Athena's POV
"But if we don't remove it, he's going to die. He can't die, he just can't" my words came out as nothing more than pathetic girlie sobs. It was impossible to remain strong when one of my mates was lying in front of me like this. His skin was clammy and greying his lips turning blue the longer it stayed in place, I didn't want to think it, but it was more than obvious he was knocking at deaths door.
"Young lady I don't know who you are, but you will not tell me what to do in my hospital" the way he spoke to me startled me, how did he not know who I was? Surely he could smell my scent, it was that of his future alpha after all. I opened my mouth to protest when Axel stepped forward blocking me from this rude man's view. He was much taller than the doctor and bigger built. If I were him, I'd feel rather intimidated right about now.
"You will not speak to my mate that way. Now fix him" Axel's voice remained strong as he used his alpha voice over the doctor who was quick to divert his gaze to the floor and in doing so, he turned his head to show his neck in a submissive stance.
"Alpha Axel you don't understand that knife is currently the only thing that is preventing him from bleeding out. I remove it, he dies. I'm going to need to take him into surgery"
"Then do it. If my mate dies you will too" Neither me nor Axel missed the shocked expression that etched its way onto the doctor's face at the revelation of Hector also being our mate. Axel snarls at the man as he visibly gulped at his words now currently regretting the way in which he spoke. The doctor wasted no time in calling out to the nurses in the corridor before wheeling Hector away, I gave his hand one last squeeze as I planted a delicate kiss on his cold lips. I just had to tell myself that this wouldn't be the last time, but I couldn't.
I couldn't take it, the not knowing what was going to happen nor the pain that rippled through the bond, all of it. Everything was overwhelming me. My legs couldn't hold me anymore, so I let myself slide down the wall. Pulling my knees towards me and burying my head I let the tears fall, at this moment in time I didn't care how weak and hopeless I looked because it was exactly how I felt. Hector and I had grown up together, long before we became mates, we had been the best of friends. He had always been there for me, from the darkest of times to the happy ones, we loved each other as much as anyone could love someone. We held no secrets from one another. I just couldn't go on without him and if truth be told, I wouldn't want to. Axel kneeled beside me cupping my face and wiping my tears away with his thumb, I must have looked a mess, yet he didn't care, he just wanted me and Hector to be ok. The sparks that came from his hands calmed me slightly but not entirely. Nothing could calm me, not until I knew Hector would be ok.
"Athena come with me, you need a distraction we both do, and I think I know what will help. Let's go get us some answers"
"What?" My voice sounded small and broken. Axel took my hand pulling me to my feet as he led us out of the hospital and back towards his car. Placing me in the passenger seat he got into the driver's side and started the engine. As the engine roared to life, I looked out the window only now noticing the bodies of fallen wolves scattered on the ground, blood staining the grass that had once been green as bodies were being removed. All this barbaric fighting because Axel's mother knew of Vanessa's pregnancy. How had she even found out, it was our pack doctor that confirmed the pregnancy and only those within my parent's circle had knowledge of it and none of them would dare to even think about crossing my parents. She had gotten that information from someone, somehow and I would find out no matter what it took. I would do it for Hector. The car stopped back at the Gemstone Pack house; Axel opened my door gripping my hand in his as he laced his fingers with my own. His grip was strong, he needed the comfort of my presence and touch just as I needed his. I didn't even acknowledge where he was taking me, I just let him lead me through the various hallways until we finally stopped outside double wooden doors. Axel knocked before pushing the doors open and pulling me inside.
The room was large with a big window in the centre of the wall. The walls silver with white curtain dressings. In front of the window sat a large white wooden desk an older man sitting behind it. I took a few seconds to look at him. He was incredibly handsome for an older man, his arms and shoulders only slightly smaller than Axels. Axel and this man shared a resemblance which was when it hit me; this was his father.
"Axel, what the fuck is going on. Who is she and where is Vanessa?" His voice was deep holding more power in his words than my own father.
"This is Athena, my mate. As for Vanessa, she is exactly where she belongs, locked up"
"Locked up? She was to be your Luna. Axel, I need to know about this pregnancy, your mother is furious and wants the girl"
"She's locked up because she attacked Athena, she nearly killed her and as for mother I don't know why she wants Vanessa. They were working together to get me to mate and mark Vanessa while you were away, that much I do know. Mother cast a spell to try and erase my memories of Athena, she tried to make it so when I touched Vanessa, I would feel sparks of the mate bond. As your well aware it wouldn't have worked, not on me at least but my wolf it did. It took a great deal of strength for me to stop Thor coming forward and taking her"
"Yet you marked and mated her anyway. You fucked up son you really have. If what you say is true, then we cannot let your mother get her hands on the pup. There are things you don't yet know, things I'm sorry to say we... I kept from you" the alpha rubbed his hands down his face as he sighed while leaning back in his chair. Whatever he was about to say was something he had kept secret for a long time, something even now he seemed conflicted about. "Your mother was cursed by our moon goddess when she was younger. You see she was going to do something bad something frowned upon, so she was prohibited from ever passing on her magic consequently. The only way that was possible was if she had a daughter so to prevent it the moon goddess cursed her to only bare males. Your mothers magic runs only in the veins of the females in her family"
"But what was she going do to warrant such a curse?" I could hear the shock in Axel's voice.
"Rumours were going around the witch community that your mother's bloodline were monsters that's why they wanted another family line to take over the position of high priestess all those years ago. Her ancestors would sacrifice the eldest of their daughters if they were fortune enough to have multiple in order to fuel their own power. It would strengthen them while expanding their own life forces. You already know witches age differently to other species well add extra life force and power they could overthrow everyone else making their own kind the superior race. They wanted to rule, your mother I thought was different from them, until I found that brand on you when you were a boy"
"That doesn't explain why she's interested in my sister's pup" I wasn't sure if I should have spoken up or not, but it was a question that needed answering.
"Because Athena if they were truly working together then there's a small chance his mother used a piece of her own essence when casting the spell. If I'm right, then your sister will birth a daughter and my mate will take it. She will sacrifice it and with the power of your bloodline combined with her own she would be unstoppable" The way his father looked at me was one I couldn't decipher. He looked between angry, sad and lost while Axel looked lost for words. How could his mother want to sacrifice her own grandchild, how could anyone want to do that?
"How do we stop her?" I didn't know what else to say, but I knew we couldn't let her get her hands on the pup.
"I don't know" by his tone and the way he diverted his eyes I knew immediately he was lying, and Axel clearly noticed his change to judging by the look he gave his father.
"Dad what are you not telling us?"
"Please Axel I can't, I can't ask you to do it. I won't, believe me you will never forgive yourself" For a spilt second his father's stern expression softened, tears brimmed the edges of his eyes as he tried to push away what ever thought had entered his mind.
"Dad! Tell me I have a right to know" Axel was angry I could feel his aura changing, heat radiated off him. I was worried what would happen if he didn't get the answer he needed.
"The only way to stop her is to kill your mother or to kill your child. It's not a choice you should have to face... I couldn't"
"What do you mean you couldn't? Dad, you need to tell me everything"
"Your mother fell pregnant before we had you, it was a girl. The moon goddess came to me one night and showed me your mother's family history. Axel the things I saw, the things I heard, it sickened me. It still does to this day. I watched as generation after generation of women sacrificed their first-born daughters for power. I couldn't take that chance with your mother; she was already power hungry before she fell pregnant. I just couldn't let her do it"
"What did you do?" Tears were falling from my eyes as I listened to the Alphas story, I don't know how but I could sense the truth in every word he spoke. Venus watched quietly through my eyes also needing to hear what happened.
"The moon goddess told me what I needed to do, I needed to protect our species, every species. She told me when I had completed my task she would enact her curse, she would strip her of the chance at ever having another daughter. So... I injected your mother with enough wolfsbane and silver while she slept to induce a miscarriage. I never told her of what I did, she just believed it was mother nature though over the years she became aware of the curse. She vowed to get back at the moon goddess, so I think that your pup is her way of doing just that. Believe me Axel, this is not something that should be taken lightly. The decision I made it still eats at me now, the what ifs. What if I were wrong and acted in hast? At the end of the day it just wasn't a chance I could take"