6

Athena POV

“She is the daughter of the beta, nurse. She is no Alpha. And a female at that” . I can hear the condescension in his voice, it makes me want to take a dump on his front porch.

‘Me too. Let’s do it’.

I hear footsteps, before the door handle starts to move. There is no pretending I’m still unconscious now. They know I have healed for the most part. And trying to deceive the Alpha would cost me. His punishments for such things are supposed to be brutal.

“Athena. How are you feeling?”. The Alpha’s uninterested voice pipes up. I want to reply how I’m absolutely splendid after his sons almost whipped me to death in silver. But I know better than to antagonize the Alpha. If I thought his sons were brutal - I know where they get it from.

“I am fine, Alpha”.

“Yes, I can see. Your injuries from your punishment weren’t that severe, I suppose. I hope you learned your lesson”.

What lesson? That violence may only be afflicted to me, not the other way around?

‘LET ME SPEAK!’. Ares yells, but I keep her from taking control. Oh, how I would love to tell him I will be teaching them a lesson one day. It might take me a lifetime, and I might have to wait until my mom is gone, but I will shoot my shot one day. Ares is special, and I hope that one day we will be able to take the Alpha.

However, for now, I just nod in return. Anticlimactic much.

“Instruct the exchange student not to mention this to Alpha Menno”. And with that, he walks out the door. He doesn’t even wait for my reply. Like there is no doubt in his mind that I could ever disobey him.

‘I would love to bite his head off’.

‘You are such an animal sometimes’. I chuckle.

“Are you alright?”. The nurse asks with a frown, probably thinking I have lost my coconuts for chuckling to myself. Especially after the beating I received.

“Wonderful”. I roll my eyes as I get off the patient's chair. It isn’t until now that I actually get to see the carnage they inflicted on me. My clothes are soaked in blood, and my clothes are completely shredded on my back. Goddess, I hate them with every fiber in my being.

‘You have to promise me we will never allow this to happen again’. Ares sounds calm, but I can feel her quiet rage boiling inside of me. She’s even more scary when she sounds calm.

‘You know I can’t. What about mom? And... father’s position?’.

‘We’ll figure that out when the time comes. But, I can tell you now, I will never allow this again’.

And with that, she closes off the mind link and shuts me out. She has never done that before. It actually feels lonely. Making my way towards the door, the nurse suddenly calls out to me.

“You should take some time off, Athena. I am worried about you. And please, take some clean clothes so you don’t have to walk around in this”.

I contemplate her words for a moment. But, I want to see Millie.

“Just give me a shirt and sweater, please. I’ll be fine”.

The nurse looks me over with a worried expression, before going to the spare clothes cabinet with a sigh.

“What size are you?”.

“XL or XXL”.

She gives me a confused look, before grabbing the size I requested.

“I only have a shirt, no sweaters in that size”.

She hands me the shirt, and I pull off my sweater and shirt. For a second, my eyes drift to my clothes, and I can’t help but shiver at the amount of blood that is coating them. They really did a number on me this time. Drawing blood was like an invisible line they had drawn and never crossed. Until now.

They could have killed me. They might really have, if Benji hadn’t stopped them. A variety of emotions course through me, ranging from sadness to rage. I have literally never done anything to anyone, until today. I took all their rotten eggs, toilet water and all the bullying. All the beatings from all of them except Jake and Jerry. Also until today.

I crossed a new line, and so have they. Something inside me snapped today in that gym. I have never felt so weak and humiliated in my life.

Pulling the shirt over my head, I decide to pull the shredded, bloody sweater back on. I won’t parade around in just a shirt. And besides, let them see what they did.

“Do you need help getting home?”.

Home? I get to go home?! Hah, she doesn’t have to tell me twice. Had I known this would have been my “get out of school” free card, I would have made them nearly beat me to death sooner.

“Athena?”.

Suddenly relapsing *cough*, I put on my best sad face.

“I think so, I’m pretty shaken up. Perhaps Millie could assist me home?”.

“Sure thing, I will call her in”. The nurse walks out, and I can drop the act again.

Goddess, I would love to go to red runner. Hell, I would prefer to be a rogue wolf over this. The shittiest thing is though - I can’t leave my mom. Her life would be pretty lonely with just my dad. She will never tell me as much, but I think they are having marital problems. He is always away from home, he always has been for as long as I can remember. He eats and sleeps at home, and that’s about it. Even when he isn’t working, he chooses to spend his time at the local bar or the pack house.

According to him it’s “normal” for him to do that, and “he deserves a break” after all his “hard work”. I will never understand it, though. I don’t understand why anyone would rather spend all their free time at a bar, rather than with their family. When I was younger, I used to go over there to try and bring him home. Want to know what he told me? He told me to go home now, or he would never come home again. Peachy, isn’t he?

“Ath!”. Millie comes barging into the room, running straight towards me and enveloping me in a soft embrace. “Oh my goddess, Ath, I was so worried!”.

To my absolute shock, she is actually… sobbing? For me?

“Hey, hey, Mills! Shhhh. It’s all fine. I’m fine”. I try to soothe her, but it takes some time for her sobs to die down. She remains in my embrace for a few minutes, until the sobs have diminished to sniffles.

“Man, don’t ever do that to me again”. She pulls back, studying my face.

“Wasn’t planning on it”. I chuckle in return. “Now let’s get out of here. I got a get-out-of-this-hellhole for free card today, and I was allowed to have someone escort me home”.

“Oh, wow. I can’t believe they were that gracious after nearly beating you to death”. Millie rolls her eyes, and we make our way towards the door and exit the nurse’s office.

“Well, the nurse was. If it were up to anyone from the Alpha bloodline, that would be a different story. The Alpha himself even graced me with his presence earlier”.

“OK. What is he planning to do to his sons?”.

This time, I can’t help but laugh out loud. Thank the goddess the halls are empty.

“Anything varying from just a pat on the back, to dinner or a full-blown party”.

“WHAT?!”.

“Yup”. I link my arm through hers, shrugging my shoulders. “Honestly, Mills, I didn’t expect anything less. He is a first-class asshole like his sons”.

“But this isn’t right, Ath! I am going to report th…”.

“Please don’t!”. I interrupt her pleadingly. “My dad will lose his job, and mom will lose the only stability she has left”. I rush out, before realizing what I have done.

“But Ath…”.

“Please, Millie. I’m begging you”.

She groans loudly, and we continue the rest of our journey outside in silence. Thank f*ck it wasn’t recess, so we were able to leave unseen. When we reach outside and she tells me not to laugh about her car, I’m confused at first. Why would I? I don’t have a vehicle at all. I will gladly ride home with her.

But then my eyes fall on it. “Holy mother…”.