Sebastian"Sir, you have received an invitation from 'Children And Youth association," My assistant Emma, handed me an envelope, "They sincerely expect your presence at the event they are hosting on the fifth of this month.""Where is the event going to be held again?""The small town–Rye, near the coast of East Sussex."I opened the envelope, reading thoroughly. "Oh, so this is the NGO we donated to last month," Recognition drew upon me, as I read the letter, "They are new, right?" "Yes, sir. They started new, and on the fifth of this month, it'd be one year. So they invited you to the celebration— Primarily, There are going to be the children from the orphanages they have helped grow and burn victims from the—Burn Survivor Association.""That's great, I shall attend the event," I said, pushing the envelope aside, "Tell Aaron that he'd be joining me.""Sir, Mr Aaron is out of town for a meeting with our client. He might not be able to return before this event since there are only
AthenaThe best thing about this small town Rye was its sky— Well, at least for me it was through the beautiful lakesides that did keep good competition with the mesmerising beauty of the endless sky. "What's there in the sky that fascinates you so much?" Shelly asked."I don't know. Maybe because it's free— Out of anyone's reach, beyond any boundaries." I let out a sigh, my eyes never tore away from the view of the sky that engulfed a strange attire today— In the depth of its blue there were dark clouds that fought to break from beneath and show up on the surface. Nonetheless, the beauty of it hadn't been hampered, nor did the dark clouds reach the nearest possibility of overshadowing its magnificence."And you aren't?""None of us is, we are stuck in some way." "How so?" Confusion drew upon her face and she leaned her back against the counter I was standing opposite, there was curiosity jarring in her eyes that asked me to speak.I had the answer to Shelly's question but I didn't
SebastianThe quiet roads and strange attire of nature mesmerised me but at the same time, they pronounced my grief louder— I could find both my pain and peace in silence. The bitter taste of the cigar was my momentary comfort, the burn in my lungs somehow helped me forget— Not her but the mistakes I made. If there was anything that was always awake in my mind, it was her— Alive and vivid, she breathed there. Her scent still lingered in my imagination and I loved every touch of it.Indeed I did not want her to fade away from my memories. I did not care if it gave me trauma and left me breaking each time with the wounds deepened like the day I had first gotten them, at least I was getting a chance to be close to her even if it was just mere memories that will succeed in giving me the warmth her touch once gave.I was the one who pushed her away. Now I was searching for her face in every unknown crowd, I wondered if she'd be there waiting, and when I'd offer my hand she'd take it and I
SebastianTo be very specific, the best part of this event was the children; Their innocent smiles could melt anyone's heart and it pained to know that there are actually people out there who do not want these wonderful souls to be a part of their family; That's how most of these angels ended up here in the orphanages. I wished all of these kids could have their own families where they'd be appreciated and loved.Because no one deserved hate. None. Just None.Amidst all these orphans, there were some kids who had fallen victim to domestic violence. And who could relate more to that other than me? If I could, I would have killed all those fathers who ruined their child's life with the venom they had within their own. I would have torn them into pieces with bare hands and fed their flesh to the wild— That's what they deserve.It didn't matter if I had the curse or not-- I could still kill without dealing with the shaking of my hands and there'd be not even a drop of lessening in my vigo
AthenaI couldn't find any reasons why I felt like the missing part of my soul was around, knocking on the doors of my heart, and demanding an entrance by making me acknowledge something, a feeling I'd thought was stupid until now.Since I stepped into this venue, my wolf's deadly silence should have been enough to confirm the unnerving fact that...he was around. But I didn't think her silence actually meant this....never in my wildest dreams, nor in those terrific nightmares I had, I could have ever thought or even gotten near the kind of an assumption where it could lead me to the conclusion of him being here.I was living my own fucking life, miles away from his cage, making this small town my comfort zone only so that I could feel alive once again, find a new meaning that he tarnished in all the ways he could when he had the chance and here he was, standing right in front of me like the same storm that destroyed my life.It hadn't even been a year....and I was standing here, faci
Six Months Back: The day when Athena LeftAthena's P.O.V:It didn't look like an evening— It looked like a never-ending night whereas each turn of these spacious roads existing in silence would only take me to the worst— Where the darkness would never end but there'd also be flames of the same fire that I had a walk through without a flinch, a tear or a quivering whimper.I did not know where they were taking me but I could feel Sebastian's beta's eyes fixed on me through the view of the rearview mirror. God knew what went on in his mind.Perhaps he could simply be pondering over the fact— What has made his Alpha throw his new toy so soon? Or he could be thinking nothing at all, praising the decision of Sebastian Valdez to remove his mate from his life forever after getting proper use of his so-called two million dollars that took him to buy my fate, my life, my nightmares and my shattered dreams as a recompense to him for wasting that amount— A wolf-less female, who had no identity
Six Months Ago Continual Of The Flashback: SebastianBeing free— Yes, being free was all that I wanted and today I have sent away the only person who had the power to cage me. That was not the only thing I did— I made sure to break her in every possible way I could, in a way she would never be whole all by herself again. What did I even leave? I put her through every worst nightmare this world could have; And for what? Only because she wanted to heal me. She wanted to get me back to a life I thought did not have any meaning left in it.Hell, I could just keep going and put all the injustices I did to her on the table and unfortunately, the list wouldn't end.And as I looked at myself in the mirror I could see none but a monster— Just like Athena said. Her tear-stained face, and eyes that held the pain altogether to not give away what had gone in her mind full of chaos and thoughts, were haunting me and each time they'd stab deep into my heart that ached for her.I felt terrible.
SebastianThe two positive lines on the test left my entire world shaking.For a whole long minute, I just stared at the test. I didn't know how to react. There was a strange silence spreading peril throughout my veins. In my mind, there was a rigid darkness that led me to nowhere.The answer that this test could lead me unnerved me.All the speculations done inside my head only pointed in the same direction I saw in front of my eyes the moment I'd taken a look at this test. This room was mine, beside me the only person who was allowed to stay here was her— So this could only mean that this pregnancy test was hers."Athena's pregnant?" The question left my mouth on its own, knowing that there was none to help me find the answer except for myself.No.How could she be pregnant? She didn't have a wolf so it was not possible for her to carry my child."If she's not pregnant then what does this test fucking means?!" I began hyperventilating, all I could see was black and this time it was
Sebastian"Sebastian, you have to talk to Vincent. Enough is enough; I can't handle him anymore," Athena walked into the room, her hair cascading down her waist, her skin flushed with frustration, "Moreover, we don't even have enough room for toys and dresses now. There are still hundreds of things that Asher hasn't even tried yet, but he just dropped off more than ten bags full of outfits, just now! Asher's growing so fast; he won't even get to try all of it. It's all going to be a waste. God, I can't take it!"She threw her hands over her head. In her flowy white maxi dress, with no bra on, she did indeed look tempting. It might make me seem like a complete jerk, but I wasn't paying the least amount of attention to her words compared to what I was paying to her body now.Oh, how I would love to tear that dress off of her and have her on the bed, clutching onto the sheets with her silky hair sprawled all over the pillow while with each thrust, I'd drive deeper into her—it'd be a deli
Athena"Luna, there's someone who wants to meet both of you," the maid informed us."Who is it, sweetie?" I asked as I gently placed Asher in his crib. This was his second nap of the day, and in his soft snores, there was a hint of Sebastian. He had definitely taken after his father in terms of looks and a few habits."He says his name is Tristan Perez.""What, Tristan?" I asked, my brows rising in surprise, and Sebastian's reaction mirrored mine as he immediately closed his laptop."Bring him in," he said, “Right now."The maid promptly left the room.It had been four months since that fateful day when Sebastian, after apologizing to Tristan, me (even though I was unconscious at the time), and our newborn baby, disappeared. He had promised to return the following day, but Tristan had vanished without a trace. No phone calls, no visits, no messages, and no news. Cora had been devastated, but she eventually found the strength to move on, accepting the possibility that he might never re
AthenaFour Months Later"Sebastian, Vincent, I need to feed Asher. You two need to give him to me, right now!" I yelled for the second time, standing at the doorway with my arms crossed over my chest."Do you want to go to Mama?" Sebastian asked, planting soft kisses on Asher's cheeks, eliciting a chorus of giggles, "We don't think so. He's happier with Daddy and Uncle Vince.""Yeah, our little fighter is happier with us than with you, Athena. You seem to bore him all the time," Vincent chuckled, gently taking Asher in his arms and playfully nibbling on his ear, "What a big boy you are, huh?!" He planted a loving kiss atop Asher's head."Yeah, Mama's boring," Sebastian joked, pretending to lie down across Asher's lap. Asher, ever the daddy's boy, leaned in and gave Sebastian a kiss of his own, complete with a cute but slobbery open-mouthed smooch. That was his way of kissing."See, even Asher agrees with us," Vincent said with a proud grin.Goodness! When I had Asher, who could have
AthenaEverything around me felt too light, and my body felt burdened by an inexplicable weight. I was acutely aware of my own breath, the gentle touch of someone's fingers caressing my cheeks, and the faint, delicate movements of a small figure nestled in my arms.Do the departed continue to breathe? Perhaps in their consciousness, or maybe in a manner imperceptible to the living. Do the dead really breathe?Am I among the dead now? If I am, then why do I still sense that touch, one that seemed to coax my soul to the surface with every stroke? Why do I feel the presence of someone incredibly dear to me, as though a part of my essence had drawn near?Thoughts raced through my mind, clamouring for attention, until one realisation surfaced — my baby.My eyes slowly fluttered open, adjusting to the soft, ambient light. The surroundings were unmistakably familiar — our very own home, and our shared place—Our room.So....we made it?"Love," Sebastian's voice whispered beside me, and I turn
TristanI had made a mistake. A great one. One that I couldn’t undo no matter how much I wished.Cora handed me the diary as we all stood outside the hospital. The morning winds were bitterly cold or maybe, it was just the cold within me."This is Celine's diary," she said, her demeanour different today, unlike the times when she used to follow me around in an attempt to make me acknowledge the mate bond I had been denying until now. Of course, I knew the reason—she had seen the kind of person I had become.And who would ever want to be with a man like me? Worthless.I hadn't done this right. I made Athena pay a price she wasn't supposed to pay—all that pain and suffering just to see her child's face once. She had endured too much for my revenge, a revenge I shouldn't have sought in the first place. But what else could I do? I wanted to hurt Sebastian, and she was the only one who truly mattered to him in this entire world.Celine died to save Athena. Had I made her sacrifice go in va
Athena"What kind of sick joke is this?" Sebastian growled. "She can't even breathe, and you're asking her to push? Is this another one of your schemes to put her through even more suffering? Listen, Tristan, why don't you just leave? You've already succeeded, then just go.""Look, I'm not lying. I know I should be the last person you'd trust, but if you want to save her, this is the only way. It had always been this way.""Do you expect me to believe that? You're the one who brought my mate and child to this condition. And now, you suddenly change your mind and say you're willing to show a sick way to save her?""I don't know why I'm doing this, okay?" Tristan shouted. "I still don't know if I'm supposed to save your mate and child and give you a happily ever after when you've ruined hundreds of lives, including the one I loved. I'm not even sure if I won't regret my decision if I save her... but," his voice dropped low, "I don't know if I'll be able to forgive myself if she dies bec
Vincent"Where could it be?!" I scoured every corner of the room that my sister had once lived in. Each belonging I touched, felt like a piece of my soul leaving my body. She had degraded herself into being someone's... object, all to avenge a duty that was never meant to be hers in the first place.I had failed as a brother. First, I couldn't save my wife and child, and then my sister— I had failed as a brother, a husband, and a father. Perhaps, at some point, even as a son, the day I emptied all the bullets in my gun into my mother's body.What else could I have done? She wasn't the mother I once knew, or maybe she never was. She’d become just a wife, a woman consumed by revenge for her husband's death, stooping to any level she could."Fuck, I need to find it!""Do you really think she wrote about it in her diary?" Cora's voice was laced with frustration, mirroring my own. Despite her wound, she'd insisted on coming with me. Seeing her struggle and fight through the pain just to be
AthenaIn just a matter of minutes, perhaps five at most, another howl echoed from the same direction I had just fled. The urgency to rescue my child and escape intensified. The deeper I ventured, the jungle's darkness engulfed me, beyond the approaching dusk, as if the very terrain absorbed my every pawfall.Adjusting to my newfound lupine form proved challenging, despite the profound potential it held. Joy should have welled within me, had circumstances been different. Amid this life-and-death urgency for my child and me, my half-life of hell ended. The ash-hued fur now enveloping me marked my shift – bones realigning, former doubts erased. A single question remained, paramount: Can I save my baby?I did not know but I knew, I had to. No matter what, I had to.Irrespective, I surged forward with unrelenting speed, and the strength in my body grew. But the abdominal ache deepened, sapping my strides. My efforts persisted, each second ticking toward an impending reckoning. My deliver
SebastianThere was no trace of her anywhere. Every search and every query yielded negative results.Fuck this!A bead of sweat trickled down my forehead. My heart's rhythm grew louder, each passing second eroding my grasp on composure—I can't forgive myself if anything happens to her or our child. Past mistakes already burdened me, and failing them now would be unbearable."Any leads?"."No, Alpha. No sign of her," came the reply."Then search around! Why the fuck are you calling me without anything to report? Damn it!”"Apologies, Alpha. We'll expand the search."I disconnected and flung the phone away. This situation was maddening. Worry consumed me, and Aaron's tactics, unexpected. I had misjudged his feelings for Athena, forgetting the twisted core that might lead him to harm her for his ego's sake.Damn it! I should've seen this coming. Accompanied her instead of letting her go with Cora.How could I act fucking careless?!I sped up the car, the dark night heightening my fears.