Page 96 of The Alpha's Bullied Rejected Mate

Chapter 18 - Athena

As the morning mist clung to Marcus’s auburn hair like silver cobwebs, Athena watched from the gate as he straddled his hips with a silver dagger and adjusted his braces. He was too preoccupied going over maps with Kieran and three other hunters she didn’t recognize to notice her yet.

Reinforcements.

The word made her stomach turn.

She had sensed that the time had come. Two nights prior, Marcus had informed her that he would be departing for a hunt. The real dark witch, whom they had been pursuing for months now, had finally been found, and the team tailing her had required reinforcements.

She was a “high-priority retrieval,” as he had stated, so he had to go assist with his team as a result.

Before he left, she recalled how his hand lingered on her arm. He didn’t say much, but she had seen the worry run in those amber eyes of his, and his final words, “Please stay safe,” rang in her ears.

She was going to be safe, but it was not she who needed the advice. She exhaled and stared at him as he fixed a guard on his fists.

Marcus’s head jerked up as though he had been called. Something unreadable flashed across his face as his eyes met hers, but he averted his gaze when the hunter next to him called for his attention.

Eventually, after a few minutes, he took long, swift steps across the courtyard and met her gaze. She pressed a tiny sachet into his palm while he stood in front of her.

“I was asked to give you this,” she murmured.

“Dream powder?” he questioned in confirmation.

“Yes,” she whispered.

She had been asked to give him the day before. But she had stalled it intentionally. She wanted to see him leave.

His thumb brushed her wrist as he retrieved the item. The fleeting touch sent her pulse racing. He curled the sachet into his fist as he tucked it away into his pocket.

“Thank you,” he whispered, his eyes not leaving hers. And from the way he said it, it didn’t sound like he was just talking about the gift.

Her chest tightened as one hunter called for him again. Without saying another word, Marcus turned and walked toward the group that was waiting, his boots making a gentle sound as they touched the ground. Then, without turning around, he left with his team.

And just like that, she was alone again.

Wrapped in the silence of the chilly night, Athena sat on the porch edge of her cabin. Occasionally, the shifting clouds would engulf the moon’s silvery edge as it bloomed into the sky.

It was uncomfortably bright, flickering faintly across the camp and spilling over the clearing in slanted beams. She drew her knees up to her chest. Her chest ached sharply. For the hundredth time that day, her mind wandered to a particular hunter with auburn hair, and the uncertainty gnawed at her, unsure of his location or what he was getting himself into. The worst part was not knowing. It bothered her.

The larger part of her mind assured her that he was a skilled hunter and would be just fine. But the worry still surfaced.

What if he encountered another ambush similar to the previous one?

She rubbed her chest, like that could do anything to settle the storm spiraling inside.

He was coming back.

Despite her repeated assurances, the worry that tainted her face persisted. So she made a decision, she wouldn’t just sit here and pout, though. She would practice her skills while she waited for him.

If she wanted to help him at all in their fight against the dark forces, she needed to be more powerful and skilled.

Athena was standing in the expansive training area before dawn. Since Riley had spent the night over at another cabin, she had ample time that morning. She raked the mist from the grass that was curling around her ankles.

The world was still half-asleep. But she was not.

She had already centered her breathing, stretched, and called forth the first throb of magic into her hands. With the exception of the distant chirp of crickets as the dawn wore on and the low rustle of the wind sweeping through the trees, the clearing was silent.

With her eyes tightly closed and her palms out, Athena stood in the middle of the grounds.