“Mother! Mother! Mother!" Nine-year-old Athena squealed as she ran around the house.
"Athena. Sit down." Brenda laughed at the little girl's excitement.
"But don't you see? it's my birthday I can't possibly be calm." The little girl made it sound like a taboo.
"Yes. Yes. I know. A nine-year-old isn't a baby anymore."
"I thought when one turns six is when they aren't a baby anymore." Cassandra fixed a stare on her.
"Did you lie to me mother?"
" Oh, dear! The pie is burning."
" But there is no pie."
It was too late since Brenda had already made her mistake.
Later in the evening, Cassandra is letting out sobs hiding her face in her palm.
"You mean you aren't my real mother?"
"I'm sorry, but it's true. But I will always see you and treat you as my own."
"No! I will just continue to pretend that you are my mother and that she doesn't exist since she was so wicked to abandon me."
"Athena."
"No! No! No! I hate her. I hate her. I hate her."
And she ran up to her room crying.
Brenda couldn't find it in herself to tell a nine-year-old that her mother had been burnt alive. She had told Athena that her mother was a very busy woman who lived far away and had entrusted Brenda with her care. It's safe to say that this did not sit particularly well with Athena who began to hate her mother.
1877
Werewolf children usually have their first shift at the age of six. Athena had turned nine and no shift seemed forthcoming.
"Athena."
"Yes, mother."
She answered in the withdrawn demeanor she had adopted ever since the realization.
"I want you to learn how to defend yourself."
"Okay. I'll hire you a personal trainer."
"Is that necessary?"
"Yes, my dear."
"Okay, mother."
1879
Athena was eleven now and still hasn't shifted. But due to all the training she had been receiving from all angles, she could fight off two of her age mates simultaneously even if they were in werewolf form. The fighting and the excessive training seemed to be where her passion went whilst she became more distant.
1884
At sixteen having inherited her mother's extraordinary beautiful looks, Athena had started to attract a lot of male attention. When Athena was a child Brenda had thought that by the time Athena was this age she would have to be beating off boys off the door with a broomstick or a pot. But everyone was so scared of Athena that no one male or female dared to approach her, saving Brenda the stress. She sighed. She was strangely looking forward to chasing boys away with mopping sticks and boiling water.
She walked up to Athena looked at her then said.
"Athena, I want to tell you something." She remained as she was, not turning around to acknowledge her. But Brenda was used to it.
"Let me tell you the true story about your mother."
**
It wasn't until Brenda finished narrating the tale of werewolves and her mother that Athena finally turned around to face, the anger and hate that became a constant in her eyes was now tenfold, but this time directed at her Father.
"I will avenge her." She vowed.
Brenda drew back at her tone and words. She had expected tears or perhaps a tantrum. What had happened to the sweet little girl who hid between the folds of her skirts.
1894
At twenty-six they had lost hope of her ever-shifting. But she became the most sought-after soldier on the continent from time to time she gets summonsed by different packs to help train the soldiers.
Though it was usually when those packs were out of options, because they had a problem with Athena, apart from the fact that she turned the men's head the wrong way. Whether it was the firstborn Alpha blood in her or just her stubbornness but Athena never took orders from anyone be it a soldier of the highest rank or an Alpha himself. She only did what she wanted and she always got away with it because against their will, they respected her not to mention she was good. Better than their best soldiers sometimes even the Alphas.
"I leave tomorrow, mother."
"Farewell, my dear."
But the journey was not to be made.
No sooner than Cassandra had left the house did she hear Brenda scream. She quickly went back into the house and saw the one person she cared about on the floor.
"Mother, what happened." She knelt beside her.
"The Alpha…" She coughed.
"What about the Alpha?" Athena asked, slowly panicking
"I come from a line of what they call king's women. When…..when I was born," she said as she spoke she coughed and blood emerged from her mouth and she took her breaths in gasps.
"My life force was linked to your father, the Alpha in such a way that if I died nothing would happen to him but if he died-"
She coughed up more blood.
" You die." Athena completed it for her.
"Listen, Athena. I have never requested anything from you but today can I ask you for something?"
"Go ahead."
"Two."
"I'm listening."
"If it's not too much I want to be buried in my proper place back at Antarti pack there is a place where midwives are buried."
"Consider it done."
"The second. Please Cassandra…. forgive your father." And with those words, she took her last breath, just before Cassandra uttered one word.
"Never."
Athena close the eyelids of the woman who had raised and nurtured her. And placed her body in a carriage and rode the carriage.And rode to the place her birth mother was murdered. The place where she was given birth to. The place where she would bury her mother. The place they had run away from.A place that was supposed to be home.After a slow journey of seven hours, she decided to stop for a bit by a pond so the horses could rest and water. She found a nice patch of grass for the horse and she lowered herself under an apple tree after eating some of its fruits. Knowing the well-trained battle horses were watching her, she drifted off to a strange and alluring sleep.She was eight again in her bedroom with her mother."Mother?""Yes, my dear.""Why does everyone hate me?""They don't hate you. You're different. You're special."Then she was her twelve-year-old self midst hundreds of people watching a beautiful set afire.Then she was an adult in a field of roses, And then in the d
ANTARTI PACK.There was chaos everywhere. The Alpha had been murdered in cold blood. It was unheard of in the history of the Antarti pack. And if an Alpha could have been killed with all the security around him, then no one was safe. Athena finished burying her mother where she requested. It was easy since no one was paying attention to her.After the odd man had left she decided to heed her birth mother she sent a telegram to her best man to acquire as many soldiers as he could and send them to Antarti pack ahead of her camouflaged.She had already seen about fifteen of them spread out amongst the people.She lingered around people long enough to understand that the first son the Alpha had sired died in childbirth and the second wife he took after the king's execution had given birth to another son who was now nowhere to be found since the incident happened.Athena knew the people had been told the first child died during childbirth. The funny part was how she was being referred to
"Kill him."He hadn't seen this coming, hadn't expected it at all, at least not this way.He had always thought his cára would be one of the official's daughters and was just waiting for the sextuplets to turn seventeen so that he would be sure which was his future Luna.He did not expect his cára to be someone he has never heard of or seen judging by her beauty, regalia, composure, and silent demeanor. He almost believed what crazed fellows who refer to themselves as scientists say about another world the same as ours but very different in its entirety because this enchantress must have fallen from there.When he had made her acquaintance for the first time he had been baffled by her. We're she a human she would have cowered in fear at the events that had happened or at least show some sign of bewilderment, and if she were a werewolf she would have immediately felt the mating bond as he had, but from all signs, she didn't feel a single thing -except scorn may be- toward him till when
Antarti packShe heard someone rhythmically tap twice at her door."Come."The door was opened by the footman who announced that the gamma requested an audience with her.The second time the door opened and slowly closed she heard him limping in on one good leg and a wooden one. She didn't see the need to turn to face him, she already knew all she wanted to know about him. "My Queen. I must first apologize for the unwelcome atmosphere you were faced with when you arrived. You see, never in the history of our kind has a-""A what?"She cut him off daring him to complete his sentence."A…. a unique person like yourself rule a pack, and Antarti pack, the giants of packs as we are usually referred to as, is just ah…. Uncertain as to how to help you in order not to wear you out.""You think me incapable," she asked, looking at him intensely"No..no uh…yes.""I will rule my people as I deem fit I don't need your advice. Do you have any other thing you think my attention should be brought to
“Jealous now are we," he smirked liking that she was jealous of someone she doesn’t know"Out.""What? You're not throwing any more knives?" He feigned surprise."No.""And here we are. Back to mono wordings.""Out.""No. You sit down it's time you listen to what I have to say."She remained in her standing position."Very well, stand if you wish. I had a dream I saw someone I assume was your mother. She led me to you."She waited for him to continue as she recalled her dream."It was strange. She knew my name and she was burning in the fire." he continued"What?""It wasn't burning her though. She seemed immune. I knew it wasn't a normal dream so I followed it and it led me to you.""You were led by your dream?" she asked. Surprised that someone would be stupid enough to follow a dream"I know it sounds silly. I was even asked if my long-lost brothers will come to shove me into a well since I'm Joseph." He laughed."You're not.""I know," he replied"It doesn't make sense," she said,
The Beta whom she had spoken with the day before informed her of the five subdivisions each consisting of ten members that are supposed to help with the Alpha duties. Assistants of sorts he had gently said.The first person came forward a man that seemed in his early fifties."I am the head of the Jaguars. My name is Reynold."I am the eyes of the Tigers. My name is Sir Damien."Alex leaned closer to Athena and whispered. " I feel like they are calling themselves body parts."In the background, Athena heard."……heart of the cheetahs." "Definitely labeling themselves as body parts and animals."A man with generously endowed lips walked forward and dramatically began."I come forth to present myself as the descendant of great soldiers who fought to protect and defend women. Back in the 1500s, my ancestors were known as the defenders and protectors of women. We have weathered a lot when it comes to the pro-" Protecting and defending women, am I right?" Alex finished and the man he had cut off gl
He looked at the huge desk in front of her littered with paperwork, letters waiting to be read and answered, missives waiting to be approved, and different invitations to be accepted or declined."That seems like an awful lot of work." He watched as she read a letter."You can ask for help you know." She folded the letter and added it to a pile."Alright then, don't ask. I unlike you am not blinded by arrogance so I'll just offer my help like the humble person I am." She began to scribble something on a paper complete;y ignoring him"Where shall I sit?"She folded the paper and stamped it with the pack's seal and rang for a servant."I have a feeling you are deliberately ignoring me." Someone knocked on the door."Enter." She called. And as the door opened, a footman walked in."Take this to the household of the Buchanans," she said"Yes, my King." The servant bowed and turned to leave. "Bring me something to sit on. Preferably one made from feathers."The servant took in his di
Someone was coming.Her eyes snapped, she sat up and looked at the timepiece she had set on the table next to her bed; 5 o'clock and ten minutes. It was a gift from Brenda when she had turned eighteen, it was a small clock engraved in a wood carving of an Alpha wolf.Its purpose was to remind her of who she was but whenever she looked at it she mostly saw how weak she was, an Alpha who can't shift.How perfectly embarrassing. Seconds later she heard a knock on the door. "Enter." "My King." A servant entered with 6 others in tow and bowed. "Speak." "We bear gifts from your admirers." When she heard who the admirers were she scoffed. Just as she had expected. At six o'clock and two minutes the door opened and someone entered.She didn't need to look up to know who it was, much to her dismay she sensed him, felt his presence.As soon as he entered he noticed her first of course, wearing a black morning gown sitting at her table one leg resting atop the other while she signed and