Athena sat straighter as unease prickled through her.
Was he…going to reject her?
He didn't look like he was so against the idea the night before though.
Despite the distress in her system, she said in a strong voice. "Last night. You said I am your mate,"
He nodded jerkily as something shone in his amber eyes. "I said? You can't feel it?"
Athena refused to let the shame she felt show in her voice as she responded. "I don't have my wolf,"
His nostril flared slightly. "You've not shifted? At your age?,"
Well, you don't have to sound damn insulting about it.
"No, I once did. My wolf died."
He looked like he did not believe her as his eyes raked over her body.
He stood and tilted his head. His sable hair teasing his ears, as he said contemplatively, "So, I saved my mate, who doesn't have a wolf. Isn't that grand, Carmen?" he asked as he turned to the doctor.
"Yes, it is, sir." the doctor said with a bow.
The look of unease on her face made Athena's frown deepen.
Pack doctors are mostly omegas, and with his prowess last night, he looked like he had alpha blood.
Yet she did not call him alpha.
"You don't sound sure," Athena said to the man whose name she still did not know.
He turned to her with the charming smile back on his face.
"What? Oh, of course I am sure, sweetheart. I was so worried about you that I forgot for a moment. This couldn't be more perfect. I saved my mate's life, and now we will live happily ever after. Just perfect," he said with a grin.
Even as relief flooded her, Athena said, "You know. You don't have to…stick with me if you don't want to. Just let me heal first before you reject me."
"Reject you? Of course not. Why would I do that?" he asked as he came to sit beside her on the bed.
He held her hand and kissed her forehead.
It felt different.
This touch. His scent. The way she had felt inside the night before.
Nothing was the same.
He eased back from kissing her, winked and said, "Besides, you owe me your life. How will you repay me if I let you go?"
Pain throbbed in Athena's chest and the little bit of faith she had not known she still held on to faded at that moment.
Of course, I mean, why not. The moon goddess had to ship her with someone with a face card, hero syndrome and a crappy personality.
She suddenly felt so tired, and eased her hand from his.
"I need to rest now. Can you go?"
She thought she saw thinly-veiled irritation cross his eyes, but he was smiling when he stood hastily.
"Oh, yeah. Totally. Forgive my manners. You must still be feeling so much pain. Especially since you can't heal like a proper werewolf."
Thinking she was being overly sensitive, Athena ignored the mockery she thought she heard in his voice.
She nodded and closed her eyes, eager to get away from his charming smile.
She opened her eyes again to see him give Carmen a withering look that had the doctor nodding as she bowed again.
Crappy attitude and cruel too? Good job, moon goddess. Just wow.
"You didn't tell me your name."
"And I did not get yours too." he turned to her with a sheepish head scratch. "Forgive me, I am not always like this. Must be the knock I took in the head from those bastards."
Athena jerked upward and gritted her teeth through the pain that spiked through her body.
"You are hurt?"
"That wasn't what you told me." she said to Carmen.
"What did she tell you? About… me?" he asked urgently.
"That you are fine. But if you were knocked in the head, that means…"
He waved off her worry as he said, "I am fine. Just a little banged up, but I will live. Carmen will be careful about what she say around you from now on. We can't have you getting upset like this." he moved closer like he wanted to kiss her forehead again.
Instead, he touched her upper arm and said, "I am Richard. Richard Boone. Son of the pack's alpha."
Athena's eyes widened as a thought came to her. "What pack?"
"Silvergate pack."
Silvergate. Athena can't remember ever hearing of it. It must be a small pack compared to Moonvale.
"Oh," she said weakly. "I must express my thanks to the alpha then."
He dismissed that with a wave as he said, "Later. Rest now. After you tell me your name and pack, of course."
"I am Athena. Athena… Atkins," she completed.
Vampires killed her family almost a year ago and wouldn't stop coming after her, even after wiping out her pack.
She realised she couldn't trust that her pack wasn't betrayed by their kind.
Better to keep her real surname hidden.
"Athena. That is a strong name for a…"
A wolfless girl? Athena thought in disgust as his unfinished words lay heavy in the room.
"Atkins? What a weird surname for a werewolf."he continued in a hard voice. "You are not a human, are you?"
"No, I am not. I lost my family a while ago. They were attacked and I have been alone since then. Like a…"
The word stuck distastefully to her tongue.
His tone was frigid as he said, "Can you believe that, Carmen? My mate is a wolfless rogue."
Anger rolled over Athena's misery and her eyes snapped as she said, "I already said you can…"
"Rest. We will talk later. Things will be interesting when you meet my father."
Athena wanted to snap at him that nothing could be more interesting than how her life had turned in the past year.
Despite herself, she shivered slightly as the doctor went about giving her medication to ease her pain.
Rogues were not looked kindly upon in many packs.
The word "interesting" took on an ominous meaning as she remembered the tales she had heard about what some packs do to rogues.
Did she just survive a death from her enemies only to die horribly among her kind?
She tried to catch the doctor's eyes, but the latter looked away.
Athena wanted to howl at the sky for the injustice.
"I can't die now." She thought weakly as her eyes suddenly grew heavy.