“Athena? Wake up.” Charlotte shakes me before slamming a pillow onto my head. I cry out in pain before rolling on my side and covering my head from anymore oncoming blows. Instead, Charlotte pulls the covers from my body.
“What do you want?” I moan while blindly trying to find the covers. I’m too tired to function today and I have a splitting headache from last night.
“You need to get up. Your mum is going to be so mad if she finds you in this state. Come on!” And with that, she throws another pillow at my head. I groan before sitting up and throwing the pillow back at my best friend. It hits her fair in the face, causing her to gasp before laughing so hard she falls over.
“Why are you in such a good mood?” I scramble out of bed, doing an awkward stretch before heading to the bathroom to shower. I turn the water on and strip down before climbing, allowing the hot water to trickle over my body. I leave my hair up and angle the water, so I don’t get my hair wet.
“I found him. He’s amazing, Athena! He’s so gentle and loving and so freaking hot!” I’m smile at her happiness; glad she’s found someone who’s going to treat her right. I quickly wash my body before grabbing a towel and climbing out. I dry myself off before throwing on my dressing gown and standing in front of the mirror. Straight away, Charlotte begins working on taking out all of the bobby pins and freeing my hair from its trap.
“I’m really happy you’re happy, Char. Does Chad know?” I watch her expression slowly change in the mirror. She slowly shakes her head, sadness and anger taking over her soft features. She pushes her dark brown waves over her shoulder and out of her face.
“I haven’t told Chad, and I’m never going to. I don’t plan on ever seeing him again. I was actually hoping you’d let me stay here for a little while, just until my mate can sort out where we are going to live.” I nod and smile at her.
“Of course, Char. I can help you get your stuff too if you like. I’m sure Damon would be happy to help too.” She smiles at me before wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug.
“Thank you, Thena. Now let’s get you ready for the breakfast bonanza your mum has ready for everyone downstairs.” I smile as she pulls my hair up into a half up-half down hair do, decorating the style some butterfly pins. The light blue and purple diamantes that cover the butterflies perfectly compliment the colour of my hair. When she finishes with my hair, she applies some mascara to my eye lashes and some clear lip gloss.
“There, you look perfect. Now brush your teeth, put one some perfume and deodorant, and then get dressed. I’ll be hiding the empty bottles of alcohol covering your bed.” She kisses my cheek before laughing and leaving the bathroom. I chuckle to myself before doing as I’m told. I quickly brush my teeth and apply my favourite perfume and deodorant before moving into the closet and let my dressing gown fall to the floor.
I pull out a blush coloured, off-the-shoulder shirt and slip that over my head. I don’t bother with a bra as I’m sure I’m just going to be sitting around all day. The shirt is long sleeved, with elastic at the end of the sleeves, along the collar and along the bottom hem. Because of the elastic at the end of the sleeves, it causes an almost balloon-like effect. The shirt ruffles a little at the top of the elastic along the collar, making it look a little less plain. I then pair it with a pair of casual, blue, ripped jeans and some white sketchers.
I walk out of the wardrobe to find Charlotte sitting on my bed filing her nails. My bed is made, and the floor is clear. The several empty bottles from last night have disappeared and my room actually looks respectable for once.
“How do I look?” Charlotte turns to look at me and quickly shoots me a bright smile.
“Like the prettiest girl in the world. You can’t forget this though.” She says as she hands me my Wolf necklace. I smile in thanks before clasping the necklace around my neck. “Alright let’s go before your mum comes up and gets us.” She laughs before taking my hand and dragging me out of my room.
We quickly make it downstairs and find Damon standing in the kitchen. He gives me a look, raising his eyebrows and questioning me with his eyes. He knows I got drunk last night. He’s going to kill me. I can see it in his eyes.
“Hey, bro. You haven’t told mum and dad, right?” He raises his eyebrows a little higher before shaking his head and coming over to hug me. We stand in silence for a little while as he holds me, no words needing to be spoken between us. He eventually pulls away from me and gives me a small smile before pushing me into the dining room.
The dining table is covered in sweets and breakfast foods. Sitting at the table is my parents, the Alpha family, and a few other Alpha’s and their Luna’s from neighbouring packs. I quickly find our empty seats and move to take one, before being pushed out of the way by Charlotte.
I shoot Charlotte a questioning look, only to find her not paying attention to me at all. I shake my head before putting my elbow on the table and resting my head on my hand. It’s still pounding intensely so I do my best to stay zoned out from the conversations floating around the room.
Damon places a small stack of pancakes on my plate and drizzles some maple syrup on top before topping it off with some bananas, strawberries, and whipped cream. I smile lightly at him before slowly digging in. He always knows how to make me feel better. I bring a forkful of pancakes close to my nose and take a quick sniff before freezing in place.
Pine Trees and a hint of Vanilla.
My head snaps upright and my eyes immediately fall onto my mate’s handsome face. The events from last night come rushing back to me. Having him so close, his lips flush with mine, the way his kisses tasted. My heart pounds in my chest, as his stare intensifies.
I move my gaze back to my plate, trying to avoid the situation. I can’t talk to him right now. Not here, not now. The human is right next to him, for crying out loud.
‘Her hand is on his thigh.’ Venus growls. I sink further in my chair, trying as hard as I can to disappear. Why do I have to be directly across from him? I shove more pancakes in my mouth when Venus begins to growl even more.
I have to keep her at bay for as long as I can. I can’t risk her coming out and exposing me to everyone in this room. If anyone finds out I’m a pure black wolf before I ascend the throne, I’ll be a walking target.
“Athena, Alpha Noah’s, Luna, was asking you a question.” My head snaps up to meet Alpha Jackson’s questioning gaze. I then look straight at my mate and the human sitting next to him. His Luna? I’m supposed to be his Luna. My heart feels as though it’s resting in my stomach, but it’s deep beats can be heard in my ears. I can feel the tears beginning to brim my eyes and my words getting stuck in my throat. I can feel Venus struggling to get out and I honestly don’t feel like holding her in anymore. She’s making my head, ache further with all her struggling so instead, I just give up.
“I’m really sorry, Alpha Jackson, but I have a really bad headache. If it’s ok, I’d like to go see the pack doctor.” He nods and I quickly excuse myself from the table before exiting the dining room and burst through the front door. I need to get far away from here.
Far away from my family and my pack.
Far away from Charlotte and her odd happiness.
Far away from my mate and his “Luna”.
I race towards the tree line as fast as I can. Once I’m deep enough in the tree line, I can shift and disappear further. I can be out here for hours before I need to return. No one will catch me, no one will find me. I can stay out here for as long as I want, but I know I only have a few hours before my parents will kill me when I return.
Once I’m deep enough in the tree line, I strip and quickly shift into my wolf. Immediately, Venus takes over, and howls towards the sky. Her sorrow and anger are as plain as day, but all I feel now, is numb. I let Venus take control and race us through the trees. The cool breeze feels refreshing through our fur and the scent of the woods clears my head.
We run for hours, non-stop. We don’t stop for water, or food, or rest. We just run. All the way until the day turns to night and the sky fills with bright stars.
‘Venus, we need to go home now. I know you’re in pain, I am too, but we need to go home.’ She whimpers but agrees and turns around. She takes us back to where I left my clothes, before shifting back to human form. I quickly redress before heading back onto the pack territory.
It’s really late, so late, I’m sure everyone’s already asleep. I manage to sneak inside the house and upstairs to my room. I close the door quietly behind me before resting my forehead against it. I feel exhausted. My emotions are too much to deal with. All I want right now, is to fall asleep and wake up from this horrible nightmare.
A gasp escapes my lips when I turn around to find Noah lounging on my bed. He looks at me expectantly before sitting up and bringing his legs over the side. He rests his elbows on his lap and leans forward, watching me. I can’t form any words. I want to know why he’s here but can’t bring myself to get the words out of my mouth. Instead I just stand there, watching him in return.
“I’m sorry. My situation is…complicated. All I want is you, but I can’t just leave her here. I can’t humiliate the person I’ve been with for the past three years.” I stare at him, waiting for more. He searches my eyes before sighing and sitting up a little straighter. “What do you want to know? I’ll tell you anything.” I sigh before sliding down the door and sitting on my bedroom floor.
“Who is she?” My words are small and a little shaky. It’s the one thing I want to know. I need to know who she is and who she is to him.
“Her name is Claudia. We met when I went on a trip to France. She was backpacking with some friends. One of her friends was mated to a werewolf I knew, so Claudia already knew everything about our kind. It was really easy to pretend with her, but she never meant anything to me. Nothing important anyway.” I nod at his words as his bright green eyes continue to bore into my blue ones. I take a deep breath before leaning my head against the door.
“Why did Alpha Jackson call her your Luna?” He slides off of the bed and sits on the floor with me, his back leaning against my bed. He searches my face before replying to me.
“Because that’s how she introduced herself when she arrived. It annoyed myself and my wolf, Caden, but I sort of lost hope in meeting you anyway, so I didn’t really think too much of it.” My wolf purrs at the sound of his wolf’s name. It makes me smile a little.
“What happens now? Do we pretend to not know each other from now on? Do you even want me?” My words come out shaky, I can’t help it. I’m scared. I know I didn’t want to find my mate yet and ascend the throne, but I didn’t think I may never get him at all. Now that I’ve met him and touched him and tasted him, all I want is him.
“Well, the plan was to ignore you for the rest of the week, until I could get Claudia home and break up with her properly, but you’re too irresistible. I want to be with you now. So, instead, I plan on taking her home tomorrow and returning as soon as it’s all sorted out. As long as you want me too, that is.” I can’t help the way my heartbeat speeds up in excitement. Butterflies invade my stomach and a smile takes over my face. Of course, I want him. But there’s so much that comes along with it.
“I do want you, but it’s complicated. There’s so much that comes along with that for me. If I accept you now, I need to know you’re not going to go anywhere. That after you leave tomorrow, you will end things and come back to me as soon as you can because for me, this isn’t just about me accepting you as my mate. It’s so much more than that.” I search his eyes, trying to find any indication that I’ll get what I need. I need to know I’m not going to be left completely alone after he accepts me. I need to know I won’t be ascending the throne alone.
“Yes. I’ll be back as soon as I can, I’ll be all yours.” I smile at him before crawling over to him and placing myself on his lap. His touch sends tingles through my body. I cup his face with my hands and plant a small kiss on his lips.
“Then I want you, completely.” He smiles and pulls me in closer, bringing my lips to his and lightly tangling his hand in my hair. I place one hand on his cheek and the other behind his head, deepening the kiss by gently exploring his mouth with my tongue.
He pulls away and gently pushes me off before standing up. My heart beats hard in my chest as thoughts of rejection invade my mind. Then he quickly picks me up, places my legs around his waist and his lips back on mine. I tangle my fingers up in his dark hair, pulling him as close to me as I can. The next thing I know, my back is on my bed and Noah is hovering over me, his hands roaming my body slowly, sending tingles and shivers all over me.
A moan manages to escape me as his lips move from my mouth to my neck, finding the spot that will one day bear his mark. One of his hands moves to my left thigh, holding me closer to him. He lightly grinds on me before deepening the kiss even more. The amount of pleasure that explodes within me is unimaginable.
Moans escape my mouth left, right and centre.
This night, this amazing night, is one of the best I’ve ever had. The intimacy that I got to experience and share with Noah is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.