LOGINAthena couldn't sleep.Hearing from Raymond had managed to loosen that knot in her chest, the one that had been there since he left and had only intensified when he didn't pick her call.She had managed to tell herself that been st odds with him did not disturb her.But it wasn't until she heard his voice last night that she realised she had been lying to herself anyway.She hated fighting with her mate.She even hated been apart from him the more.“You are right,” she said to Morrigan as she got off the bed where she had been tossing and turning all night. “It sucks,” Morrigan remained silent, but Athena could practically feel her smirk.She rolled her eyes with a smile as she went to her dresser to put on a coat over her pajamas.Dawn was hardly brushing the lightening sky when she stepped out of the alpha house.Fog hung low over the grounds and shrubberies as it reluctant to let go of the night.As her slippered feet took her down the driveway towards the woods, Athena could feel
Something like a gunshot echoed through Raymond's chest, burning through the chaos.He jerked out of his troubled dream into pitch darkness.His chest was heaving like he had just finished a marathon.His skin was drenched with sweat, making his shirt stick to his body.The chaos followed him out of the dream as he looked at the mess around his office.He soon realised what had caused the sound.In the torments of his nightmare, he had crashed around on his table, scattering everything on the surface, including the half-drunk bottle and the glass he was using for the cognac before sleep claimed him.He automatically bent to pick the drink still spilling into the rug from the bottle as his eyes caught on the jagged marks that had been gouged deep into the leather covering of his desk.Claw marks.He had shifted in his dream!Partially, of course. Just the claws, but that had been enough to nearly ruin his desk as he tried to claw his way to his mate.“Athena!” His heart trembled as the
For a moment, Raymond wondered if this was Athena messing with him.“Nah, this is not her style,” he responded to himself.He could see the construction workers glancing his way, probably wondering why he was not approaching them yet.He immediately dialled the number that sent the text.“The number you dialled is not in service,” the mechanical voice sing-songed in his ear immediately.“What the…?”How can an unregistered number be chatting him?Would Athena really…He decided to text back.“Who are you? And what is this about?”No response.He was wondering if the number was disconnected right after the first message was sent.But who would be sending him such a message?He wondered in confusion.Then he typed, “Athena? Is that you? Baby, can you just pick your call? What's going on?”He tossed the phone down on the space beside his seat as he briefly wondered how fast he could get to Moonvale.She did tell him to leave and he intended to stay away until she admitted that she wanted
“That woman is driving me crazy!”Raymond growled beneath his breath as he lowered the phone from his ears.He glowered at the renovation going on at the former dungeon.Gone was the soot and watermarked stains that had decorated the building after the fire.Those had been wiped clean like they were never there and the sounds of metals and grunts were coming from the interior too as the iron bars that stood for years in the building were being ripped out.Some of the pack members too had volunteered to help with the renovation.Offering help however they can.Richard could see the relief and joy in the faces of most of them who had experienced terrible moments within the building.Moments from when Richard and his damn fiancee were casually imprisoning people there for something even as small as breathing wrong around them.Some of the men working outside darted nervous glances towards Raymond, probably wondering why he was looking at them like he wanted to rip their heads off.Raymon
“That's all then.” Athena leaned back from the system. “I will personally supervise the projects here in Moonvale and I expect you to do the same in your packs as well. I will be visiting your packs soon too. But in the meantime, you can reach out regarding anything you might need.”“Noted, Your Majesty,” they chorused.“Thank you for attending the meeting. While we work on getting those who seek to destroy us out of their holes, thank you for working with me to make sure that they see that their underhanded tactics are not enough to stop us.”The meeting ended and Athena stood heavily from the table. Her eyes caught on the missed calls blazing on her phone and she headed to the window.If he could miss her calls because he was too busy with a conversation, then she could do the same as well.“After all, she was a busy woman and not someone waiting around with bated breath for him to give her the time of day.”“You didn't invite him to the meeting,” Morrigan's voice stirred in accusat
Raymond!”Athena screamed through a raw throat as she jerked awake.Her eyes scrambled wildly around the room as she half expected to see the flames leaping at her.Instead, a harmless shaft of light filtered through the gossamer curtains at the window, bathing her face as panic turned to realisation.“Damn it!” she swore beneath her breath as she held her head in her hands and tried to calm her raging chest.“That was…” She shook her head as the tangy feel of smoke began to subside in her nose.The nightmare had felt too real!Panic was still dancing over her skin even as she tried not to think about it.One moment, everything had been great.They had been having a great time and enjoying each other's company.Then all of a sudden she was in the back seat of a car, crammed into it with three other people beside her.The person she was having a good time with earlier was driving and the front seat was packed too.About four people on the seat. The space was packed so tight that some o







