“Mother! Mother! Mother!" Nine-year-old Athena squealed as she ran around the house.
"Athena. Sit down." Brenda laughed at the little girl's excitement.
"But don't you see? it's my birthday I can't possibly be calm." The little girl made it sound like a taboo.
"Yes. Yes. I know. A nine-year-old isn't a baby anymore."
"I thought when one turns six is when they aren't a baby anymore." Cassandra fixed a stare on her.
"Did you lie to me mother?"
" Oh, dear! The pie is burning."
" But there is no pie."
It was too late since Brenda had already made her mistake.
Later in the evening, Cassandra is letting out sobs hiding her face in her palm.
"You mean you aren't my real mother?"
"I'm sorry, but it's true. But I will always see you and treat you as my own."
"No! I will just continue to pretend that you are my mother and that she doesn't exist since she was so wicked to abandon me."
"Athena."
"No! No! No! I hate her. I hate her. I hate her."
And she ran up to her room crying.
Brenda couldn't find it in herself to tell a nine-year-old that her mother had been burnt alive. She had told Athena that her mother was a very busy woman who lived far away and had entrusted Brenda with her care. It's safe to say that this did not sit particularly well with Athena who began to hate her mother.
1877
Werewolf children usually have their first shift at the age of six. Athena had turned nine and no shift seemed forthcoming.
"Athena."
"Yes, mother."
She answered in the withdrawn demeanor she had adopted ever since the realization.
"I want you to learn how to defend yourself."
"Okay. I'll hire you a personal trainer."
"Is that necessary?"
"Yes, my dear."
"Okay, mother."
1879
Athena was eleven now and still hasn't shifted. But due to all the training she had been receiving from all angles, she could fight off two of her age mates simultaneously even if they were in werewolf form. The fighting and the excessive training seemed to be where her passion went whilst she became more distant.
1884
At sixteen having inherited her mother's extraordinary beautiful looks, Athena had started to attract a lot of male attention. When Athena was a child Brenda had thought that by the time Athena was this age she would have to be beating off boys off the door with a broomstick or a pot. But everyone was so scared of Athena that no one male or female dared to approach her, saving Brenda the stress. She sighed. She was strangely looking forward to chasing boys away with mopping sticks and boiling water.
She walked up to Athena looked at her then said.
"Athena, I want to tell you something." She remained as she was, not turning around to acknowledge her. But Brenda was used to it.
"Let me tell you the true story about your mother."
**
It wasn't until Brenda finished narrating the tale of werewolves and her mother that Athena finally turned around to face, the anger and hate that became a constant in her eyes was now tenfold, but this time directed at her Father.
"I will avenge her." She vowed.
Brenda drew back at her tone and words. She had expected tears or perhaps a tantrum. What had happened to the sweet little girl who hid between the folds of her skirts.
1894
At twenty-six they had lost hope of her ever-shifting. But she became the most sought-after soldier on the continent from time to time she gets summonsed by different packs to help train the soldiers.
Though it was usually when those packs were out of options, because they had a problem with Athena, apart from the fact that she turned the men's head the wrong way. Whether it was the firstborn Alpha blood in her or just her stubbornness but Athena never took orders from anyone be it a soldier of the highest rank or an Alpha himself. She only did what she wanted and she always got away with it because against their will, they respected her not to mention she was good. Better than their best soldiers sometimes even the Alphas.
"I leave tomorrow, mother."
"Farewell, my dear."
But the journey was not to be made.
No sooner than Cassandra had left the house did she hear Brenda scream. She quickly went back into the house and saw the one person she cared about on the floor.
"Mother, what happened." She knelt beside her.
"The Alpha…" She coughed.
"What about the Alpha?" Athena asked, slowly panicking
"I come from a line of what they call king's women. When…..when I was born," she said as she spoke she coughed and blood emerged from her mouth and she took her breaths in gasps.
"My life force was linked to your father, the Alpha in such a way that if I died nothing would happen to him but if he died-"
She coughed up more blood.
" You die." Athena completed it for her.
"Listen, Athena. I have never requested anything from you but today can I ask you for something?"
"Go ahead."
"Two."
"I'm listening."
"If it's not too much I want to be buried in my proper place back at Antarti pack there is a place where midwives are buried."
"Consider it done."
"The second. Please Cassandra…. forgive your father." And with those words, she took her last breath, just before Cassandra uttered one word.
"Never."
"It's the men's combat game, Athena!" Damien said as he watched his Alpha strap herself with knives. She placed a diamondback knife in her boots and wedged a dagger on her arm. A pair tantos sat on the insides of her jacket and when she turned to face Damien, she smiled. "How do I look, Damien?" She asked. Damien shook his head and turned away from her. He hated the fact that she was excited for the combat. There was nothing to be excited about! She was literally putting herself in the face of danger and beckoning on it to come to her. "I don't know what to say, Athena. I do not feel comfortable with you participating in the men's combat category," Athena walked to the window and opened it. It was nearing evening and in about an hour's time or so, she would be out there, facing her opponent while everyone watched. If she was being honest with herself, she was really scared. Scared of the unknown. What if she got beaten to a pulp. What if she got paired with someo
"What the hell is going on?" Kayla gasped as she heard the announcement the master of ceremony made. Kayla came to stand beside her. "Did the King just ask her to participate in the male category?" "Yes, he did," Kayla replied, sounding really shocked and worried. "Why would he do that?" "Because the King does what he does according to what his subject wants," A guy came and stood behind them as he spoke. Melodie gave him the stink eye. "She's not his subject. She's the King of Antarti!" The boy laughed like he was mocking her and Melodie glared at him like she wanted to kill him on the spot with her eyes. "You think. He's ruling the Lycan Confederate and can make any degree. Besides, she asked for it with her whole feminism shit," "And who the hell are you?" Kayla stepped forward in a defensive stance. "Oh," The boy touched his chest in a mock polite manner. "My name is Lawrence. I am the Prince of The Lycan Confederate," "And what are you doing here?"
Athena stood alongside other contestants. Most of them were women and she frowned. Was this category just for women? Just then, she saw Eucaria standing at the other side of the line. The lady waved at Athena and scurried to stand beside her. "I had no idea you were participating," "Well, I am. Why is it just women here?" Eucaria shrugged. "This is a women's game. It's less brutal than combat and the rest," "That's bullshit," Athena said. The women around her gasped but she ignored them. "Why would they allow that?!" "There's actually no time for you to ask questions," A lady, dressed in combat outfit but looking like she was the referee with a whistle around her neck, came forward. She stared at Athena who matched her look without fear. "Once I blow the whistle, you all run towards the ropes hanging off those rocks on the other side of the amphitheater. Use it to lift your bodies off the ground and jump once you're about two meters in the air. Note that lit
Kayla and Melodie were still waiting for Heyli to come back to them with good news when they saw her climbing one of the seats above. Kayla stepped forward and Melodie squinted her eyes as she watched Heyli take a seat beside Athena and Alex. She looked guilty and as Alex spoke to her, she only nodded. "Did she actually leave us here?" Melodie asked, suddenly feeling offended and betrayed by their friend. Kayla wasn't going to believe that was it. "I don't think so. Heyli won't do that to us. She's probably trying to negotiate things with Alex," "But she's seated there!" Melodie cried. Some people from the team looked at them and Kayla immediately apologized. "Let's just hope that's not the case," Melodie turned and looked at her. "Maybe that's the case." Kayla kept staring in Heyli's direction, hoping their friend would look at them and signal that she was going to return soon. But that wasn't going to happen because the master of the ceremony already stepp
As early as five in the morning, the girls were awoken by the ringing of large bells. "I woke up at six back at home," Melodie said as she groaned and sat up. "I hate this time arrangement." Melodie noticed that Kayla wasn't in bed. Heyli had woken up for a few minutes before laying back down and falling asleep immediately. "Kayla?" "I'm bathing!" She called from the bathroom. Melodie climbed out of the bed and went to the bathroom door of bathroom. "Why didn't you wake us all up?" "I did. You both sleep like a hibernating snail. We have to prepare quickly, by the way. We're going to be manning the surroundings of the amphitheater. Handing weapons and change of clothes and help to the injured. I just hope nothing goes wrong," "What might that be?" Kayla's voice lowered. "A beast might be released. That would fight with one of the contestants. Someone told me a few warriors were killed the last time," Melodie's heart sank. "What?" "Yes," "Is this what I
Heyli fell into his arms. She had no idea what was controlling her but she knew that his arms was where she wanted to be. Nowhere else but his arms. As she walked into his arms, he fully engulfed her in a hug and placed his chin on her glossy hair. "Did you use a new perfume?" Heyli drew away a bit. "Yes. How did you know?" Loki smiled and pulled her back in. "You love vanilla and that's your signature. But you're using something fruity," Heyli swallowed. "Well, Melodie suggested u used a different one and it was actually nice," "Because of Miguel?" Heyli shrugged. "I guess." "You guess? Or you did so because of him." "Do you want us to turn this into an argument?" "Not an argument. I'm mad." Heyli gave him an incredulous look. "Why?" "Because you are making yourself look good for another boy. It makes me want to go after him and rip his limbs apart so you don't find him attractive," Heyli gasped and burst into laughter but before she could sa