I pack the last of my clothes into my suitcase while Beta Jason is on the phone with Alpha Peter.
“Yeah. Room 12. Mhm. Yes, Alpha. We’ll wait here until they arrive. Thanks,” he says and ends the call. “Alpha is sending a group of warriors to escort us back to the compound. They’ll be here in about an hour,” he tells me.
I nod as I head into the bathroom to grab my toiletries and makeup, packing them into a small bag. Then I turn to leave and crash straight into Beta Jason.
“Shit, sorry,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was coming to see if you needed any help.”
“Oh, I’m nearly done,” I smile awkwardly. “Thanks though, Beta.”
“You can call me Jason,” he says as he moves to the side, my breasts rubbing against his chest as I move past him into the room. I feel his eyes on me as I get the last of my things from around the room and pack them in my suitcase. I turn and look at him, my heart rate picking up as we stare at each other.
‘Today has been a whirlwind of emotions. Hell, the last three weeks have been. Maybe we could let off some steam,’ I think to myself.
‘He’s not our mate, Athena,’ Enyo growls softly.
‘Who cares? Who waits for their mates anymore? Guys definitely don’t,’ I say, my eyes travelling down Jason’s body and back up again.
He leans against the bathroom door frame and crosses his arms, a playful grin on his face.
‘This is a bad idea, Athena,’ Enyo tells me.
I glide over to Jason, a smile creeping across my lips as I stop just in front of him, my nose brushing against his. I lock my gaze with his, daring him to make a move. His breathing is shallow on my face, and I can hear his heartbeat matching mine. I’m about to turn away when he grabs me and lifts me, his lips slamming into mine. As he moves over to the bed, I wrap my legs around his hips and sit on his lap when he sits down. He strokes my back and wraps his hand around the back of my neck. I press my hands against his chest and deepen the kiss, our tongues running over each other, tasting and exploring each other’s mouths. I reach down and pull my shirt over my head, and my nipples harden in the cool room. He runs his hand up my side and then across my right breast, his thumb resting on my tight bud. I squirm in his lap and gasp into his mouth, rubbing my moist mound over his hardening length.
I jump when the phone in the room rings. “Ignore it,” I say as I pull Jason’s shirt over his head. Finally, the phone stops ringing, and I push him back onto the bed, kissing him deeply again. My breasts rub on his hard pecs as I start to grind on him. He moans as he grabs my hips, his fingers digging into me hard as he turns us over and he settles in between my legs and kisses my neck, but stops and hovers over me, looking into my eyes.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” He asks softly. I nod and lift my head to kiss him.
We both groan when there’s a knock on the door. “For fuck’s sake,” I say harshly, annoyed by another interruption.
“There’s no way they got here this quickly,” Jason says, sounding just as annoyed.
“Miss Argos? It’s Tim from the front desk. Are you there?” The old man says.
I groan and reach for the shirt I was wearing, and Jason rolls over, frustrated. I get up from the bed as there’s more knocking. “Coming!” I yell as I walk to the door.
I look through the peephole and see the old man from reception standing there, so I open the door and greet him, “Hi Tim, what’s up?” I ask as I brush my fingers through my hair.
“Hi, Miss Argos. I just wanted to let you know that there has been a man calling here looking for you,” he says brightly, unaware of his interruption.
“Did the man leave a message when he called?” I asked, wondering who it could be. Only Mom and Uncle Alex knew I was staying here, and they wouldn’t have told anyone.
“No, Miss. They just said they needed to confirm you were staying here but refused to give a name, saying that they were trying to send you something but needed to confirm the address and when you’d be available to receive it.”
Jason gets up from the bed and walks over to the door. “Tim, did anything end up arriving for Miss Argos?”
“No, sir. When he called again this morning, I told him she’s been unavailable,” he says. “There’s something else, though, Miss. About 20 minutes before you arrived today, a man came in looking for you as well.”
“And the man today, do you think it was the same man that was calling?”
Tim puts his hand on his chin, his brow furrowed. “No, Miss, the man on the phone sounded older. The man that came in looking for you was younger. Around your age, Miss. Tall, around 6’5, muscular, dark brown hair, amber eyes.”
I look at Jason. “Does that sound like anyone you know?” I ask. He shakes his head no.
“The man today left a number, but no name,” Tim says, as he pulls a piece of paper out of his shirt pocket and gives it to me.
I look at the paper. It’s a local area code, but I don’t recognise the number. So, I go over to the desk and get my phone, but Jason stops me from calling it.
“Maybe we should get someone to investigate the number before you call it. Whoever this is obviously doesn’t have your number if they’re trying to track you down in person,” he says.
I nod and put the number into the pocket of my suitcase.
“Thank you, Tim. I need to come and check out, anyway. I’m leaving earlier than I thought,” I tell him.
“Of course, Miss. Come with me, and we’ll get it sorted for you,” Tim says and turns and walks towards the reception building.
Jason puts his shirt on, grabs my suitcase, and follows us out of the room.
“You can wait here if you want,” I say.
“No way. There’s too much weird stuff going on right now. You need someone to watch your back,” he says firmly.
“I can look after myself, Jason,” I say as we follow behind Tim.
“Of course you can. But some backup never hurts,” he says with a smile and puts his arm around my shoulders.
I roll my eyes but smile.
#
I finish the paperwork with Tim, and then Jason and I go back outside to the SUV. Jason puts my suitcase in the back, and I get in the passenger side as my cell rings. I get it out of the pocket and smile when I see that it’s Ryna.
“Hey Ry, how are you?” I ask cheerfully.
“Athena Isabella Argos! I have been trying to call you for two weeks!” He yells crankily.
“I’m sorry, Ry. I’ve been so busy. But that’s no excuse. I should have called you back,” I say sadly.
“I didn’t know where you were or what was happening,” he says, sounding upset.
“I’m really sorry, Ry. I’ve been so wrapped up with everything and I’ve been a terrible friend. Forgive me?”
I hear him sigh. “You’re lucky I can’t stay mad at you, Athena.”
“I know. I’m the luckiest girl in the world,” I say, grinning.
“Gamma said you’re down south. Have you found anything?” He asks.
“Kind of. I’m not sure what it all means or if I believe it. Actually, is your better half around?” I ask him.
“Gino’s at work. Why’s that?”
“I was wondering if you could see if he knows anything about Plato and his theory on incarnation, and if there’s anything in our history books relating to pure or chosen lycans. If anyone is going to know, I’m hoping it’s your mate,” I tell him.
“Plato, incarnation, pure or chosen lycans. Got it. I’ll ask him when he gets home,” Ryna says.
“Thanks, Ry, I appreciate it. Also, I need you to tell Gamma that I need any information on that investigator, Derek, that he might not have given me. The mother fucker tried to kill me today,” I say.
“I’m sorry, what?” I hear panic rise in Rynas’ voice.
“I’m fine, Ry. I just need to know if there’s anything that I’ve missed on the snake,” I snarl.
“Athena… Maybe it’s time to come home. I don’t like this at all,” Ryna says with concern.
“I promise you I’m fine. And besides, I have backup,” I say with a smile as Jason opens the door and gets in the driver’s side.
“You promise me that if things get any worse, you will ring me. I can be there in a few hours if you need me.”
“I promise, Ry. I need to go. But I miss you!” I say sadly.
“I miss you too, my girl. Take care of yourself, please,” he says affectionately.
“Promise. Bye, Ryna,” I say and hang up when he says goodbye, and I put my phone back in my pocket.
“Are you ok? You seem sad,” Jason asks, putting his hand on my knee.
“I’m fine, just a bit homesick after talking to my best friend,” I explain with a small smile as I squeeze his hand.
“Looks like the cavalry has arrived,” he says, motioning to three SUVs that have just pulled into the motel’s driveway. “Let’s get back to the compound,” he says, starting the SUV.
We arrive back at the compound with no issues at 4pm and find Alpha Peter waiting for us out the front of the pack house. “Let’s go into my office,” he says as we get out of the SUV, so we follow him inside. Alpha Peter closes the door behind us when we enter his office and then walks around his desk and sits in his chair, and Jason and I sit across from him. “So, what exactly happened today, Jason?” Alpha Peter asks. “I told you most of it over the phone, Alpha. I noticed the car pull onto the highway shortly after we did, but I didn’t think anything of it at first. It wasn’t until they sped up and started tailgating us, that I felt something was off. Then, when they managed to run us off the road, Athena chased after the one that shot at us,” he says, looking at me. “Yes, it looked like it was the private investigator, Derek, that I told you about,” I tell Alpha Peter. “It would seem that he wants me dead. Which would explain why he disappeared after sending me to meet with a hu
I’m woken the next morning by someone knocking on the door. “Athena? Are you awake?” I groan when I realize it’s Jason. I turn over, look at the time on my phone, and groan again. It’s 4:30am. “It’s too early,” I yell out and roll back over, hiding my head under the blankets. “I’m coming in,” he says, and I hear the door open. I sit up in a huff and rub my eyes. “Jason, I’ve barely slept. What’s so important that it couldn’t wait until later?“ I ask. “I wanted to make sure we were okay,” he says, blushing, and gives me an awkward smile as he sits at the end of the bed. “Why wouldn’t we be?” I ask as I pull my hair back into a ponytail. “Well, because we almost… And then I found Jess, my mate…,” he trails off. “Oh, I see. Did you tell her about yesterday?“ I ask, not able to hide my embarrassment. Jason blushes again and says, “I did, but she understands it didn’t get far.” “Well, she has absolutely nothing to worry about. Yesterday was a crazy day, and I’m thrilled for you
Alpha Peter stands in front of his Gamma. “Stand down, Richard!” He yells, his alpha aura radiating from his body. “Athena is not a threat!” Gamma Richard bows his head, submitting to the Alpha, but he growls in my direction. “Listen to your Alpha, Gamma. You don’t want this fight,” Enyo says cooly. “Enyo, you’re not helping,” Jason says. Enyo shrugs and looks back to the Gamma with a smirk. “Shift back now!” Alpha Peter orders him. Gamma Richard shifts back and kneels in front of Alpha Peter. “I’m sorry, Alpha,” he says and bows his head. “You need to tell me exactly what Doctor Shields has been telling you, Richard,” Alpha Peter tells him. “He approached me about a month ago and said that things were happening that could impact our pack and that it would be up to me to protect us. He said that outsiders would come to the pack that would endanger all of us, and they couldn’t be trusted,” he says. “Has this been told to anyone else in this room?” Alpha Peter asks, looking
‘We need to find an Alpha and a pack, Andreas. I can’t continue to be a rogue. We’re pack animals. This is killing me,’ Ares says dejectedly, as we run through the trees at the back of the Moonstone pack territory. ‘I know, buddy. But it’s not safe. We can’t return home, and joining a pack puts them in danger. So instead, we need to concentrate on finding out who attacked our pack and why. And we need to find the other lycans that are like us.’ ‘I know,’ he sighs. ‘Do you think Athena is still here?’ ‘Noah said that she left the motel with the pack Beta, so I assume they came back here. Hopefully, the old man at reception gave her our number.’ ‘Do you think she’ll call?’ ‘I probably wouldn’t with what’s been happening.’ Ares stops suddenly, his hackles raised. ‘Someone is coming. If their warriors see us coming this way, they will attack,’ Ares warns. ‘We need to get off their territory. Over there, up the hill a bit,’ I instruct Ares. He turns in that direction, running back
Enyo goes back to where she can still smell the scent and says, ‘I’m telling you, Athena! It’s our mate!’ ‘I’ve told you before, Enyo! We don’t have time for a mate!’ ‘You don’t get to decide that! Just because you’re having issues with the Moon Goddess doesn’t mean I am!’ she growls, still sniffing around, trying to find the scent again. Donny whimpers and shifts, and Nick walks over to us. “What’s happening? Why did you take off like that?” He asks with worry in his voice. I force the shift and look around the area to see if anyone else is around, but it’s definitely just the two of us. “Enyo thinks we caught the scent of our mate,” I explain. “All the way out here? I think we’re close to the edge of the packs’ territory,” he says, looking around. Enyo whimpers. ‘I’m sure it was our mate, Athena. You can’t deny us our mate. You know what that does to a wolf,’ she says sadly. “She’s sure,” I say, a pang of guilt washing over me. “This concerns me, Athena. Why would someon
Three days later “Wake up, bitch,” a voice whispers in my ear. My eyes flutter open, and I feel something sharp at my neck. “What the fu…,” I start to say, but a hand covers my mouth. “Say another word, and you’re dead. Got it?” the voice warns. I nod as my eyes adjust in the dark, and I realize Catherine’s face is only inches away from mine. “My dad is being banished because of you,” she spits, the anger in her voice like venom. ‘Shift, Athena,’ Enyo growls. ‘Not yet,’ I tell her. “I’m going to kill you for what you’ve done to my family,” she whispers as she trails a knife down my throat. I try not to make a sound as wolfsbane burns my skin anywhere the blade touches. “But first, I’m going to make you suffer.” A sick smile forms on her face as she cuts my arm, and I gasp from the pain as the wolfsbane enters my system, the burning feeling excruciating. She cuts me again, but this time on my stomach. I try not to scream as tears fill my eyes. “Look at you writhe in pain
“Athena…? Athena, wake up, honey.” I groan as I open my eyes and see my mom standing over me. “Mom? What’s wrong?” “Nothing, sweetheart. The doctor just needs to look at your eye,” she tells me as the door to the room opens and Doctor Connors comes in. “Where am I?” I ask Doctor Connors. “You’re in the pack hospital, Miss Argos,” she explains as she leans over me. “I just need to remove the bandages to check how your eye is healing,” she explains. I nod and slowly sit up, and she removes the bandages wrapped around my head, covering my right eye. As the last bit comes off, she removes the gauze, and the light above me burns my eye. “Argh!” I yell, covering my eye with my hand. “Try not to touch it, Miss Argos. Is the light hurting it?” Doctor Connors asks. “Yeah, it stings like a bitch,” I say, refusing to move my hand. “This is good. It means your vision may not have been affected. Remove your hand, slowly open your eye, and tell me if you can see anything,” the doctor ins
Andreas P.O.V I pace the small area of the cave, raking my hand through my hair every two minutes. ‘We’d know if she was dead, wouldn’t we?’ I ask Ares, the tremor in my voice giving away how worried I am. ‘We haven’t marked her. So we won’t know anything,’ Ares says, just as worried. ‘FUCK! I need to know if she’s okay.’ I squat down, rubbing my hands roughly over my face. Then I stand up, walk over to the cave’s opening, and look over the Moonstone territory. The moon is shining brightly, and it’s a clear night. ‘Maybe we should see if we can get to the hospital and find her.’ ‘They’ve had extra patrols out looking for us. It isn’t safe,’ Ares warns. ‘I don’t care! I need to know that she’s okay!’ ‘I’m just as worried as you are, Andreas. But we’re no good to her if we’re dead,’ he tries to calm me. As I look over to the pack house, I sigh and lean against the cave’s entrance. Except for someone boarding up the window I broke, there has been no movement in Athena’s bedroom si