Rise of Athena

Chapter 34

Alexander did nothing related to resting. Instead, he tossed in his bed with roughened sheets and overturned quilts as he thought about the woman who constantly set fire to his soul.

Having her in his arms was one thing, but her sharing a portion of what she experienced in the past was divine. Slowly, he was starting to melt through her ice. Sheet by sheet, till he finally melted it all.

It was going to take quite a while but he was ready for this task, daunting as it was.

After several minutes of laying in bed restless, Alex stood to his feet and walked to the large bay window situated on the westernmost part of the room. The curtains were drawn, all thanks to Athena who had an aversion for brightly lit rooms. She had shut the curtains as soon as she came in and it was left to him to go open it himself.

His hand still hurt. The doctor had done him dirty and somehow, it had made things go smoothly between him and his enchantress. He smiled when he remembered how her eyes had widened when she fell on him and opened the curtains with a slight wince.

Light poured into the room and from where Alex stood, he saw a few servants working in the fields and chattering.

It was a good day to take a walk and hopefully, he bumped into Damien, he had intentions of riling the man up.

He was shirtless so he went to the rickety dresser and took off his osnaburg shirt from the hanger. With slight difficulty, he put the shirt on and slipped his legs into his worn out boots before stepping out of the room.

As he walked through the narrow hallway, servants passed by him and bowed their heads in reverence. It was surprising because they never bowed to him and for a moment, he believed that the doctor, unable to contain his excitement and keep secrets, had proclaimed to everyone present that he was indeed the Alpha of Blue moon pack.

But he thought otherwise. Athena would have sent for him or moreso, come to his room herself to query him, but she hadn't. That meant his secret was safe.

But why were they bowing to him?

After several seconds of contemplating, he shrugged and threw the thought to the back of his mind. They were probably bowing because of the rumors going around.

He was standing directly behind the intricately carved wooden banister and looking down at the large hall that had been built into the palace. This compartment was separate and Athena rarely came here.

It was surprising to see her lolling on a couch with careless abandon. It was an utterly amusing sight.

Athena would sit with her back straight and stiff and anyone coming from behind would feel the energy coming off her body. But now, she sat with careless abandon. Her back was against the pristine white chaise lounge and she ate scones from a china plate.

Alex descended the stairs as he tried to make himself unnoticeable. When he finally got to the base of the stairs, he said.

"Having a nice time and enjoying your solitude, I see,"

Immediately, she jolted up and regained her usual composure. Her sitting position was back to being rigid.

Alex would have burst into laughter and entertained her anger but he wasn't all for that today.

Her eyes rested on him. They weren't cold today, just filled with slight embarrassment that she had been caught in an informal position for quite a long time today.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. The plate sitting before her had been shifted.

Alex didn't join her. Instead, he took the sofa opposite her.

"I am bored and in need of company. Thought I could find a servant to indulge in but I found you here. You're never here,"

At the mention of the word 'servant', her gaze hardened. "Servant?"

Alex nodded. "I spend time with them. Most especially Kali,"

Kali was the servant he had an encounter with on the night he had barged into Athena's room and that memory remained fresh in her mind.

"That's..." She began but immediately composed herself. "Why are you here then?"

"Because none of them seem to be here. Didn't even find Kali. And why are you here alone? Without Damien?"

"What makes you think you can waltz into this room and ask me questions?"

Alex leaned back on the sofa and shrugged. "I don't even know. Sometimes, I just do things."

Athena took a deep breath. "You should leave. I asked everyone to leave me alone for a few hours. I need some alone time and you're prying into my privacy. You need to rest also."

Alex smiled. "It's how you treat me like some commoner and care about me at the same time that gets to me."

"Get out." Athena said with clenched teeth.

Alex stood to his feet and raised his hand in surrender. "I definitely will. Enjoy your time alone. And also, I'd need that doctor to come treat me. I am in severe pains,"

Athena's eyes darted to his burnt hand and lingered there for a second before resting her gaze on him. "I thought you wanted that hand severed. I see you have come back to your senses,"

"I definitely have."

"Leave this instant."

About an hour later, the doctor was back and this time, he came with more tales.

"I do not want to hear any of it, please," Alex stopped him with a raise of his good hand as he lay back on the bed with an outstretched arm. "Treat me and be gone as soon as you're done,"

"I thought we were already starting to establish a budding relationship?" The Doctor asked, his voice laced with innocent hurt.

"I have no idea about that. For now, you're more like a messenger and a keeper of a secret that would put you in jeopardy if leaked. So, do as I have asked you to, my friend."

The doctor smiled cheekily. "You called me friend."

"That was just an expression."