Page 39

Chapter

Thirty-Nine

Athena watched in horror as Claude’s hand transformed into wolf claws and swiped at Draco. She nearly fell to her knees when he managed to swipe Draco’s chest, drawing first blood.

So much for Leo’s assessment that the first punch was the only one that Claude would get in. She wanted to punch Leo for fibbing to her.

Even after Draco winced from the slice, he gave Claude a smirk as he shook off the pain. Athena wanted to smack her own husband at that point since she knew Draco was toying with Claude.

The look in her husband’s eyes was one she’d never seen before. Focus, determination, coldness, detached from those around him.

The fight drug on and on. Punches, kicks, swipes, barbs and anger were exchanged between the two.

Well, the barbs were mostly from Claude trying to rile Draco up to make a mistake. So far, Draco had been dominating. After the first blood was drawn, Claude hadn’t been able to get close enough again.

Draco was wearing the man down and for that she was grateful. While Draco was younger than Claude, the older man was holding his own.

Even though he was getting angry that the younger man had lasted as long as he did, Athena was afraid something was about to pop off. She sensed it when Rob started shifting from foot to foot, like he wanted to jump in.

Even his hands were getting twitchy. She pointed it out to Leo who acknowledged her and signaled to the other two men.

Draco suddenly punched Claude hard enough to knock him backward off of his feet toward Rob. Rob chose that moment to jump toward his father, something in his hand and jabbed it into his father’s arm.

“No!”

Athena moved away from Leo’s side and ran toward Rob, hitting his arm away from Claude’s to show the needle that was finished injecting more serum into his father’s arm.

She felt her world tilting when pain exploded in her face as someone had backhanded her hard across the cheek, knocking her to the ground before kicking her side.

She heard the roar of anger as Draco lunged toward the two men assaulting her. Blood spurted everywhere as Claude and Draco fought hard, fist to fist, gnashing teeth to gnashing teeth.

Leo, Case, and Tuck, went after Rob and two of his enforcers while Hawk got her out of harm’s way. It took everything she had not to scream out when she saw the fight ensuing between Claude and Draco.

“His heart. Hit his heart, hard as you can. If the serum messed with his heart, the punch would make the heart explode. Please don’t leave me!” Athena pleaded in her mind, her tears falling freely down her cheeks when she felt the wall that wasn’t normally there with Draco.

When she heard the roar coming from Draco, she looked over in time to see him punch up from the ground directly into Claude’s face, knocking him away from him to give him a chance to get back to his feet.

This time when Draco roared fiercely, his punch aimed true for Claude’s chest, hitting him directly in the sternum with all of his might.

Claude fell to the ground, gripping his chest, eyes wide and lifeless. He fell face first onto the ground, dead.

Rob roared his own anger and lunged at Draco, who was prepared for the attack when she screamed out that Rob was coming after him. Leo and Hawk held her back as Case and Tuck raced to Draco’s assistance, grabbing Rob before he could attack.

“Enough!” a loud male voice shouted, making every single wolf shifter wince and lower their head in compliance.

“A-Amari…I thought you were on vacation overseas somewhere,” Roosevelt mumbled, stumbling over his words.

“From what I heard, you were claiming my place in the Shifter Council because you felt I was old and unable to rule properly. You’ve been a very bad boy, Roosevelt. Did you honestly think I wouldn’t find out?”

Dismissing the man that he was speaking to while his guards arrested him, the large, powerful man turned to look at her and study her for several minutes before he walked over toward her. When he stopped in front of her, he held her gaze as he smiled down on her for several seconds.

“Are you Athena Chapman?” the man asked, his gaze softening as he studied her.

“Blackwood. I am Athena Blackwood. Who are you?”

“Athena, this is your biological father. He showed up shortly before we found out about your kidnapping. Sweetie, the man never knew about you,” Coren softly told her, coming up beside the man as he reached out to touch her arm.

“Wait, you didn’t know about me? But my mother said you never wanted me because I was human,” Athena squeaked out in a sob.

“Oh, my beautiful daughter, I didn’t care about that.

Had I known about you and the treatment you were receiving, I would have taken you away so that you would know what a real family does for each other.

I am so sorry you had to endure the hell you did.

But I now know about you and claim you as my daughter in front of everyone, including the Council. That is if you will accept me?”

“What about your wife and other children. I don’t want to cause problems between you and them by coming into your life.” Athena stalled, her heart going a mile a minute at the news she’d just heard.

“They know about you and how you came to be. My wife knows you were born before I met her. She’s excited to meet you and get to know you.

She will show you what a true mother does for their child.

As for your siblings, two of them are here now, one of them was the reason you were protected as much as possible while in this vile packs hands. ”

“Wait, what? Who?” Athena and Leo asked at the same time looking around them.

At that moment, Townie stepped forward, a sheepish smile on his face, along with Hawk, who had been standing behind her. There were several gasps among the group, except for Draco.