Bittersweet

My heart feels like it’s going to shatter into a million pieces. “What? Why?” I ask, suddenly feeling embarrassed and crossing my arms over my breasts. He doesn’t respond, instead walking over to a bag on the ground, pulling out a shirt, and tossing it to me without looking. I grab it and quickly put it on, but it barely covers the tops of my thighs.

He reaches into the bag again, pulls out a pair of shorts, and puts them on. I hear a growl from him as he turns around and looks at me. Turning back to the bag, he gets another pair of shorts out and tosses them to me to put on as well.

‘Doesn’t he want us?’ Enyo asks sadly. ‘Is he going to reject us?’

“If you’re going to reject us, just do it,” I snarl, crossing my arms again as if I’m trying to protect my heart.

“What?!” He explodes, causing me to take a step back. He winces as he sees our reaction, his shoulders dropping as if defeated. “I’m not rejecting you. I’m trying to protect you. If we mated right now or even just marked each other, that puts you at risk. Even just being here together could put you in more danger.”

“I’m really getting sick and tired of everyone trying to protect me. I can look after myself!” I yell at him.

He walks over to me and places his hands on my shoulders. “I know you can protect yourself, Athena. But for whatever reason, we’re all being hunted. So, I will not put you in any more danger than you’re already in. Look at what’s happened to you already,” he says softly. He moves my hair out of my face and runs his finger softly down the scar over my eye.

“I can’t even bear to look at myself,” I say sadly, looking down at the ground.

With his finger, he lifts my chin up and pecks my lips. “There’s nothing they could do to you to change how beautiful you are,” he whispers.

“Why did you run from us this morning in the forest?” I ask.

“You were with other people. I couldn’t risk them seeing me.”

“Then why were you angry with me on the phone?”

“I was pissed that I couldn’t go to you this morning, and that you put yourself in danger by falling asleep in the middle of nowhere,” he growls softly.

“The mate bond will grow stronger and stronger. So, by staying away, you’re putting us in even more danger,” Enyo comes forward and tells him.

Andreas’ eyes change to bright green. “We will always be close by to protect you. I swear to you on the Moon Goddess.”

“And what if you’re the ones that need protecting?” Enyo asks.

“We’ve been fine so far. You are our primary concern.” He pecks my lips again, and his eyes return to amber as his wolf retreats.

“Ares is right. For the past two years, we’ve stayed two steps ahead of whoever is after us. We’ll be fine, I promise.” Andreas smiles.

Enyo pulls back and says, ‘Stubborn arses.’

“Enyo called you both stubborn arses,” I say with a smirk.

Andreas laughs, the deep silky sound making my toes curl. “Well, she’s got that right.”

I sigh and bend down to grab my backpack, open it, and take out the manila folders. “These are the files that Doctor Shields gave me,” I tell him as I hand him the documents.

He takes them and sits on a sleeping bag with his legs crossed and the folders in his lap. I lean against the cave wall, watching him sort through the files. His tanned, muscular body is quite lean, which is not surprising, considering he’s probably been living this way for the past five years. I study his face as he tucks his hair behind his ear to read. He has high cheekbones and a strong roman nose that suits him perfectly.

“This is it?” He asks, looking up at me.

“That’s all he gave me,” I say, shrugging.

“I already know about these lycans. There aren’t any others?” He asks.

“They’re just the ones Alpha Peter was aware of. There could be dozens of us out there,” I say.

“And this other folder, it’s about this chosen stuff you mentioned?”

I nod. “That’s everything Luna Rachel has pieced together. They think we’ve been blessed by the Moon Goddess,” I snort.

“But they don’t know why?” He asks.

“No one seems to be able to answer that question. But Luna Rachel showed me an old parchment that talks about special lycans that had the same attributes that we have who were chosen by the Moon Goddess,” I explain.

“But I’ve never heard of this chosen stuff. It wasn’t until I spoke to Alpha Peter that I even knew there were others like me. So how can this Luna think that there have been others?”

“It all comes back to the parchment she found. There’s a translation of it in the files.”

“Do you mind if I keep these?” Andreas asks.

“I’ve read them several times and still can’t make sense of it, so they’re all yours,” I say. “Why did you want the files about the lycans, anyway?” I ask.

“I’ve been trying to find as many of us as possible in order to try to figure out who’s behind it all. I hoped they had found more that I didn’t know about,” he says with a sigh. “As I told you over the phone, Alpha Peter gave me the names of the ones still alive, but Dominic Farris was the only one I could get to at the time, and he was killed before we could meet.”

“He’s the other lycan they have listed as missing… So, you’re telling me he’s dead?” I ask sadly.

“Yes. We had planned to meet in secret so that whoever was looking for me wouldn’t find out. But he was killed the day before we were supposed to meet. His pack thinks he left the pack and went rogue. But I found him in the hotel he told me he was staying at, with a bullet in his head.”

“Why didn’t you tell his pack?” I ask.

“He told me that no one knew where he was staying, yet someone found him. So, someone in his pack had to be aware of his whereabouts. So I buried him myself. Then someone tried to take me out when I returned to where I was staying. I got away and fled,” he says, rubbing his face.

“And you’ve been on the run since?”

He nods.

“Did you know there have been more attacks on other packs?” I ask him.

“What? Where?” He asks, surprised.

“I don’t know any details. My uncle only told me that the attacks have started again,” I explain.

“It has to be connected,” Andreas trails off in thought.

“The Elder Council will be here this afternoon,” I tell him.

“Shit. They can’t know I’m here, Athena,” he warns me, and he stands up and starts pacing.

“Why?”

“I’ve stirred up trouble for them trying to understand everything. They’re either behind what’s going on or are attempting to conceal it. If they are behind everything and find out I’m here, we’re in deep shit.”

“The council wouldn’t be behind killing our own kind. They’re supposed to protect us.”

“The council is corrupt, Athena. They only protect their own interests,” he says angrily.

“Athena?” I jump when I hear Uncle Alex’s voice behind me.

I spin around and find him standing near the entrance of the cave. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?” I ask him, looking past him in a panic to see if he was followed.

“I was making sure you were okay, and you know that I’m one of the best trackers in the country, Athena,” he says as he looks past me. “It’s good to see you again, Andreas.”

“You too, Gamma,” Andreas says as he approaches Uncle Alex and shakes his hand.

“Why did you follow me, Uncle Alex?” I ask.

“You should have waited a little longer for me to walk away from your room before making your call, Athena. I followed you to make sure you weren’t getting yourself into any trouble. Then, when I realized you were talking to Andreas, I thought I’d make myself known,” he explains. “He’s your mate?” He asks.

“Yes,” I say, nodding. “How come you didn’t tell me you’d met Andreas?”

“It was a gut feeling. And things were different then. I didn’t know anyone was after you,” he explains. “Who knows you’re here, Andreas?”

“Only Athena, my best friend, and now you,” he says.

“I think we should keep it that way for now. I heard what you had to say about the council, and I agree with you. It’s bad enough that they know Athena is here,” Uncle Alex says.

“It’s the Elder Council. Do you both really think they could be responsible for anything that’s happened?”

“It honestly wouldn’t surprise me, Athena. The Council isn’t what it used to be. But if they’re involved, that makes them dangerous, and we need to be careful,” Uncle Alex says.

“They don’t scare me. If the council knows what happened or is behind it, they will pay,” Enyo comes forward and snarls.

‘Alex, Athena, wherever you two are, you need to get back here. The council is here,’ Mom mind-links us.

I look at Uncle Alex, and he nods. “I’ll wait for you outside,” he says. He nods to Andreas and then walks out of the cave.

“We need to go. The council is here,” I tell Andreas.

He hugs me tightly and says, “Please be careful. Make sure you get my scent off you before you meet with them.”

I nod. “I’ll call you later when it’s safe,” I say and turn to leave, but he grabs my hand and pulls me back into his arms. I place my hands on his chest as tears prick my eyes, the sparks of our bodies touching almost too much.

“I wish I didn’t have to leave,” I whisper.

He doesn’t respond. Instead, he cradles my face gently, as if I’m the most precious thing in the world to him. Then he leans down and kisses me softly. He pulls away and places his forehead on mine. “You’re going to have to be the one to pull away, Athena. I don’t think I’m strong enough to let you go,” he whispers.

I sigh sadly, taking a moment to gather the strength to walk away. ‘Who knew the mate bond could feel like this?’ I think to myself. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, then turn and walk out of the cave and away from the other half of my soul.