~ AthenaHe heaved a long sigh, his eyes narrowing as he stared at me."There actually is one that requires me to leave at once."My face fell at his words. "What is the problem, Dad?" I asked curiously."That was my wife. She called to break some sad news to me," he ran a hand through his hair in frustration.I was now a bit scared. "What news, Dad?" I quizzed, my fear shining through my voice.He glanced at me and bit his lower lip. "Her father finally lost the battle to cancer a few minutes ago," he rubbed a hand over his face, looking deep in thought and frustrated. "He was all she had besides me. That man didn't deserve to die," he groaned painfully. I could see how much he was hurting and how hard he tried to hold back his emotions.He lowered himself, his hands on his knees. I cowered a little, patting his back in a bid to comfort him. "I am so sorry, Dad."I could hear him taking in raspy breaths in agony. The man must have really meant a lot to him for his death to have this
~AthenaI glanced at Richard after she had spoken, and he nodded his head, urging me to go ahead and hear what she has to say."Your mother is broken, Athena. Please be careful with your words," he advised through a mind link. I flashed him a look, and he arched his brow and shrugged as if saying, "I said my piece, do what you may with it."I sighed and walked down the path leading to the garden with my mum. We walked on in silence, tension thick in the air as I didn't know what to say to her. I had already made up my mind to forgive her for what she had done to me, but I can't promise I would forget; the scars will take time to heal.I looked up at the scorching sun and then at my mum, who was silently walking beside me, looking a bit lost in thought."Should we find some shade?" I asked."Huh?... Yes, please, that would be fine," she replied, as though it took her a while to assimilate my words.I spotted a large tree with good shade and pointed towards it. "Let's sit there."She no
~RichardThe guard in front of me looked very scared. Something must have happened; what could it be?What was he trying to say about Sabrina? My jaw tightened in anger. As soon as I commanded him to speak, he blurted out, his voice filled with fear, "Ms. Sabrina is lying in a pool of her own blood…I think she is dead."I heard a thud sound behind me and turned to see what it was. James's apple had fallen to the ground, he was pale, as though blood had been drained from his body.In an instant, his eyes danced around; a dazed expression etched on his face as though he was trying to comprehend what he had just heard.Then all of a sudden, he mumbled, "Sabrina…Sabrina," before rushing out the door, almost knocking me down as he brushed past me.Sabrina was dead? I couldn't believe it. I ran after James, with Athena and the guard following behind.My heart was pounding. How did the witch who had been bound escape? My mind swirled with different thoughts. I haven't really had the time to
~AthenaJessica and I journeyed in the car to the resettlement area of the pack, which was also the poorest segment. It was the place where poor farmers who depended on farming and selling proceeds from the farm lived. We were going to offer them assistance in the form of clothing materials, money, and other items they might need. Most importantly, we needed to carry out a survey and find out what their difficulties and challenges were. This was done as often as possible; it was one of the media the king employed as a means of helping his people.I had seen Jessica leaving the mansion and asked where she was headed. When she told me, I had insisted on tagging along with her because I needed some fresh air and was tired of staying cooped up in the mansion every day.It has been 2 weeks since Jessica died. Her burial has been scheduled to take place in two days' time. The atmosphere in the mansion had become worse than it was when I arrived. The liveliness had gone stale. Every member
~AthenaAt his words, I narrowed my eyes, thinking of the best possible way to reply to him."Just apologize to him for leaving, Athena," Elsa urged.My brown eyes met his blue ones, the cold and merciless look in his eyes igniting some kind of feeling in me: anger.Why was he so riled up just because I left the mansion? I folded my arms defiantly across my chest and arched a brow stubbornly. "I was tired of staying in the mansion, and I needed some fresh air.""You left the mansion even after I told you how dangerous it was for you to stay away from my sight?" he barked, his tone frostier than snow.I rolled my eyes, already becoming tired of the tantrum he was throwing. "I can take care of myself, Richard.""Oh, for goodness sake, Athena! The last time you left this mansion, how well were you able to take care of yourself? Huh?" His eyes were wide and fierce as he glared at me."You can't talk now?That's right…", he threw his hands in the air and cocked his head to the side before s
~AthenaAs soon as he got to the bed, he leaned forward to me and checked to make sure I was asleep. I maintained my posture, holding my breath, trying so hard not to give anything away.I felt a bit disappointed when he rose from the bed and went to the bathroom. I listened to the sound emanating from there, the sound of the running water, imagining him beneath it as it caressed his lovely skin. I imagined my hand roaming round his body, tracing the chiseled planes of it, his muscular biceps and triceps, the hard wall of his chest, doing things to him I had wanted to do for a long time."Stop being naughty, Athena!" my inner voice of reasoning cautioned.I tossed and turned in bed and let out a sigh of frustration. After awhile, the tap stopped running and I could hear Richard step out of the bathroom.A few minutes later he was in bed with me. My heart was beating so fast I was afraid it might burst. I flinched as he slid his strong arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I c
~AthenaThe day for Sabrina's burial ceremony finally arrived. The mansion bustled with activity. She would be buried at the cemetery, the same cemetery where I heard Micheal was buried a few days after he died. My heart still felt a bit sore whenever I thought of him, what happened to him had indirectly been my fault too. If only I could go back to that night, if only… Richard and James had left early in the morning to get things in order ahead of their late best friend's burial.I was in my bathroom, having a long shower. For some reason, I couldn't shake off the weird dreadful feeling curled up at the pit of my stomach, nor could I ignore the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end, all signs that something bad was going to happen. What could it be? I pondered.When I was done bathing, I pulled a towel from the rack, wrapped it around my chest, and got out of the shower.Once inside the room, I could see Tracy looming over the bed with her hands on her hips, staring at two bl
~AthenaTracy raised her brows like a woman about to give the juiciest gossip, "It is said that about a quarter of the pack will be in attendance," she continued."They all are coming for different reasons, while some are coming to gloat at the demise of the woman who indirectly caused the king's brother's death, others are coming to see you."I furrowed my brows in confusion, "others are coming to see me?""Yes, my queen," she nodded. "You have only left the mansion once ever since you returned which was when you visited only the resettlement area. The news spread like wildfire. You know the king banned any visits to the palace by people of all classes after Ms. Sabrina's death, so this will be the first official time the people of the higher class and middle class will get to see you after what happened to you."I sighed, "Is that all?"She looked a bit surprised at my question and speculated in an unsure tone, "Were you expecting to hear something in particular?"I smiled, and lied