Chapter 18 – The Call That Changes Everything

I pace the small area of the cave, raking my hand through my hair every two minutes.

"We'd know if she was dead, wouldn't we?" I ask Ares, the tremor in my voice giving away how worried I am.

"We haven't marked her. So we won't know anything," Ares says, just as worried.

"FUCK! I need to know if she's okay." I squat down, rubbing my hands roughly over my face. Then, I stand up, walk over to the cave's opening, and look over the Moonstone territory. The moon is shining brightly, and it's a clear night. "Maybe we should see if we can get to the hospital and find her."

"They've had extra patrols out looking for us. It isn't safe," Ares warns.

"I don't care! I need to know that she's okay!"

"I'm just as worried as you are, Andreas. But we're no good to her if we're dead," he tries to calm me.

As I look over to the pack house, I sigh and hunch down. Except for someone boarding up the window I broke, there has been no movement in Athena's bedroom since the attack. I then hear the vibration of my cell phone, so I go to my backpack and take it out. But it's not a number I recognize, so I answer it and hold it to my ear, saying nothing.

"Hello?"

"Athena?" I ask, relief washing over me instantly from hearing her voice.

"Who is this?" She asks quietly.

"My name is Andreas," I say as I sit down on my sleeping bag, ecstatic to be speaking to her.

"You left your phone number for me at the Gila Bend Lodge. Why are you looking for me?"

"I've been trying to find lycan who is like me...," I stammer, unsure what to say now that I'm actually speaking with her.

"Okay… But how do you even know about me?"

"Alpha Peter. He gave me details of wolves he knew about who are different, and you were one of them. He didn't know how to find you, though. Just that you were in Montana. But you had already left for Arizona by the time I got there."

"How did you find out that I was in Arizona? Who did you speak to?" she asks, her voice slightly raised in panic.

"I contacted your pack. After speaking with your Gamma, Alex, he met with me, and I showed him my wolf to prove who I was," I explain.

"I don't believe you. Alex would tell me. Instead of stalking me and following me to Arizona, you could have given him your number," she growls.

"My pack was attacked like yours was. They were almost completely wiped out." I explain to her, not able to hide the sadness in my voice. "I left my pack a few weeks after the attack, and I have been on the run for nearly 5 years trying to find answers. Unfortunately, people have been after me and have come dangerously close to killing me on several occasions, so I have to be careful who I reveal myself to. So I begged him to keep it a secret," I explain.

"I'm sorry about your pack…," she apologizes softly.

"Thanks… How are you feeling? I'm so sorry I couldn't get to you sooner…" my lip trembles when I think about her nearly dying.

There's silence on the other line for a few moments before she speaks again. "Wait… So you're….," she stops talking again.

"It would appear that we're mates," I say shyly, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Did you know that? Before last night, I mean?"

"I knew it when I saw you a few days ago on the outskirts of the Moonstone territory...,"

"So you saw me, and you didn't think to say anything to me? To show yourself to me?" She growls angrily.

"I…," this is not how I wanted this to go. "I didn't want to jeopardize your safety. Especially because I didn't recognise the male you were with."

"How could you possibly jeopardize my safety?"

"As I said, I've been hunted this whole time that I've been a rogue, Athena. I don't know who is after me or why. I don't know who I can trust," I try to explain.

"I'm your mate. So you are supposed to be able to trust me," she says sadly.

"I'm sorry, Athena. It's not that I don't trust you, but now that I know you're my mate, I will do everything in my power to protect you. Even if that means I can't be with you…,"

"What's the point of all this chosen bullshit if it means we can't be together?" She asks, her voice trembling.

"Chosen? What do you mean?" I ask, taken aback.

"I thought you said you were working with Alpha Peter?"

"I've never met him. He contacted the new Alpha who had taken over our pack and shared his thoughts on why we had been attacked. That it was because I was different, and that other lycans like me were being targeted. But he said it wasn't safe to discuss it over the phone and that if I wanted answers, I should go see him and Doctor Shields," I explain. "But I never completely trusted him. Someone I'd never met before was basically telling me I was the reason nearly my entire pack died. So I decided to try to find more lycans like me instead."

"Well, Doctor Shields definitely can't be trusted. He is currently being held in a holding cell for questioning."

"For what?"

"He's been working with the people that are behind all of this…."

"That fucker… I wonder if he hid his files, and that's why I couldn't find them…," I think aloud.

"What files?"

"Alpha Peter told me they have files on all the lycans they've been working with. That Doctor Shields kept an up-to-date list of everyone and their locations when he could. I assumed they'd be in his office, but now I'm wondering if he hid them…,"

"Are you telling me you're the one that broke into Doctor Shield's office?" Athena asks, surprised.

"Erm… Yes…"

"I have those files," Athena laughs softly. "Wait, you're Andreas Papatonis… You're one of the lycans that was listed as missing because they didn't know what happened to you…," she says in surprise.

"They have a file on me?"

"Not really. Just your name, your pack, and Alpha Peter hadn't spoken to you in a while," she explains.

"Athena, I need to see these files," I say, suddenly frantic.

"There really isn't much in there. And the other stuff is just what Luna Rachael has put together about us and what they think it means. I don't even know if I believe them," she tells me.

"And she's the one that thinks we've been chosen?"

"Yeah. It sounds completely crazy, but she believes we were chosen by the Moon Goddess, and that's why we're different," she explains.

"I see. Please, Athena. There might be something in those files that can help piece some things together for me… Please let me see them," I beg her.

"Okay… But how?"

"When are you going to be released from the hospital?" I ask.

"Tomorrow, I think they said. But I'm going to be surrounded by my family before they go back to Montana."

"I'll work something out. Thank you, Athena. This means the world to me," I say, feeling emotional.

"What are mates for?" She says, and I swear I can feel her smile through the phone.

"Call me tomorrow when you're out of the hospital and alone, and we'll try to find a time to meet," I tell her.

"Okay. I better go," she says.

"Okay, beautiful. Please don't tell anyone about me yet. I don't want you in any further danger," I whisper.

"I won't. Goodnight, Andreas." She whispers.

"Goodnight, Athena," I say as I hang up the phone.

It feels like Ares is doing backflips in my mind. "Mate! Mate! We get to see our mate!" He yells excitedly.

"We still need to be careful, buddy. She's still in danger. Last night showed that," I tell him.

"We will kill anyone who tries to kill our mate," he growls.

"You've got that right," I say as I stand and go back to the cave entrance, a feeling of hope washing over me for the first time in years.