ATHENA'S POV.My fingers fiddled with each other, as I tried to speak of my painful past.Speaking about it would help me in moving on. It would make me feel better. "I know." Came his reassuring voice, and I felt even more probed to talk. One after the other, I could hear the maids, trying to walk as quietly as they could, past Alpha Tristan and I. They opened the door, and I heard them all leaving. Alpha Tristan had probably signalled to them to leave, since I seemed to be having difficulty in opening up."Thank you, Alpha Tristan.""Call me Tristan, please. The younger you would cringe if she heard you calling me by the Alpha title." He said, and I sighed. "It feels a little awkward.""You'd get used to it. Just keep calling me that way, and you'll feel better." He said, and my smile grew wider. "You don't have to act so tamed now. I don't know much about you, but I'm guessing you used to be a maid. Although I wonder how you could have handled things." He wondered, and I scratc

TRISTAN'S POV. Staring at Athena when I had firstly met her had been like looking at the sun through a glass. She had looked so beautiful that it was hard to get my eyes off her. After saving her, I had tried to stay neutral because I didn't know the kind of person she had become, nor did I know why she had been in the forest, wandering about.However, all that had faded away, as I discovered the inner beauty she possessed. She was calm, polite, and seemed to be really thoughtful. It was hard not to feel something more for her, because simply staring at her while she gazed into the distance made my heart feel light.Even when I was directly staring into her eyes, she couldn't see me. It gave me the chance to stare at her in detail, and discover the things I had loved about her back when we were younger. Being a young boy, I had not known much about love, but I had always seen Athena as my mate. Eventually we turned out not to be mates, and I kept on wondering about hers. It had mad

ATHENA'S POV.I had felt Tristan's disappointment when I had told him I couldn't make a decision, but there was nothing I could do to help myself. I couldn't just bring myself to trust people easily, after everything I had gone through.But I had felt bad, as he kept silent, unable to say a word, and then he had told me he'd wait. That was also reassuring and it made me feel a lot better.Immediately we got to the Elders' house, I could hear the sound of a movie playing and the elders talking about it.However, they all stopped when they noticed me, and just like I had expected, compliments flew my way from them."Good gracious! She is beautiful!" A woman said, and I felt a wheel touch my leg."She has bloomed into a lovely flower. She is as beautiful as a lotus." A man said, and I heard him coming closer. "You must have had it hard. I see it through your eyes." One of the women said, placing old hands on my cheeks.Afterwards, they had dragged me off to the side, and began to chat.

TRISTAN'S POV. Athena had actually been more excited than she let on. When our marriage had been coming closer, she had become restless, and a little giddy. She never voiced it out, but it seemed like she had been waiting for the preparations to start.The day she had gotten her wedding dress, I heard from my Beta, Lax, that she had been waiting for me to return.And when I had gone to see her, it had been to show me her dress. I had laughed a lot because it had been adorable as she seeked my approval for a dress she couldn't even see. I hadn't thought much of the dress at the moment, though. I had thought the maids could do better. However when I saw her in it, walking down the aisle, it had been a moment of shock for me.Why was she as beautiful as that? I could barely see her face through the veil, but her beauty was radiating through. Her body was perfectly proportioned, and the dress floated free at her hips, outlining the curve of her little waist, and the delicate flare of

ATHENA'S POV.I had just taken a shower, and had put on a nice, light nightgown with strings as hands. My hair was wet, and I tapped around on my desk in front of the mirror for the blow drier.It was something I could do myself, and didn't need to bother the maids. I found the blowdrier, and reached out with my hands, bending, so I could find a chair I had bumped into earlier. Despite my outstretched hands, I bumped into it again, and bit my lip hard to refrain from yelping, and causing the maids to rush in. Then I sat down on it carefully, and began to blowdry my hair. Shortly, a swift knock sounded on my door, and before I had time to make a reaction, the door had burst open.I got to my feet in alarm, and scooted backwards, not minding if I crashed into anything.Since I had been at the palace, no one had ever barged in, in such a manner. Had a burglar found his way in? Worse, an assassin sent from Alpha Jeremy or any of my enemies?"Sorry. It's me." It was Tristan. Why was he