Betrayal
1698 Words
ATHENA
When I got back to the house that afternoon, My father was in his bedroom, leisurely sipping from a glass of wine while skimming through the pack news.
For someone who had just sold his daughter for scraps, I didn't think he'd be this relaxed and unbothered.
His gaze darkened when he saw me. “What are you doing here?”
“So, it's true…” My voice came out shaky. “you used me to clear your debt, father…”
“I had to find a solution, Athena. Don't paint me a villain.” His gaze had returned to the pack news he was holding.
“That's unfair, father. You have to put an end to this, he plans on offering me to the Lycan king.” I scrambled to his side and dropped to my knees, tears blurring the edges of my vision.
“What is done is done, Athena.” His tone was sharp and dismissive.
“If you don't do something, I'll never forgive you for this…. And mother, she will hate you in her grave.” I pressed further, hoping that'd strike a nerve but he didn't flinch.
“I don't care.” Those words hit like a slap. “Despite everything, I kept you alive. Do you know what that cost me?”
My brows pulled together. “What are you talking about?”
“My father wanted you dead the moment you were born. A latent wolf has no place in our bloodline. Your mother pleaded and I allowed it.”
My world tilted. A hollow laugh escaped me. So, that was the reason he treated me less of a human all this while?
“Maybe it's high time you repay that favour, Athena.” His expression was blank now, void of any emotions like my suffering didn't matter to him.
“You don't get to–” My voice broke, but I pushed through it. “You don't get to act like you did me a favour. You are my father, protecting me was your responsibility!”
A faint humourless smile touched his lips. “Yet, here you are, still an ungrateful liability.”
My hands clenched at my sides. “Then, let me fix this. I can work to repay him. I'm dying and he wants to take me to the lycan king...”
Something flickered in his eyes. Amusement maybe.
“Alpha Falcon has already made the arrangement.”
My chest tightened. “Then undo it.”
“You think I would, if I could?” He set his glass down with a soft clink. “Alpha Falcon doesn’t negotiate twice.”
Fear crawled up my spine, cold and suffocating. “The Lycan king will kill me.”
My father leaned back, studying me for a moment like he was weighing something. Then coldly, “That would only mean he’s doing what I should have done a long time ago.”
The words didn’t feel real coming from the man I called father and looked up to growing up.
For a second, I just remained there… staring at him, waiting for something—anything—to crack. Nothing did. He just kept flipping through the papers like he hadn't just shattered my world.
The tears that had clouded the rim of my eyes rolled down uncontrollably as I stared at him, hoping he'd take that back. But he never did. I inhaled a sharp breath and got off my knees.
I don't remember leaving the house but I found myself wandering around the pack under the burning sun. I needed to be anywhere but under the same roof as that man.
Sometimes, I blamed my mother for dying. I blamed her for trying to be a hero when all she needed to do was stay alive and protect her child from the monster she called a mate. The last time I saw her was before the Therian and Lupine war.
The Lupine territory was the south and it was dominated by werewolves while the Therian territory stretched through the North and was dominated by Lycans. Over the years, they always maintained peace by staying out of each other's business until a few years ago when there was a gory bloodbath.
The late lycan king's daughter had crossed into the Lupine territory after running away from home. When the late Alpha saw her, he was mesmerised by her beauty and forcefully took her in as one of his mistresses.
He hid her from the Lycans when they came in search of her and kept using her to satisfy his urge till he found out she was his mate. He didn't want his bloodline to mix with that of the lycans so, he rejected her brutally.
Their bond was so strong that she didn't survive the rejection sickness. It ate her up gradually till she lost her life and the Lycans called for war.
During the war, my mother threw herself to the Lycans so my father could get ample time to escape and she was killed ruthlessly. Even after her heroic sacrifice, he never appreciated her. He still spoke about her like she was a mistake– a baggage he took so long to discard and sometimes, it made me wonder if love was actually worth it.
I dragged myself across the pack lands as dusk approached slowly with no destination in mind. A part of me wanted to run– away from everything. This betrayal. Alpha Falcon's madness and the pack entirely… but I knew that was impossible.
It was only a matter of time before Alpha Falcon would send his men to come find me and this time around he would never give me the chance to step out or see the light anymore.
I weighed on my thoughts. If I returned to him, I'd be back to being a prisoner, if I wasted much time, he'd still find me whenever he wanted to, so I decided against the idea. Maybe I should spend tonight relishing this freedom, even if it was short-lived.
I glanced at the path ahead and stared at the adjacent one, then I turned around and moved quickly before darkness would swallow the path.
After an endless walk, I was on the outskirts of the pack, before the dark sinful building my mother always warned me about. The Nightshade den– a bar where sinful and unholy things occurred. My mother used to be a waitress here and not for once did she let me come with her.
“Lycans and Vampires can be dangerous, Athena. And besides, bars are not meant for kids.” She'd always cup my cheeks and tell me each time I insisted on following her to work.
The Nightshade den was like a bridge. Lycans, werewolves, Vampires and shifters– bound by sin would always go there and I heard the quality of alcohol there could knock out an amateur drinker. Maybe that was what I needed to knock me out and make me forget my suffering for a moment.
I stumbled through the double doors, heart heavy and legs already giving out. When I stepped in, neon lights blurred my vision and the loud music thrumming through the speakers was on another frequency.
The bar pulsed with life. From women dressed in nothing but revealing lace panties and bras to the men with lust-filled eyes, ready to tear them apart. This was a different world, away from my cold miserable one.
I found my way to the counter and I settled on the stool. The bartender was a young vampire –or werewolf maybe? I couldn't tell. He seemed like a mixed breed from his ears and amber eyes. He had unique lengthy lashes that made him look hot.
“I need something strong. Something that can knock me out.” I leaned my weight on the counter. He didn't respond immediately. Instead, he stared at me like he was weighing my ability to consume what I ordered. Then, “Careful what you wish for, miss.” He whispered before handing me a filled glass.
I rolled my eyes at him and downed it in one shot. But I regretted my action immediately. My throat seemed to have been set on fire and I felt my heart would shrink from the heat.
I was planning to get high, not bring my death date closer.
Like he noticed my dilemma, a mocking chuckle escaped his thin lips and he handed me a different glass. I didn't argue this time. After downing the shot, it had a strong effect but it was less than the one he gave me earlier.
I requested the second, third and fourth and on the fifth one, he lifted a brow. “You don't seem like an avid drinker, maybe you should slow down.”
My lips parted to respond but I couldn't focus my gaze on him. He seemed to have two upper bodies now and both were a messy blur.
I slammed my fist against the counter with confidence gotten from the alcohol. “You don't get to tell me what to do. Give me another shot, I'm paying!”
“Then, what are you offering me for the next shot?” He lifted a brow. “Another life? Because I'd be needing that if I fill up that glass again.”
I tried to process what he said but it seemed the alcohol had messed with my thoughts too. “What do you mean?”
He didn't respond. Instead, his gaze shifted from me– across my shoulders, to somewhere different. Somewhere darker and set aside from the rest of the bar. VIP.
My brows knitted in confusion and I spun on the stool. Through my alcohol clouded vision, I could make out the figures of two men. But their faces were invisible.
“They asked me to give you this.” He said, and placed what seemed like a glass of sparkling water before me. I scanned the glass and gritted my teeth.
Who the f**k are they and what makes them think they can decide what I consume?
- Writer
