NERO’S POV
Athena returned in an outfit different from the one she walked out of the room wearing. The anger I held onto as I waited for her to return with my mother depilated when she walked in. She looked sexy wearing shorts and all my curiosity about how she looked under her nightgown earlier was nearly satisfied.
There was my mate, looking sexy as hell. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t seen her in shorts. The idea that she was my mate even though I don’t want her to be walking around like that made me feel things I didn’t want to feel.
Every time I try to forget about Zara and focus on my present life, I see Zavier’s broken face pictured in my mind. It always makes me wonder what Zara would think of me when in a fraction of a second I try to forget about her when her body was barely cold in the ground.
I don’t want Athena, I could never want her like that and I wished that my body didn’t act on its own so that staying away from her could be easier.
She had a smile on her face and her cheeks were red. I wanted to ask her what has got her smiling like that. I knew it couldn’t be me. I could never make her smile even if I tried. Which I don’t want to. I need to see her suffer the same way she was making me suffer.
“Do me a favor, whatever has got you smiling, I need you wipe it off your face. It makes you look like a clown and I hate clowns, I despise them.” I sneered at her my voice calm.
She didn’t look one bit like a clown, I just wanted her to stop smiling. Her beautiful face.
Fuck! What is wrong with me?
I watched as the smile fell and her face went back to being straight as it did when she came into the room this morning.
“You don’t deserve to smile when others are hurting and grieving because of you.” I said again bitterness filling my heart.
Athena stiffened as if she had been reminded that she was the reason Zara died, exactly what I wanted.
I saw tears drop from her eyes and I felt my heart clench painfully.
Why was I feeling this way?
I didn’t know if it was because she was crying or because my thoughts drifted to Zara.
She should have been in my arms right now, Zara that is.
Athena pulled me out of my daze when she sniffled. She turned around and walked to her wardrobe and pulled out a few sets of clothes then she walked out of the room.
Zavier had called for me. He and I were supposed to meet at our usual spot or his house but I was too pissed to go see him. I would only end up feeling worse about not giving Athena more hell than I should.
He always had a way of showing me the painful side of the truth and most of the time I appreciated it, just not today.
I left my room wanting to get some fresh air when I took notice of some children playing around the garden. They were children of the workers and although they were not allowed into the garden in case they ruined it, the surrounding part of it was just as beautiful.
What I did not expect to see was Athena walking down the lake side. She sat there and from the way her shoulders shook, I knew she was crying. That aching feeling returned and I frowned not understanding it.
Why did I care if she was hurt?
I found myself watching her back. Taking note of how the wind blew her luscious hair around which compared to Zara’s was a lot fuller, just the way I like it.
Fucking stop it Nero! I snapped
Why was I even comparing her to my love?
I however didn’t leave my position for a while but I got up and headed down to where she was. The closer I got to her, the more I questioned why I was heading there.
Her whole face was covered in tears when she sensed me close to her and I wondered how guilty she felt to cry this much.
But she had to pay right?
“Get up!” I snapped not intending to. “Get the fuck up.”
Athena rushed to stand on her feet. She looked torn and a part of me loved that she was hurting even just a little bit. The other side of me however wanted to hold her and make the tears stop.
“You’re married to me, which means you will not do anything of any sort to ruin my reputation in the eyes of the pack. You think sitting out here will get you pity? It only makes you look pathetic and I will not have people thinking the Royal family isn’t treating you right. I will give you hell, but by goddess if anyone outside of this walls finds out, I’ll throw you down the fighting podium myself and you’ll die the same way Zara did. Do you understand?”
I intended for people not to find out that she and I were not on speaking terms but from the roar of my voice, I knew the few around could tell. Most had a look of shock, some anger and others pity but I don’t give two shits about what they think.
“I fucking asked you a question stupid! Do you fucking understand?” I asked again walking close to her leaving only a few inches between us.
I knew she went to freshen up earlier, the smell of fresh mint and coconut hit my nostril that I could shut my eyes and savor the sweet scent. She smelled heavenly but I could never tell her that. I kept my face hard as I looked into those fear filled eyes of hers.
She was shaking in fear, something she seemed to do around me a lot. “Ye-yes I-I understand.” She stammered taking a few steps away from me.
It took everything in me not to pull her into my arms.
“I don’t want to see you outside the Palace room ever again. Got it?”
Athena nodded and ran off into the Palace.
I wanted to keep her hidden from everyone. Unless she had a place to be with my mother, I didn’t want her to get the luxury of meeting the pack as my mate. It was a cruel thing to do, evil even but what can I say? I aim to make her more miserable than she has made me.
ATHENA’S POV I ran as fast as I could into the palace building. I could feel Nero’s feet striding towards me from behind and I picked up my pace. I didn’t want to stop until I got to my room where I hoped I could lock myself in my room. A few meters away was Nero’s bedroom and I had just taken a step past it when an arm grabbed me and pulled me into the room. I stared back at Nero with tears in my eyes. Everyday his hatred for me seemed to grow deeper and there was no way for me to stop it. I knew he was going to hurt me and each time I was close to him, I always had my guard up but it did stop it from hurting when he said something harsh. “I get that you hate me and you’re right, I’ll stay away from you from now on.” I croaked hoping that whatever pain he wanted to inflict would end soon. Nero looked at me with the same anger and hatred he always had but this time it was definitely mixed with something else. I wanted to stare at him for longer but not because I wanted to get lost
ZAVIER’S POVI checked my watch for the umpteenth time as I paced in the living room. Nero was supposed to here hours ago but as usual he bailed.Somehow I knew it just had something to do with that wench. Anything she touches seems to be taken away from me. first it was Zara and now Nero, my best friend. I wanted nothing more than for Athena to pay for killing my sister so when Nero suggested getting rid of her before the wedding, I jumped on the idea with him volunteering to do the job myself because I wanted to be alone with her to give her a taste of her own medicine. I planned to torture her for some time before finally killing her but the damn Queen wouldn’t just leave her sight. That damn woman!It was as though she knew what we had planned because the way she had things stationed was too much of a coincidence for it to have happened the way it did. Now that my friend was stuck with Athena, we were left with no other option than to find another means to rid him of her.“Wher
ATHENA’S POV I wanted the ground to dig up by itself from the sheer feel of shame that radiated from my body. I could feel it and I bet both Nero and Zavier felt it too. His body felt like a wall that had no emotion.I knew he hated me but to see him stare me down like the way he was doing brought out a new kind of fear in me. I cowered before him and hated the images of his sister charging towards me and forcing me to react.They did look alike but not so much as a random person would point them out as twins. And the way that his forehead creased was enough to tell me that bad luck has become my second name.Zavier scowled at me and immediately I realized it was best to apologise and move out of his way.“I’m sorry, I should have looked at where I was headed.”His eyes turned dark and lips curled into a sneer. Zavier growled and lunged towards me. Nero didn’t have enough time to react before Zavier went after Athena and before he could react, Athena went flying across the hallway.
ATHENA’S POV I was on the ground bleeding again. I saw Nero standing over me yelling inherent words that I couldn’t grasp. I wanted to explain myself to him but I couldn’t. My entire body felt numb and I didn’t have control of my body any more. My head throbbed in pain and tears blinded my vision until they started to spill.My eyes fluttered and I began to see a light shining just behind Nero calling out to me. In the light were my parents and they had a sad smile on their faces. I smiled back at them. I was ready to go with them, to finally let go of all the pain I was feeling and I saw myself leave my body to go with them.My father shook his head, his face still young from the way I remembered it. “No baby girl, it’s not your time yet.” He said before the light went off and so did they. I tried to call out to them but I could only hear myself whimper. I saw Nero move from his position and was replaced by someone else whom from the look of it was his mother. She was looking at me
ATHENA’S POVDeath came for me in the forms of my parents but then it told me to hold on a bit that it was not my time just yet. It was however good to see my parents again. My heart ached knowing I could not be with them once again.I got another doze of Nero’s hate for me. But did I hate him? Honestly, no. Do I want to hate him? With everything in me.Our relationship was at the point where I wanted to go the other direction but I am forced to walk in the same one as him.When I opened my eyes, I realized that I was not in my bed. I knew I wasn’t good to be. My head felt tight. I lifted a hand to touch the spot that bled earlier on to feel a cloth in its placeI forced myself up, and I sat up. With my head heavy, I dragged myself from the bed only to be hit by a big wave of dizziness. I sat back down to let the wave pass and got back on my feet when it did.Using the walls like I did when I was bleeding, I walked out of Nero’s chamber in search of a maid to have his sheets washed be
NERO’S POVWith Athena sleeping in my bed, I was forced to sleep somewhere else. I stormed to the nearby guestroom but it felt off to sleep in. For some reason it was too cold and I didn’t want it.I found myself standing in front of Athena’s room. For all the years she had been in the Palace, I had never once cared to go into her room for anything. And back then when I needed to call her for something, I made sure to stay behind the door. That was how much I evaded any space that had her in it.Now standing in front of it gave me feeling like I was invading her privacy and I didn’t know why it mattered that I cared but I did. It wasn’t like she was going to find me here, not when she’s out cold in my bed.I opened the door and the first thing I came in contact with was her scent. I found myself shutting my eyes and taking in a deep breath. My lungs filled with the sweet smell of roses and vanilla. The room felt warm against my skin, like I had come home only this was Athena’s room.I
ZAVIER’S POVA part of me became restless as I paced around in my room. It felt really good to see Athena on the floor bleeding but it wasn’t enough, nothing ever is, not until she’s dead.It’s been barely a day and I’ve waited for Nero to come with me with news about her condition. I wanted to know just how bad it was we needed to take things in order to get rid of her for good.I grew tired of waiting and decided to pay him a visit myself. The thing about Nero was that he didn’t know when to stop being nice or tolerating.Just as I was about to walk through the corridors of the Palace to his chamber, the guards at the main entrance stopped me.At the first instance I was confused but a second later I started to get angry. I had been within the walls for as long as I can remember, even more than most of the warriors, and omegas. Years before a lot of them showed up and yet they were stopping me?My mind quickly searched for reasons and only one came to mind – Athena. It had to be bec
NERO’S POVI couldn’t believe that Zavier would even for a second think that if I had known my father was going through with my mother’s orders I wouldn’t have tried to stop them. He was my best friend and although what he did looked like a crime in the eyes of the law, I saw differently. Athena was the one who bumped into him.I also could not believe that I let myself care about her and let alone enjoy the warmth of her room. Her scent was not something I ever expected myself to relax with and yet it was a sleep that I considered one of the best.After Zavier left, my thoughts were the only company I had. I wandered about until I found myself in the corridors leading to my chamber.In and out of it were maids hauling up items that looked like Athena’s belongings. Confusion set in and I questioned myself if my mother had perhaps ordered her to move out or something. I marched into the room to find that most of her things were already gone.The omegas bowed but continued with their wo