Athena
In just a matter of minutes, perhaps five at most, another howl echoed from the same direction I had just fled. The urgency to rescue my child and escape intensified. The deeper I ventured, the jungle's darkness engulfed me, beyond the approaching dusk, as if the very terrain absorbed my every pawfall.
Adjusting to my newfound lupine form proved challenging, despite the profound potential it held. Joy should have welled within me, had circumstances been different. Amid this life-and-death urgency for my child and me, my half-life of hell ended. The ash-hued fur now enveloping me marked my shift – bones realigning, former doubts erased.
A single question remained, paramount: Can I save my baby?
I did not know but I knew, I had to. No matter what, I had to.
Irrespective, I surged forward with unrelenting speed, and the strength in my body grew. But the abdominal ache deepened, sapping my strides. My efforts persisted, each second ticking toward an impending reckoning. My delivery loomed perilously near.
"How long can we keep this pace?"
"Not for long, I am afraid," my wolf's voice reverberated in my mind. "We must find a hiding spot. Your delivery—"
"I know," I interjected, voice hushed, pain evident. "Contractions have already begun."
"For the baby's sake, Athena, we need cover."
"Yes, we do. But if Tristan catches us, the danger..." My words trailed off abruptly as a dark brown wolf materialised before me, blood staining its fur—a scent both familiar and dreaded, Aaron's blood.
Ashen eyes locked onto mine—Tristan.
Oh, hell no!
I veered to flee, only to meet a futile end.
A pain-laden hiss escaped me, melding into a howl as his claws raked my back, just beneath my neck, hurtling me against a tree. My human form threatened to revert back upon impact.
Suppressing agony, I held it all in. My blood's metallic scent reached my nostrils, seeping from fresh, deep wounds.
On unsteady legs, I rose up, gathering all my strength.
I can't surrender. Giving up now would mean giving up on everything I have ever dreamt to have.
I will fight.
His approach was announced by primal sounds and the scent of soil and blood; Without wasting time, I lunged at him, my teeth sinking into his arm in an instant, the metallic taste foreign yet repelling—This was never who I was meant to be. I never wanted to be like this. But, the world didn't leave any option for me.
I have to be a monster to save my child from the monsters of this world.
And the next second, I bit his flesh off.
His cry echoed, hesitation taking over as I deepened his wound, once again. But within, agony stirred awake, pain attacked my abdomen, an announcer of my impending labour.
He seized the chance, retreating, vigilant and wary. Canine blood dripped as I glared at him, ire and resolve aflame in my eyes.
He knew. He knew that my labour would hit me soon— That was exactly why he backed away instead of attacking me.
But, I had to take him down before that, or else, I might never get the chance to get out of this forest ever again. So I attacked him again and he kept dodging every approach. I was desperate, trying to somewhat hold it in and save my child, but it just seemed impossible with the pain increasing with every second passing by. Claw marks now adorned his form, yet they resulted in no escape. Tristan remained the sole threat, my fight was futile.
Dread seeped in, nails of vulnerability piercing my wolf form. Fur receded, unveiling pallid skin, bones gradually resuming their human form. A battle waged within—I fought, clung, and resisted the shift.
No, No-No! This can't be. I need to stay in the wolf form or else I can't protect my child.
The enemy observed, witnessing my struggle—toppling, faltering, and ultimately succumbing. The transformation completed, my sweat- and dirt-streaked body leaned against a tree, blurred jungle panorama now became my sole visual.
I could see the defeat inching closer. No!
Tristan Perez’s gaze, enigmatic and unreadable, remained fixed on me—emotions concealed, intentions betrayed. Even a semblance of humanity was absent.
I glimpsed the fluttering motions within my womb, temperature rising as my baby's activity surged— this another growth leap.
"No..." I sobbed, cradling my belly in futile solace. Reality countered my wishes.
He was in pain again…and I couldn’t do anything to prevent it.
Tristan shifted back, approaching. Instinct forced me into the tree, pain escalating at the looming threat.
Awareness graced him; the agony etched in my every fibre.
He knelt, impassive, meeting my terror. "No harm awaits," his voice devoid of sentiment, “But I can’t say the same for your child, 'cause’ he’s not an innocent soul anymore, for he wants to survive and he will eventually kill you.”
"Never!" I spat, despite having no energy, “He’s mine. I am his mother, I know…he’ll never hurt me!”
Silence lingered for a while until he spoke, “Survival makes monsters of us all. Even infants. To ensure his life, he must take yours. And I don’t see anything wrong in it, if that's what's needed to make sure he gets to live. We all have killed to live."
"No, not all of us," I spoke up, my words beginning to sound lower and weaker as the pain exceeded its limits, "It's you who thinks that way. I've never killed anyone, Tristan. I have not, in my whole life, taken a single life and I never will because I don't think I can live with that. That's not how god has made me.”
"Oh stop, Athena," he laughed, bitterly, "You have. Being involved in a murder also means murder!"
"None was murdered that night, Tristan! None! It was an accident!" I shouted, desperation fueling my voice, "Celine died saving me from her mother's bullet. She sacrificed herself willingly. I'd trade places in an instant if I could. Her death is as heavy on me as it is on you! But I can’t change it. I don’t have that power nor does anyone in this world!”
"Stop fucking lying, Athena. How far will you go to seem innocent? You are just another twisted being like Sebastian!"
"I am speaking the truth, Tristan! Julia orchestrated it all. Celine's mother manipulated her, and even planned Vincent's wife's death to pit him against Sebastian. It was her revenge that ended up destroying Celine, Vincent, and innocent Hailey and her unborn child in the process— Because of Julia, Vincent took his own life after killing her. She ruined them, for her vendetta against Elijah that had nothing to do with my mate. He is not the one at fault, he was also a victim of that cycle that went on for years until it finally ended.”
"Unbelievable, defending him to your last breath," he scoffed, concealing doubt.
Perhaps this is the end...
"I don't care if I am dying. I have got no reason to lie to you anyways, if today's my end," I breathed out, holding my belly as I felt the light scratches of claws— his claws have emerged. Alas, there was no going back, “I just want you to know the truth so that you at least won't ruin your own life in the process of revenge much like your mate. She regretted her choices, Tristan. I saw it in her eyes. In that very moment, I knew, She'd have given anything to rewrite the past, to undo the harm and start again, but fate was cruel and you see, fate’s still cruel, or else you wouldn't be standing here, seeking revenge from me for something I never did at the first place."
He faltered, hesitation riddled his eyes, I could see the doubts and questions he did not utter.
Before his words surfaced, a low growl, a familiar growl reverberated. His scent floated and filled my nostrils; my gaze shot back to look at him—Sebastian. His midnight fur materialised, unveiling his wolf form before my eyes for the first, perhaps last, time.
He locked eyes with me, for a fleeting moment before lunging at Tristan, blood splattering at my face in a violent interlude.