Lycans Of The Woods

Chapter 42

"Who pulled me out of the lake?" I asked Athena, breaking her out of her own thoughts. She blinked several times and studied me as I attempted to sit up on the bed after moving the sheets aside.

"Nicholas." She responded, and then frowned in thought. "Well, Nicholas and several other warriors. They'd seen you from afar and said they'd almost immediately known something was wrong."

I remembered the flash of dark blue eyes and the almost painful feeling of arms hauling me out of the lake. I rubbed a hand against my stomach, where I'd been gripped. Gratitude for what Nicholas and the warriors had done filled me, and I wondered aloud how I could find them to thank them.

"Perhaps after some rest you could worry about that." Athena said, her lips lifting in a soft smile, which widened when she saw my disgruntled expression. "Some pack nurses may need to visit you later today as well."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Did the pack nurses you speak of visit whilst I was unconscious?"

"Skylar had worked on you for almost a week, healing you and trying to bring you back to consciousness. The pack nurses had come before Skylar arrived, but were unable to do as much as she could. The nurses were unaware of you consuming a potion. Only Skylar discovered this throughout the first several days of her being here with you."

I nodded, and my eyes went to the golden locket dangling around her neck. It was a quaint little thing, and shaped as a heart. Athena followed my gaze and she pulled at it with her fingers.

She leaned forward, and popped it open with her nails. In it was a picture of her mate, the Alpha who had been murdered many years ago. The facial resemblance that he shared with Hannes was obvious.

"Harrison was such a good male." Athena's smile was gentle and loving, and her fingers tapped along the small picture in the locket. "Good looking as well." She studied the picture once more before closing the locket and leaning back into her chair. Her eyes became distant as she said,

"I remembered a particular woman of this pack had flirted with him despite being aware that I was his mate. I had to step in eventually." Athena's lips curved and I resisted recoiling at the gleam that grew in her eyes. As usual, there was an almost intimidating yet strange aura which came from the woman, which was, at times, subtle, but now, as she spoke, it became more pronounced. I've always had an inkling that this woman could be unpredictably dangerous, and now that I'd seen that dark gleam of her eyes, I was a bit begrudgingly intimidated.

However, I somehow knew that Athena would not hurt me.

I reached for the glass of water resting on the bedside table and began drinking it as Athena went on, "She was so disrespectful, that little woman." Her eyes glazed over momentarily and she sighed. "I fed her brain to the crows."

"I beg your pardon?"

Athena blinked, and her eyes lightened to its normal color and focused on mine. Her smile was humourous and her white teeth seemed to shine as she giggled.

"Don't mind me." She stood, and the chair creaked softly as she did so. I forced a laugh, which made her grin, and she waved her fingers in goodbye. "I'll be going to my house to eat my breakfast and will return later. Jeremiah is by the door."

She left, her feet seeming barely to graze the floor and when she opened the door, Yanneek stood outside, along with Helda. They both gave Athena polite smiles as Athena walked by them, and, after Jeremiah inquired about whether I'd like to speak to Yanneek and Helda, they entered, but not without giving Jeremiah a displeased look.