ATHENAI sat quietly as realization sank in.I had just told Lycan Alpha Zephyr the majority of what had happened in my life. I had just opened up to a total stranger.This was bad, it was terrible.I immediately wiped my tears from my eyes before I looked up at Lycan Alpha Zephyr. What I saw had my blood running cold.In front of me sat Alpha Zephyr's beast.When did he shift? How come I didn't hear him? More importantly, what was he going to do to me now that I had revealed how pathetic I was and how useless I was going to be to him?No wolf, no womb, no strength. Straight up pathetic.The beast got to its feet, and fear had me rooted in my seat.He stalked towards me, and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. The fear I felt increased terribly. I haven't feared for my life like this in a very long time.I needed to get out. I need to get out right now.As though his beast had heard my silent cry, he turned around and stalked away.My breath of relief was momentary because I was s
THANEI stared at my glass of gin in deep anger and sorrow. Twenty years of marriage and forty years of being a part of this royal family, and I still wasn't being taken seriously by the Lycan Alpha.This wasn't about me, but about the pack and his reputation.Who rewards his assassin with marriage and a position as his Luna?I don't care if she was the only living soul that could touch him and not die, but this was too much. Our pack had a reputation to uphold.I smashed the glass into the wall in anger.Zelda would have talked some sense into him. I knew I could never replace her mate. She loved him with a fierceness that I admired. I had also lost my mate too early in our marriage. So we found peace with each other, companionship, and a quiet love that bore Veylana.I couldn't let everything that she fought for go to waste because Zephyr found someone who could survive his touch.To make matters worse, he has refused to allow the league of mages that we had as our allies to work on
THANEIt was close to dawn when I learned that Zephyr got to her first.Dang it!My plans had been fouled because I found out a little too late. Well, I just have to plan better. My Zelda's sacrifice would never be for nothing. Her son was going to keep his throne, and no social-climbing wannabe assassin was going to ruin that for me, for us.I would like to reunite with Zelda with my head held high. At least I kept the throne in her bloodline.“Get me Jason, tell him everything, and he should only come to me when he has plans to fix this!" I instructed my informant.As soon as he left, I began to run things over in my mind. This girl was as silly as they came.If I were her, I would have kept my head down, done some research, and found the right time before hiking the way she did.She didn't even know her way around the pack, and I was certain that if Zephyr didn't find her or my men, the woods would have claimed her.That's it, Thane, you are bloody brilliant.It is quite simple. Th
ATHENAOf course, my prayers weren't answered.Alpha Zephyr stared at me for almost five minutes straight before the door opened and Veylana came in. She smiled at me before she walked into the bathroom and came out a few minutes later.“Can I begin her treatment, brother?" Veylana said to him. I noticed she was addressing him as her brother. Maybe this would help to keep the beast grounded.I wanted to hide under her skirts when his eyes cut to mine. Without a word, he walked away. I sighed deeply in relief before I burst out crying.Veylana came to sit next to me before she pulled me into a hug.“It's going to be alright. I know you were scared, our woods are full of things that make up for nightmares,” Veylana continued to comfort me until I cried myself to sleep.The next time I woke up, it was Veylana's furious whispers to someone."You must be insane to go after her in your beast form. Didn't you think that she would have been petrified to see you?” Veylana said to the person th
ATHENA"I, Alpha Enzo Morningstar of Phoenix pack, reject you, Athena Blackwood, as my mate and Luna," he declared, his voice echoing through the hall.My heart seized in disbelief. I gazed up at him from the floor, my chest tight with a mixture of shock and pain.His eyes were filled with coldness that clashed with the emotion rewritten all over my face."Enzo…" I managed to utter, my voice trembling as my palms grew clammy."What..."But before I could finish the statement, a familiar figure walked out with deadly emerald eyes and a sly smile stuck up on her face.It was Ginny– my half-sister."Ginny?" I whispered, struggling to comprehend what was happening. The pieces of the puzzle eluded me, leaving me bewildered and hurt.At that moment, I watched as the man I loved pressed his lips to my half-sister’s, my heart losing its function and then shattering into a thousand pieces. The pain was unbearable as he tore my heart from my chest and trampled on it without a second thought.Wh
ATHENAThe whole world came to a stop at that moment when his palm made contact with my face. My face stung, and my ears were ringing. I cradled my face as I stared up at him, surprised. He has never raised his hands on me.I saw his mouth moving, but I could not hear what he was saying. The ringing sensation clouded my hearing and somehow, everything was blurry.Slowly my hearing came back and I finally heard him. "You should know your place. The fact that we had one or two things together doesn’t mean you should disrespect your Alpha," he uttered, readjusting his royal robe.I made him who he is and this is how he pays me back. By tossing me away like a nobody.I needed to leave here, away from him, away from my family who always betray me at any chance they get. I needed to run away. The thought of staying after everything I had been put through made my eyes sting with more tears. But my heart still longed for the man who had crushed it under his heel. I could not leave Enzo. I st
ATHENAI stood there dumbfounded. Something in Ginny's eyes told me it was all a lie. She must have heard my conversation with my mother. The mocking smirk she was flashing back at me told me all I needed to know. She was lying."My sister has something to say as well," Ginny said as she withdrew from Enzo’s embrace.“Go ahead sister. What is the big announcement,” Ginny drawled.My throat went dry, and I swallowed to clear it. All eyes were on me now and I suddenly lacked the bravery to make the announcement. I looked at my mother, who gave me an encouraging nod.I cleared my throat, not daring to look anyone in the eye. "I…am also pregnant." I blurted out.Enzo immediately spitted out his wine and stared at me for a while. There was a little silence before he finally busted into laughter and everyone joined in the laughter.For the first time in my life, I prayed that the earth would open up to swallow me. Enzo wasn’t laughing because of the announcement; he was laughing at me."How
ATHENAThe guards did as they were commanded. They all wore an expressionless face. I tried to free myself from their grip but they held me tightly and pulled me away. We continued to walk forward and saw the looks on people’s faces as I was dragged down the hallway. I was matched to Enzo’s chamber and was forced on my knees by one of the guards."What is going on?" I managed to ask but a strong hand forcefully met my cheek. It was coming from Enzo. I cladded my cheek with both of my palm and looked around the room. I saw Ginny sobbing while my father comforted her.What is she up to?My father was staring back with such disdain. My mother was as pale as paper, and Ginny's face was puffy and pink.When her eyes met mine, she gave me a wicked smile and continued sobbing.“What have you done? How could you?” my father’s voice came. Before I could reply, another slap met my cheek, this time harder than the first one that I fell to the ground. Enzo grabbed me by my hair to get me on my kn
ATHENAOf course, my prayers weren't answered.Alpha Zephyr stared at me for almost five minutes straight before the door opened and Veylana came in. She smiled at me before she walked into the bathroom and came out a few minutes later.“Can I begin her treatment, brother?" Veylana said to him. I noticed she was addressing him as her brother. Maybe this would help to keep the beast grounded.I wanted to hide under her skirts when his eyes cut to mine. Without a word, he walked away. I sighed deeply in relief before I burst out crying.Veylana came to sit next to me before she pulled me into a hug.“It's going to be alright. I know you were scared, our woods are full of things that make up for nightmares,” Veylana continued to comfort me until I cried myself to sleep.The next time I woke up, it was Veylana's furious whispers to someone."You must be insane to go after her in your beast form. Didn't you think that she would have been petrified to see you?” Veylana said to the person th
THANEIt was close to dawn when I learned that Zephyr got to her first.Dang it!My plans had been fouled because I found out a little too late. Well, I just have to plan better. My Zelda's sacrifice would never be for nothing. Her son was going to keep his throne, and no social-climbing wannabe assassin was going to ruin that for me, for us.I would like to reunite with Zelda with my head held high. At least I kept the throne in her bloodline.“Get me Jason, tell him everything, and he should only come to me when he has plans to fix this!" I instructed my informant.As soon as he left, I began to run things over in my mind. This girl was as silly as they came.If I were her, I would have kept my head down, done some research, and found the right time before hiking the way she did.She didn't even know her way around the pack, and I was certain that if Zephyr didn't find her or my men, the woods would have claimed her.That's it, Thane, you are bloody brilliant.It is quite simple. Th
THANEI stared at my glass of gin in deep anger and sorrow. Twenty years of marriage and forty years of being a part of this royal family, and I still wasn't being taken seriously by the Lycan Alpha.This wasn't about me, but about the pack and his reputation.Who rewards his assassin with marriage and a position as his Luna?I don't care if she was the only living soul that could touch him and not die, but this was too much. Our pack had a reputation to uphold.I smashed the glass into the wall in anger.Zelda would have talked some sense into him. I knew I could never replace her mate. She loved him with a fierceness that I admired. I had also lost my mate too early in our marriage. So we found peace with each other, companionship, and a quiet love that bore Veylana.I couldn't let everything that she fought for go to waste because Zephyr found someone who could survive his touch.To make matters worse, he has refused to allow the league of mages that we had as our allies to work on
ATHENAI sat quietly as realization sank in.I had just told Lycan Alpha Zephyr the majority of what had happened in my life. I had just opened up to a total stranger.This was bad, it was terrible.I immediately wiped my tears from my eyes before I looked up at Lycan Alpha Zephyr. What I saw had my blood running cold.In front of me sat Alpha Zephyr's beast.When did he shift? How come I didn't hear him? More importantly, what was he going to do to me now that I had revealed how pathetic I was and how useless I was going to be to him?No wolf, no womb, no strength. Straight up pathetic.The beast got to its feet, and fear had me rooted in my seat.He stalked towards me, and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. The fear I felt increased terribly. I haven't feared for my life like this in a very long time.I needed to get out. I need to get out right now.As though his beast had heard my silent cry, he turned around and stalked away.My breath of relief was momentary because I was s
ATHENAMy heart sank as he said he wanted to talk to me.Was this it? He wanted to tell me privately that he was no longer interested in our arrangement.I nodded my head and folded my hands in front of me as I had always done while I was standing in front of Alpha Enzo.“Please sit down," he said to me, and I turned to see that all the chairs here were so inviting. Which one would I sit on without offending him?I finally settled into the nearest chair. It was comfy and seemed like the least one to offend him. My heart sank again when he pulled out a stool and sat down.Was that what I was meant to do?By the moon goddess! He's built. His slap could dislocate my jaw in one swing.Fear filled me as he watched me silently with his arms folded across his chest.“You need to relax, Athena. No one here is going to hurt you here,” his voice came. Though he sounded as cold as always, I was soothed by his words.I took a deep breath and nodded my head as I exhaled. Then silence ensued."I wa
ATHENANow that my body didn't hurt as much, I decided to take Veylana's advice to take a walk from time to time.The evening breeze was calming, and I felt the pack members would probably be rounding up and preparing to go home. But I was sadly mistaken. They seemed to just be beginning their days as I stepped out of the house that I had been occupying.This was the first time I was outside the building, so I was surprised to see that it was a hospital building.The rooms were too furnished to be hospital rooms. I mean, which hospital room comes with a fully stocked kitchen?I shook it off and decided to start my walk.I didn't plan to go too far, as I didn't know the area of the pack that I was in. The streets were bustling with pack members who either ignored me or openly stared at me. Some were pointing fingers at me and talking.I swallowed the lump in my throat as I promised myself to ignore them.A noise from my right caught my attention and I turned to see a little girl who wa
ASTRAI bowed in greeting, but I kept a straight face. Lawrence was one of the men I truly admired in this pack.He sees people, not just soldiers.“What happened to your face?" He asked me with a straight face.“Your Luna happened," I said to him, and I saw the corner of his lips tilt in amusement.“Making such allegations could land you in real trouble, young lady," he told me, and I rolled my eyes.“You can ask her, she's over there. I would love to see her deny it. Maybe you can ask her father as well. He is, after all, her muscle," I said to, and he sighed."Meet me at the training fields after dinner,” Lawrence said to me, and walked away when he saw that a crowd was interested in our conversation.I took my meal and found a table where I wanted to sit alone and eat in peace, wasting food was also not an option. Athena would slap me from the obsidian pack if I did that.Someone sat in the seat across mine, and I sighed deeply. These kids don't just learn, do they? It was my faul
ASTRAI clutched my face as I took the fifth blow in a row from the man I was supposed to call father. Ginny sat in a corner looking bored, and my father, Azul, seemed hell-bent on entertaining his golden child.More like his bastard.“If I hear that you went to that filthy prison again, I'll -" he began to yell at me, but I cut him off."What will you do? Lock me up like you locked up my mother? Or will you help your golden child and send me to my death like you did with Athena? Or maybe get creative this time around with my bones?!” I yelled at him, and he gave me another blow. This time dislocated my jaw. I held the throbbing jaw and glared at him as tears filled my eyes."Yes! I will do so much worse to you, you worthless piece of shit! Did your mother fill your head with some bullshit about your birth? I never wanted another cursed child from her! I told her to get rid of you the first chance that she got, because I had everything I ever wanted in a daughter in Ginny. But no, she
VEYLANA“Listen, darling, there isn't any living soul that is going to successfully snatch you out of my hand. Have you heard of the term mates?" I asked my mate, who stared at me in confusion.“You can't be my mate, my mistress is my mate. She even marked me," my mate said to me, and turned his neck to show me clear skin.I cocked my head to the side. How badly did she fuck with his head for him to imagine a mate bond on his head.“I don't see a mate bond on any part of your body, love," I said to him, and he sighed deeply before attempting to shift. He screamed out in pain and fell to his knees.I rushed forward, completely ignoring Athena, who looked frightened by his scream of pain.I watched in horror as he writhed in pain, and then a mark was etched on his neck. It was a disgusting design that I recognized all too well.She branded him and somehow convinced him that it was a mating mark. She essentially hexed him.With trembling hands, I gently reached for him as his breathing w