Chapter 2

SEBASTIAN

As I paced around in my office, I couldn't help but think back to the night Athena left me. The lack of emotion on her face plagues me.

It's been a week since she left and that face has caused me sleepless nights as I wondered how broken she had to have been to be so emotionless about leaving me.

It was nothing short of heartbreaking to imagine.

The fact hurt me more than anything else I have ever felt.

Ever since the incident at the hospital, Sienna had never stopped her victim campaign against Athena. She told everyone who cared to listen of how Athena attacked her when she was at her weakest in the hospital.

She made it seem like it was a cowardly cheap shot taken at her because she was sick and couldn't defend herself.

It was sickening to listen to.

Athena has been the one keeping her alive with her plasma and even at her best, Sienna never held a candle to Athena in terms of pure physical prowess. She was always going to get beaten by Athena.

Even worse, I knew she was the aggressor in this case. I knew for a fact that she taunted Athena first and forced her hand. The fact that Athena still donated her plasma was enough reason to prove that she simply gave Sienna what she deserved.

Unfortunately, I couldn't voice those arguments.

I glanced at the news article on the screen of my computer and I wasn't liking the sight I saw.

Athena's divorce had somehow gone public, and it was damaging my reputation. People are now investigating my personal life as many believed she would have only divorced me if I cheated. The controversy surrounding my love life was growing thicker with every piece they uncovered and within just a week of my divorce, the impact on my reputation was quite tremendous.

All of this weighed on me as I let myself slump into my seat.

All of this would have been avoided if I just stayed with Athena like I had initially planned.

I loved Athena. I wanted to build a life her alone and I wanted a happy life for both of us.

By, after our mating ceremony, it all went downhill for us.

The Pack elders disliked her because she wasn't from a well-known family, or even had a family at all.

In their words, she was just an insignificant werewolf that should be good for nothing more than becoming a foot soldier in my army in recognition of her strength.

They argued that the woman I should be mates with needed to have a family name to throw around besides mine. In their opinions, that would increase the prestige of the Pack and elevate the bloodline of my offspring as they would be products of nobility on both sides.

They collectively suggested Sienna to me, or rather, they forced her unto me.

Even if she was sickly, they argued that I could make her powerful enough if she was donated enough plasma to help her growth. They left me no choice in the issue and made their own decision with me having almost no say.

I was young and just risen to power. I thought it was the the right way to go with their decisions as they were supposed to know better.

They encouraged me to make Athena into a figurehead until Sienna was strong enough to take over and then ditch her.

I was reluctant but I couldn't disobey.

My only act of rebellion was my decision to make life difficult for her as long as I can until she hates me enough to leave.

I was ready for it. I had been ready for the divorce and the possibility of her leaving me since I started treating her badly....

....but it still hurts.

It still hurts really bad to know that she had left me for good.

The feeling plagued and I couldn't help but wonder what I could have done different.

Disobeying the elders was only going to end in tragedy as they would make life not only harder for me but for her as well. The end might be even worse, resulting in either or both of our deaths.

Watching Sienna play the victim was irritating in itself. She had always abused Athena emotionally and I turned a blind eye to further sell my façade.

Even now, I regretfully can't say anything to berate her for her hypocrisy. It was only normal that Athena would have reached her breaking point sometime soon.

In the werewolf laws, everything was normally supposed to be determined by strength, regardless of bloodline, wealth or prestige. Even Alphas used to challengeable for the position as long as you had the will and strength to back it up.

Now, it's pure privileges and nepotism.

While some of the elders have bloodlines potent enough to challenge for the Alpha position and some of their ancestors had even become Alphas in the distant past, they had foregone that privilege to settle for the position directly below Alpha.

That had further spilled into the future generations until now that it has simply become tradition.

The werewolf civilization was more political than anything else now.

As I stared at the news headline, I couldn't help but wish there was a different way.

I remembered that the spy I put on her informed me that she had left the country and I couldn't hold back the anger that raged inside me.

I wiped my table clean with a swipe, sending everything clattering to the floor. That fueled my rage even more, sending me on a spree of destruction around my office until it was barely recognizable.

The ruined office gave an insight to how bad it must have been for Athena. I had ruined her just like this.

"I am sorry, Athena."

****

FIVE YEARS LATER

A knock on my office door drew my attention as I perused a few documents.

"Come in," I ordered as I kept working.

The door opened and Nathan, my Beta walked in with a practiced gait. His face was stern and his features more muscular and buff. He seemed to fill out the suit so much that it was hugging his body.

I sighed at the sight.

"How many times have I told you to get a suit that fits your size, Nathan?"

He grinned at that.

"This is perfect for me. I've also got the business proposal for your mating ceremony."

He gave me the document and I was immediately drawn to the name of its head.

It read;

Athena.