I hear the creak of the cabin door and someone coming outside, so I pull away from Noah, and we both wipe the tears from our faces.
“Sorry to interrupt, but Gino just sent me a photo of who the Alpha is meeting with,” Ryna says as he approaches with Uncle Alex and hands me his phone.
I look closely at the photo and see that Alpha Damon is shaking hands with Alpha Costas from the Shadow Rock pack.
“Shadow Rock is our biggest rival. Why would he be talking to their Alpha?“ I ask, surprise and suspicion lacing my voice.
“Whatever the reason is, it can’t be good. I don’t see Alpha Costas making a peace pact with us. There’s too much water under that bridge,” Uncle Alex says.
“Where did they meet?” I ask Ryna.
“Decadence,” he smirks.
“What’s Decadence?” Noah asks.
“It’s a strip club owned by the Shadow Rock pack,” I explain.
“On their territory?” He asks.
“No, it’s in town. It’s considered neutral territory,” Uncle Alex explains.
I stand there watching the guys speculate when a sudden rush of warmth washes over my body, and I see spots in front of my eyes.
‘*I don’t feel well, Athena*,’ Enyo whines.
I’m about to respond when my head starts to spin and I stumble forward.
“Athena!” Ryna shouts as he reaches forward to steady me. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t feel well,” I say as I clumsily try to take my coat off despite the freezing temperatures.
“Oh, shit…“ Noah says, as he places the back of his hand on my forehead. “She’s going into heat.”
Noah and Uncle Alex take a step back from me and look at Ryna.
“What are you guys doing staring at me f… Ohhhhh no,” he says as he steps back. “Nope. No way in hell. Not doing it,” he says, shaking his head profusely.
“You’re the only one who can look after her, Ryna,” Uncle Alex says, holding back a laugh.
“You guys are being ridiculous,“ I say crankily. “How can I be going into heat? I don’t have a mate.“
“But you and Andreas found each other. Your heat is the Goddess’s way of making sure you complete the mating bond… among other things,” Noah trails off. “The only way to avoid it is if you reject your mate. And unfortunately, this is probably going to get bad for you because he isn’t here to soothe you.”
Another wave of warmth rushes over me, and Noah and Uncle Alex suddenly freeze.
“Ryna, you need to get her out of here. Now,” Noah tells him sternly, backing away further.
“Why?” He asks, and then his nose crinkles, the scent of my arousal hitting him, and he shakes his head. “I thank the Moon Goddess every day for making me gay,” he says as he comes and reluctantly grabs my arm and starts leading me up the overgrown road.
“FASTER, RYNA!” Uncle Alex calls out.
Ryna takes off running, pulling me behind him while I’m still trying to get my jacket off.
“Athena, for fuck’s sake! Leave your jacket on. We need to get you somewhere safe!“ He yells at me.
I feel woozy, and my body feels like it’s on fire. Rynas’ grip on my arm feels like he is made of ice, and I try to get out of his hold. “Ryna, let me go!” I yell at him. He tightens his grip instead and then grabs me and throws me over his shoulder. “RYNA!” I scream and hit his back with my fists, but the hold he has on me is too tight, and I’m feeling weak.
When we finally arrive at my truck, he opens the back door and places me on the back seat before getting into the front and starting it up. He carefully reverses on the shoulder of the road before speeding down the mountain road, only remaining in control and avoiding driving off the side of the mountain because of his lycan reflexes.
“Where the fuck do I take her?” I hear him mumble to himself.
“Slow down!” I yell at him as I start to feel crazed as my temperature spikes again, and I wind down the window to try to cool myself down. I’m suddenly hit with the smell of un-mated males, and I finally realize the gravity of the situation when Enyo tries to take over and open the car door to get to them.
‘*Enyo*!’ I yell at her, fighting with her for control over my body.
‘*We need to mate, Athena*!’
“Athena, what the fuck are you doing?“ Ryna yells at me when he sees me struggling in the rear-view mirror.
‘*No! We lost our mate! We’re not just going to mate with anyone*!’
‘*You wanted to fuck Jason*!’ She crudely reminds me as we struggle over the grip of the door handle.
‘*That was different! I didn’t know what it was like to have a mate! And if there is any chance the Moon Goddess will bless us with a second chance mate, I don’t want to waste my first time on some random because of my heat*!’
She releases her grip on the door handle and howls in my mind.
“Ryna, you need to get me somewhere that I can’t get out of,” I say as pain courses through my body.
“Where though, Athena?” He asks, his voice filled with urgency as we get closer to the pack house.
“The… Bunker…” I scream out as I try to stop myself from diving out of the car by digging my extended claws into the back of the seat.
“Ow, Athena!” Ryna yells, and I realize that one of my claws is digging into his back.
“Hurry!” is all I can manage to yell when I feel the truck suddenly stop.
My door swings open, and the warrior, Harry, pops his head down and grins at me. “Come on, Athena, let’s get you somewhere safe,” he says, and he holds his hand out for me to take it.
I get out of the truck, but instead of taking Harry’s hand, Enyo seizes the opportunity to make a run for it. It takes everything I have to stop her from shifting, but I can’t get full control back. The next thing I know, I’m being tackled to the ground, and I hit my head hard on the sidewalk. Black spots fill my vision just before I’m plunged into darkness.
#
**Hours Later**
“LET ME OUT OF HERE!” I scream through the bars. “I KNOW YOU’RE OUT THERE!”
“YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN, ENYO! WE CAN’T LET YOU OUT!“ Ryna yells through the door.
I pace back and forth, looking for a way out of the small, barred room. Finally, I approach the bars and attempt to pull two of them wider so I can slip through. They bend, but it isn’t enough for me to escape. So, I shift and let out an angry roar so loud and viscous it shakes the room.
“ENYO! PLEASE! YOU’RE SCARING EVERYONE! YOU NEED TO GIVE ATHENA CONTROL BACK!”
“NO! LET ME OUT!”
#
**Three Days Later**
“Do you think Enyo is faking it again?” I hear someone say.
“I’m not sure, but I don’t want to take any chances. Harry is still being treated at the pack hospital from what she did,” I overhear someone else saying.
I roll onto my back and stretch, my muscles feeling tight, and I let out a groan because of how good it feels.
“Athena?“
I turn my head and see Ryna standing on the other side of the room. “Hey, Ry,” I say with a smile and stretch again. “Man, that feels good. Why are my muscles so sore?” I ask.
“It’s been a long three days,“ Ryna says, looking at me warily. “Is that really you, Athena?“
“Three days?” I ask. “And of course it’s me. Who else would it be?” Sitting up and looking around the room, I realize I’m in the bunker under the pack house.
“Enyo… She pretended to be you in order to try and get out of the cell…” Someone else chimes in, and I look over to see Tony standing in the opposite corner. “Harry believed her when she said her heat was over, and he’s still in the hospital from the injuries he sustained,” he explains, walking over to the cell and handing me a bottle of water. “To be honest, I’m surprised you can even speak. Her roars have caused structural damage to the pack house,” he grins, as if delighted in that fact.
‘*What’s he doing here*?’ I ask Ryna.
‘*The mated warriors had to help keep you in and the un-mated males out. He’s actually been here the most out of all of us. I think he’s taken a liking to you*,’ He smirks.
“Is Harry okay?” I ask Tony, ignoring Rynas’ remark.
“He’s fine. He’s just taking a little longer to heal. Some of her swipes went pretty deep.”
“Her roars really caused damage?” I ask curiously.
Instead of answering, Tony smirks again and points to the ceiling. I look up, and there’s a large crack in the ceiling.
“Damn…” is all I can say, shocked.
“It was epic. I swear some of the warriors wet themselves,” Tony laughs, standing up and unlocking the cell door.
I look around for something to cover myself in, and Tony hands me a shirt and shorts to put on.
“Thank you,” I smile as I put them on.
“Do you remember anything from the last three days?” Ryna asks.
“Bits and pieces. I think Enyo was blocking my subconscious. She must have tired herself out because I can’t feel her at the moment.”
“Okay. Well, don’t be surprised if some of the pack avoids you for a little while,” Ryna says.
“It was that bad?”
Ryna and Tony look at each other, then back at me, and nod.