Athena Laurent

"Did you even sleep at all?"

Athena jerks up when she hears Shani's voice behind her. Is it morning already? It must be. She looks at Shani, whose mouth has formed itself into a wide grin. She can guess why. The she-wolf has found her and Darius in a sweet, but embarrassing position. The space between them had become narrower as the dark hours progressed until there wasn't any left. Right now, Darius's arm is around her shoulder and she has lowered herself on his chest. She had taken this position when she had felt sleepy at one point, but the moment she fell asleep simply never came.

Talking to Darius for the whole night has made Athena realize, she unconsciously has been pushing a lot of people away. On her journeys, there have been people who wanted to get to know her, but she always rejected them, not ready for any kind of friendship. The fear of being abandoned has always seemed to lurk from a small distance, ready to take everyone away she has ever cared for. Even with Alexis, she never talked about anything other than business. The kind words she spoke to Athena the last time they saw her, surprised her more than she was willing to admit.

She knows, she keeps her distance from everybody, but that's how she was able to stay alive thus far. When she met Shani, she immediately felt the invisible force tearing down the wall she had built around herself. She couldn't explain it, but she knew it was her mind telling her to have some faith in Shani. Even then, she kept her at arms-length, unsure what to do with her own thoughts, but now, her heart is telling her too to let these people in; to let that wall crumble like a sandcastle being engulfed by a new wave of hope.

"Are you guys hungry?" Shani asks, dividing the leftovers she and Athena had collected from yesterday. The morning is cold, mainly because of a sharp wind rushing through the forest. Everybody nod and get a piece of the leftovers, although Demir says immediately he'll go hunting because "this little piece of bread won't be enough to keep this body working," while pointing at his exposed, muscular stomach. Besides a giggle from Shani, nobody responds.

"So, how did you guys meet?" Shani asks Demir and Darius once they're all together for breakfast. Darius smiles when his mind replays the - apparently very funny- memory of their meeting. "We met four years ago; it was actually quite similar to our meeting. But unlike you, I was looking for a companion. A lone wolf is weak and an easy target and I thought Demir looked...tolerable. The bastard almost ripped my throat out while I only wanted to talk, so I floored him and threw him in the water. After that, we agreed to stick together and we have been ever since that moment."

"That makes total sense," Shani replies amused. Demir nods approvingly. Athena admits it's a much funnier story than her meeting with Shani. A shiver runs through her body when she sees the images of Shani's broken body before her again. Wouldn't she even be here if she had never met Shani? Probably not.

"So, where did you travel to?" Shani asks further, curious to know every single detail there is to know about the two mysterious werewolves they met by accident. "We've travelled a lot through Europe; I'm pretty sure we've visited every country in these last few years. We wanted to go to America, but we've decided to wait because we were both not comfortable with traveling with humans... besides, Europe is big enough, we haven't seen all of it yet...not by a long shot," Demir answers.

Questions and their answers fly back and forth between the four of them. And it's only morning. After half an hour, Demir and Darius leave for their hunt, which gives Shani and Athena the time to catch up where they left off before Athena met Darius. The moment the two wolves leave, Shani has closed the distance between herself and Athena and is now watching her in anticipation. "Tell me everything."

And so, Athena tells her everything. From the moment the first words flee her mouth, her excitement grows and she keeps talking about all the things she and Darius talked about. The happiness spreading in her body, from her stomach to her head and toes is something she hasn't felt in a long time. She knows what's causing it, and she wants to express her gratitude to the one responsible. But how?

When the boys return from their hunt, they all gather together again.

"So, what's the plan?" Darius asks while he puts on a shirt. Athena doesn't answer right away since she's too busy staring at her mate. When Shani pokes her arm, she's present again. "Well, we have to go back to the human world, at least to pick up all our stuff. After that, we'll see," she answers. "I know you don't know the human world very well, and I am more than capable to spend some time in the forest, but I think we should give the human world a chance, at least for a few days. I promise you, once you've tasted the luxury of showers and food that wasn't alive two minutes before you ate it, you don't want to leave anymore."

"I'm willing to try," Darius answers.

"Yeah, it'll an adventure," Demir says excitedly.

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"This is terrible, why is everything so crowded?"

"Because humans actually like other humans; they enjoy each other's company, unlike us supernatural creatures, whose instinct is to kill first and ask questions later," Athena says, enjoying the busy streets and the teasing discomfort she puts her new friends through. "Oh, come on, it's not that bad, just try to blend in," she tries, but all three of them seem to want to be anywhere else. Preferable a quiet forest where they can let their wolves out and kill some innocent deer. Athena can't wait to let them taste some freshly baked hamburgers; surely, they won't want to go back to raw meat, right?

They've already rented a new car and all their stuff is loaded. Darius and Demir own very little, which is a relief because there isn't much room in a human car for four supernatural creatures. Athena has proposed to get something to eat before they leave again and everyone agreed and so they're waiting in line for their promised hamburger. Within minutes they receive eight beautifully baked pieces of meat on a questionable-looking bread, exactly how Athena likes it. They weren't sure about her wanting to order two for each, but when they take their first bite, their minds are changed in a second.

"This is amazing."

"A match made in heaven."

"I'm ditching you, Darius; I found my new best friend."

"You all had hamburgers before, right?" Athena questions them; their reaction seems a little bit over the top unless it really is their first time.

"Yes, but it has been years," Demir answers while Shani shakes her head at the same time. "I wasn't allowed to eat meat; I survived on vegetables, rice, and potatoes." They all stare at her unbelievably, what kind of pack doesn't allow their members to eat meat? Athena knew Shani's old pack treated her terribly, but the more her friend talks, the more she realizes how isolated she has been. Making her a target, an exception from the rest of the pack. It's disgusting.

"Shit," Athena hisses when she feels the presence of two vampires. The others sense it too and their eyes start to wander over the crowd. "There they are, what are the odds?" Shani asks. Athena wants to hide their scents and curses herself she didn't do it before they went to the city, but she soon realizes she's too late; they've already seen their group. How did they find her already? She's been so careful.

"We can't draw attention to ourselves, we have to remain invisible," she whispers to the rest while the two vampires approach them. One wears a confident smirk, the other looks at them darkly; the threat he poses visible in his eyes. "This is an interesting group, isn't it?" The smirk-wearing one says, watching them one by one. "A wolf, a wolf, another wolf, and a witch, are you lost, ma belle fleur." Athena stiffens involuntarily but shakes quickly her head. "I'm not," she answers them, trying to hide the French accent that sometimes slips her tongue.

"Are you sure? It's quite unorthodox for a witch to be traveling with these... dogs," the other one says, causing Darius to step forward. "She says, she's fine," he growls while grabbing her hand automatically. Shit.

"A witch and a werewolf, mating? I thought the world couldn't be crazier already," the vampire grins, making the blood in her veins boil. The vampire sees it, "you're a feisty witch, aren't you." he says, moving towards her. "I like those." Disgusting pig.

"Not. Another. Step," Darius snarls, pushing Athena protectively behind him. Amazement washed over her, followed by a deep, deep fury. Who does he think she is? Some weak girl who cannot stand up from herself? The vampire chuckles due to Darius's possessive behaviour, making her mate even more furious. "So reckless, putting up a fight in the human world, you know the punishment for that, right?" Athena is quite certain Darius doesn't know the penalty is death, but she's also positive he doesn't really care at the moment.

She conjures the required energy from her body and snaps her finger. Instantly, the vampires stop moving; only their eyes can move. Where there was amusement only a few seconds ago, there is now only panic left. Darius turns around, stunned by the vampires before him. "Act normal," Athena only whispers, still angry at him for pushing her to the side. The vampires aren't dead and they won't be when she's finished with them, they'll only forget a certain meeting that took place today. She knows who these two vampires are, she knew the moment she heard their broken English; they're from the French vampire clan, her old home.

One thing she knows for certain, it's not a coincidence they're here. They are looking for something; the question is, are they trying to find the scroll, or her? It doesn't matter, they won't remember either of those things. With her mind, she erases every trace of herself and the group from their mind. She stops herself from searching deeper in their mind, she knows she will not like what she sees. It's better to not see it at all then.

"Let's go," Athena gestures to the door, indicating they should leave quickly. In a minute, they'll wake up and it's best if they aren't around at that time anymore. "What did you do to them, Athena?" Shani asks curiously. "I wiped their minds, well, a part of their minds. In their story, they never saw us."

"That's extremely clever," Demir says approvingly.

"Yes, I know. It's in any case much better than provoking a bloody fight," she hisses, looking at Darius. He only raises his eyebrow, apparently confused about her anger towards him.

"What the hell were you thinking, Darius? Which part of 'blend in' and 'be invisible' didn't you get? Athena lashes out. "I was handling the situation, even before you barged in and showed your displeasure towards them, why you couldn't just stand down?"

"They threatened you!"

"They were testing us. There wasn't any danger, Darius, in fact, you made it worse by interfering. If one day, there is an actual danger, you're free to be angry and aggressive, hell, then I want you to be enraged, it will keep you alive, but today, there were better ways to handle the situation. Besides, I am capable of fighting my own battles; you are always welcome beside me, but if I ever want you to fight for me, you'll know. "

"It is my first instinct to protect you, Athena. You're my mate. Going against that instinct is unnatural and wrong."

"I'm not asking you to ignore it. I want you to review the situation as is it. I want you to look at me and acknowledge I have the situation under control and accept you don't need to intervene. I want you as my mate, not as a bodyguard."

"Why can't I be both? Is it so difficult for you that I just want to protect you? I know you are strong and more than capable of dealing with everything that comes your way, I do, but that doesn't mean you should have to deal with all of it alone..."

"I am used to doing things alone, it's all I know, Darius, I can't just throw that overboard, just like you can't ignore your instincts," she says, sounding more frustrated than angry at the end, something Darius also seems to notice. His eyes suddenly soften, which calms them both down instantly. "Well then, he says carefully, "It's a good thing then we'll have something that can help us adjust to our new dynamics." Athena raises an eyebrow at his soft tone and surprising words. He only smiles at her, placing a kiss on her cheek. She isn't convinced enough of her anger anymore to push him away. "What is that?" she asks confused. He answers with a big grin.

"Time."

Athena smiles too now, she couldn't stop it, even if she wanted to, and wraps her arms around his neck, placing her head on his chest. She suddenly looks up, staring directly into his eyes. "Oh, but one more thing, Darius." Her voice is sweet and this time Darius raises an eyebrow.

"Yes?" He says carefully.

"Never, ever push me away like that again. Or I will break your fingers one teeny-tiny bone at a time."

Demir and Shani, who were watching their small discussion with curious and amused eyes, now join them again. The vampires have put them on edge again and they silently all agree they have to change their plans. Athena sighs, "I'm afraid a soft bed and a human breakfast will have to wait. As long as they're vampires so close to us, we have to be careful."

"Do you think they were here for a reason; I mean, it could have been a coincidence we ran into them?" Demir says, clearly not believing his own words. If there is anything certain in the supernatural world, it's that there is no such thing as coincidence.

"Well, it's suspicious they show up in the same place where an ambassador of the coven in England is staying. I'm bringing some important documents to the Pack in the North by order of the coven in England, maybe they're after that?" The lie left her mouth so naturally, she's ashamed of it, but she has no idea how to tell them the truth. Athena knows they were here for her, there is no doubt.

"Okay, so we drive and pick a nice, cosy surface in the forest where we can spend the night," Demir says enthusiastically, clearly not very sad about the fact they're not staying in the human world. Athena grabs the keys from her back and walks towards the driver's seat.

"Ooh Athena, can I drive?" She raises her eyebrow at Demir. "I don't know, can you?" There aren't few supernatural creatures with a driver's license, for the most obvious reason that they don't need it. "I can, I have my license, but I'm asking you if I can drive this car, right now?"

She shrugs her shoulders, "be my guest, it's all yours," she says, throwing the keys in his direction. He catches them, looking excited when he switches seats with Athena. "It's been some time, but I think I can handle you," he whispers to the car, making Athena doubt her decision immediately. She looks at Darius who shakes his head.

"You should not have let him drive."

The first half-hour is a real-life nightmare. "I thought you said you can drive?" Shani shouts at him when she almost hits her head for the fourth time. "It's very different from the last time I drove," he yells back. "And when was that exactly?" Demir brings his lips together, thinking about the answer. "Four years, maybe five, I don't know, it's not like you have to keep practicing. When you know, you know it forever."

"I'm not entirely sure that statement applies to driving a car," Darius says dryly.

"Sure, it does."

"Well, I've actually seen drivers who were worse than you, Demir," Athena says to him, causing him to smirk confidently. "Don't get cocky, you're still terrible, but I'm getting more certain we're not going to die today." It took a long, exhausting hour, but eventually, he got the steering wheel under control, which allowed Athena to sit back and relax. She's secretly happy she doesn't have to drive, not when she can also spend time with Darius. Their fight was easily forgotten, even though the message they both expressed was not.

The following hours fly by quickly and before they know it, they watch the sun disappear. Athena suggests ditching the car and rents a new one tomorrow; the last hour, they walk into the forest, picking a spot to spend the night. "If it weren't for those stupid vampires, I would be sleeping in a bed tonight," Athena growls displeased. She knows with a little magical guidance, her night would be nothing but amazing, but still. "Oh, come on, you nagging human, it's not that bad," Shani says. "That's easy for you to say, you can all shift if you want to, I'll bet it feels a lot softer when you have a fur coat to protect you from the cold, wet ground." Shani averts her eyes quickly after Athena's comment. Perhaps she doesn't want to shift in front of the guys.

"It is much softer, thank you," Demir says grinning. A few seconds later, he starts to undress, he clearly doesn't have that issue. Before Athena even has the chance to look away, she's spun around, ending in front of Darius, who's sending his friend some murderous looks.

Demir doesn't seem very bothered by it.

In the forest, the night comes early. After launching some protection spells around the area, they all want to sleep. This time, Athena doesn't even think twice before she lays herself down beside him. His arms surround her immediately and she snuggles against his chest. He hugs her tightly and she doesn't feel any reason to complain about it.

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They all wake up when an alarming scream hits them, and it takes Athena only a second to determine it's originating from Shani's mouth. She rushes up and storms towards her friend. Shani is wide awake; she's breathing too quickly and her eyes are glowing. "Shani, calm down, what is going on?" Athena tries placing her hand on Shani's shoulder, but she jerks away, growling at Athena. Within a second, Darius is next to his mate, glaring at the she-wolf. Shani doesn't seem to care; her eyes seem far away under that red glow. Inhumanly fast, she rises, shifts, and runs away. Athena, Darius, and Demir look stunned as she disappears from their sight, not only because they saw the she-wolf run away, but mainly because Shani wasn't a she-wolf at all. In the few seconds, Athena saw Shani after she had shifted, she saw the yellow and black spots on her feline skin. She's a werecat, a shapeshifter gifted to turn into a leopard. "Wow." There weren't many werecats left in the world, Athena thought there weren't any in Europe, but she saw the evidence that that wasn't the case right in front of her. Amazing.

Athena looks at Darius, he looks shocked too, but Athena forces him to snap out of it. Shani didn't look all right; they have to help her. She knows Darius and Demir are thinking the same thing. Athena wants to go after herself, but the fear of revealing her secret is too big. Luckily, she doesn't have to do anything. Darius and Demir both rise up; Darius already lost his shirt as he turns around to Athena again.

"Go, go after her! Quick!" She says, showing the panic in her voice.

They shift and run off quickly, hopefully, they get to her in time before something happens. Werecats are supposed to be a lot faster, where werewolves are stronger. Athena stands up, the urge to run after them is great, she's probably faster than any of them, she can make a difference. This group, this small group of people seem to accept everything that has come their way, would they draw the line by her being a hybrid? No, Athena is certain that they will accept her, no matter who she is. When another scream is heard throughout the forest, she doesn't waste a second and sprints towards her friends.