Chapter 157
**Ares POV**
It doesn’t take long for the Rogues to finally surrender, those still fighting amongst the crowds have either surrendered or have perished during battle. The Witches having also withdrawn from the battle all thanks to Keira who didn’t take long in convincing them to halt in their fighting.
‘Finally.. It’s over’ whispers Zeus, our eyes still surveying the area around us. Athena having healed Eros before we could truly lose him made my heart race. Athena’s healing ability was truly a remarkable gift to have for someone as pure as she was.
‘Mate is special. She will always be special’ admits Zeus proudly.
‘Indeed she is’ I move to agree only to pause at hearing a howl. A howl that was filled with pain as it echoed all around us, everyone now turning towards the forest.
Then, as if suddenly remembering Alex and Rick and remembering that they had chased Brian and his two flunkies into the woods a chill slowly begins to grip at me like a vice and at who’s howl that could possibly have been.
Please, don’t let that howl be who I think it is, I silently plead. My eyes now locking with Athena’s who instantly shifts into Artemis before running in the direction of the howl.
NO! ATHENA!
Quick to ignore everything else that was going on all around me I move to give chase to my mate. For after being brainwashed by Lily I was a little more reluctant to let her leave my sight, or at least util we got back home. Then maybe, just maybe I would be okay with it. Until then, not so much.
‘KAI! Keep an eye on Eros. Make sure no one hurts him. I’m going after Athena’ I yell to him over the link, a part of me knowing that I couldn’t just leave Eros unattended but the need to run after Athena grew greater.
‘Yes Sir, Alpha Sir’ replies Kai in his teasing like voice, Zeus and I rolling our eyes as we move to run after Athena. Parts of me knowing that even while Kai was an utter goof ball at times, that Kai was someone who was reliable. Someone who I could count on in times of need, like now.
Shaking off those thoughts for another time, I continue to run after our mate.
\~~~~~~~~~~
**Athena's POV**
When hearing the sudden howl coming from within the forest I instantly knew who it was that it belonged to. My Uncle. Uncle Rick.
‘Somethings wrong. Uncle Rick sounds sad, something must have happened to Uncle Alex when they were fighting in the forest’ I cry to Artemis, a sense of urgency now filling me as I move to let Artemis lead.
‘Easy there Athena, We won’t be in any kind of shape to help if we panic, we need to stay calm and assess the damage first’ replies Artemis, having heard the howl as well.
‘NO! Uncle Alex and Uncle Rick need us. There all I have left in terms of family. What if one of them is hurt? We need to get to them, we’re the only ones who can help them if that’s true’ I move to say to her, fear still rising deep within me.
Quick to shift, Artemis begins rushing off into the forest. Ares close behind us just like I knew he would. A part of us knowing that he would clingy to us for a while until we were finally back home. Lily’s mind control really doing a number on him during his time with her.
‘Can you blame him?’
‘No. I don’t. But I can blame Lily for all eternally’
Snorting in agreement on that, we continue to run. Our instincts guiding us in the direction that made the most sense. Silently praying with all my heart to the Moon Goddess that nothing too terrible has happened to my Uncles. Unable to face a reality where I might lose another family member after just learning to accept the lose of my parents.
Stop it… You can’t think like that, I silently scold myself. Not needing to be thinking like that until I knew all the facts first. The need to think positive opposed to a negative out weighing everything else going on around me.
Attempting to keep those thoughts all at bay, I continue to let Artemis take charge. Artemis now running at full speed until suddenly we stop. Artemis skidding to a sudden halt as what we now see before us.
Fear gripping at my heart as my worst nightmare comes to life.
No… I whimper. Please no.
Slowly taking in the sight before me all I can do is move to call out to Uncle Rick, praying that it was all just a big prank, a game and Uncle Alex was actually okay.
‘Uncle Rick?’
Startled by my sudden appearance, Rick moves to look over to me. His eyes already showing me what I already knew the moment I had arrived.
No.
Racing the rest of the way over to them I instantly move to shift forms yet again, not truly caring who it was that saw me naked in that moment. Having been naked for Ares and Eros amongst the battlefield and now again for my Uncles, I would gladly do it another 1000 times over even as I move to kneel down next to Alex.
My shaky hands now moving to feel for a pulse. Ares now finally arriving only to stop dead in his tracks. Shock and rage coursing through him and our bond followed by instant sadness.
‘Athena? I-Is he… Is he dead?’ asks Ares, Zeus slowly coming to approach us as I keep trying to find a pulse, something that would tell me he was still alive and not dead like I kept thinking he was.
“No…” I choke, unable to complete that thought, my hands now clenching into fists at the need to hit my Uncle lifeless body.
“YOU CAN’T LEAVE ME. YOU CAN’T. I NEED YOU. ROSA NEEDS YOU. YOU PROMISED ME” I practically scream, sobs now racking my body as I move to hit him repeatedly, my body now hunched over as I move to cry into his fur.
You can’t leave me.
Still sobbing like a baby against Alex, I almost miss the faint smell of poison against my nose. My nose now close enough to finally smell it. The scent I knew all to well from my time living with the Moon Walker Pack. Wolfsbane. My Uncles body completely laced with wolfsbane, as if someone had stabbed him repeatedly with it.And while Wolfsbane was deadly while in its purest form, even in small doses it could still render a wolf powerless for a day if not more depending on how much was given to them.
Gasping now at the sudden realization of what transpired, do I move to try and turn him over onto his back. The need to access his mouth rising.
‘Athena? Darling, what are you doing?’ asks Rick in slight surprise.
“All is not yet lost Uncle Rick. Uncle Alex is still tethered to. But I need to get him onto his back, he was poisoned. With Wolfsbane. I can smell it all over him. I need to act quickly if we want to still save him” I instantly voice so that Ares could hear me as well, the three of us now trying to roll him over onto his back in which we succeed.
‘Athena… Are you sure about this?’ asks Artemis, almost as if she was reading my mind.
‘Yes. It’s the only way to help heal him’ I move to say back to her my hand now lifting up towards Alex’s mouth before I quickly slice open my palm, allowing my blood to flow deep into his mouth.
‘ATHENA’ cry both Ares and Rick, both shocked at what I just did.
“Trust me. I know what I’m doing” I move to say back to them, not voicing the maybe part as I move to give him just enough blood without me fainting before letting Artemis move to heal me. Each of us now waiting. Praying that I wasn’t too late to save him.
Please… Please let this work, I silently pray. My eyes still trained on my uncle including Ares and Rick, each of us holding onto our breath until suddenly we hear it. A groan.
Startled, I instantly jump.
“Uncle Alex?” I call to him, hoping I wasn’t just imagining things.
Groaning again, Alex moves to twitch slightly. My blood being just enough to save him against the Wolfsbane that he had been stabbed with.
“Oh thank GOD. I almost thought we lost you” I cry, instantly moving to wrap my arms around his neck once he was sitting up, my tears now ones of happiness, glad I could bring my uncle back from the brink of death.
“You almost did. Thank you, Athena. You saved us” whispers Alex, his arms coming to wrap themselves around me while he remained in Lycan form, careful not to cut or scratch me with his long claws.
‘Fuck Alex, you had me so worried. I almost thought I lost another brother’ whispers Rick to his brother.
‘You almost did brother. If Athena hadn’t come when she did or had managed to sense the poison I would have died for sure. Elstan was struggling to keep us alive. It’s why you couldn’t feel a pulse from me. He had to slow our heart down long enough to keep our body from pumping it through our system even further’ admits Alex back to his brother. His eyes showing just how sorry that he was for scaring him as he continued to hold Athena within his arms.
‘Nonsense. I’m just glad that your safe and so is our family and that I won’t need to tell Rosalyn why you didn’t return home’ replies Rick once apologies were over with.
“Yes. Let us go home”
Then, as if nothing had just happened do we all move to stand up to leave, Rick and Alex still in their wolf forms including Ares before Ares moves to nudge me gently.
‘You better shift back into wolf form love. No one and I mean no one else gets to see you naked except Eros and I’ whispers Ares through the mate bond causing me to smile.
“Of course love, Of course”
Wanting to please my mate I move to do exactly that, moving to let Artemis take over full control before the four of us move to leave the forest behind us once and for all.