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Chapter

Thirty-Three

Athena woke up to an empty bed, only to find a note and a red rose on Draco’s pillow the next morning. He had told her last night as he was holding her close that he had to take a tour of the territory, a monthly thing he does, to make sure all is going well.

He was taking Leo, Tucker, Case, and Hawk with him to do the tour so that they could make their presence more known. Dana stayed with her as usual and for her to reach out if they needed anything.

He reminded her that he was only a mind conversation away if she needed him. He signed off on the note that he loved her and couldn’t wait to see her this evening.

She couldn’t help the huge smile on her face as she lay there and inhaled his scent from his side of the bed. Gods help her she loved this man with every fiber of her being.

She couldn’t help but pray that if anything ever happened to Draco, that their little ones were old enough to fend for themselves because she didn’t think she could honestly live in this world without him by her side.

She knew that was a harsh thing to think, but Draco was the air she breathed, and gods help anyone who harmed him, because she would do everything in her power to take them out with her.

Getting up, she completed her morning routine just as Dana knocked on the door to let her know she was there for them to head to the school. She couldn’t remember a day when that didn’t happen anymore.

“Good morning, Dana. Coffee is on. Make you a mug. Would you like a bagel with cream cheese this morning?”

“Good morning, Luna. Thank you. I don’t know why you ask because you make me one anyway.”

Athena laughed at Dana’s response. She was right, though.

Every morning, she had the coffee ready for when Dana arrived, and she made sure there was an extra bagel with extra cream cheese on it just for her shadow. It wasn’t Dana’s fault her husband was overprotective, so she was making sure her guard was well taken care of.

“Just like you don’t listen when I tell you to call me Athena instead of Luna. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to hearing that word in association with my marriage to Draco. I haven’t the first clue how to tell a shifter what they should and shouldn’t do.”

“You know more than you realize, Athena. You’re intelligent and everyone already loves you.

That’s all that matters as a Luna. Besides, if anyone gives you any shit, just tell one of us before Draco finds out and we’ll have them crying in their underwear before the boss gets to them.

Otherwise, he deals with them after saying something to you, then they may not live another day. ”

Athena laughed at the image that Dana presented to her. She was glad that Dana was one of theirs.

“Alright, let’s get to school. Kids have a big day ahead of them. They need extra time and encouragement today. Some aren’t as excited about the fact they are headed to fourth grade as they should be.”

“They aren’t even excited about summer break? I remember loving the last day of school just because it meant summer break. Being able to play with my friends and the Alpha and elders taking us out into the forests to learn about our wolves and the stories of our ancestors.”

“Oh wow! That sounds amazing. I wonder if they have something like that here?”

“I don’t know. I never heard Draco talking about it. It might be something to ask him or his parents about. My father was a Native American, so most tribes that have shifters would do that.”

Athena looked over at Dana after getting into the car and started thinking. She wondered what Draco’s pack did to teach the children of the pack about their wolves and where they truly came from.

She sent Deidra and her mother-in-law a text asking them that very question. She wanted to be prepared for when their little one came along, and they had their father’s DNA to shift.

Once she got to the school, she set about getting her classroom ready. She’d just turned around when her door opened, and little Jimmy Spencer came running into the classroom.

“Mrs. Blackwood, Tommy is hurt real bad on the playground. I know we’re not supposed to be on the playground without an adult, but we wanted to swing really bad like and he fell…”

“Calm down, Jimmy. It’s going to be okay. Show me where you two were playing.”

Athena grabbed her phone quickly and ran after Jimmy. As much as she wanted to have a discussion about listening to adults with Jimmy, Tommy needed her help more.

She sent a quick text to Dana and walked as fast as she could to the playground. When she got there, her heart froze in horror at the sight before her.

Rob Maplewood stood there with a gun at little Tommy’s head. Her brother and Townie were off to the side with their own guns out, pointed in her direction. The young boy was crying out for his mom, snot running down his face.

“Townie? What the fuck, dude?”

Athena’s heart seized in that moment when she heard Dana’s voice behind her. Dana was outnumbered with these three.

“You seriously don’t get it do you, bitch? I’m going to the winning side. I’m done working for chump change and handouts. Boss was losing his edge because of this human slut. Then he took out my mate. He didn’t have to fucking kill her like he did.”

“Y-your mate? Who the fuck…wait, you’re saying Shades was your mate? Dude she was fucking pining for Draco since the minute she joined the damn unit. She only rode your dick to scratch an itch. Hell, she even fucked Tucker and Case.”

“She was still my fucking mate. Doesn’t mean we have to like each other, but she was still mine. He fucking knew that. He didn’t have to kill her.”

“She was going to attack Athena because she got outed about her plan to drug Draco. Are you fucking kidding me right now? Is that why you refused to go with Draco and the others today?”

Bang

Bang

Bang

Athena screamed as she covered Jimmy with her body as Townie fired his gun at Dana. Before she could react, she felt hands in her hair and her arms, pulling her from the little one.

When she looked to where Dana lay, she wasn’t moving. They killed Dana. In front of the kids. W…T…F…