Bane of Existence

~5~

•New Beginning•
...
-Brand-
noun|ˈbrand | a mark put on criminals with a hot iron.
~5~

The alpha left us to our own devices after a while but informed us that Adam and I would need to meet with him in his office later to discuss some things regarding our future.

Naturally, we all gravitated toward each other, still feeling the need to cling close together. So, we were sitting on the couches in the lower level of my room just lounging around the room and finding new quirks every second.

We had stopped talking when we heard a knock on the door. It was so odd to us that such a sound would occur. Our privacy had been invaded so many times over the years the concept seemed so foreign. It was odd.

"Come in," I called unsurely.

Moments later, one of the guards I recognized from outside the Alpha's room, opened the door with another new man behind him. The man nodded to the guard before he retracted and left only the unknown man in the doorway.

"Forgive me for intruding but I thought it seemed fit that I came to introduce myself," the man spoke with a bit of an Australian accent. That sound too was so foreign. We had only ever been around members of our pack and this one, so it was a good change.

"My name is Jason Olson, I'm the Beta," he told us with a charming smile. He was good looking in a traditional sense, but not my style.

"Apologies Beta," I said as we all pointed our eyes down in submission, causing a sigh to escape his lips.

"No need for that," he told us. We unsurely looked up to see him stepping in and looking around the room curiously. "Apollo hasn't let anyone in this room ever. It's quite a surprise to see him let you stay here," he stayed with a bit of a nod.

"I tried to detest when he told me it was meant for his mate but he said his mate's wolf was so pulled back she may never know they were mates," I told him honestly with a shrug. "If it were up to me it would've been smaller," I chuckled.

"You must be Athena," he grinned putting his hand out to me when he came to stand in front of the couch.

"Yes, a pleasure to meet you," I said standing and shaking his hand.

"Pleasure is all mine. Taking down a genocidal school is quite the feat, you should be very proud of what you've accomplished," he nodded in appreciation.

"My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner," I told him with a sad smile.

"Yes," he sighed looking at the ground and shaking his head. "I would like to offer my deepest apologies to all of you for what has been done. I know that is of no value but I hope over time we can mend the bond between our packs again," he told me as he looked up with a sad smile.

"That's the only thing we want. For the bond to be mended and the lives mourned and remembered," Adam spoke up with a sad smile as well.

"From our studies, I believe your mourning processes are different than ours?" He said unsurely, we assured him with a bit of a nod. "Well, if you need a proper place to mourn, and help the souls of those who've passed, there is a garden outback. I know that your culture is connected with the earth so I hope that it will be a safe place for you," he offered.