Dawn

Chapter 5

Athena

I don't know how long it's been since I fell asleep in Ares' arms. I am curled up in bed with a blanket gently draped over me. The blanket smells of Ares and it calms my beating heart almost instantly.

It's odd to think how easily the mate bond can draw me to him. Even when I want to distance myself and be weary, I yearn to be closer to him. I want to be in his arms and feel his lips on mine.

It isn't until I hear the door open that I bring myself out of sleep and sit up to look at the door. Expecting to see Ares, I am left in a confused state when I see one of the enforcers standing in the door frame. I find it a bit odd, but perhaps Ares has sent for me? The enforcer takes a few steps into the room and smiles, leaving the door wide open–I guess that's a good sign.

"Hello Athena, my name is Jon. It is a great pleasure to meet a Celosia wolf." He says with his hands grasped behind his back.

"Is it? I am under the impression that everyone wishes to see us dead." I say matter of factly.

"Ah that's where you are wrong. Being mated to a Celosia wolf is a great honor. Imagine the strength a wolf would get from mating you."

I shift under the blanket uncomfortably. Is this why Ares has kept me around? Is this why he promised to keep me safe? Does he plan to mate me then keep me hidden away solely for his own strength?

A part of me hates to think that this might be true, but it very well could be. I am so lost in thought I don't see Jon creeping forward closer to my bed.

"It is legend that any mate to an Alpha Celosia wolf is ten times stronger than any common wolf. They could take over every pack in the country and become a king. A wolf king! Ha! Would you believe such a thing?" Jon says, still a smile on his face.

Ok, Jon might be smiling at me, but he clearly is not here for any good reason. Just as I was about to ask him to leave, he leaps forward pinning my arms to the bed beside me and pinning my legs down with his body weight. I start to thrash to try to throw him off of me, but after my magic use I am still weak. That added to his surprise attack, I stand no chance.

Without a moment of reluctance, Jon's canines extend and he is violently digging them into my mating spot. I let out the loudest scream I can, so caught off guard by the pain. I can feel my blood boiling from the inside out, a nonexistent bond attempting to take over my entire body. There are tears streaming down my cheeks as I let my body go limp from the pain. I look over to see Ares kneeling on the floor with a look of pain on his face. My mate. My wolf screams in agony, but her voice is slowly drowned out by the strings of fate trying to connect to Jon's wolf.

Just as quickly as it started, the pain subsides as Jon's teeth retract from my shoulder. I can feel the blood dripping down my arm as the wound begins to close. I glance over at Jon to see his eyes wide open staring at me in fear. He stumbled a few steps back then collapsed on the floor seizing and convulsing. Foam is forming at his mouth and blood begins pouring out of his eyes and nose. Within a few moments, Jon's body stills and Dominic rushes over, checks his pulse, then shakes his head at Ares. A look of confusion and horror painted across his face.

This seems to knock Ares out of his trance who rushes to my bedside tears streaming down his face. He looks at me as my body begins to fall into a deep sleep. A bond forged in fate cannot be broken even in death. It is the rule of the goddess.

The last few words I hear are "I am so sorry Athena. I am so sorry my love."

Then, all black.

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