جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 40

Athena's POVBy the time I step out of my room, my hair is still slightly damp from my shower.I have changed into my gym clothes, leggings and a fitted training shirt, with my hair tied back so it will not get in the way during training. I am already thinking about the session ahead when a familiar sound reaches me from the sitting area.Augustus is laughing.I turn toward the sound and find Emelia sitting on the floor with him, making a small wooden wolf move across the rug while Augustus reaches for it with both hands.His little legs kick excitedly beneath him.The moment he sees me, his attention shifts.His eyes brighten, and he gives a happy little sound."There is my boy."I walk toward them, smiling.Emelia looks up at me."Good morning, Luna.""Morning."I crouch beside Augustus and run my fingers through his soft hair. He immediately reaches for me, grabbing at my shirt.Emelia laughs."He has been waiting for you.""I can see that."I pick him up and settle him against my

Athena's POVI asked Emelia to leave twenty minutes ago.She gave me that look she always gives me when she thinks I am making a decision that will cost me something. Her eyes stayed on mine for a few seconds, as if she were trying to find a way to change my mind without saying the words.She knows me well enough to understand that once I have made a decision, arguing will not change it.So she left.I told her to leave Augustus alone in the room, and she did.Now I am standing farther down the corridor, tucked into the shadow between two door frames, far enough from his room that Dimitri will not see me when he passes.And he will pass.I know he will come.Augustus's cries carry through the entire floor.They are loud enough to reach every corner of the corridor, each one more distressed than the last. There is something different about this cry. I know every sound my son makes. I know the difference between hunger and tiredness, between frustration and wanting attention, between th

Athena's POVEmelia tells me Dimitri is with Augustus when I finish the session.I nod and thank her, then walk toward the guest room without rushing. Augustus is safe. I know he is safe, and right now, I trust that much. I trust the fact that my son is being cared for. I trust the instinct that tells me he is fine. There are other things I still struggle to trust, things that have nothing to do with Augustus and everything to do with the man who shares his blood.For now, I leave those thoughts where they are.The door is open when I reach the guest room.I stop in the doorway.Dimitri is sitting on the floor beside Augustus, cross-legged on the blanket. His large frame takes up a surprising amount of space, yet he has arranged himself with an unusual care, his movements quiet and restrained in the small room. He has learned that Augustus is easily startled by sudden movements. He has learned to move around him with patience, giving him time to see and understand what is happening.A

Dimitri's POV Days begin to pass after Athena leaves.At first, I tell myself I will get used to it.The pack returns to its usual routine. But I can feel the shift in them after Athena has left... as if the sun that rises in my pack is constantly covered with shadows.Life is going on.Patrols continue.Training continues.Meetings fill the hours.The threat from the mutts grows with every report that reaches Blackridge, and my attention is divided between protecting the territory and keeping track of everything happening along our borders.But there is one part of my day that does not change.I go to see Augustus.Usually at night.I choose that time because I know he needs me then.He is still young enough to need someone beside him when the day ends. I learned it myself during the week he stayed in Blackridge.I learned the way he settles when I hold him close.I learned the sounds he makes when he is tired.I learned how his little hand searches for something familiar when sleep

Dimitri's POVWe are through the doors before the howl finishes.The afternoon air hits us immediately, humid and warm, and I follow the sound without thinking because my wolf has already taken over the navigation. My mind is simply along for the ride.Reese is behind me.Several other Alphas have followed from the conference hall, drawn by the power in that howl the way wolves are always drawn toward something that carries that much force.The sound comes again.It is closer now.Fierce.Raw.My wolf pushes harder.I follow.We cross the grounds quickly, moving toward the edge of the packhouse where the trees begin.Then I see her.Athena.She is in wolf form.Large for a she-wolf, which I already know, but seeing her now is different from anything I witnessed during the training week. Her dark fur is matted with dirt and blood. Some of it is hers. Most of it is not.There are deep cuts across her shoulder and along her side. One ear is torn near the edge, and a long scratch runs acr