Athena.

My head was spinning. I was swimming in the oceans of pain and cloudiness. I grunted as I attempted to turn around. The action quickly proved abortive, leaving me radiating with only pain and wishing myself death instead.

Death!

That was right. I should be dead by now.

As the memory of the Alpha instructing his men to flog me fifty strokes of cane resurfaced, I rapidly opened my eyes. I had to see if I was truly dead as I was fearing.

The light that shot into my eyes as I opened them blinded me temporarily. I blinked twice to control the damage. My hand flew up to my face to cover it and I winced in pain from the rapid motion of lifting the hand.

“Are you okay?” A sweet, melodious voice asked me.

I threw my hand down and opened my eyes to see who was there. The light that was almost blinding before was no longer as sharp because a figure stood in the doorway, her body blocking the flow of light. I blinked once, then twice, trying to be sure I was not hallucinating. When the figure didn’t disappear, I knew that what I was seeing was real.

It was a woman dressed in white attire. Her body stature was very light and delicate, her slim and tall body giving her that look that made men want to bow and do every of her command. Heck, she was so beautiful - in a way that didn't seem to come from the real, physical world - that I was sure that even I would bow and do her wish without any hesitation.

Was I dead? Because I was sure that such beauty could not be found among the people of the earth.

The thought of being dead made me jumped back and I let out a loud curse of “fuck!” as pain took over me from the sudden movement.

“Are you okay?” The woman asked, rushing over to my side to help me. Her steps were poised and silent, like that of a trained soldier on a mission to the enemy’s camp. She got to where I was and laid a finger on me and I couldn’t help but notice how soft and smooth they were.

“You really shouldn’t move around like that. Your injuries are still not healed.” She said with a slight frown.

“So, I’m not dead?” I asked. The woman chuckled slightly before shaking her head in the negative to confirm that I was still alive. That relieved my worries a bit and I sighed in relief.

“Alpha Gray founded you in the woods,” the woman began. “By the time he brought you back to the pack, we were so sure you wouldn’t survive. Especially not with you being an Omega and carrying an Alpha’s blood in your stomach. The pup alone drains your energy drastically and you had lots of injuries to yourself that I was sure that whoever dumped you in the wood wanted you dead. In fact, I am very sure they dumped you there for your body to rot as they must have thought that you were dead.” She finished her explanation.

I ignored her sweet voice and got lost in my head. Alpha Gian must have asked his men to dump me in the deep of the woods because he thought that I was dead. How dare that man not even think about giving me a burial? If not for anything, then he should have done it for the sake of his heir.

“I’m sure Alpha Gray would be so happy to hear that you finally woke up after a month of being in a coma and another month of drifting in and out of consciousness.” The woman said, her words bringing me out of the thought I was in.

“Does that mean that I have been unconscious for two months?” I asked in shock.

“Yes.” She responded. Then, she got up from where she sat at the edge of the bed. “Let me get the words to him.” She said. And with that, she was out of the room before I could say anything else.

In coma for two months?

My hand drifted to my stomach and I sighed in relief when I saw that it was already protruded, which means that I didn’t lose my baby in the struggle of all that had happened.

But was I happy to still be carrying the seed of the man who was responsible for the misfortune I was going through now?

*******

For the next two months after I woke up and was fully aware of my surroundings, it was still hard to do anything without screaming in pain. I also had to deal with the fact that I had to swallow bitter herbs every single day, sometimes the nights as well. Finally, I was now better enough to move around with little or no pain.

Beauty, the ethereal woman I had almost fallen for - ignore the joke, had more than helped me to be able to get on my feet very fast. In fact, she made sure to treat me herself.

“Are you ready?” She asked with a smile plastered on her face.

I nodded, clasping my hands together to keep the tension in my mind at bay.

Today was the day I was finally going to meet Alpha Gray, the Alpha of Grayhound Pack. After Beauty had gone to tell him about me being awake two months back, he had only sent his invitation which allowed me to remain in his pack and under his protection for as long as I was recuperating. Now that I was healed, I needed to go and pay him homage and thank him for his help and hospitality. Beauty also told me that I could easily just get him to allow me to stay as a member of the pack if I managed to make him smile.

“Stop fidgeting,” Beauty said to me, pulling my hands apart. “I mean, the man might only order for you to be thrown into the prison if we meet him in a bad mood.” She added with all sense of seriousness.

Did she just say prison?

Before I could run back, she flung open the door to the pack mansion. The Omegas on duty stopped whatever they were doing and focused on us. Once or twice, they bowed in our direction, and I quickly did the same to return the respect.

“Beauty, I don’t want to go again,” I said in a small voice as we got to the end of the hallway we were walking in. “I don’t want to be thrown into a prison, please,” I pleaded with her.

“Prison?” A deep, masculine voice asked behind us. His voice cut through my heart, stopping me in my tracks.

I turned rapidly to see a man who was scrolling through a file in his hands. As if he could feel my eyes on him, he lifted his face from the file and gave me a smile. I gulped as his light blue eyes like the ocean lit up as he smiled. His thick, shining brown hair was wet and scattered over his head and face. His face was smooth and rough at the same time, and his jawline was strong. My eyes strolled down his neck as I noticed a knife scar that ran down to his collarbone. That was when I noticed that he was naked down to his bellybutton. I gulped as he handed the file with him to the man standing beside him, his muscles flexing in the action, revealing his years of obvious training.

“What have you been telling our guest, Beauty?” He questioned the woman beside me.

“Oh, nothing serious. Just about how wicked you are,” Beauty responded, but her voice was filled with adoration and love for the man she was claiming to be wicked.

So, he was the Alpha?

I risked another look at the man and saw how he kept grinning at Beauty in pure love.

What were they? Lovers? Mates?

No. The bond they shared was beyond that. It was a pure one.

Before I could think further, the Alpha left where he was standing and came to where Beauty and I were standing. I noticed how he towered over both of us - more for me than Beauty - and knew that he was well over six feet tall. He leaned down and gave Beauty a hug, leaving me dumbfounded.

If he was as wicked as he has been portrayed to be, why was he acting so soft and gentle?

“Dear sister, I suggest you stop frightening the poor woman.” He said with a chuckle as he released his hold on the woman beside me.

Sister?! They were siblings?

“How else should I make you pay for telling me that you are leaving for a trip tomorrow?” Beauty asked with a snort.

“But you scared the poor woman. Have you forgotten she is a guest and—“ the Alpha started.

“—Athena is no longer a guest in this pack,” Beauty cut her brother short. “She is now a member of this pack. A family to us.” She added, looking at me with a smile.

“Athena…” the Alpha said, dragging the name, almost as if he was testing it in his mouth. He paused and looked at me intently for about a minute. His eyes fell to my stomach and he bit his lower lips. I could tell that he had a lot of questions he wanted to ask but was only managing to keep shut because of his sister. Then he sighed in resignation.

“Whatever you want, dear sister.” He finally let out in a defeated tone. “Welcome to Grayhound Pack, Miss Athena.” He said to me.

I bowed my head in respect, acknowledging him as my Alpha according to tradition.

As he walked away from me, I could not raise my head up to look at him. There was something about his aura that commanded respect and fear for no reason.

“You can raise your head now, scaredy-cat,” Beauty chuckled. “They are gone.”

I raised my head to look at her and saw her beaming with a smile.

“Told you it will be fine.” She said, hugging me.

While I wanted to relax as she prompted, I couldn’t help but feel that my past would still catch up with my present.

A part of me wanted to be honest with Beauty and her brother, Alpha Gray, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to lose the only asylum I had.