Chapter 5

Athena

The guards dropped me at the border of the pack territory like I was nothing. “Don’t ever come back,” one of them warned coldly. “If we see you again, we will crack your skull.”

They turned and walked away without looking back. I stood there alone, my small bag at my feet, staring at the gates that had once felt like home. My chest felt tight, I didn’t know where to go.

Living among humans would weaken me. I knew that a wolf needs pack runs, training, the energy of others around her. Even though my wolf has never surfaced, I still believe she is there, somewhere inside me, waiting. I refuse to believe the Moon Goddess forgot me. But my family thinks otherwise.

No pack is accepting new members right now. It was an order from the Alpha King because of the war going on. No strangers allowed.

I adjusted the small bag Aurora had packed for me and began walking down a narrow road. If one pack rejected me, I would try another. If none of them accepted me then I would have no choice but to live among humans.

The other faction? Never. I would rather be alone than join them.

I had been walking for over an hour when my phone rang suddenly. The sound made me jump, it was my dad calling. . My heart skipped.

Had he forgiven me? Was this all some kind of test? Did he send me away just so Silas and Aurora could finally be together without me standing in the way?

I remembered the way Silas looked at Aurora before I left. I had seen the marks on her neck, fresh hickeys and it kept me wondering, what happened that night. Did Aurora and Silas had a thing?

How was I supposed to live in the same pack knowing he marked her instead of me? My fingers trembled as I answered the call.

“Athena,” my father’s voice came through, firm but not as harsh as before. “The elders spoke to me. They said I went too far. They have apologized on your behalf.”

As if I had done something wrong. “You can come back to the pack,” he continued. “Where are you? I will send one of the guards to pick you up.”

Tears blurred my vision as I ended the call. If the elders hadn’t spoken up, my own family would have thrown me out like trash and left me to die.

“I don’t know where I am exactly,” I had told him. “I took the narrow road. I will share my location before my phone dies.” My battery was almost gone. I had barely charged it in the cab I used to get home earlier.

As soon as the call ended, I sent him my location. My hands were shaking so badly that I almost dropped the phone.

Please let him come quickly, it was getting late. This was the hour rogues usually came out.

The road was quiet, the trees on both sides seemed darker now. Every small sound made my heart jump. About twenty minutes later, I saw headlights in the distance.

Relief flooded through me. I grabbed my bag and ran toward the car as it approached. When it stopped, Thomas stepped out, he was one of the ranked guards in our pack. I had known him for years.

“Thank you for coming, Thomas,” I said, walking toward him.

He didn’t respond, instead he reached behind his back and pulled out a gun.He pointed it at me.

I froze. “What are you doing?” My voice trembled. My feet refused to move.

“Your father asked me to finish you,” he said flatly. “Your existence will become a threat in the future.”

My breath stopped. “No… no, that’s not true. He sent you to pick me up,” I stuttered. “My dad would never—”

His phone rang, he turned the screen toward me, he answered and put it on speaker. “Have you finished the job?” my father’s voice came through, calm and cold. “Burn the body. Dump the ashes in a river. I don’t want anyone finding any trace.”

The world around me shattered. Thomas didn’t hesitate, the gun went off. The first bullet hit my shoulder. The force threw me backward, I screamed as I hit the ground.

Before I could even process the pain, he walked closer and fired again. The second bullet tore into my stomach. The pain was unbearable. My shirt soaked with blood within seconds.

He looked down at me with disgust. “My plan was to use you first,” he muttered cruelly, “since you are so good at sleeping with strangers, but—”

His phone rang again. “I will leave right away,” he said into it.

He glanced at me one last time. “Go to hell.” The third shot pierced my chest. Everything slowed, the pain in my body was terrible, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. My own father ordered my death.

For what?

My heartbeat felt weaker and weaker, as darkness tried to pull me under, I whispered inside my heart.

Moon Goddess… please. Please let me live, I need to know why. I need to know what I did to deserve this. And I want them to answer for it.

The sound of engines filled the air, not just one car but many, through half-closed eyes, I saw headlights surrounding me.

The cars came to a stop and one of the car doors opened. Then I heard the clicking of heels walking towards me. I forced my heavy eyelids open, my vision blurry from blood loss. A tall female figure came into view.

I didn’t have the strength to lift my head, but I reached out weakly, my fingers trembling as they stretched toward her.

“Help me… please,” I whispered.