The Candles Will Protect You

Chapter 21

It took me a while to fully get over what happened.

My mind was actually confused, I wasn't sure if things were real or not, but Ares was there for me all along, helping me through it.

He wasn't the only one helping me, though. Drake and Tiffany spent a lot of time with us as well, even Ares' parents came over a few times. Not to mention Eros, who helped me by sharing a couple of his terrible jokes. Nevertheless, I was extremely thankful to everyone.

After I got back to my normal self, Ares and I decided to, as he said, "seal the deal", so the mating process was completed. Surprisingly, unlike after the marking, I didn't pass out.

Even though Ares had a lot of work as an Alpha, he still managed to put me first somehow. He always found a way to spend as much time with me as possible, though I knew he had to because of the bond.

One time, we were lying in our bed after a long day. He was stroking my hair, a gentle smile on his lips.

"What?" I asked, looking at his face curiously.

"Oh, nothing... I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"About our future children."

My eyes widened, and he broke out in a grin.

"Children?" I asked back. "Don't you think it's a bit too soon for that?"

"Well, I already found their mother, so I don't see why it would be too early."

"I'm not ready for that yet, Ares," I stared at him seriously.

"I know, I know," he pressed a light kiss on my forehead. "I was just wondering. What do you think they will look like?"

"I mean, we both have brown eyes, so I think that one's quite obvious," I smiled jokingly. "And their hair's most likely going to be either brown or black."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

We fell silent, then he spoke up again.

"I really want a girl," he said quietly.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Seriously?"

He nodded.

"Shouldn't you want a boy, who can, you know, take over the pack after you? Or can girls do that too?"

"No, they can't, unfortunately. If an Alpha's only child is a girl, then their mate becomes the new Alpha. I would love to see our daughter try, though. That would be pretty badass," he grinned.

"And what if we have a boy first?"

"Then he'll be the Alpha, but we'll still try again until we get a girl."

"Yes, well, I'm not willing to give birth to a whole army, so if we don't get a girl by the fourth try max, then you're gonna have to accept it."

"Of course, darling. Your health comes first."

"I'm glad you agree," I nodded. "By the way, do we have to give them Greek names too, or...?"

"It's a family tradition, I guess," he shrugged.

"Fine," I sighed.

"Thank you, love," he kissed me. "I'm sure our daughter will be just as wonderful as you are."

"You genuinely want a girl, huh?" I laughed.

"What can I say? I always did. Maybe one day she'll be a Luna, just like her mother."

"Maybe," I smiled at him.

"We should name her Athena."

I just stared at him with an 'are you serious' expression.

"No way."

"Why not?"

"I don't like that," I shook my head.

"Just think about it," he smirked. "Alpha Athena."

"That's just horrible."

"Come on, Rhea!" He chuckled. "Athena is considered the Goddess of war strategy, it may give her an advantage in the future."

"Which she probably won't even need, if we have a boy first," I shot back. "Plus, what if she does end up being a Luna? Luna Athena just sounds wrong."

"Okay, let's think about boy names, then. How about... Zeus?"

I smacked his head.

"Ares, they aren't even born yet, why are you trying to make them hate their names already?"

"So you don't like it?" He let out a light laugh. "Alpha Zeus. Alpha Z. The Big Z."

"Please, just stop."

"Fine. Heracles?"

"Herac- who?"

"Heracles," he repeated himself. "God of sports and stuff."

"Not a chance," I grimaced.

"What about Chaos?"

"At this point, I think you just want to flex with your knowledge."

"Alpha Chaos..." He whispered in a mysterious tone, ignoring my comment.

"That just straight up sounds like bad luck, to be honest."

"True," he nodded.

"Anyway, I think we'll have plenty of time to come up with their names."

"Don't be so sure about that," he looked into my eyes, leaning closer.

"Why?"

"Because I'm not sure I'll be able to contain myself that well, now that the bond is sealed. You never know what might happen..."

"Ares, I swear, if you put a baby in me before –"

He cut me off by kissing me deeply.

When he pulled away, he had a smirk on his face.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

"You're still unbearable," I rolled my eyes.

"Yet you still love me," he grinned back.

"I do," I sighed, the corners of my mouth turning upwards.

"You'll be repeating that soon."

He sent me a wink, and I looked at him with a surprised expression.

"Wow, was that a spoiler?"

"For what?" He asked innocently. "I just wanted to ask if you would like to visit my parents this weekend. You love them, so you'll obviously say yes, that's what I was referring to..."

"Sure," I nodded.

"Why, were you hoping for something else?" He smirked, lowering his voice.

"Oh, shut up."

I grabbed a pillow, hitting him with it. Ares widened his eyes, then an evil smile appeared on his lips as he grabbed a pillow himself.

"You're going down."

A/N:

Thank you for reading! Hope you liked this chapter!