CelineThey say whilst on the one hand where truth can be the saviour for some people, lies can work as venom if said in the perfectly right way, at the wrong time. Vulnerability— Only thing a person can't realize about themselves but at the same time, give away the most, especially to their enemies.When I saw the unsetting gaze of Athena searching for Sebastian everywhere, I knew right away what move that'd get me the best out of this opportunity. Of course, my deep-rooted hatred for Sebastian and the want for revenge can never make me let go of my guards even for a second, I knew where he was cause his own trusted fellow had sold his loyalty long ago. From watching my family get destroyed in the hands of that demon Elijah's hands to standing up on my own feet to seek my revenge, I have seen it all, the best and the worst but the burning flame of vengeance had never lessened, how would it? That bloody Sebastian was still alive, perfectly fine!But not for long, I'd seen his restless
SebastianThe room was a mess, a heap of wrecked useless belongings. I broke everything I found within my reach, trying to find peace in destruction however, I felt empty. Without her, I had nothing but nothingness screaming inside of me. Each second felt agonizing and every breath felt like a burden; I was falling apart, and the shadows around me were detonating, forcing me to face the reality that went much deeper than the ferocious depth of this curse. The claws of my wolf scarped against my skin, the fangs fought to tear through, and my skin steamed as I restricted his fur from making their way through, every vein of my body was seething in the same fire I could see burning in the darkened orbs of him within mine as he stared at me through the mirror. He wanted to rip me apart and get out of my skin, tear away from me on his own and the reason was not unknown.Athena...The woman who snatched every one of my restraints and broke them into millions of pieces that I couldn't put to
AthenaFive days.It had been five days since he'd gone on his supposed business trip which was more likely a false excuse he attempted to put in front of everyone, or may I say himself, only so that he could hide from the fact that he was running away from me and the bitter truth that scared him the most. This entire situation was the toughest I had ever dealt with, the distance he intentionally set between us hurt.I was drowning in the tormenting bottomless denial that Sebastian told Celine that my sight disgusted him....But what if Celine wasn't lying? Her confidence said something else, not even the nearest bit of hesitance was there on her face when she stated those things as if they were facts.No, Sebastian couldn't have said that. The man who denied to give Celine any right over me since the first day he'd bought me when he was fully suppressed under the effects of his curse, could never tell her something like that.I was dying to talk to him but at the same time, I did not
Athena A trail of sweat covered my forehead, my heart beat like a drum ready to jump out of my chest at any time, my hands were shaking so was my breathing that could give away the storm within me the bare minimum.What if the test comes positive? I did not have the nearest idea of what I was going to do then. How could I be so reckless about taking the pills? Since my wolf did not exactly reside in my body and the feel of her presence like a shadow was all that I'd ever felt, I thought I'd not be able to bear the child of an alpha, but unfortunately, I never bothered to get the facts right.....I decided to believe my assumption that had no association with the supposed reality and what was worse is that, now I wasn't even sure if my wolf was as incapable as I'd thought she was. Perhaps, her presence could be more than just an obscure shadow and it could have been good news for me if I hadn't been struck with this unspoken validity in this kind of circumstance where my whole life wa
AthenaAfter long struggles and finding a way out of the mansion to attend the appointment, the reports I got from the doctor confirmed the unnerving truth that I was actually pregnant and if anything this final confirmation did, was making the terrible hopelessness sink even deeper, trap me in a never-ending haze of despair. This news of my pregnancy has attacked me like a disastrous storm, broke me on a level that even Sebastian hadn't managed to reach; To say, I was devastated, it wouldn't even express a tinge bit of my anguish.I was one month pregnant. For a whole month, my baby has been with me, but I didn't know. And now that I finally knew, I was drowning in guilt and remorse. I couldn't picture myself taking my child's life. I'd rather die than commit such a vicious crime."How can I let you go?" Tears freely ran down my cheeks as I put my hand over my stomach. It was only a month but I could already feel my baby's presence, "I can't..."All I could see around me was dark eve
SebastianIt turned out that I ran out of reasons to stay out of town too soon. It was the sixth day, but my control over my beast has already slipped away as if it has been years since I last saw the sight of Athena. Even without being here, she was affecting me which left me wondering in my despair how I was going to succeed in staying away from her when I have intended to push her away at any cost. I couldn't even express what I was going through nor could I, somehow, find a way out of this disastrous dilemma. I was disappointed in myself for letting myself sway away with the wave of the tsunami Athena brought into my life. I burned for her, my soul craved her presence, and my eyes were desperate to see the sight of her and have her in my arms just like...that night.It felt like....I was dying without her. When did she become my need? When did she captivate me so much under the spell of her love that I couldn't realise it even though her love was the only thing I'd ever consider
AthenaI looked at the sky, finding the endless blue of it mesmerizing and feeling drawn to it like a bird wishing to explore the depth of the beautiful white clouds floating freely over it as if it was their own safe territory they set high above, forbidding everyone who planned to invade it. My emotions were not a mess but whatever their state, it turned out to be one of the biggest mysteries for me to solve. I was unable to decipher my feelings but to say the truth, I was reluctant in trying to put them in place anyways.For the first time in all these months, I felt one less burden hanging on my back that would have eventually dragged me more down to the pitfall I have been trying to escape. But this wasn't the relief I was looking for, and at this point, I did not even know if I was going to regret my decision over the course of time that might fly away like a stroke of cold wind.I was determined but this did not give me freedom from the guilt that was growing at some corner to
AthenaI waited hours for his arrival, deep down hoping that he comes sooner and I could end this faster. The more time passed, the more I began questioning myself whereas the truth was that I did not want any change in my perspectives and belief that took so long to build. I'd be a lie if I said that I wasn't scared at all, there was still fear living vividly within me, even though it might be far less compared to my dread of other times.I did not have any idea what Sebastian's reaction going to be after knowing about my pregnancy or if I was going to be able to gather the courage to tell him the truth at all, but one thing I knew for sure was— I wasn't going to let him cage me again. He no longer held the same power over me; The times he had had that authority was gone because now I had a reason to live.But didn't Sebastian have the right to be close to his child? Was I wrong for thinking about taking our baby away from him? I was...or maybe I wasn't— It was the least of my worri
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.