Don't Burn Out (Currently Editing)

Thirty-Nine

Athena's Point of View

October 12, 2015

It was the human's birthday or my birthday too, I guess. I am officially eighteen. Zayn bought a single red velvet cupcake with a hot pink candle stabbed into the center of it. He sang happy birthday, and begged me to say something, but the human was mute. I cried out for my mate while she lay mute. He somehow got her to eat the cupcake, and put on the Time Traveler's Wife, knowing it was one of her favorite movies.

On our birthdays lycans are rewarded with a gift of extra strength. We think of it as a b-day present from Luna, but we don't exactly know if it is from Luna or not. However, what I do know for sure is, every year this extra power is like dangling cheese in front of a mouse or a credit card in front of Zayn's shopaholic sisters. Power is redemption and it was so close; yet she let it slip through her fingers. I was not mad at her though. Disappointed is more fitting. She, we.. we have fought for so long and the light is nearing the end of this very long and very tiring tunnel. The future, it is so bright, it's almost blinding. We are so close to having everything we have ever wanted; yet she had dropped her sword and put away her armor.

I sighed and fought against my restraints as my mind drifts.

Niall still hasn't come out of his coma. None of Joshua's captives of high ranks have been returned to their respective packs. Zayn has still yet to send a troop back into Golden Moon, I believe he was waiting for me. Mostly everyone was waiting for his call to begin the war. Zander has had enough of this waiting. He told Zayn that, he has till the end of the month to start the war, or he would send in his own troops.

Every night since the attack, Tiffany has cried herself to sleep, so quietly, for Zayn's ears not to hear, but I feel her shake and sob.

I want to empathetic. I know what it feels like to see everything you've ever wanted, then have the rug pulled right from under you. If we weren't in the middle war right now, I wouldn't be so tough on her, but right now our pack needs us. As does our mate. Zayn is at his edge. He was going to snap. In the past week he hadn't slept in our bed. Afraid he would slip into his Alpha Paroxysm in his sleep and hurt me.

Right on time Zayn strolls into the room. To tell me about his day, and reads a poem from one of his mother's books. Zayn doesn't look like Zayn. His most prized possession: his hair, his wonderful, glorious hair, usually keep so neat in his perfect, gravity defining quiff; brushes the skin of his shoulders.

His chin was a full beard now. The clothes from last Friday, that adorn his body, are wrinkled and stained. My body almost human, maybe dead, but I can smell the reeking scent of old whiskey and cigarette smoke that clings to him.

"Hey baby." Low. Gruff. Hoarse. Rough. Cracky and husky, but not the lulling sound of my mate's voice.

"Today, I dragged Liam from out of the gym and made him help me arrange an assault attack, Greyson helped too." Liam, from what Zayn has told me, hasn't stepped foot out of the gym since Joshua attacked. If there was a meeting someone would have to physically remove Liam from the gym. And just as Zayn calls an end to their meetings Liam would leave, and stay in the gym till the crack of dawn. Most every night Danielle would go with him in the fear he'd fall into an Alpha Paroxysm. Least to say, Zayn wasn't the only one at the end of his rope.

Louis was getting closer to falling over the edge to, but he isn't as close, yet.

"You know Greyson has been so helpful lately, seems like his is the only one in the right frame of mind now. He is even helping the task-force the bastard that attacked Niall that night." When Niall saw Elizabeth that night, just as he was lunged to save her, some dick tackled him. We knew the son of a bitch wasn't dead, none of the deceased wolves had Niall's scent on them, and the scent of a Primogenital Beta is quite strong.