Rise of Athena

Chapter 10

Someone was coming.

Her eyes snapped, she sat up and looked at the timepiece she had set on the table next to her bed; 5 o'clock and ten minutes. It was a gift from Brenda when she had turned eighteen, it was a small clock engraved in a wood carving of an Alpha wolf.

Its purpose was to remind her of who she was but whenever she looked at it she mostly saw how weak she was, an Alpha who can't shift.

How perfectly embarrassing.

Seconds later she heard a knock on the door.

"Enter."

"My King." A servant entered with 6 others in tow and bowed.

"Speak."

"We bear gifts from your admirers."

When she heard who the admirers were she scoffed.

Just as she had expected.

At six o'clock and two minutes the door opened and someone entered.

She didn't need to look up to know who it was, much to her dismay she sensed him, felt his presence.

As soon as he entered he noticed her first of course, wearing a black morning gown sitting at her table one leg resting atop the other while she signed and replied.

Then he walked to the windows and one by one he opened the curtains that were drawn close filling the room with light.

"Close the windows and draw the curtains this instant."

"No, I don't think so"

"Excuse me?"

"You're excused."

She looked up at him.

"I said -"

"No. No, don't repeat what you said. My ears are in perfect shape, I heard you, I just won't do it. Besides you don't like to repeat the things you say, you said so yourself. I think I'd be best if we prevent that from happening lest we start the morning on a bad foot."

"You will find yourself with more than a bad foot if you refuse to do as I say. Literally."

"And you my enchantress will find yourself without an ally if I happen to feel you're not worth it.

A servant I may be, but I am the Alpha's most trusted advisor I've known him since....forever."

He grinned as she scowled, the mountain of flowers jewelry, and other valuables caught his eye.

"When you're done burning holes into my back, will you care to tell me what these are?"

She chose to give her undivided attention to her paperwork.

"Very well then. I shall help myself."

He said and after reading some of the letters attached to the presents he raised both brows.

"forty-nine packages. The council members, all fifty of them, minus the one whom you decided was too rude for your tolerance, they send this? Even though they very much hate you."

She motioned to the heap before him as if to say see for yourself.

"They all are power-thirsty. And most of them sent pieces of jewelry. As if you care about-"

She raised her head to find him looking at her wrist accusingly which was now adorned with a bangle made of pure gold with a sapphire encrusted in it.

"What? It was a gift was it not?"

She defended.

"No it's bribery and you know it. You mustn't be partial in your judgment the person whom you choose will have an impact on you, your decision-making, and the pack. You have to be careful."

"You might have been your Alpha's advisor but you are not mine. In fact, at the moment Pride and prejudice are waiting for you."

She said referring to the pile of books he had gathered to sit upon the previous day.

He obediently walked over to the books straightened them, sat, and prepared to continue from where they had left off.

"Is that a sense of humor I detect? And no, Pride and prejudice are not in the pile, I couldn't insult Jane that way. It's cruel. Not that you care to fight against cruelty."

"You like to read then?"

She asked ignoring his last sentence.

"Yes, I am a very avid reader. I like poetry, mystery, and adventure and I dabble in other genres occasionally. Do you read?"

"Not really, I-"

She stopped short staring at the ring she was forced to wear and spoke silently.

"It's this ring."

She hissed and glared at him.

"What?"

He asked surprised at the sudden change of emotion.

"What I let happen two days ago and what's happening this moment. It's the ring. I don't care if you read, I don't care about your opinions, I don't care about you. You are just a servant only lucky I have no choice but to keep you here. Whatever it is this ring is doing to me, your plan will fail, take it off."

"Whenever you say more than just a few words to me it's usually to hurt me physically or otherwise.

Do you deny it? I may be just a servant but do you deny it? No. You can feel it. Ring or no you know we are meant to be. Overlook my status, you know you are my cará. I gave you the ring because you're stubborn and will try to resist the ring will constantly encourage you and put you at ease towards me."

"Take it off."

"Please Athena."

"Don't."

"Give us a chance."

"Nothing can come of us."

"Let's leave that to the future to decide."

She fell silent for a few seconds.

"I'll make you a deal. I will try my possible best to tolerate you and your... advances, but if by the end of your stay here I do not yield, you will take this ring away and let me never see you again and promise that the treaty between my pack and your Alpha's stand."

"I've already spent four days here that'll give me just eighteen days."

"Yes."

He knew agreeing to this might put Cassandra out of his reach forever but it was a risk he had to take.

"It is a deal."

"Mind you my tolerance level is not very high."

"Luckily for us, my patience is."

She let out a breath through her slightly parted lips which he couldn't help but notice was luscious and pink, a perfect bow shape, she was his forbidden apple and just like Adam he couldn't resist.

But she saw his dreamy expression and shot him a dark look, immediately the thought went away not completely though, just to a far place in his mind for safekeeping, and one day it'll come back out and from thought, it'll become an act.

Soon.