I push Andreas through the front doors, and we find the Crescent Warriors waiting for us. They all kneel before me, and then Mitch and Noah stand.“Alpha, we’re here to escort you and your mate to the ceremony,” Mitch says.Noah comes and stands beside me, and says, “Let me, Alpha.” And takes the handles of the wheelchair.I nod and stand next to Andreas and hold his hand as we all walk towards the pack hall.When I try to go towards the pack hall doors, Tony says, “We’re not going to the pack hall,” and they lead us past it, to the field behind it.I gasp as I look around. There are fairy lights everywhere, providing a peaceful glow over the field, with the pack surrounding a makeshift stage in the middle of the field. The warriors lead us toward the pack, and everyone moves to the side, making a pathway and kneeling as we pass. When we get closer, the warriors stand to the side and surround the stage as Mitch and Noah lead us up a ramp, where Elder Laskaris and the remaining Elders

I sit up with a start when I roll over and realize the bed is empty. “Andreas?” I call out.“I’m here, Athena,” he says, and I look over to find him standing in the bathroom doorway.“Are you okay?” I ask as I push the blankets off and rush over to him.“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. I needed the bathroom, but I didn’t have the energy to get back to bed.”“You should have woken me,” I say, worried, as I take his hand and help him back to bed.“I should be taking care of you, not the other way around,” he says as he lies back down in bed.“That’s so last century,” I say, rolling my eyes as I climb back into bed as well.“I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, I know you’re hurting, and I wish I could do something to take your pain away,” he says as I snuggle into his chest again. “You were calling out for Alex in your sleep,” he says sadly.“Oh,” I whisper.“You started calling him dad?”“Yeah, just yesterday,” I say sadly. “I wish I’d started calling him dad sooner.”“You had a speci

Jess and Jason catch up to me outside the conference room, and Jess hugs me. “Thank you for protecting my sister.” “She sacrificed herself for this pack. It’s the least I could do,” I say, pulling back. “Are you guys leaving today with Alpha Peter and Luna Rachael?” I ask as we walk down the hallway of the pack house. “Yeah. We’re leaving in about half an hour,” Jason says. “Make sure you guys find me before you go, okay?” I say as we walk outside. “Of course, we wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye,” Jess says. “We’ll find Alpha Peter for you.” “Thanks,” I say, and they walk away. I hear a crash come from inside, so I run back into the pack house and hear yelling from the kitchen. “Did you seriously think you could leave our pack without repercussions?” I hear a male growl. As I run into the kitchen, I find Beta Stephan holding Lauren by the throat against the kitchen wall. “Get your hands off her,” I growl. “This is none of your concern, Alpha,” he growls back, keeping h

Later That Night“Are you sure you’ve had enough?” I ask Andreas, worried that he still can’t stomach much food.“I think if I eat anymore, I’ll throw it all back up again,” he says, moving the plate away. I give a little growl, upset that it’s taking so long for him to heal.He chuckles. “I’m okay, baby girl. The Doc is looking after me,” he says with a smile as he cups my cheek. “It’s just going to take some time.”I sigh. “I’m sorry. I just hate seeing you like this,” I say, placing my hand over his.‘Alpha, we need you at the pack house,’ Tony mind-links.‘Is it important?’ I ask.‘Felix got in contact with Harry. Alpha Leon wants to meet.’‘When?’‘In an hour.’I sigh again, cutting the link. “They need me at the pack house.”“Then let’s go,” he says with a smile and gets up from the bed. #We walk hand in hand down to the pack house; the moon shining bright in the night sky. As we walk up the porch steps, we hear arguing from inside.“What’s going on?” I ask as we walk into the

“Athena!” Andreas shouts, grabbing my arm. “I’m okay,” I tell him as he inspects my arm, but I start to hear growls from behind me as my pack starts to rise from the ground, snarls filling the air as Alpha Leon laughs. “That was just a warning shot. The next one won’t miss.” Andreas’s head snaps up, and he lets out a murderous roar. Cassia roars as well, and they both surprise me by shifting and running toward Alpha Leon. The rest of us roar and shift, and we run toward Alpha Leon and his pack as they shift and run toward us. We clash in the middle of the field. The sickening sounds of bodies colliding, and the tearing of flesh fill the air as both sides attack each other. I finish subduing one of Leon’s wolves, and I look around for Ares and Ellie, and I realize they ran past Alpha Leon’s men and are trying to get the shooter out of the tree. I watch as Ellie and Ares pull the shooter down from the tree by his ankle, and his screams fill the air as they kill him. But I notice on