Athena Laurent

"Please remind me why I can't kill him right now."

"Because a witch enchanted the packhouse and we will be killed if we try to break in," Athena answers, to which Darius releases an annoyed growl. "We have to wait, Darius. I know it's infuriating, but we have to be patient."

"I have been patient; I've already waited six years," he retorts. Athena sighs. She knows nothing she says will make him feel better. He understands what's at stake and she knows he wouldn't put her in any unnecessary danger, but she can't blame him for being frustrated. Hell, everyone in his situation would be thirsty for action.

From the moment they had decided they would take back Darius's pack, the planning started. Everybody gathered around the fireplace and they immediately started brainstorming for the perfect plan. Denise proved herself to be an extremely clever strategist who knew a lot of tricks to trap a werewolf. While she seemed very proud of her knowledge, Athena saw Leon and Demir watch her with narrowed eyes. Darius couldn't care less; he was prepared to use all the information he can get to free his pack from a rotten alpha.

----

"We need a distraction. If the pack warriors aren't around, he can't order them to attack us. I don't want to kill my own pack when our goal is to save them. There has to be a way to keep them safe," Darius says; his eyebrows stuck in a permanent frown. Even Athena couldn't ease his worries these days, the burning reminder his sister is still in the hands of a psychopath keeps him on edge and a second away from shifting.

"Perhaps, I can disable their mind link. If we keep the alpha away from everyone while he can't use his telepathic abilities, he can't order them to fight us," Athena suggests to the group and they nod in agreement. "Can you really do that?" Demir asks her. She nods. "I think so, but I have to be close to the borders."

"So, we'll still need a good distraction," Denise murmurs. She looks at Darius. "What kind of diversion will keep them preoccupied?"

"Will a shifting leopard do?" That must be Shani. Leon doesn't follow much later. "Absolutely not!" Athena isn't sure he's even aware of how quickly he turned down her answer. Their bond is getting stronger by the day and the longer he fights it, the stronger it gets. Maybe it's a good thing because how long can Shani keep playing this game with him? She needs answers. She needs assurance he's going to be there for her or not.

"Why not? I am faster than any werewolf; I'm the best diversion we have!"

"It's too dangerous."

"I can go with her," Hinote offers. Shani nods gratefully. "That can work. We'll distract some guards. Everyone will be on the lookout for us, and the few people who do notice you, you can take down if necessary."

"That already sounds like a plan, but we still need to see the inside of the pack. We need information on where the guards are, when they change, how many there are, otherwise it's impossible to even get in. We need the element of surprise and we need to be certain the alpha stays inside for a certain amount of time because that's how long we have," Denise interrupts.

"I can make myself invisible. I can check the pack without anybody noticing," Athena suggests. Darius wraps an arm around her before telling her they will go together. "I knew a hybrid as a mate would come in handy. We'll go together; I've been there before, we'll be quick."

---------------

And so, here they are. After they said their goodbyes to the rest of the group, the two of them had run to the border separating the neutral territory from Alpha Tyson's. Their scent, their bodies, and their sounds will be invisible as long as he holds onto Athena, which shouldn't be too hard in their case. Now, they are approaching the packhouse and Athena has to restrain him to not go in there. He knows they can't.

"Look what he did to my home, Athena," Darius whispers. He sounds defeated while he looks around his former pack. He points to a deserted playground. "I used to play here every day. With my friends or with Annika. We'd try to sneak into the forest but the guards always brought us back immediately. They were so tired of babysitting us."

Darius stiffens when a sudden wave of wind hits us. "Annika," he murmurs, taking another deep breath. "She's here, she's really alive." Darius crushes her hand to show his relief and excitement. His breath becomes a little unsteady after sensing the first proof his sister is actually alive. The hope he had felt since that soldier told him just kept growing and to finally smell her scent is indescribable. "You want to see her? We can sneak into her room? She just wouldn't know you're there," Athena says and immediately she feels him pulling her towards his sister's scent. Following the trail, they end up before a closed door, Darius's nervousness is very perceptible.

Athena murmurs a spell and they move through the wall. There she is, Annika Ivanov, breathing. Alive. She can't see them, but she does look nervous. Her dark blond hair falls loosely over her shoulders while she paces throughout her room. Darius's hand squeezes mine when he notices a giant bruise on her shoulder and when they watch her longer, they notice her breathing isn't fully steady. "What did they do to her?" His eyes are glistening due to the tears emerging. Athena can imagine all the terrible scenarios racing through his head right now.

They are startled when the door opens and quickly closes again within a split second. Beside her, Athena feels Darius's anger rise and it's definitely fueled by the wolf that just entered his sister's room. "What is that bastard doing here?" he hisses and follows him with squinted eyes. Athena doesn't have to guess if Darius knows the wolf who just walked in; the hatred in his eyes indicates they have met before. Her eyes widen when she sees the wolf walk towards Annika, touching her cheek, and then pressing his lips on hers. Beside her, Darius is close to exploding and before Athena can stop him, he jumps towards the couple; becoming visible. Without any warning, he throws the young wolf against the wall. "How dare you come in her room, how dare you even look at her, you sick son of a bitch."

"Stop, let him go. Please! Annika yells desperately, but Darius doesn't move a muscle and keeps the wolf tightly in place, causing him to turn a little red. For some reason, he doesn't look at Darius, who seems close to ripping off his head, his attention is on someone else in the room. Darius looks aside and catches the eye of his sister. Annika, whose face was filled with horror before, is now staring at Darius in shock. "D-Darius?" she whispers, blinking her eyes to check if she's really seeing what she thinks she's seeing.

Her face changes again when she realizes Darius is not releasing the wolf she was kissing before. "Darius, stop!" Annika says, louder this time; the rest of her body seems paralyzed, but luckily her voice still works. When Annika yelled her brother's name, the wolf finally looks at Darius and his eyes widen in shock. "Darius? You're here? You're alive?"

"Yes, no thanks to your father, Christopher. Tell me, how does it feel to become alpha of my pack," her mate shouts against the powerless werewolf.

"Darius, stop, you're killing him. You don't want to do that," Athena says, making her voice audible for him. Clearly, she's seeing the situation much more than her mate at the moment. The longing face Annika sent Christopher, followed by a frightened one when Darius threw him against the door didn't escape her. She knew what it meant. Darius ignores her, so she makes herself entirely visible too and repeats her words slowly. "Let him go, Darius."

"Why?" he growls. Not at her, but at the wolf still pinned against the wall.

"Because he's my mate," a voice says. Darius turns around immediately after those words, surprise written in his eyes. Christopher's feet land surprisingly smoothly on the ground and he walks directly back to his mate. Annika Ivanov.

"He's your mate?" Darius asks in disbelief. Annika nods and casts her mate a loving glance, causing Darius to growl again. "He is your mate? How? His father murdered our family, our family, Annika." Darius sounds desperate and Athena reaches out to him, making him take a few steps back from his sister and her mate.

"Chris is nothing like his father, Darius. He's kind and sweet; he makes me happy."

Darius scoffs at her answer and wants to say something back. The anger inside him makes his eyes change color and Athena knows he's close to losing from his alpha-side. She pinches his hand hard to get his attention and whispers to him before he can talk. "Darius, everything you want to say to her right now, you'll regret later, trust me. Let them talk."

A long silence follows. Great, now everybody stops talking. She thinks. Next to her, Darius has calmed down a little bit, but she's afraid he will burst if he starts a conversation. So, she decides to do the one thing she can do.

"Hello, I'm Athena, it's nice to meet you, Annika... and Christopher," Athena says, offering her hand to her mate's sister. "You too," Annika responds, switching her gaze from Athena to Darius back to Athena in confusion. "I'm his mate," Athena answers her undoubtedly unsaid question.

"What are you?" Christopher asks, visibly intrigued. She can imagine why since they both just appeared out of nowhere.

"She's an enchantress," Darius says. He wanted to sound intimidated, but pride dominates his voice. Athena is glad he keeps her vampire side hidden for now; her existence could make this situation even more awkward and she's certain Darius wants to avoid that.

He turns towards his sister again. "What happened to you, Annika, I thought you were dead." Now, his voice has softened abruptly and a smile appears on his face when he looks into his sister's eyes. It's been six years. How must he feel right now?

For Annika, the positive development in his eyes and voice is enough to jump forward and dive in her brother's arms. "I've missed you so much, I can't believe you're really here," she sobs, letting the tears fall on his shoulders. They don't seem to mind.

"I'm so sorry, I should have come back sooner, I'm so sorry," he whispers, not fighting the tears from pouring out of his eyes. "It's not your fault, I'm just so glad to see you," Annika answers.

"So, what happened to you?"

"Chris saved me, he convinced his father to let me and mother live."

"Mom's alive?"

"Yes, yes, we are both fine."

"Does he know you two are mates?"

"No," Chris says abruptly. "And he never will as long as he lives. "

"Why not?"

"Because he'll kill her if he finds out."

Darius's eyes darken after Christopher's answer. "Why?"

"Because she keeps me human and if he knew that, he'll take her away." Annika looks at the ground somberly, but suddenly raises her eyes; a hint of surprise is written in them. "Darius, why are you here right now?"

In a few sentences, Darius explains to her and Christopher what had happened to them these last few days. About their small group and that they wanted to avoid this pack. How they were attacked despite that and how he found out she was alive. "We want to take back the pack, Annika."

"You what?"

Darius looks at Christopher, unsure if he can continue. "Don't hold back Darius, I know what you want to do and I'm not going to stop you. On the contrary," he says, wrapping his arms around his mate. Darius doesn't seem convinced and keeps watching him suspiciously. "If things go according to plan, I might have to kill you father, you do realize that? We can't throw him in the dungeon, an alpha is too powerful to keep alive."

"I know. If I could, I would have done it myself ages ago, but he's still the alpha. I understand it's hard to believe my words, but that man hasn't been my father for a long time. I've done unspeakable things to please him because I couldn't kill him and I have to live with that for the rest of my life. There isn't one happy memory I have of that man, there will be no but-he-was-still-my-father-moment. That man has been dead to me the minute he threatened to hurt Annika. The only way I could convince him to let her live was to say she'd be a good, obedient wife for me. I knew she was my mate the moment I saw her, but I could never show her my love because he would have killed her if I did. He thought he could make me strong and powerful by making me the monster he is."

He smiles at Annika who blushes underneath his adoring gaze. "She has kept me sane for these past few years; she's the only reason I haven't turned into my father." Clearly, his explanation convinces Darius he's on their side. Still, Darius looks at Athena to confirm her thoughts are aligned with his. This small gesture warms her heart; she's valuable to him; her opinion matters. She answers with a small nod and that's enough for Darius to tell Annika and Christopher their plans and within minutes they're engaged in a conversation.

Athena knows Darius would never admit it, but Christopher Tyson gave them more information than they could have hoped for. He knew everything about pack security, but could also tell them who's really loyal to his father and who's only pretending for their own safety.

"So, do you have like an army or so?" Christopher asks.

Darius grins humorlessly. "Something like that."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Annika, I promise," Darius whispers when he wraps his arms around his sister. "Be careful, okay," she says, "I'd rather have a living brother I can't see than a dead one."

"Don't worry, nothing will happen to him," Athena says, placing her hand on Annika's shoulder before taking Darius's hand to become invisible again. I'm gonna make damn sure of that.

---

Back in their place in the forest – at a safe distance from the pack – Athena has taken a moment to think about what they're going to do tomorrow. Has it only been three weeks since she left London? The memory of Alexis guiding her to their sacred place, receiving the scroll; her mentor's last words to her. "I believe in you, but please...please come back." Would Alexis be proud of her right now? Or would she think it's foolish to help Darius since she's given the most dangerous job in the world to finish? She honestly doesn't know what Alexis would say to her if she knew. Her mentor respects an unbreakable bond, but for her, duty is often as important. But Alexis is an enchantress, a witch. She doesn't understand what it feels like to have a mate. If she knew, she would approve. Athena can only hope Alexis understands because one thing she does know for certain; Darius is her mate and she feels with every bone in her body that she has to help him. She has never in her life felt this connected to anyone and there is no way she's turning her back from him when he needs her the most.

"Athena?" Darius is gazing at her, probably trying to figure out where her thoughts went.

"Yes?"

"Walk with me?"

They walk in the forest; the way is clear and their surroundings are quiet. Calm before the storm. She reaches out to him and their fingers intertwine.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?"

"I'm ready for the fight, but I don't think I'm prepared for what comes after. If I win, I'll become alpha and although my father prepared me, I'm not sure the pack will allow it. What if they hate me? For abandoning them? For letting a madman take over the pack?"

"Darius, they know there was nothing to be done six years ago. Until today, invading the territory would have been a suicide mission. Nobody likes that awful truth, but tomorrow, things will change."

"We haven't won yet, you know. Things could go wrong..."

"We are not losing anyone, Darius."

"I don't know how I ever deserved you?" he murmurs against her skin. She giggles, feeling her desire firing up in her chest. "Do you want to mark me?" Darius' eyes grow big when the question leaves her mouth; he simply nods while placing a couple of kisses on her neck. "Are you sure? Don't you want to wait until we have more privacy and uhm... a bed?"

"I don't need a cozy bed or a private bedroom. I only need you and I want everybody to know," she whispers, her voice croaked because of the pressure he places on her neck.

"Unless you want to wait for a bed?" Athena grins wickedly. Darius groans and attacks her neck once more. "I am a strong and masculine werewolf, Athena. The forest is my home, and who needs a soft bed when you're here," he whispers. So smooth, this mate of mine. I wouldn't want him any other way.

He withdraws from her neck for a second and watches her sheepishly. "I still brought you a blanket, though. In case you would get cold." This man. I can't even. It makes Athena laugh; silly werewolf. "How would I get cold when I'm pushed against your warm body?" She asks.

"I can imagine how the cold wind can reach your body, my mate," he whispers happily which fuels my excitement and curiosity.

"Do tell."

"How about, I show..." he says when he brings his hands to the bottom of her shirt. His warm fingers touch her hips for a second before he slowly pulls her shirt up, releasing her from the piece of fabric separating her body from the cold, evening temperatures in the forest. The cool breeze now tickles her collar and her naked shoulders, but she barely feels it. The fire lighting up inside her keeps her warm, fueled by Darius's desiring eyes and his fingers touching every inch of her upper body. His mouth is still on hers, claiming her. She likes this alpha side of him, he makes her feel like she's the only thing in the world worth breathing for. It takes her breath away.

His soft lips are rubbing her neck, finding every sensitive spot that causes her to moan. She removes her hair, giving Darius all the space he needs. With his mouth searching for the perfect place, Athena's mind is blurry; she only feels his lips against her skin, his fingers dancing over her body, and his warm, muscular chest tightly pressed against her. There is nothing else she'd rather want right now. Another moan slips her mouth when he licks the place he chose to put his mark. It's perfect. He sucks on the skin, making it even more sensitive than before, increasing her desire to wear his mark by the second.

Do it! She doesn't have to say it out loud, Darius understands her and knows exactly what she wants. Not wasting another second, he sets his teeth in her neck. An explosion of his scent blending with hers races through her body, with her neck in the center of the overwhelming feeling of desire. "If you want to, I'm all yours, Athena," he says breathlessly, staring directly into her eyes, visibly enjoying the effect his mark has on her. An exciting feeling rushes through her; she wants to set her teeth in his amazing skin, but she knows she has to attain herself. For now.

"Darius, if I mark you now, you won't be able to sleep the next couple of hours; vampire venom and all. You need your rest for tomorrow," she says regretfully.

"Fuck that." He murmurs, clearly not thinking straight. His mouth is on hers again, making her forget what she wanted to say. "We can't Darius, I'm serious. But perhaps, I can give you a temporary one. We wouldn't want people to think you're still available, now, would we?" she says while approaching his neck with her mouth. "We definitely would not," he answers softly when her lips touch him and she starts exploring him. She starts exploiting the skin she has chosen for her mark; every second her mouth is on the spot; he's showing her how much he enjoys it. "Right here, Darius. Be patient."

He groans. "You know I'm not." They end with their lips touching each other. "The permanent one will have to wait until we're not in danger for at least a few hours," Athena says, regretting her decision to be patient immediately. Don't do it, Athena. You know it's for the best.

"Damn, that could be months from now..."

"Goddess, I hope not."

"Me neither."