AthenaAs I was working in the bakery, Remi sauntered up to me with a sly grin on her face. "Well, well, well. There's a hot hunk waiting for you outside beside his expensive ride," she said with a playful wiggle of her eyebrows.I raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, what are you talking about?""Do not pretend as if you know nothing about it, there must be something going on. You are getting all these perfect males coming here looking for you, something sounds fishy," She said, "What are you up to?"I rolled my eyes. "I have no idea what you're talking about, and why would anybody come here to--" I trailed off as a thought crossed my mind, sending a rush of anxiety through me."So something is going on," Remi said, smirking and crossing her arms over her chest."Wait, who is it?" Overhearing the conversation, excited Georgia rushed towards our direction, "Is it the same guy from that day? The sexy one?""Well...this one is even sexier and sweet Jesus, his looks....and enchanting blue eyes," R
AthenaAs we settled outside, facing each other, he gave me the cup of coffee he had picked for me on his way over."Thank you, you really didn't have to--" I fidgeted uneasily in my seat, acutely aware of the weighty conversation that was about to take place. His piercing stare, the palpable tension that hung in the air, and most of all, the very first words he had uttered upon walking into the bakery.'We need to talk.' Those four words spoke volumes."It's fine. It's not a big deal anyway," he slouched in his chair, his leg tapping up and down with restlessness that mirrored my own. Inside, I was freaking out because the last thing I wanted was to lose a friend.The air still hung heavy with an awkward silence that seemed to stretch on for eternity. It was a strange and uncomfortable situation, to say the least. I didn't want things to be like this, but everything was so scattered and our lives were just too complicated."We need to talk, Athena," he finally spoke up, breaking the
Sebastian"Cancel the flight."I would have left.Yes, I'd have left if I hadn't noticed Aaron heading to the Cafe Athena worked in. If my eyes had failed to notice them two sitting across each other and mostly, if my hearing ability was like a human, making his reason to be spotted in this town nothing but a perfect coincidence.Fucking hell. He was trying to take what was mine which was now, cetled me to the conclusion that he'd lost the love for his life, or simply couldn't find any other way to die so he pulled this stunt.As I stormed back to the hotel room, my heart pounded in my chest, and my mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. I slammed the door shut, the sound reverberating through the empty room. I paced back and forth, my fists clenched, feeling the weight of betrayal bearing down on me.My mind raced with questions as the night advanced.I tried to make sense of the situation, replaying the events over and over in my mind, trying to find clues or signs that I had missed. Bu
SebastianTo say I was enraged would express the least of what I experienced. I fucking want to kill him at that moment when he let out those words but once again, I kept my calm."Cutting straight to the chase I see," I hummed, puffing out the smoke into the air, seeing visual in the white of them of how many ways I could snatch the life out of this man, "How come you are in love with her all of a sudden, I ask?""It's not sudden, Alpha," The fact that he was trying to act respectful was ironic, "I have liked her since the first day.""Ah, the first day, huh? You know, I don't hold grudges for feelings, but actions speak volumes. So, Aaron, what's the price tag for your attempt to persuade my partner to run away with you, despite her clear explanation of our situation? I care about actions, just as much as ever," I flashed him a smile, "Do you choose to be stripped of the position of my beta and returned to the very pack you once belonged to, now turned rogues with a vendetta against
AthenaTwo hours ago, I threw up for the second time this day. My head felt like it was spinning, and a strange tingling sensation ran through my limbs. Was it just stress? Or was there something else at play here?I tried to think back to what I had eaten or drunk, but couldn't come up with anything unusual. Maybe it was just a bug going around. But the lack of energy and other symptoms had been building for days, and I couldn't ignore them any longer.My head was dizzy in a weird way, It was hard to comprehend what was actually going on. Whether it was the extreme pressure of stress or something else, perhaps, concerning. The sudden lack of energy did not do any explanation either, it was true I was feeling a bit less energetic from the past few days but I had blamed that on Sebastian's arrival and my fucked up life.But today, I did not have any more reasons to stay in my home and avoid getting a checkup.So here I was. Laying across the examination bed, as the doctor examined me
SebastianAs I stood outside her door, I took a deep breath and knocked, trying to compose myself. My mind was racing, thinking of all the things I wanted to say to her and my heart was beating loud. My chest was heaved with tension and the urgency to talk to her, to see her face and grasp the one possible opportunity to pull her in my arms again as if time itself was running out and this was my only chance.The wait felt like an eternity until finally, she opened the door."Sebastian..." Other than the surprise on her face, I couldn't read anything else but her red eyes surely said that she had been crying.The sight of her left me speechless for a moment, but I gathered my courage and managed to stammer out a greeting, "Hey."I comfortably tucked my hands in the pockets of my overcoat, barely managing to stay still."You were supposed to leave today," She sniffled, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand to erase any possible traces of tears.God! I wanted to hug her, kiss her te
Athena Morning arrived much quicker than I had anticipated and Sebastian was still with me. He had spent the entire night by my side, keeping a respectful distance between us. While I slept soundly on the bed, he had made himself comfortable on the couch, never once crossing the invisible boundary between us. As I stretched and yawned, I couldn't help but wonder what the night could have been like if we had just let ourselves give in to the passion that was simmering beneath the surface, telling us to jump into the fire. But we both knew that we needed to take things slow, that we couldn't rush into anything without considering the consequences.Last night, We didn't touch, we didn't kiss, we didn't snuggle— It was a tough choice but it was a wise one too.Despite the distance between us, I could feel his eyes on me as I got out of bed, his gaze following my every move. It was as if we were both holding back, fighting the urge to give in to our desires. But for now, we both knew tha
Athena"Aaron." His name slipped from my lips as I watched him, standing a few feet away, leaning against the bonnet of his car with his hands tucked in his pockets, his impatient eyes scanning the surroundings until they landed on me, and then at the man standing beside me, my mate.His presence had ignited a spark of tension between us that threatened to escalate into a full-blown confrontation. The way he leaned against his car with an air of confident impatience made it clear that he wasn't about to back down.But amidst the chaos, I couldn't help but wonder if Aaron's return was a sign of unfinished business."This piece of—" As Sebastian's anger flared, I felt a surge of fear and desperation to defuse the situation. "Sebastian, don't," I intervened, grasping his hand before he could react."Athena...""Please, Aaron's a friend and has helped me a lot. It does not have to end on a bad note," I said, "Let me just talk to him, okay?"I could see Sebastian's reluctance, but I knew
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.