Page 25

Chapter

Twenty-Five

Draco dried himself and Athena off, before crawling into bed after another round of passionate lovemaking. Each and every time they were together, it was more intense than the last time.

He really didn’t know how to process his feelings at the moment. He knew he needed to keep her at arm’s length for her safety and kept telling himself he shouldn’t be touching her because the chances of her getting pregnant with his pup were high.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Athena murmured in his arms.

Draco squeezed his arms around her, not sure if he should voice his concerns. Hell, he didn’t even know what his thoughts were in all honesty.

“You know you want her carrying our pups. Stop fighting it.”

“It’s too dangerous for her to be carrying our pups. At least until the Maplewoods are dealt with.”

“Ah, now you admit that you want her carrying your pups. We will not let anything happen to our mate or our pups. She makes us stronger. Unstoppable. Stop fighting it!”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I can smell her lineage. Her father was a powerful wolf.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Draco asked in shock at Shadow’s declaration.

“Ask your father about her smell. Ask her about her father. See what she knows.”

Draco looked down at Athena who was snuggled into his arms, her hand wrapped around his waist. How did he broach this subject?

“What do you know about your father?” Draco asked hesitantly.

“Not much. My mother made a comment once that he left when she found out she was pregnant with me. Blamed it on me and that even he didn’t want me. She never talks about him,” Athena murmured softly as she started to move away from Draco.

“No. You’re staying right here. Why do you shut down when talking about your father?” Draco asked, pulling her closer to him, wrapping both arms around her.

“Be…because I wonder how you could want me if my own father or even my own mother never wanted me. I feel like there is something wrong with me.”

Draco laid her flat on her back and hovered over her, locking her legs with his, his arms bracing her between them, forcing her to look up at him. He wanted to find her mother and hunt the father down if he could figure out who he was and beat the shit out of them for causing this pain in her eyes.

“There is nothing wrong with you, Athena. You are beautiful, both inside and outside. I don’t know what your mother was like back then, so I can’t say much about her.

I want to believe that she loved you in the beginning and something broke her and made her into the evil bitch she is today.

As for your father, all you have is your mother’s statement.

We don’t know anything about him. If I tell you something, will you promise not to cringe or say anything mean?

” Draco asked, pulling her back to look at him so she could see his eyes.

“Why would I cringe or say anything mean?”

“Our wolves, the animals that live inside of us. We can communicate with them when we are in our human form.”

“What about when you’re in your wolf form?” Athena asked curiously.

“We can communicate with our human side.”

“Okay that’s cool. Why would I cringe at that? I’m kind of jealous to be honest.” Athena giggled slightly.

Draco couldn’t help but chuckle at her statement. That actually made his heart happy that she didn’t get weirded out by the fact he could talk to his wolf.

“Thank you.” Draco kissed her lips softly.

“Your wolf, what is his name?”

Draco hesitated to answer since he knew about her dog that she had lost to the Maplewoods. But his wolf was pushing him to tell her his name.

“His name is Shadow.”

“S-Shadow? A-and he’s black. Like my Shadow was,” Athena stammered as she looked at him in shock.

“Yes. Is that ok? I know that has to be hard for you.”

“Ye…no. I think fate had its reason for sending you to me. Shadow was my baby in so many ways. Your wolf is what he would have looked like when he got older. I like to think that he guided us together so that I wouldn’t be lonely anymore.

Don’t get me wrong, your sister is an amazing friend, but the loneliness is still there when I think about him. ”

“I get it. And my sister can be a pain in the ass.” Draco laughed, tapping her nose with his finger. “That isn’t the reason I was telling you about him.” Draco cleared his throat.

“Okay. So, you say you two can communicate. What is he saying to you about me?”

Damn his woman was smart as hell. He didn’t have to tell her it was about her.

“Well, a shifter’s sense of sight, smell, and sound are more heightened than a regular human’s.

Shadow says part of your smell is familiar to him.

Not in a bad way and he’s not saying you stink so don’t think that.

What I mean is, part of your scent is that of a wolf.

We know you can’t shift. You’ve confirmed that.

It’s not uncommon for a shifter and human to have either a shifter or non-shifter offspring.

It’s usually fifty-fifty on that chance.

It’s higher the offspring is a shifter if the female as shifter DNA in her bloodline. ”

“Wait, you’re saying Shadow says she can smell a shifter scent on me? I’ve been around you and your family. Couldn’t that be what he is smelling?” Athena asked, biting her lower lip as she thought about everyone she’d been around.

“That’s what I was thinking, but he says no.

Would you be willing to do a DNA test with one of our shifter doctors we have?

They can run it through our database, and we can see if he is in there.

It’s up to you. If it’s true, then it could help us protect you against the Maplewoods and whatever they are planning,” Draco asked softly, rubbing his thumb over her cheekbone.

“What if what my mother said was true, that he wanted nothing to do with me?”

Draco hated the vulnerability in her voice. He really wanted to beat that woman’s ass for causing such doubt in this beautiful woman’s eyes.

“Then it is his loss. You have my father and mother to love you enough for both of them.”