Athena Laurent

Temporarily destroying a telepathic link is easier than Athena thought it would be. She even managed to cast the spell from outside the pack's borders, making the task trickier but safer at the same time. Now, they have to act fast. Shani and Hinote just left, and Athena's certain they'll return soon. "Come on, it's time," Darius whispers to the ones still present. Leon and Demir look ready to fight; the determination visible in their eyes. It resembles precisely the way Athena feels, and she's confident about her group and their plan. It sounds incredibly silly; three werewolves and a hybrid, ready to run into a gigantic and dangerous pack to kill an alpha. And yet, she has a lot of faith. Perhaps she isn't as realistic as usual - the bond between her and Darius might be preventing it–but she knows the group; she trusts them. Denise has been realistic and a phenomenal strategist. Shani and Hinote are extremely fast and will provide the perfect diversion while she's joined by the strongest werewolves she's ever met. Even so, Athena knows that the powerful individuals aren't the reason she's so calm. It is their union, their group - no, their pack - that's making her confident. Their diversity can create an element of surprise, which is something they're going to need. Desperately.

"Let's go!"

They act fast and run towards the pack. With communications down, the pack will be a bit confused at the moment. Which will hopefully mean there aren't many soldiers coming their way. Even though their scents are still untraceable, Athena's positive the warriors at the border will have some equipment to detect magic in the air. When it was just her and Darius, it was possible to enter the pack without getting caught. But with the four of them, the chances of running in there undetected are extremely low. It's a good thing then we have prepared ourselves for the worst.

"They're coming. Stay close to each other," Darius says softly, no hint of amusement left in his voice. This is it. Athena watches the group of eight approach them at tremendous speed. Now is not the time to get nervous, Athena! Get in together. There are only eight. You've had worse. She scans her surroundings and immediately detects the hatred in the air. These nearing warriors are like the ones they fought before; they were Alpha Tyson's own warriors. They are not the pack-members Darius knows. "Athena, when they're close enough, attack them from behind. We'll wait for them right here," Darius orders her. She nods and makes herself invisible. Now they're certain the group is only approaching them from one angle, they can take their positions. The moment her body disappears, a strange feeling washes over her, as if she suddenly became weightless. Instead of walking, it feels like she's flying above the forest's ground towards the warriors.

The beta is here, she suddenly realizes when a wave of authority hits her. Christopher had warned them his father's second in command takes part in the patrol sometimes. The rest of her group seems to realize it too, but they don't look worried. I'm loving the confidence.

"Stay where you are," the beta says. His voice is low and demanding, and his eyes show her he expects them to flinch. They don't. She walks further behind the warriors while monitoring her mate. The beta and his warriors now seem to realize who he is and Athena's a little impressed they don't show their surprise towards Darius and his liveliness. Instead, the beta growls once and the warriors attack. Her own group of werewolves immediately comes alive to dodge the first wave of punches and kicks. None of the wolves has shifted yet, showing both parties are certain of their upper hand.

Time to mingle in the fight, Athena thinks grimly before making herself visible to blast the wolf closest to her through the sky. Two heads turn around in surprise and she can't stop a grin from crawling up her face. "Hello." Both of the werewolves walk towards her, but Leon's monstrous swing quickly interrupts one. He locks her eyes for a second, and she nods in gratitude before focusing on her opponent. The werewolf in front of her is quite large, but not fast enough to lay a finger on her, and with a little magical help, she's able to knock him out within seconds. The giant body collapses at her feet. Pity.

She awards herself a second to watch Darius. He's amazing. However, her attention switches to Alpha Tyson's beta when she notices him watching and approaching her mate as well. But before she can intervene, Demir dives forward, demanding the beta's attention. Demir doesn't waste any time and gives the first hit. The beta ducks, barely avoiding Demir's punch. The rival werewolf growls angrily and sweeps his arm carelessly towards Demir, who's able to slip under his arm. A kick in the beta's kneecaps forces him to the ground, and with a defeating grunt, he falls in front of Demir. Demir looks up. His face, deadly serious at first, softens instantly when he notices their group is the only one standing. They tie up the eight soldiers in silence while catching their breath and trying to control the adrenaline flowing through their veins. Darius wipes off some sweat that was glistering on his forehead. "If we win this thing, they'll spend some lovely time in jail."

Leon's head suddenly turns around. "There are more coming," he states grimly. Darius frowns while swinging his arms back and forth to stretch them. "What are you picking up, Athena?" he asks her and she quickly examines the atmosphere around the approaching group. "It doesn't seem like this group wants to kill us," she says. But her words don't stop them from eying suspiciously towards the part of the forest the group is coming from. They prepare themselves but Darius stops them abruptly. "Wait." His face relaxes instantly when he catches the eye of the people approaching them. A she-wolf runs towards Darius, but pauses when he's right in front of her. Her face frozen in a shocked expression. "I can't believe you're alive. Your sister just told us, but seeing is believing. It's so good to see you, Darius!" The woman says before wrapping her arms around Athena's mate.

Who is this bitch? And why is Darius smiling at her?

"Madeline, I almost didn't recognize you. Good to see you too," he answers kindly before signalling Athena to grab his hand. She responds eagerly and slips her hand in his. "Guys, this is my mate. Athena, these are the real pack members. My friends," he says proudly. Athena's a bit overwhelmed by the number of eyes fixated on her. "Nice to meet all of you," she manages to say. "Likewise," she hears multiple people respond. Darius hugs more people and quickly introduces Leon and Demir to the group of soldiers.

"Guys, we really need to go," Madeline says. "Your sister had little time to tell us the plan, but she did let it slide that Christopher is currently with his father. Surely, Alpha Tyson must have realized by now the mind link isn't working..." she pauses, and Demir takes over. "Which means we have to get to the packhouse as fast as possible."

Without further dialogue, they run. They run towards the packhouse; towards the end of this fight. Here comes the panic again. Demir stagnates his speed to run beside her. "Remind me not to get on your bad side. Damn, you look dangerous when you're angry," he says to her, his tone light and amused. Really? Now? "Not the time, dude" she murmurs, although a hint of pink colours on her cheek in embarrassment.

"Plus, I don't just look dangerous when I'm angry. I am dangerous."

Demir only chuckles. "I'm just glad I wasn't that she-wolf," he responds softly so only Athena can hear it. She pokes him between the ribs. "Ouch! Don't hurt me. Save your brutality for the real enemies," he says quasi-angry, making her laugh a little. You can say what you want about Demir and his humour, but he knows how to make a tense situation bearable. She feels her fear disappear with every second a chuckle leaves her mouth. Thank you, Demir! The werewolf just smiles at her before running forward.

The sky is blue. She can see it through the leafless trees. It's sunny. What a terrible day to fight. And yet, they're here. And they're ready. This is the moment; if this goes wrong, they're done. She knows the alpha is approaching, probably wondering why the mind link isn't working or why all the warriors are outside. Everybody is watching the door being opened and coming through it is the alpha. Athena isn't sure what she expected alpha Tyson to look like, but she can tell immediately this man is a hateful creature. He's tall and muscular and she recognizes his son Christopher in his features. But where Christopher smiled and looked kind, this man's face is used to broadcast fear. His expression is incredibly intimidating, and she understands why no one could defy him until now.

He sees Darius and his stone-cold expression changes for a second; he's surprised. "You?" Before Alpha Tyson even has the opportunity to bark out an order, which would have removed their advantage, Darius attacks the alpha. He jumps towards the man who took everything from him. His father, his pack, his life. Alpha Tyson has no other choice but to shift. Athena can't help but smile. With the mind link not working, Alpha Tyson can't force his pack into something they don't want to do. But the fight isn't over for them yet, she realizes when a fresh group of Tyson's warriors enters the battlefield. Those bastards don't need their Alpha's orders to attack them.

They run in a tight group towards their fellow pack members, ready to attack them. How quickly things can change. Athena frowns when the group stops and watches a woman step forward. "Watch the scene in front of you, warriors; then decide on whose side you want to be on. We are willing to defend our home." That woman is extremely brave, is all Athena can think. There isn't a single irregular heartbeat or a scent indicating she's afraid to stand directly in front of a group of dangerous warriors. Behind her, two other wolves appear and Athena recognizes them immediately. Annika and Christopher, Darius's sister and her mate. The alpha's son. They must have come from the house since Christopher is the one who distracted his father for as long as possible. The woman in front of them must be Annika's and Darius's mother. I guess now I know where Darius gets his bravery from. The couple steps next to the former Luna. "My father's reign is over. His ways are wrong; it's time for another alpha. A better alpha," Christopher says out loud. He sighs before he adds softly. "The rightful alpha."

The warriors growl at the trio. "Traitors," one yells and Athena realizes immediately they're not yielding. She isn't the only one who acknowledged it and within a second, the pack members have formed a defensive circle around Darius's family. Athena can see the hatred grow in the eyes of the pack members. They growl back at the group of warriors, pointing their antagonism towards them. They really are going to fight the warriors of their own alpha. This is better than they could have hoped for. Is this what it feels like to feel connected to a pack? It must be, otherwise, no one would think it was worth fighting for and all these people didn't hesitate to step forward to protect another.

The warriors seem a lot less confident now they understand they are the minority, but when their leader yells to attack, they still march forward. Athena engages in the fight as soon as it starts, trying to protect as many as possible. In the corner of her eyes, she sees Annika block a nasty punch a warrior throws at her. A second later, the wolf's face is in the mud with Christopher's sandy shoe print visible on his shirt. They'll no doubt protect each other. Where is his mother? She looks around while blasting two warriors two metres through the air. They land with a painful sounding thud on the ground; Athena can hear some bones breaking. They won't be bothering us anymore. Soon, she sees the woman she was looking for. Darius's mother is dodging some quick hands and feet; the woman is quite fast for her age, but Athena can tell she's approaching her limit. She sprints towards the two werewolves who just got a hit on the woman and before they can throw the second punch, their light goes out. They collapse on the ground unconscious and Athena jumps over their bodies to greet her mother-in-law.

"I assume you arrived with my son?" the woman says before Athena has the chance to speak.

She simply nods in response. "I did."

"You are all very brave, but also very, very foolish," she continues, causing Athena to chuckle.

"We are indeed," Athena answers honestly. A blush appears on her cheeks.

"I don't know how to thank you enough."

Your blessing to be with your son will do. "There is no need, madame. I'd do anything for your son." The woman's eyes fixate on Athena's neck and a smile appears immediately. Right, the mark. "I see," the former Luna says happily. "And please, call me Ellie. The mate of my son is a daughter of mine." She seizes both Athena's hands, squeezing them softly. In her eyes, Athena sees an emotion she can only describe as a mother's love, mixed with the tears streaming down her face. "Thank you for bringing him home."

"It wasn't just me, ma- Ellie. We had a lot of help," she says. Thinking about our help. Where is everybody? Leon, Demir? Shani, Hinote? She looks around the field, but she doesn't recognize any of the people around her as her friends. Hopefully, they're all okay. "Well, I am eternally grateful to you and everyone who helped return my son to me," Ellie says after kicking the last soldier surrounding them. In the corner of her eye, Athena sees another warrior fall onto his knees. And after him, another one, until the last one is eating pavement. It's over. Now, where is Darius? She curses internally. She shouldn't have let him out of her sight. Although she can feel he's okay–thanks to the mark on her neck–she'd still feel a lot better if she would know where he is and if he's winning.

It isn't hard to see where her mate is fighting his fight. There is a large group of people surrounding what has to be the fighting area of Darius and Alpha Tyson. Nobody dares to approach the two. Partly because it's too dangerous, but also because it is forbidden to intervene in a battle between two alphas. It's one of the unwritten laws of the supernatural world. It's also one Athena would gladly ignore for her mate. I would rip that alpha's head off his shoulders if I thought Darius was losing.

But Darius isn't losing. They're both lashing out, but while Darius's attempts reach their goal, Alpha Tyson's are barely a threat anymore. He has relied on his warriors, his talent to spread fear that he didn't notice he got older, weaker. It still doesn't prevent Darius from getting hit or bitten a few times. They circle around each other; both growing. Darius's fur is dirty and red; Alpha Tyson is limping a bit. Once again, Alpha Tyson reaches for Darius's throat. Athena watches the scene in slow motion. His paw goes up and his strong, sharp claws come closer and closer towards Darius's neck. But Darius is stronger, faster, and he's able to move his head far enough for Tyson's paw to miss him. This missed hit gives Darius the chance to grab Alpha Tyson by the neck and dig his teeth deep into the alpha's throat. A thick, bloody line opens, and in the seconds that follow, Alpha Tyson draws his last breath.

It's over. It's really over.