**Andreas P.O.V**
“Goddess, he’s a heavy bastard,” I say, straining to get the doctor into the back of the small car.
“I’ll give you a hand,” my best friend, Noah, says as he opens the passenger door on the driver’s side to pull the doctor in from the other side.
After a few moments, we finally get the doctor in the back of Noah’s car, and I double-check the ropes around his wrists and ankles to ensure he’s secure.
Closing the doors, I get into the passenger’s side, and Noah gets behind the wheel.
“So, Blood-Moon territory?” Noah asks as he starts his car. He goes to turn his headlights on, but I put my hand on his arm to stop him.
“No lights yet,” I say. “Yeah, head toward Blood-Moon. They’ll let us know later where they want us to take him.”
Noah pulls onto the road from where I met him on the outskirts of the Moonstone territory, and I stay alert, adrenaline keeping me going as I keep an eye out for anyone who may have followed me.
After half an hour, I’m happy that no one is following us, and I tell Noah he can put his headlights on now.
“Why don’t you get some rest, Andy? You must be exhausted,” Noah suggests.
I respond with a yawn, fold my arms over my chest, relax into the seat, and fall asleep quickly.
#
**Three hours later**
I’m woken by my head hitting the window with a hard thump. “Ow,” I say, rubbing the side of my head. “I see your driving hasn’t improved,” I tease Noah.
“Funny,” he says, before he yawns. “It’s your turn to drive.”
I sit up straight in a sudden panic. “Shit! What time is it?” I ask, looking for my phone.
“Just after 2:30,” Noah yawns again.
“Oh, I’m a dead man,” I say, finding my phone on the console and dialling Athena’s number.
After a few rings, she answers with a sleepy voice, “Hello?”
“Athena, I’m so sorry. I meant to call earlier, but I fell asleep in the car.”
I hear a groan in the background, and some guy asks, “Who is calling so late?”
I let out a deep growl, making Noah jump. “Athena, who the fuck was that?”
“What? That’s just Ryna. Are you safe? Did you get out okay?” She asks, sounding more awake.
“Why is this Ryna in your bed at 2:30 in the morning?” I growl again.
“Calm down. He’s my best friend and mated,” she says, sounding amused.
“You’re not marked, and I don’t appreciate you having some guy in your bed, mated or not,” I bark and hang up.
Noah pulls off the highway into a rest stop, turns the car off, and turns to face me. “Dude, what the hell was that shit?” He asks.
I rub my hands over my face, exhausted and frustrated. “I heard a guy’s voice in the background,” I groan.
“So? She told you who he was, and you bit her head off!”
“She’s my mate, and I can’t fucking be with her. I panicked when I heard him.”
“You need to trust her. She didn’t reject you, so she’s still your mate. Just because you haven’t marked each other, it doesn’t mean you both aren’t feeling the effects of the mate bond. Trust me. No other female will ever matter to you now that you have found Athena,” he says, rubbing his hand over his chest as if it hurts.
“Shit… Noah, I’m sorry,” I say as I squeeze his shoulder, tears welling up in my eyes as I recall the day his mate died.
“I hope you never have to go through what I did. So do not fuck this up before you’ve even started, Andreas.”
I nod and step out of the car into the fresh air, dialling Athena’s number again.
It’s answered on the first ring. “Listen here, fuck face. Athena is my best friend, and I am not above kicking your ass if you’re going to treat her like shit,” an angry male voice yells at me.
“I assume this is Ryna?” I ask, trying to keep my cool.
“You assume right, asshole,” he snarls back.
“I’m calling back to apologize. Can I please speak to her?” I ask.
I hear muffled talking, and then Athena is back on the phone. “So, does living in a cave make everyone act like a caveman? Or is that just your natural disposition?” She asks, and she sounds like she’s holding back a laugh.
I can’t help but smile. “I’m sorry, Athena. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that,” I say sincerely.
“Damn right. Especially considering we fell asleep waiting for you to call to know you were safe,” she says, her tone changing to anger.
“I’m truly sorry. How can I make it up to you?” I ask. I hear the car door open, and Noah steps out. He leans against the hood of the car and lights a cigarette.
“You can tell me you’re safe,” Athena says.
“We’re safe. We’ve just pulled over so I can take over driving,” I tell her.
“We? Your friend is with you already?” Athena asks.
“He provided the getaway car,” I explain. “We’ll be near your territory by tomorrow night if we drive straight through. Has Alex organized where we’re going to take the cargo?” I ask.
“He will call you when he and Mom land later today. Has the cargo been any trouble?” She asks in a whispered tone.
“None. Noah gave him enough tranquilizers to kill an elephant. So, he should be out for most of the trip,” I tell her. Noah clears his throat to get my attention and taps his watch. “We better get going, Athena. Message me when you’re leaving in the morning,” I say, and I walk to the other side of the car and get in.
“I will. Stay safe,” she says.
“You too,” and we hang up.
#
**Athena P.O.V**
I hang up the phone and sigh, wishing I was with Andreas.
“I’m going back to Gino,” Ryna says as he comes over to where I’m sitting on the bed. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours,” he says as he leans in and kisses me on the cheek.
I watch him leave the room and then lay back down, placing my arm over my forehead. ‘I don’t think I’m going to get much sleep now,’ I think to myself. But, despite feeling wide awake, I fall asleep within a few minutes.
#
I’m woken suddenly by a loud banging on my bedroom door. “MISS ARGOS! OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!”
“What the fuck?” I say out loud as I get out of the bed and walk to the door, opening it to find two council members and Alpha Peter standing there with angry faces.
“Can I help you?” I ask them, still bewildered by how I was woken up.
“Where is he?” Alpha Peter asks sternly.
“Where’s who? What’s going on?” I ask, peering out into the hallway to see Uncle Alex, Mom, Ryna, and Gino standing in the hall, surrounded by warriors. “What the hell are you doing with my family?”
“Don’t act dumb with me, young pup. We know you took Doctor Shields,” the older of the two council members says, his face so red he looks like steam could come out of his ears.
“Doctor Shields is gone?” I ask, feigning shock and confusion. “How did he escape the cells?”
“There’s no way he could have escaped,” Alpha Peter says. “He was taken during the night, or someone helped him escape, Athena.”
“And you think I have something to do with it? Come in and look. I have nothing to hide,” I say as I move from in front of the doorway, allowing them room to come in. “Maybe I have him tied up in the bathtub. You should check there first,” I say, mocking them.
“You should really learn to respect your elders,” the older council member says as he approaches me and growls in my face.
I hold my ground, turning my nose up at him. “I’ll show them respect when they earn it,” I growl back.
He grabs me by the throat and tries to force me to kneel to him.
“Elder David, that’s enough!” The other Elder yells at him.
“Let. Me. Go…,” I say so quietly that only Elder David can hear me.
He lets go of my throat quickly as if I’ve burned him, and takes a step back, a surprised look on his face.
I stalk towards him, and he steps backwards and back out into the hallway, and I stand in the doorway again. “I don’t have your doctor. If I did, he’d already be dead,” I tell them calmly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think my family and I should leave before any more accusations are thrown our way. Or are you going to throw us in the cells, Alpha?” I ask him menacingly.
Alpha Peter looks between me and the council members and sighs. “You and your family are free to leave, Athena.” Alpha Peter nods to the warriors guarding my family, and they step away from them.
“What do you think you’re doing, Alpha?!” Elder David yells at Alpha Peter as he walks down the hallway and downstairs. Elder David glares at me and then stomps down the hallway after Alpha Peter.
“Safe travels home, Miss Argos,” the other Elder says to me and then walks away as well.
Mom, Uncle Alex, Ryna, and Gino rush over to me, and I usher them into my room, closing the door behind them.
‘*We need to get out of here asap*,’ Gino mind-links, panicking.
‘*Just stay calm. Andreas is hundreds of miles away from here by now*,’ I say, as there’s another knock on the door.
“Who is it?” I call out.
“It’s Nick.”
I open the door and let him in, closing it behind him again.
“Alpha Peter has asked me to leave as well. What the hell happened?” He asks.
“Doctor Shields has apparently disappeared, and the Elders are blaming us for it. Why would he ask you to leave, too, though?”
“He seemed pretty defeated when I spoke to him. Maybe everything that’s happened has taken its toll on him?”
“Maybe. But the Elders aren’t happy, and I don’t plan on sticking around long enough for them to throw me in a cell. I suggest you do the same, Nick.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right. Safe travels,” he says, and gives me a quick hug before leaving the room.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Enyo says when he’s gone.