believe it. Actually, is your better half around?” I ask him.
“Gino’s at work. Why’s that?”
“I was wondering if you could see if he knows anything about Plato and his theory on incarnation, and if there’s anything in our history books relating to pure or chosen lycans. If anyone is going to know, I’m hoping it’s your mate,” I tell him.
“Plato, incarnation, pure or chosen lycans. Got it. I’ll ask him when he gets home,” Ryna says.
“Thanks, Ry, I appreciate it. Also, I need you to tell Gamma that I need any information on that investigator, Derek, that he might not have given me. The mother fucker tried to kill me today,” I say.
“I’m sorry, what?” I hear panic rise in Ryna’s voice.
“I’m fine, Ry. I just need to know if there’s anything that I’ve missed on the snake,” I snarl.
“Athena… Maybe it’s time to come home. I don’t like this at all,” Ryna says with concern.
“I promise you I’m fine. And besides, I have backup,” I say with a smile as Jason opens the door and gets in the driver’s side.
“You promise me that if things get any worse, you will ring me. I can be there in a few hours if you need me.”
“I promise, Ry. I need to go. But I miss you!” I say sadly.
“I miss you too, my girl. Take care of yourself, please,” he says affectionately.
“Promise. Bye, Ryna,” I say and hang up when he says goodbye, and I put my phone back in my pocket.
“Are you ok? You seem sad,” Jason asks, placing his hand on my knee.
“I’m fine, just a bit homesick after talking to my best friend,” I explain with a small smile as I squeeze his hand.
“Listen… About what almost happened,” he says awkwardly.
I smile and turn towards him, taking his hand in mine. “Let’s just put it down to the adrenaline of the day,” I say. “I think we both would have regretted going further.”
He lets out a breath of relief. “Thanks, Athena. You’re beautiful, but I’ve saved myself for my mate…” he trails off.
“She’s a lucky girl,” I say, placing my hand on his cheek. “You’re one of the good ones.”
I remove my hand from his cheek, and he blushes from the compliment. We turn our heads when we hear cars pulling into the parking lot, and Jason turns towards the steering wheel, clearing his throat.
“Looks like the cavalry has arrived. Let’s get back to the compound,” he says, starting the SUV.
We arrive back at the compound with no issues and find Alpha Peter waiting for us out the front of the pack house.“Let’s go into my office,” he says as we get out of the SUV, so we follow him inside.Alpha Peter closes the door behind us when we enter his office and then walks around his desk and sits in his chair, and Jason and I sit across from him.“So, what exactly happened today, Jason?” Alpha Peter asks.“I told you most of it over the phone, Alpha. I noticed the car pull onto the highway shortly after we did, but I thought nothing of it at first. It wasn’t until they sped up and started tailgating us I felt something was off. Then, when they ran us off the road, Athena chased after the one that shot at us,” he says, looking at me.“Yes, it looked like it was the private investigator, Derek, that I told you about,” I tell Alpha Peter. “It would seem that he wants me dead. Which would explain why he disappeared after sending me to meet with a hunter. I’m guessing he thought that
I’m woken the next morning by someone knocking on the door. “Athena? Are you awake?”I groan when I realize it’s Jason. I turn over, look at the time on my phone, and groan again. It’s 4:30am. “It’s too early,” I yell out and roll back over, hiding my head under the blankets. “I’m coming in,” he says, and I hear the door open. I sit up in a huff and rub my eyes. “Jason, I’ve barely slept. What’s so important that it couldn’t wait until later?” I ask. “I wanted to make sure we were okay,” he says, blushing, and giving me an awkward smile as he sits at the end of the bed.“Why wouldn’t we be?” I ask as I pull my hair back into a ponytail.“Well, because we almost… And then I found Jess, my mate…,” he trails off. “We spoke about this last night, remember?” I say, a little frustrated.“I know, But I hadn’t met Jess yet… I just…” he sighs and rubs the back of his neck. “I just wanted to make sure that me finding my mate didn’t upset you.”“Not at all,” I say with a smile. “We’re still fr
Alpha Peter stands in front of his Gamma. “Stand down, Richard!” He yells, his alpha aura radiating from his body. “Athena is not a threat!”Gamma Richard bows his head, submitting to the Alpha, but he growls in my direction. “Listen to your Alpha, Gamma. You don’t want this fight,” Enyo says cooly.“Enyo, you’re not helping,” Jason says. Enyo shrugs and looks back to the Gamma with a smirk.“Shift back now!” Alpha Peter orders him.Gamma Richard shifts back and kneels in front of Alpha Peter. “I’m sorry, Alpha,” he says and bows his head. “You need to tell me exactly what Doctor Shields has been telling you, Richard,” Alpha Peter tells him. “He approached me about six weeks ago and said that things were happening that could impact our pack and that it would be up to me to protect us. He said that outsiders would come to the pack that would endanger all of us, and they couldn’t be trusted,” he says.“That was around the time I left my pack, Alpha,” Enyo tells him. “Has this been t
‘We need to find an Alpha and a pack, Andreas. I can’t continue to be a rogue. We’re pack animals. This is killing me,’ Ares says dejectedly, as we run through the trees at the back of the Moonstone pack territory. ‘I know, buddy. But it’s not safe. We can’t return home, and joining a pack puts them in danger. So instead, we need to concentrate on finding out who attacked our pack and why. And we need to find the other lycans that are like us.’‘I know,’ he sighs. ‘Do you think Athena is still here?’‘Noah said that she left the motel with the pack Beta, so I assume they came back here. Hopefully, the old man at reception gave her our number.’ ‘Do you think she’ll call?’‘If I was her, I probably wouldn’t with what’s been happening.’Ares stops suddenly, his hackles raised. ‘Someone is coming. If their warriors see us coming this way, they will attack,’ Ares warns. ‘We need to get off their territory. Over there, up the hill a bit,’ I instruct Ares. He turns in that direction, runni
Enyo goes back to where she can still smell the scent and says, ‘I’m telling you, Athena! It’s our mate!’‘It doesn’t matter! I’ve told you before, Enyo! We don’t have time for a mate!’‘You don’t get to decide that! Just because you’re having issues with the Moon Goddess doesn’t mean I am!’ she growls, still sniffing around, trying to find the scent again. Donny whimpers and shifts, and Nick walks over to us. “What’s happening? Why did you take off like that?” He asks with worry in his voice. I force the shift and look around the area to see if anyone else is around, but it’s definitely just the two of us. “Enyo thinks we caught the scent of our mate,” I explain. “All the way out here? I think we’re close to the edge of the packs’ territory,” he says, looking around. Enyo whimpers. ‘I’m sure it was our mate, Athena. You can’t deny us our mate. You know what that does to a wolf,’ she says sadly.“She’s sure,” I say, a pang of guilt washing over me. “This concerns me, Athena. Why w
I take the remote from Jason and change the screen back to Doctor Shields. I stare at him, trying to get a read on him. His arms are crossed as he leans back in the chair with a slight smirk on his lips.“He doesn’t even seem concerned that he’s been caught,” I say.“I need to call the Elder council. They need to know about the banishments,” Alpha Peter says.I turn to look at him, and all I see is defeat in his eyes. “Please, Alpha. Let me question him. He might slip up talking to me. I can play on his fear of the chosen,” I plead with him.He glares at me, the defeat in his eyes replaced with anger. “No. You have no place in that room. This is my pack, remember that.” He says with a growl.“I know this is your pack, Alpha. I meant no disrespect,” I say cooly, holding his gaze.Nick clears his throat. “Alpha, we need to tell you something,” he says.“What now?” Alpha Peter asks, turning his angry gaze to Nick.“Athena and I went for a run before the meeting, and Athena picked up on an
“Wake up, bitch,” a voice whispers in my ear. My eyes flutter open, and I feel something sharp at my neck. “What the fu…,” I start to say, but a hand covers my mouth. “Say another word, and you’re dead. Got it?” the voice warns.I nod as my eyes adjust to the dark, and I realize Catherine’s face is only inches away from mine. “My dad is being banished because of you,” she spits, the anger in her voice like venom.‘Shift, Athena,’ Enyo growls.‘Not yet,’ I tell her. “I’m going to kill you for what you’ve done to my family,” she whispers as she trails a knife down my throat. I try not to make a sound as wolfsbane burns my skin anywhere the blade touches. “But first, I’m going to make you suffer.”A sick smile forms on her face as she cuts my arm, and I gasp in pain as wolfsbane enters my system, the burning sensation is excruciating. She cuts me again, but this time on my stomach, and I try not to scream as tears fill my eyes.“Look at you writhe in pain. The big, tough chosen one c
Andreas P.O.V “Goddess, he’s a heavy bastard,” I say, straining to get the doctor into the back of the small car. “I’ll give you a hand,” my best friend, Noah, says as he opens the passenger door on the driver’s side to pull the doctor in from the other side. After a few moments, we finally get the doctor in the back of Noah’s car, and I double-check the ropes around his wrists and ankles to ensure he’s secure. Closing the doors, I get into the passenger’s side, and Noah gets behind the wheel. “So, Blood-Moon territory?” Noah asks as he starts his car. He goes to turn his headlights on, but I put my hand on his arm to stop him. “No lights yet,” I say. “Yeah, head toward Blood-Moon. They’ll let us know later where they want us to take him.” Noah pulls onto the road from where I met him on the outskirts of the Moonstone territory, and I stay alert, adrenaline keeping me going as I keep an eye out for anyone who may have followed me. After half an hour, I’m happy that no one is fo
The early morning sun peaks over the surrounding mountains, spreading its warmth over our territory, but I don’t feel it. My breath is ragged as I run hard through the forest. Low-lying branches smack my face as I go past them, but I feel nothing. My only focus is to get to the lake. The lake will calm me before this rage swallows me whole.I finally see it in the distance, the lake that Enyo and I used to soak in after practice. Back when everything was right in the world. Before Daddy was murdered. Before I knew anything about the chosen.I don’t slow as I get closer. Instead, I brace for impact as I dive towards the ice covering the body of water. Enyo’s large, heavy body breaks through, and the iced water takes my breath away as I slowly sink to the bottom. I let the freezing water cool my heated body; the rage releasing from my body and my mind slowly clearing.I can hear shouts from above the water, but I ignore them. As the rage fuelled fogginess leaves my mind, I’m hit with a
“Alpha! Alpha, can you hear me?”I groggily open my eyes and see Leah hovering over me.“Alpha, thank the Goddess,” Leah says with a heavy sigh. “Don’t move, Doc Apollo is on his way.”I grab the back of my head, and I feel that my hair is wet. I look at my hand, and it’s covered in blood.“What happened?” I ask, lifting my head slightly and looking around.“You fell down the cliff side after the rogue charged you,” she explains.I look to my left and up the cliff side. “I’ve been saying for years there needs to be a railing put up there,” I say with a groan and try to sit up.“Please don’t move, Alpha. You fell a long way.”“I see that. But I’ll be okay,” I tell her, sitting up. Then I remember the reason I was in the forest. “Where’s Catherine?” I ask, panicked.“Gamma Michael and Gamma Cole have her in custody,” she explains.“And the other rogue?”She says nothing but looks behind me. I turn and see a young boy, his neck clearly broken from the fall. “Shit,” I grumble. “How did you
“Everything looks wonderful, Melanie,” I compliment her as I look over all the decorated tables outside of the pack hall.“Thank you, Alpha,” she says happily. “I hope you like everything inside, as well.”“I know I will,” I tell her with a big smile.She smiles back and bows before heading off to attend to her duties. Andreas comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, nestling his nose into the crook of my neck. “I can’t believe we pulled this off.”“The pack has worked hard. I’m so proud of everyone.”I see Rich and Noah in the distance, with the Cresent Warriors, and Michael and Beta Castor behind them. I take Andreas’s hand and walk over to them, wanting to keep the conversation away from others. “Still nothing?” I ask, disappointed.“I lost their scent on the other side of the mountain,” Beta Castor says with a frown.“Leah stayed at the Cabin in case she’s stupid enough to go back there,” Tony says.I nod. “We’ll pick up the search again in the morning,” I tell them.
“How is the feast coming along?” I ask Melanie, the pack’s head cook.“Everything is coming along nicely, Alpha. I’ve ensured there’s plenty of food for both packs, with extras.” She says with a proud smile.“You’ve done amazingly, Melanie. If there’s anything you need help with, please speak with Gino,” I tell her.“The Omegas are all taking care of everything, Alpha. They’ve been very helpful, as always.”“I’m proud of all of you,” I tell the rest of the Omegas and they all smile and bow their heads.“Alpha, I need a word with you,” Leah says from the kitchen door.“Of course,” I tell Leah. “Please excuse me, Melanie,” I smile at her.She bows her head and returns to her work, and I follow Leah into the dining room, where I find Rich and Noah waiting.“What can I do for our Epsilons today?” I ask with a smile.“We have a report from our border patrol, Alpha,” Rich says.“There’s been a sighting of a couple of rogues hanging around our borders,” Noah explains.I stiffen. “From the pa
Three hours laterWe watch as fight after fight ends, and the defeated warriors fill the sidelines of the training field, joining the rest of the pack in cheering and enjoying the spectacle.We watch Michael closely as he defeats opponent after opponent.“He hasn’t lost any of his strength,” Cassia says, and I think I see something flash in her eyes, but whatever she was feeling quickly disappears when she notices me staring at her.“Or his viciousness,” Ryna adds.“Nothing wrong with some viscousness in your Gamma, Beta,” Harry says.“As long as it’s towards our enemies...” Gino mumbles.I focus back on Michael as he defeats another warrior, trying to ignore the guilt I feel from Gino’s comment.“Maybe you should have just named him Gamma, Alpha,” Tony says. “He has the advantage of being a born Beta. I don’t think anyone will beat him.”“It is looking that way. But maybe that will earn him back some of the respect he lost.”“Doubtful. But we’ll see,” Ryna says.“Cole could give him
As I walk towards Ryna’s house with Andreas, I can’t help the pounding of my heart as I think of my best friend never forgiving me.I feel Andreas squeeze my hand tightly, and I give him a small smile as we climb the steps of Ryna’s small cottage. I take a breath as we approach the door and knock.Gino answers the door a few moments later, and I’m engulfed with the anger he feels as it radiates from his body.“He needs time, Alpha.” He says shortly.“I understand, Gino. But there are pack matters that need to be attended to,” Andreas says when I don’t say anything.“I will make sure that all pack matters are dealt with,” Gino responds, his glaring eyes never leaving mine.I swallow the lump in my throat and finally find the words I want to say. “I’m not here about pack business,” I say, my voice coming out as a squeak. “I came to apologize for everything that happened yesterday.”“It’s going to take more than apologies, Alpha,” Gino says angrily.“I know, but I can only start there.”
The Next DayAthena P.O.VI try to roll over, but I’m being held in place by Andreas. I kiss his arm and say, “Time to wake up, my love.”He groans and hugs me tighter. “No, thanks.”I laugh and try to roll over again. “If you squeeze me any harder, Andreas, I’m going to pee.”“Fiiiiiine.” He releases me with another groan before rolling onto his back and rubbing his eyes. “We can’t stay in bed,” I say as I get up and go into the bathroom. “We have way too much to do in the next few days. We still haven’t questioned the others we captured with Leon the other night. We have to get the pack house sorted out…”“I knooooow,” he says with another groan, cutting me off before I repeat the seemingly never-ending list of things we need to do.I giggle as I finish up and wash my hands before turning the shower on. I hear Andreas come up behind me, so I turn around and wrap my arms around his neck with a kiss.He smiles into my lips before kissing down my neck to my mark. He leaves a chaste kis
Somewhere nearby…I’m flung across the room as my connection to the Alpha is broken.“Master! Are you okay?” Alyria asks, running over and taking my arm.I look down at her bony hand on my arm, then at her. I glare at her and slap her hard across the face.“HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME!” I bellow at her.“I’m sorry, Master.” She whimpers, holding her cheek.“GET ME THE WITCH! NOW!” I yell at her, and she gets up from the ground and scurries from the room.“What happened, Master?” Wren asks from the corner of the room.“Her wolf broke the connection,” I explain angrily, standing and brushing off my clothes.“How? I thought the witch said she’d be locked away in the Alpha’s mind?”“I don’t know!” I yell at him, and he shrinks back in fear.“You called for me, Sir?” the witch, Elizabeth asks as she enters my office.I stalk toward her angrily. “You told me the wolf would be locked away in the Alpha’s mind. So would you care to explain to me how the wolf was able to break my connection to the Al
“MURDERER!” someone screams, and everyone falls silent, turning to where the scream came from. “Karla,” I whisper, my body suddenly shaking. She looks weak and sickly, her eyes red from crying. “WHY DID YOU KILL HIM?” she screams again, and I see Cassia running towards her. “Karla, why don’t we go back inside?” Cassia says softly, taking her arm. “DON’T TOUCH ME!” Karla shouts, pulling her arm out of Cassia’s grasp. “I WANT TO KNOW WHY SHE KILLED MY MATE!” The pack members begin whispering and pulling their kids behind them. “Karla, please, why don’t we go inside so we can discuss this,” Andreas says, taking a step towards her. He takes my hand to walk with him, but my feet won’t move. I’m frozen in place. No words are forming in my mind as I stare at the woman whose mate I killed with my bare hands. “Athena?” He says, looking back at me. “I… I…” I stutter out, but nothing else comes. “ANSWER ME, YOU FILTH!” Karla spits out, and Enyo growls. There are gasps and more whispers