Athena Laurent

It's over. It's really over.

A silence reigns. Everybody watches how the lifeless body of Christian Tyson falls onto the land he once conquered. The blood he spilled to become alpha has now been repaid with his own. Such a waste; dreaming about another one's power. It's not worth it. Athena's startled when the first screams erupt from the silence. A second shout follows, and soon, every individual pack member is expressing their relief and gratitude. Athena tries to find Darius through the sea of people, but she doesn't see him. Not until the pack members before her step aside, creating a path for her to walk through. No, not for her. At the end of the line, she sees Darius. She doesn't waste another second and runs towards him to jump right into his arms.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she whispers into his neck. He tenses his muscles to hold her even tighter. "We did it, Athena. I have my pack back." Athena copies his grin. They really did it! What will happen? "Come," she says, grabbing his hand and dragging him through the flow of people. "I've met someone who's eager to see you."

...

"Mom?" Darius stands frozen for a second before embracing his mother tightly. "I thought I would never see you again," he says, barely audible. Lost for words in English, he switches to his native tongue. Athena doesn't understand a single word, but the look on both their faces, the tears in their eyes, and the everlasting embrace tell her everything there is to know.

Athena sees two familiar faces approach the scene. Annika and Christopher fought bravely against the former alpha's warriors, and Athena's relieved to see they're both fine. Well, physically, at least. She cannot imagine how it feels for Christopher right now. She saw him before, glancing at his father's body before it was covered. He looked only once before quickly averting his gaze. His expression now is unreadable and Athena wonders what's going on inside his head right now. Is he angry? Darius did just kill his father. Is he relieved? The man who controlled his life; who tried to turn him into a monster, is gone. Athena can imagine he's experiencing both. I know I would be if my father... He surely feels conflicted right now, perhaps even guilty for being relieved, or angry for being happy.

Whatever the ex-Alpha's son is feeling, he's not showing it. He and his mate wait for Darius and his mother to retreat before making themselves known to the mother and son. Annika jumps into her brother's arms for the second time in seven years; this time looking even happier than a few days ago. Darius catches Christopher's eye, and he places his little sister back on the ground.

Christopher nervously watches his surroundings. All the members of the pack are watching them in anticipation. What will happen between Darius and the Alpha's son? None of those people know Darius and Christopher were in this together. Nevertheless, Athena is curious too about what's going to happen next. Christopher steps forward and then bows his head, directing his eyes to the ground. A sign of utmost respect. "Alpha," he simply says.

The entire pack follows his example, still holding their breath. What will Darius do now? He is not just the son of the gruesome alpha he just defeated; he's also his sister's mate. No matter what happens, things will get complicated from now on. Unless they don't. She knows Darius, and she realizes he knows what he has to do. Darius stretches out his arm; offering his hand to Christopher. When he accepts, Darius places his second hand on Christopher's shoulders. "I am sorry, Christopher," he speaks gently. Christopher nods but doesn't respond. "Let's clean up this mess," he says eventually.

"Where do we begin?" Darius asks, looking at his mother. It was meant to sound strong, hopeful, but the guilt slips through the tone in his voice; he still thinks he let his mother, his sister, his whole pack down. What could he have done before? Athena wonders. She knows he has taken the first real opportunity he had to save his family. Other attempts would have been a suicide mission.

"We clean, Darius, and then, we celebrate," Ellie answers, wiping the mud off her son's face.

Darius nods stately, and the pack starts to move. Most of the people who weren't harmed help the wounded towards the hospital while the warriors of former Alpha Tyson are heavily guarded by others. "Take the warriors to the cells. We'll deal with them later," Darius orders the latter. Some pack warriors watch each other, panic visible in their eyes. "What's wrong?" Darius asks.

"The cells are completely o-occupied, Alpha."

"What! How?"

"Al- the former Alpha Tyson imprisoned everyone who entered our territory. Most of them stepped into the borders by accident," one warrior answers bravely. Darius frowns. "Right. I should not be surprised," he murmurs. "All right, these wolves are unconscious for now; we'll keep an eye on them... although I'm certain they won't come very far. As for the cells. I'm going to need someone who can tell me exactly the reason for everyone's imprisonment. I will not let an innocent person spend another day in those filthy chambers." Athena smiles at Darius's words. That's my mate. So sweet and caring.

"I have information on most of the prisoners, Alpha. I can help you," another warrior says. Darius nods gratefully. "Great. Lead the way."

Athena follows Darius and the pack warrior to the cells. In passing, they already meet a few pack members. They shake her hand and express their gratitude. One calls her 'Luna'. They must realize I'm Darius's mate. Oh, shit... I'm a Luna.

"Athena! Darius! Wait up!"

They both turn around simultaneously and Athena's overwhelmed with relief. "Shani, Hinote, thank the Goddess. I'm so glad you're here!" she exclaims, wrapping her arms tightly around the werecat. "So are we," Hinote answers drily before explaining why it took them so long to return to the pack. "They suddenly came from every angle, attacking us at the same time. Honestly, I have no idea how we outran them, but we did." While the vampire talks, he looks around them suspiciously, as if he just realized he's standing in the heart of a werewolf pack. And he's not enjoying it.

"It was awesome. I don't think I've ever run that fast," Shani adds, her mouth is formed in a fervent smile. She looks quite pleased with herself. Her eyes are lit up with excitement; she can't stop them from glowing a bright yellow colour once or twice.

"You're okay, that's all that matters. Where are Denise and Kara? Are they okay as well?" Athena asks. "Yes, they're fine. We were actually about to pick them up when we saw you. I can't believe you did it!"

"Well, we did it!" Darius says quickly. "If it weren't for you, it would have taken too much time to take out the warriors. Only the Goddess knows what could have happened if you weren't there to distract them."

"We were kind of amazing, weren't we," Shani grins towards Hinote, who's doing his best to hide his smile. "It was fun," he admits reluctantly. He looks up, directing his gaze at Shani. "Apart from being almost killed, I had a good time with you, werecat," the vampire adds with a wink.

And I thought Shani's smile couldn't get any bigger.

"We'll see you later, but it looks like you've got some business to take care of," Hinote says before dragging Shani away from them to fetch the two humans from their hiding spot. While we're going to free some supernatural prisoners. It sounds great, almost heroic, but her heart clenches when the smell of the prison hits her. The most horrendous scent she has ever smelt invades her nose, and all at once, she feels the misery and fear of the prisoners. How many are they?

"We have to get as many people out of here. This place smells like death and despair," Darius mumbles and Athena couldn't agree more. It's almost unbearable; how could an alpha let this happen? "When I lived here, we had five cells in here and most of the time, they were empty. What the hell happened here?"

"Alpha Tyson happened, Alpha. He captured every soul that entered his territory unannounced. Some he killed, but he threw most of them in the cells to die. The only reason there aren't as many casualties as there could have been, is because the alpha's son sneaked in here to feed the prisoners from time to time. One day, the alpha found out and punished his son for it. First, he tortured him, then he tortured some of the prisoners before he snapped their necks."

Darius frowns deeply while he hears the story but doesn't comment on it. Perhaps he's lost for words. She knows she is. "Let's go free some prisoners." The warrior nods in agreement and grabs his keys and paperwork. The first three prisoners fit the warrior's description immediately. Clearly, all of them ran on the territory by accident. When they got captured by the pack warriors of Alpha Tyson, they didn't hurt anybody. They're perplexed when the warrior opens their cells and allows them to tell their story. Their eyes even widen more when Darius tells them they're free to go. "If you're hurt, visit the doctor and there is a delicious meal waiting for you in the kitchen. It's been seven years, but I'm sure my mom's cooking hasn't changed a bit." They watch Darius in shock and even hesitate to fully step out of their cell. What on earth did Tyson do to them?

"I understand very well you all wish to run away from this place as fast as possible, but I still want you to know that as of today, this pack is a safe place. If you have nowhere to go, this can be your home," Darius says to ease them. He explains in short what happened today and then calls another wolf, asking her to guide them to the kitchen. "And I'm sure we can find some clean clothes for everyone as well."

Eventually, the group leaves the prison cells behind, but not without watching their backs at least four times, probably trying to make sense of the situation. Athena cannot blame them for being reluctant towards them and their almost-too-good-to-be-true news. She would have done the exact same thing in their situation. Why would you trust a pack when they free you when they're the ones who locked you up in the first place?

Darius and the guards release victim after victim, with the next one a little less afraid than the one before.

"Reason for imprisonment?" Darius asks when they walk over to the next cell. "Trespassing, Alpha. Without hostile intentions," the guard answers monotonously. Darius sighs in despair. "Let him go." Another guard opens the cell, and he gestures for the person inside to come out. A few seconds later, a tall boy carefully steps out of his prison. His eyes are dull but widen when he witnesses the group of people before him. He looks so young. "What's your name," Darius asks him. His voice is intentionally soft. The sweet gesture makes Athena's heart melt. He's incredibly empathetic, and she loves it. She loves everything about him.

"My n-name is M-Michael, a-alpha," he answers slowly. Darius smiles. "I'm Darius. Can you tell me where you came from?" A wave of doubt enters the shapeshifter's eyes before he can look away. "I-I'm not supposed to say," he murmurs. Darius looks at Athena. What do you think? He asks with his eyes. The boy doesn't radiate any hostility, but they can never be too sure. "Why can't you tell us, Michael?" she asks the shapeshifter, but he keeps his mouth shut tight. "You know, I have magic. I can enter your mind and get the information we want, but I'd rather just listen to you," Athena adds and Michael's eyes widen after her statement and he looks at Athena in fear.

"You are safe, Michael. Don't worry. We just want to make sure who we're letting out," her mate says to the young prisoner. That seems to relax him a bit. Why is Darius so much better at this stuff than I am? "You probably don't know it, and it actually doesn't have a name, but p-people call it the pack in the North," Michael whispers in defeat.

What?

"What did you just say?" Athena hears herself say in a bewildered tone. Michael's eyes widen and he switches his gaze from Athena to Darius and back. "The pack in the North? That's where I'm from. I swear, I'm not lying. It's real!"

"We believe you, Michael," Athena tells him quickly. She watches the shapeshifter in front of her. Her eyes soften as the shock descends. "It's just an amazing coincidence," she adds. "We have been searching for the pack in the North for these past few weeks, and you're saying you know where it is."

"Yes, I have the exact coordinates," he responds.

And?

"And are you willing to share them with us?" Athena asks him, sounding a bit more impatient than she anticipated. Michael grimaces. "Does it matter? If I don't say it, you'll look for it in my mind, right?"

Touché, Michael. Touché.

"You bet your arse I will, but as I said, I'd rather hear it from you." She catches Darius's eyes. Be nice, his eyes tell her. She wanted to tell him she's trying, but that this dimwit is not making it easier for her. She sighs. "Look, it is really important we find the pack in the North. I have something for the Alpha that can change many lives."

Michael squeezes his eyes as if he's trying to figure out whether she's telling the truth. He then looks at Darius before making his choice. "Fine, I'll give you the coordinates, but first I want a meal. I've been here for three months, and I'm starving."

Athena nods immediately, but can't stop an exciting shriek from exiting her mouth. "Thank you, Michael. You have no idea how much you've helped us today," she says, trying to sound as grateful as she can. Darius carefully places an arm on Michael's shoulder as if he's afraid to crush the slim boy. "You can follow this guard. She'll take you to the kitchen for some food, and perhaps some clothes?"

"Thank you, Alpha!" Michael responds happily.

"Please, call me Darius," her mate tells him. Show-off.

Athena watches the shapeshifter from the Pack in the North leave the prison cells. Do we need to make sure he stays in the pack or is that unethical? Athena shakes her head. Michael will help them. Besides, he'll be eating for the next twenty minutes and by then, she and Darius will be glued to his side again until he gives them the coordinates. Perhaps I should search his mind, anyway. Just to be sure.

"Athena, are you ready to go on?"

Right. The prisoners first.

"Yes, I'm ready," she answers, smiling.

We're so close. The end of my journey is near.

With more and more cells emptied every minute, the horrible smell slowly fades away. Athena keeps standing next to Darius, watching him free all the innocent wolves, vampires, and other shapeshifters who were locked up, when suddenly she senses something.

That smell, why do I recognize it? Athena walks quickly through the extremely long corridor towards the familiar scent. Every single cell is occupied; the prisoners watch her walk past them, not knowing what is happening at the beginning of the cells. She gasps when her feet stop in front of one of the last cells and she sees who's in front of her.

"You? What are you doing here?"