Chapter 1 - New order
*Three months later*
There was a loud bang on my door.
"Athena, get your ass up. We're going to be late." A voice shouted from outside my room.
I slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. As the seasons changed from summer into fall, the morning sun grew tired and made waking hard.
"I'm coming; calm down," I mumbled as I got out of bed, chucking on my training outfit. I swung open my door, looking at my friend. Her raven-coloured hair, done up in a braid. She looked up at me with her crimson eyes, annoyance written all over her face. I let out a sigh as I stepped out of my room, shutting the door behind me.
"If you don't want Beta Paul to make you do extra training, you should stop being so late all the time." She scowled.
"I said calm down, Greta, I'm up. If you don't stop nagging me, we will both be doing extra training." I rolled my eyes at her and gave her a smirk.
Greta was the first person who really connected with me at the packhouse. She lost her parents in the war and was an orphan like me. She was a sweet girl, but she could kick your ass if she needed to. Her five-foot-two appearances fooled many. She was fast and always knew where your weak points were in a fight. She and her mate lived in the packhouse.
"Crap, I forgot a hair tie," I groaned, running my fingers through my tangled hair.
"You're so lucky you have a friend like me. Honestly, where would you be without me." Greta joked, pulling a band off her wrist and handing it to me. I looked at her and laughed. I grabbed my scarlet hair and twisted it into a messy bun.
"You'd probably be dead in a ditch after pissing off Beta Paul again." My wolf teased in my head.
"Glad to see someone finally woke up." I scowled "If you had woken me up, we wouldn't be late. Phoenix, now would we?" I smirked and rolled my eyes at my wolf. Though we couldn't shift into our wolf form yet, we were connected at birth. She learned as I did, and once I turned eighteen, she would be able to finally roll in the grass and sink her paws into the dirt.
As we entered the gym for training, there was an uneasy feeling that filled the room. At the front of the gym stood Beta Paul. His eyes were tired and filled with sorrow. As most of us were too young to fight in the war, we would only hear updates the following day before training. But, most of the time, the information was the same. The only reminder that the battle was still raging on was how our pack had grown smaller and weaker with each passing day.
"Attention pups," Beta Paul shouted, his voice stern and filled with pain. All of us stood up and stared up at Beta Paul. I couldn't help the knot that was forming in my stomach. I knew what he had to say wasn't good.
"Alpha Hues has fallen. We are no longer..." The room filled with gasps, and whispers broke out. You could see him trying to form his words carefully, trying to deliver the news without causing complete chaos. He cleared his throat before continuing.
"We are no longer the midnight pack. Our warriors fought hard and brought honour to our pack. The Bloodstone pack was far too big for even our strongest warriors. We will hold our heads high as we join our new pack. We will hold our new name with just as much honour." He shouted, his voice strong and demanded our attention.
"The Bloodstone pack is fierce and so strict, we won't survive with your attitude," Phoenix whispered, worry clear in her voice. "Their alpha is ruthless."
"Quiet, we can worry about that later. I want to leave once I turn eighteen. I can contain myself until then." I snapped back as I tried to hide the worry in my voice. The stories that we heard of the bloodstone pack were unsettling. I didn't want to think about that until it was needed. Besides, my birthday was a month away. Then I would be free.
"There will be no training today. I want you all to pack as we will be moving to the bloodstones packhouse this evening. That is all you are dismissed." Beta Paul shouted. The room filled with whispers of worry and fear.
"Athena, I need to speak with you in my office." I heard Beta Paul shout over the crowd. My stomach in knots, I nodded and gave Greta a worried look. I knew I had trouble following orders and controlling my attitude; I only wondered if that's what Beta Paul needed to talk to me about.
"I'll be back shortly," I mouth to Greta before I followed Beta Paul into the hall towards his office.
We walked down the hallway and turned down the left-wing of the packhouse. We passed several doors until we reached the door at the end of the hall. I had been in this office so many times in my short stay at this house, but this time felt different. I looked up at Beta Paul as he opened the door and walked in, holding it open for me.
"If this is about my attitude, I'll work on it," I spoke softly. Beta Paul looked at me a small smile rose from his lips.
"Athena, sit down," Paul ordered, his voice soft but assertive. I walked in and sat down in the chair in front of his desk. His office was bright with large cascading windows. The walls were a bright white with black trim and pops of gold throughout the room.
"As an Omega, you don't need to know the details, but I'm here to warn you. As a close friend of your father, I promised to protect you as my own." He said in a worried tone.
"The new Alpha runs things very different from here and demands order. So you need to be able to control yourself."
"I will, and once I turn eighteen, I will leave and be on my own," I muttered, annoyance clear in my voice.
"That's just it, Athena. He doesn't allow pack members to leave. Once you are in his pack, he owns you. You are not to defy his orders. You will be punished or killed." Beta Pauls's voice sounded rough, and his eyes darkened. My heart sank to my stomach.
"We can't be owned. We aren't pets." Phoenix hissed. "This Alpha is unbelievable."
"I will not let us be trapped, I promise," I said with anger in my voice.
"I can't promise you anything." With that, I got up from my chair and walked out of his office, slamming the door behind me before running down the hall to my room. If I couldn't leave once I turned eighteen, I would leave now before I was trapped. I only owed my loyalty to Alpha Hues. I was not going to be trapped with a ruthless Alpha, who treated his pack members like pets.
As I turned the corner, I saw Greta sitting in front of my door. Her eyes lit up as she saw me, but then a frown flashed on her face as she saw the anger that had become stuck to my face.
"What happened this time?" Greta asked. I opened my bedroom door and pulled her in.
"I'm leaving is whats up. This new Alpha will not allow me to leave once I turn eighteen—no chance to travel or find my mate or myself. We will be his property. I am not anyone's property." I muttered as I grabbed a bag and placed a few outfits in them. I didn't have much, but it didn't matter. It would be enough to last me until I got to where I needed to be.
"You can't, Athena. You don't have your wolf form yet!" Greta's voice was full of concern and worry. "It's too dangerous out there, with rogues, humans, and everything else in the world. You would be killed. It might not be as bad as the stories you need to wait and see." She whispered, her voice shaky and uneven. I turned around to see her eyes filling with tears as she feared for me.
"Greta, you are already eighteen and have your mate. I might never get the chance if I'm stuck there. So you don't need to worry. I'll be fine." I reassured her with a smile and then hugged her. As I got up, I swung my bag over my shoulder, giving her one last look as I opened the door.
"I'll miss you," Greta mumbled as tears fell from her eyes.
I made my way out of the packhouse. Watching for any other pack members as I walked down the driveway to the edge of the forest. I looked around to make sure no one was watching as I slipped into the trees and began running.
Chapter 2 - Defiance I couldn't tell how long I had been running, but the pack had to know I was gone by now. I finally took a moment to stop and breathe. The sun was slowly setting, and the forest was growing dark. Then, for the first time since leaving, the feeling of regret started to creep in. "We need to find a place to sleep." Phoenix said softly "somewhere high to protect us from rogues and any other animals or creatures out here." Her voice was full of concern. I nodded in agreement as I used what daylight we had left to find a suitable tree to climb. I was so busy trying to find a tree I hadn't noticed the wolf staring at me a few trees back. I could feel my hair stand up on end as I felt eyes burning into my back. A loud growl pierced my ears as I
Chapter 3 - Regret Athenas P.O.V "How are we not dead" Phoenix mumbled. Her words sounded muffled and exhausted. "Where ever we are, it smells weird." "Maybe we are dead," I laughed, wincing at the sharp pain it caused. "Nope, definitely not dead." I could hear a faint beeping, but it sounded so far away, becoming louder as I slowly woke up. The smells all hit me at once—a mix of bleach and other cleaning products. I slowly opened my eyes, wincing at the light shining through the curtains. The room was bright white with a large bay window. There was a sink with a small cupboard above it. I slowly turned my gaze to my right to see a small bathroom. I looked down to s
Chapter 4 - Resistance Eriks P.O.V Adding new members to a pack is always stressful. As I sat in my office, I couldn't help but think of Athena. Everything always leads back to her crossing my mind. I told the hospital to keep me updated on any changes. I wanted her to stay in the packhouse, but she was in rough shape and would do better there until she was healed enough to be here. I didn't understand why my pull to her was so instantaneous. There was a knock at the door that snapped me from my thoughts "Come in," My voice sharp, revealing a hint of annoyance My Beta entered my office with a smile on his face. "The new pack members have settle
Chapter 5 - Acceptance Athena P.O.V I slowly opened my eyes, letting the light hit my face. The sun was just rising as I woke up. Today was the day I got to leave and venture to my new home. Was it home, or would it be a prison. Would I be locked away for trying to escape, for showing the new Alpha such disrespect? I heard stories of the Bloodstones pack. How ruthless their Alpha was. He showed no mercy to anyone who defied him. My stomach turned at the thought of him only saving me so he could end my life himself. "Knock knock." A familiar voice spoke with excitement, snapping me from my train of thought. A smile spread across my face as I looked at Greta. "Greta, what are you doing here so early?" I asked happily. "
Chapter 6 - Transparent I walked into the washroom staring at my reflection in the mirrors lining the wall above the sinks. Dark circles sat under my eyes, my blue eyes dull with exhaustion, and my scarlet hair was weighed down and sweaty from cleaning. I turned on the shower and got undressed. My body was ready to collapse as the hot water soothed my aching muscles. The last three nights had been a blur. From the early mornings to the late nights I needed to sleep for a week, it seemed each time we would get finished one room, another would be left in worse condition. We finally ended the night by cleaning the gym for the morning training, which took the longestafter the bathrooms. Each mat had to be moved, washed down, and ensured all blood was gone before being placed back.
Chapter 7 - The Calling Athena POV After a short but quiet night of sleep and a fast-paced morning, I was finally able to sit down and breathe. I knew after lunch I would be training with Alpha Erik. Yet, my mind kept flashing back to last night. How much I wanted to touch him and test how far I could go. The thought of all of it caused my cheeks to flush the lightest shade of pink. I craved the sensation his touch gave me. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I had to have his touch. Something was pulling me to him. "Earth to Athena.. where'd you go?" Greta asked, snapping me from my thoughts. "Oh, sorry, just the lack of sleep is catching up to me." I lied. "I can't wait to be
Chapter 8 - Hunger As I walked into the dining room, two plates sat on the table, one at the head of the table and the second next to it. I was pleased to see I was the first to arrive. It gave me time to calm the knot in my stomach and reel in Phoenix's over baring thoughts. "You be careful tonight. We don't need to find out what Alpha Erik meant when he said we would have consequences," Phoenix smirked. "You are so unbelievable." I scoffed "I just say what we're both thinking." Phoenix huffed. "Just imagine what it would feel like to have him." She said dreamily, sending flashes of what she thought through my head. My fingers entang
Chapter 9 - Protection I slammed my fist on my desk. "Damnit, Paul, why wasn't I informed of this. When I asked you about past treaties and attacks, you never thought this was something that needed to be mentioned." I growled. "What is it that she wants," I demanded. "I was ordered not to mention it to anyone. Even after Alpha Hues passed, I honoured his command." His voice was low and full of regret. "The Fae told us a story of a wolf. One with unlimited power, its fur so dark it glowed blue in the light. She believes that one of our pack members has this wolf and is waiting for the wolf to come of age. She demanded that Alpha Hues inform her as soon as it happened. He refused to help her, so she infected him. We told her that the