HOLLOW

•TWENTY-FIVE•

•Natalie's POV•
•

It was hot. I might've gotten used to the cold weather at the castle but that gave no excuse for the amount of heat the sun was pouring down. My hair stuck to my face as beads of sweat dripped down my neck. "Why was this place your first pick?" I question Ioanna, fanning myself.

She looked worse than me. Her ponytail had sagged down and her face was flushed. Her shirt stuck to her, exposing her curves. "You think I'd put myself in this type of pain. This was Athanasios' doing." I sigh and look out the rusted window. Nothing but dirt roads and trees. My heart began to feel a little empty. I was beginning to miss Athanasios and the two dorks he calls his second and third in command."What do you know then?" I ask. Surely she was escorting me for a reason.

"That I'm responsible for you until a higher rank comes." She says. I wipe some of my hair out of my face and attempt to tie it back in a bun. "How long will that be?" She shrugs.

"Two weeks at most."

I hope it isn't that long. I barely survived the first day here.

_____

•Athanasios' POV•

The clinic was packed with injured wolves and such. Many women, men, and children were grieving for lost mates and parents. Yes, we won the war but we still lost some of our pack members to Winston and his other buffoons.

As soon as he was out of my castle, I alerted the Silent Rock, Native Forest, and the Arctic Water packs about Winston's actions. They were the packs that we thought would be the perfect allies to go against Winston. And just as we thought, they were more than excited to finally stop his wicked ways. Which is why we were scheduled to have a meeting.

"Alpha Isaac, Alpha Neil, Alpha Zayden." I greeted them all appropriately as they entered the meeting room. It was going to be packed since everyone was bringing their most trained people with them, including me.

"Alpha Afroudakis." Most alphas went by their first but I preferred my last. Everyone sat down, the Alphas taking their seat towards the end of the table. I was accompanied by Orion, Socrates, Earnest, Zephyra, and a couple more of my warriors. "Winston has been making threats about 'getting payback' for actions I made years ago. Of course, you all know the story and you know that we are even. But he doesn't seem to think so. He has now been planning to kill my own mate. To ensure her safety, I have sent her away." I explain.

"Well, he is obviously looking for her. Maybe we should keep an eye on the trail she is on for any signs of him or anyone in association with him." Alpha Isaac suggests.

From then on, we sculpted a plan to defeat Winston and finally put an end to all the trouble he's caused in our world. The plan would take some time but it was the best way to ensure his death. I promise myself that if not for me, then for Natalie, Winston shall die. I will be the one to kill him. I needed to start training harder and smarter if I even wanted to succeed.

"Zephyra, it's your time to go with Natalie and Ioanna. You can have some time with your mate before you leave." She nods and turns to walk off. I know she would lose any fight against Winston, she knows it too. I was sending her because I knew that she'd protect her from getting too close to him. If she doesn't come back, I'll always remember her as my most loyal warrior.

While Zephyra was with Natalie and Ioanna, I would be training with Earnest. Sure, I had the strength of an Alpha, but I needed more fighting skills and techniques as well. I had time to train since I wouldn't be fighting Winston for some time. As much as I hated having him roam freely, I knew we had to wait for him to weaken. He would probably die within the next year or so.

I could laugh thinking about what his funeral would look like. I doubt anyone would show up. They'd hear who the ceremony was for and probably run the other way.

_____

•Winston's POV•

I knocked on the old wooden door of the coven. It rang throughout the quiet halls of the place. This was one of the more quiet covens. He opened the door a crack and peeked through the door to see who it was. "I need your help," I said. He was probably the most silent person in the coven. At one point I thought he was mute.

"Elaborate."

"I need you to find the location of Athanasios' mate," I said, smiling. Lukas looked down for a few moments before looking back to me and nodding. He opened the door some more, earning a creek from the hinges. I stepped through and waited for him to do his magic. He sat down and shut his eyes. He breathed evenly for some time before his eyes popped back open.

"Washington." He said. I smiled and walked out happily with the new information. My plan would soon be back on track and I will finally get revenge on the person who did all of this to me. I needed to find Beatrice before they shifted locations and put us back at square one. This opportunity was precious and valuable. I refuse to miss it.

I needed to prepare for the journey all the way to Washington. I needed a source of transportation to get all the way over there and I was sure I couldn't do it alone. Unlike Athanasios, I didn't have boats to transport me where I wanted whenever I wanted. To me, it seemed like a waste of money since I never saw myself leaving here. But now I regret my decisions.

I couldn't take public transportation, too many security checks for that. I was going to have to ask Beatrice once more.

This time, she was sitting in her library, reading God knows what. "Beatrice." She didn't jump at my tone of voice, instead, she glanced up at me before looking back down to her book. "What could you possibly want now?" Her calm look could easily be mistaken for someone under the influence of marijuana.

"I've found where she is," I say, waiting for her reaction. She just flips the page and scans her eyes over the words. "Why are you telling me?" She asks. I hold back a glare I was dying to use. "I need one of those portal things to Washington," I explain. She snickers before closing the book. "What's in it for me?" I roll my eyes knowing what she wanted. This was my last resort and I'd be dumb not to take the offer. "You'll get the children," I tell her. She smiles and completely puts the book down.

"That's what I like to hear. When do you need the transporter?" She asks. I thought about the preparations and a good enough time period for each. "One to two weeks," I tell her. She nods. "Of course. Also, when you're there, I need a specific plant that just isn't able to grow here." I nod. How hard is it to get some flower or whatever. "You got it." I leave her to her reading. I would return to my castle knowing that I was close to my goal.

I would soon feel content with the pain that is soon to come to Athanasios. He would deal with what I have had to deal with for the past century. I couldn't wait to have her warm, red, blood oozing down my hands. I couldn't wait to see the splatters and pools of blood that would soon surround her lifeless body.

My mind began to create images of what was soon to happen. That dark, deep shade of red kept clouding my mind. It made me impatient to see the events finally happen.

•
A/N
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