ATHENA'S POVI listened to Sebastian as he explained everything to me. I had suspected sure enough that he had encountered something he could not outrightly do to me. I understood that Sienna would never give up and let us have peace just like that. Not while she understood what was at stake for her, but an army of Lycans. That part I did not quite understand. Why would she want to destroy the werewolves? Their bite was fatal to even the strongest Alpha there was out there.I took his hand in mine and patted it quietly. "I know you think I will worry desperately about the kids and everything and yes the truth is that I will solely because I have the right to. We came here to achieve some sort of idea of peace. A haven to protect us from the clutches of our enemies and now it seems as though we had not gone far enough" I said to him." We will figure out what is going on. What about the laboratory?" I asked with concern written all over my face."It was destroyed. Last night, Mateo and
SEBASTIAN'S POVI walked into the children's room and watched them rush in a haste, and hug me. "Why are you still awake by now, you little muppets?" I asked carrying Anna to her bed."What are you doing awake by this time yourself?" She laughed as I put her in bed."Well, I am an adult, and I can sleep anytime I want but you, on the other hand, are a sweet baby and you have to be asleep by now," I replied touching her tummy."Hendrix my man!" I pulled him into a papa bear hug and kissed his forehead. I placed him in bed gently and returned to sit beside Anna on her bed."Why didn't you come back last night? We waited up for you to come give us our good night kiss but you did not come. What happened?" Hendrix asked."Well, daddy had a couple of errands to run and this, he could not come back as early as he wanted to. But mummy gave you a kiss for both of us, didn't she?" I asked still playing with Anna's hair."Yes she did And she also promised us that you were going to come back and
ATHENA'S POVI entered the office to find it bustling with activities, Valerie had managed to keep the office running while I was busy taking care of things at home."Welcome ma'am," she said handing me a document."Is this the Vanderbilts file?" I asked her "Yes and you have an appointment with them today, by noon," she said to me."Noon is good enough for me, I hope they will be here early enough. I have a lot of other activities to carry out today." I said as she walked me through the different departments that had been scheduled to handle the jewelry while I was away."What else did I miss?" I asked as I opened the document to check through it."I already took care of everything. I will bring you the assessment files from all the departments and everything they have done so far." She said as I pushed my office door open and walked in.She put my bag down on the table and I took my phone out and checked my phone for messages."Did you include the Vanderbilts official contact?" I a
SEBASTIAN'S POVI walked past the boulder and turned through a couple of overhead grasses and as I passed those I came across a house, it was small compared to the usual houses you would see in a creek. It was a small quaint brick house and had a zinc over it. It had two windows at the side which were closed except. for the door which was open a bit revealing a beautiful yellow curtain that framed the doorpost.I climbed up the wooden steps and clicked on the doorbell hoping someone would answer. It took me about three rings before anyone showed up at the door. It was a lady, older than I was, perhaps about my mother's age."Mr. Stone" it is a pleasure to finally meet you," she said to me."How did you know...?" I asked."We don't get a lot of visitors out here in the creek, do come in please." She said ushering me into the wide space that was the hallway. To my left was a living room, there was a fireplace and two single sofas facing each other. there was no center table just pictur
ATHENA'S POVThe Vanderbilts arrived at exactly twelve thirty pm. I decided to have the meeting in the conference room so that we could have enough space to cover every detail of the job they needed me to carry out.A lady, short with wide green eyes walked into the conference room. She wore a silvery shiny pink suit and pointed-toed heels. I watched her gait as she approached me, she looked like a woman with intentions. She smiled at me with a bright pink-lipped smile."Hello Mrs Stone, I sincerely apologize for the delay. My flight was delayed by an hour and almost got canceled but we made it nonetheless. How are you doing today." She asked kindly.I smiled back at her and understood completely with her that things like that took place regularly." it is totally fine Miss Vanderbilt, I understand. Things like this happen all the time. Please take a seat. I won't take much of your time...""Nonsense, please take all the time you need. I have exactly an hour to spare, make do with it,
ATHENA'S POVAs I let the water cascade down my back, I felt a sense of peace I had never felt, comfortable and then I remembered the girl waiting outside and I turned off the water.I dried myself, put on some body cream, went about my usual skin care routine for my facials and body. I laced a little make up over my face just for the house and if I needed to step out urgently or something.After I was done, I put on my long navy blue evening dress with a slipper and went downstairs to join the kids. By the time I got there, the young girl was already packing up."Mommy! Mummy!" Anna and Hendrix screamed as they eavh ram to give me a hug. I smiled at them happy that for once things were going right, and if she did her job well, they would not even miss school at all."Hello Mrs Stone" the beautiful glass eyed girl said to me."Hi, nice to meet you.....?" I asked her name."Daphne.... Daphne Williams. The agency sent me over here upon your request for a home school teacher." She replie
SEBASTIAN'S POVI watched Mr. Jefferson as he waited for me to explain what I had seen to him.I stared at him for a moment waiting for something in me to revolt the whole idea of talking to him about my experience with Sienna. The more I stared at him, the easier it got for me to understand that he was somebody worth talking to, or why else would my mother suggest I went to him.I felt okay with the thought of it and so I decided it won't be a bad idea to talk to him about it."I have men who usually survey the movements of silver around the city. We werewolves have become careless over the years, relaxed after the war. Yet the moment i got into the silver surveying business, I realized alot of people weigh and market silver in large quantities, making weapons out of them posing a danger to us werewolves. I wanted to be able to control its movements around the city and ensure that our enemies were not privy enough to use it against us." He stared at me as I spoke. Something about his
Athena’s POVStaying on the gallery, I felt the soft wind brush across my face as I gazed out over the edge of the city. Shining lights from the towering skyscrapers seemed to dance before my eyes. It was a captivating display of city grandeur.Sebastian and I hadn't made accommodations in a very long time, so the reality of our renewed bond felt almost surreal. A couple of my strongest muscles wrapped around my middle, and I leaned back into Sebastian's embrace, enjoying the feel of his skin against mine. I felt a little uneasy when his lips touched my ear. With a deep, velvety voice, he said, "What is on your mind, my affection?" I pivoted within his embrace, my digits trailing the deeply grooved contours of his visage."Yes, exactly. I feel so lucky to have you back in my life," I said, my heart swelled with emotion. Sebastian measured my cheek tenderly, his emerald eyes sparkling with devotion."Athena, I'm the fortunate one. I never imagined that, after all the suffering I put you
Hendrix POVI stood gravely before the large ceremonial fire, the flickering flames creating dance shadows on the old stones around me. For my family history, this hallowed place carried decades of power and memories. Tonight, I could sense the weight of that legacy heavy with respect and feeling.Raising my arms, I started the hallowed rights passed down over innumerable years. "We come here on this holy equinox to pay tribute to Athena and Sebastian, the fabled founders of our family. Along with building this wonderful family, the mates whose unwavering love and unbreakable friendship shaped the entire path of our lives.As the gathered members of my pack listened with great concentration, my words rang across the quiet forest grove. We gathered together as one on this night, mothers and fathers with babies in arms, wizened elderly with lined faces, raucous younglings hardly able to contain their excitement."Their story is one of huge hardships faced with far more fortitude, of dar
Athena & Sebastian's POV Athena's povI sighed contentedly as I savored the brilliant glow of the fall sunset streaming over the large den windows. I curled in my beloved overstuffed chair while ribbons of blazing orange and crimsons bathed the old timber beams in warm, nostalgic colors.Though my face showed the wrinkles and lines from a very busy life, I felt an ageless tranquility cover me like a gentle, reassuring blanket. Once so brilliant and strong, my piercing blue eyes now reflected a calm ocean of earned knowledge and fulfillment.A faintly familiar smell of cedarwood and spice floated around as two strong, worn-out hands gently rested on my thin shoulders with learned sensitivity. Sebastian bent down to tenderly kiss my forehead, and I reached up to grab his palm. "You look so wonderfully calm, my eternal goddess," he said softly, his voice rasping but preserving that virile tone that still made my heart flutter after all these years. Looking up at him with a gentle smil
Hendrix POVAs I looked at the young people fresh-faced before me, the crackling fires covered the ancient lair in a warm, flickering brilliance. Though soft in years, I could already see the marks of great leaders in their controlled poses and focused eyes.These dogs stood for the birth of a new age to be developed on the hard-earned ideas and visions left to us by my heroic parents, therefore reflecting the future of our combined packs. It was now my great responsibility as Athena and Sebastian's son and Jax my younger brother to educate this new generation those revered values and ancestral knowledge."You all know the significance of why we've convened here this night," I began, letting my rich baritone carry the whole weight of the occasion. "The holy ceremonies to raise you from students to sovereigns over the continuation of our civilization's enlightened precepts."A handful of the younger ones seemed uncomfortable at the gravity of my words. I wore a forced smile on my worn
Anna POVAcross the sandstone walls of the den, soft candlelight danced shadows that appeared to bring the old etchings to life. Scenes of great wars, somber ceremonies, and the otherworldly visues of the ancient ones danced in the dazzling light. I inhaled steadying, letting the holy aura envelop me as I dropped myself onto the soft fur before the ceremonial fire pit. My fingertips gently stroked the strong wood lovingly white oak blessed by Luna Amara herself, drenched in berries. Its airy, cleansing tendrils brushed my flesh like a phantom mist.Since I had formally adopted Alpha's mantle, today was the first full moon. A fresh moon cycle was breaking through a fresh era. One whereby I would guide our unified alliance into an unparalleled period of peace and illumination. No little chore for a young person two decades old. But my spiritual background and the iron will have passed on from my ancestors inundated my very cells with blessed power and conviction. Little footsteps' gen
Athena POVTen Years A flickering in the lifetime of an eternal, but eons appeared to have changed all around me. From the roots of conflict and hardship Sebastian and I had lived, so much had blossomed.The den bathroom mirror flashed back a mature beauty, residual youthful brightness now enhanced by a royal, almost imperial posture. Laugh lines framed whole lips, showing a ten-year history of great happiness. My small, toned body nevertheless turned alpha heads. Sebastian most definitely never gets bored with destroying me every night as lovesick newlyweds do.As I turned the diamond encrusted wedding band around my finger, I felt a gentle satisfaction. Now the perfect unity symbol I had created for that terrible Sienna embodied the purest spousal loyalty. The great light of our love had sterilized her deadly daggers of betrayal and evil. A high pitched shriek pulled me from dream. I grinned, adjusting my summer tunic as tiny feet pounded closer. The door opened and a tiny tornado
Sienna Mother POVMy tending tools' regular clunk against the hard-packed mud floor offered a calm cadence. Every careful cut of root vegetables and herb mixing functioned as a little ritualistic offering to drive out the demons of past misdeeds.I still felt the weight of that darkness weighing down on me, an inky, stifling miasma of sadness, wrath, and misplaced vengeance almost corrupting me beyond redemption even now. The road I had begun down in the name of exacting revenge for my daughter Sienna was one tinged with terrible crimes and sins. But I had been spared completely giving my soul to those horrible depths by the kindness and intelligence of the Nightwalkers and allied packs. My life had been given an improbable continuity, a chance atonement I knew I could never merit.Sometimes even the basic tasks of attending to the spiritual and medical needs of our new haven felt like an unjustified privilege. The mother of a deranged, homicidal monstrosity, how could I be given r
Athena POVOur caravan reached the last mountain pass as the first rays of light were barely peeping over the horizon. A collective silence descended over the worn-out procession of wolves as the jagged forms gave way to the expansive views beyond.This was it the rich valley Hendrix had sought with every deliberate step of our exhausting journey. Virgin and pure like the earth before the embrace of civilization's development, a real paradise unspoiled by human efforts. As we first viewed the panoramic sight, Sebastian's calming presence at my side helped me. From this distance, the promise of refuge emanated from the very ground itself - a rich, earthy scent that piqued my increased lupine senses. Hendrix signaled for the packs to make camp just inside the pass, clearly understanding the need to gather before setting off into our fresh starts. Though tired to the bone, the assembled thrumming masses carried a tangible pulse of relief and expectation."Well!" The austere rumbling of
Sebastian POVOur large pack was leaving the gathering grounds as the first rays of dawn just peaked on the horizon. Though my body had long since given up the vitality of youth, in those first moments an almost electric stream of energy surged through me. This was it, the start of our magnificent journey into hitherto undiscovered territory.My eyes strayed over the line of wolves walking solemnly beside me. So many well-known people, generations of bloodlines and kinships entwined under those lupine pelts. It was a humble sight that sent off a reflexive protectiveness right down in my core.Whatever paths forward, whatever dangers we were destined to face, I would make sure our people came out on the other side intact. Too much had already been given up to let this desperate endeavor fall apart before it could start."You're quite reflective this morning." As Athena dropped into step next to me, her little voice caught my attention. " EVEN for you."I sensed the rueful half-smile of
Hendrix POVI waited in the hole for the packs to react to my suggestion in great silence. The choice of whether to leave our ancestral house felt like a millstone around every lupine throat. It was against every strand of our beings to uproot our whole lives and to turn our backs on the places that had protected us for ages. Still, the hard fact of cold could not be overlooked the human world was invading far too much of our land. If we stayed, exposure and the carnage that would surely follow seemed like an increasingly certain fate. The alphas started nodding their terrible assent one by one. First was Drystan, with his sharp but firm rugged features. The grizzled warrior understood the great need of this circumstance after seeing enough cycles of violence and death. "You make a good point, Hendrix," he rumbled, his rich baritone booming across the hollow. "Much as it hurts, we have to give our packs top priority. If moving is the only way we can guarantee our ongoing safety and