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chapter seventeen ━ unbreakable vows

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❝ i'm not a little girl anymore ❞

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SEEING THE WOLVES in such high spirits was heart-warming, making her smile as she observed the pack having fun. Jackson had taken up the role as alpha so he was their leader. Thomas was not at all bothered by this fact and Athena surprisingly was not either. She was content with being an average rank though when she said this to her mate, he reminded her that she will never be a normal wolf, she was born a Queen and she would die one. She had nodded and his words caused her to recall when he told her about whenever they would have kids, he wanted crowns on their heads and to call them the prince and princess.

That night when she came back drenched in blood, he had allowed her to take a shower but she broke down so he stayed in the bathroom with her, not peeking, merely stood against the counter and stared at the wall. He felt no urge to join her, not wanting to push his limits. When she came out, he turned his back while she dried off and got dressed in a baggy t-shirt of his, along with some shorts. Without a word she had gone to the bed, laid down, curled up, and went to sleep. He was concerned for her. Yet, in the morning, it was as if nothing occurred. She was smiling and laughing. So he let it go, thinking that she had just been tired.

Athena's eyes were wide with amazement as she watched two of the wolves fight in their human forms. Never had she been surrounded by those like her before. And yes, she didn't consider herself more wolf than a vampire. The only thing was, she was trying to explore more of the animal side of her, instead of the bloodthirsty one. She tilted her head to the side, her hands clasped in front of her. She was wearing a black solid top that crossed straps in the black, a flowing white bottom half that was floral, shorter in the front than in the back, and a black jean jacket. She saw Hayley talking with Jackson on the other side of the sparring circle, smiling to herself as she watched them walk away towards the cabin where dinner was held.

"Pardon me," someone spoke, gaining her attention as she turned to face them. Next to her stood a male, probably in his mid to late twenties, dark chocolate hair, with some facial hair. He wore a simple t-shirt with a jean jacket, blue jeans, and boots. He had a shy smile on his face, blushing a bit. She heard his heart racing and realized he must be nervous. "Sorry to bother you, my Queen—"

"Oh! Please call me Athena!" she interjected, blushing madly herself as she covered her face with both hands, laughing before she pulled her hands back, shaking her head. "Hearing people call me that makes me feel ridiculous. I mean, I'm nowhere even close to being a Queen or anything, I just came back to life a few months ago, possibly even a year ago, I cannot tell anymore, time flies." She shut her mouth, not meaning to ramble. "Sorry. Um, what's your name?"

"Nathan Hill." He scratched the back of his neck. "I wanted to introduce myself since the last time you stopped by the bayou, the lot of us were still in our forms. It's great to finally meet you." He smiled, still following after her. "Enjoying yourself?"

She nodded her head, walking to join everyone else at the cabin. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Her voice was quiet, soft, displaying how timid she was around new people. "And yes, I'm trying to figure out everything I can about wolves since I missed so much." She gracefully jumped over a log, a little dance to her step. Her eyes glanced over to meet his, shining with curiosity. "Have you met Thomas before?"

"Yeah, I was the first wolf to meet him actually. Nearly bit his head off actually but the guy rammed me to the ground before I could get close." His ears turned red. "Not my finest moment." She laughed, covering her mouth to conceal the sound but he heard her clear as day. "Thomas and I are buddies now though, we've gotten to know one another since he arrived. We'd meet up during full moons and I'd catch him up on the modern world. You're not the only one who missed a couple of centuries."

His words caused her curiosity to grow, looking hungry for more information. "How did he learn so much so fast? I mean, I'm still learning new things every day. For example, yesterday I got my first taste at how creepy a cemetery is." It was his turn to laugh. "I know, so funny, right?" She rolled her eyes playfully, crossing her arms over her chest. "I was serious about my question though."

Nathan put his hands in his jean pockets, looking up at the clear sky above them. "Well, we couldn't exactly communicate whenever I was in wolf form but like I said him and I would meet up during full moons and he'd ask tons of questions and I'd answer them honestly. Most of the time I imagine he looked up all he wanted to know on the Internet. For someone who spent a thousand years dead, he was a quick learner, eager for knowledge. Seems you are too."

She shrugged, eyes staring ahead of them as she watched the pack getting dressed and also entering the cabin. "I don't mean to pester you, I'm only trying to get a grasp at all of this. It's a lot to take in, I'm getting used to it as the days go on." She sighed, her shoulders sinking with the action. "The only reason why I ask questions is that I'm not a quick learner, but I also want to figure out how to find answers on my own instead of bothering other people all the time."

"I see." He understood her train of thought now. She wanted to try not to be dependent on Thomas as much, seeing as he was teaching her mostly everything so she was attempting to get out into the world and investigate new things on her own. "You do know he doesn't mind right? Showing you I mean."

"Yes, I'm aware. Still, I wanna surprise him, prove that I'm not entirely innocent and small-minded and that I'm independent." He fought a smile, looking away quickly. She saw his lazy effort and rose an eyebrow before slapping his arm hard. He yelped, making some of the wolves look over at him. "Don't laugh, I'm serious." She calmed down slightly, uncrossing her arms. "See that's the whole problem, no one thinks I can do it. My brothers try to keep me out of problem but luckily I'm stubborn. And you'll see, I will show you and everyone else that I can do things myself."

She stormed away and he was left standing there, holding his left arm, in utter shock. He gulped as he knew he pissed off the Queen and that couldn't be good right? He hadn't meant to upset her. "Holy hell." Was he going to die? Would he be tortured? And they were only having a casual conversation before she blew up. He knew he shouldn't have laughed, that was rude of him. He hoped he wasn't about to die.

Thomas was standing with Jackson and Hayley when she entered. Athena paused and took a deep breath to cool herself down before resume her journey over to them. Once she got there, the ginger male was the first to see her, grinning as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Hey, Ena." He kissed her temple before he noticed her off demeanor, the smile fading. "What happened?"

"Nothing," she hummed. He didn't look convinced, knowing her expressions and practically everything about her which she seemed to forget. Then she got an idea to prove it to him that she wasn't innocent, not entirely at least. She was about to take a page from the Rebekah Mikaelson playbook. She looked at the pregnant wolf and the alpha. "We'll be right back." She hooked her arm with his, leading him away to the one end of the cabin, opening a door that led to a bathroom before pulling him inside and shut the door.

He was confused, frowning. "Athena, what's going on? Why are we—"

She stood up on her tippy toes and kissed him suddenly. Shocked, he didn't close his eyes until he registed what was happening, slowly shutting his eyes. He wrapped his arm around her again, pulling her closer as he kissed her back. This one was deeper, more heated. She had her arms around his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair and tugged, getting a low groan from him. Once she heard it, she pulled back and smiled innocently.

"I'm going to go find us some seats." Then she skipped out of the bathroom. She was on a roll, surprising two guys in a matter of minutes. Thomas was gaping, still standing in the same place. Did she really just do that? Athena drifted through the row between the two long tables, finding two seats at the very end on the right, sitting down. She went to go place her leg on the chair but someone sat there before she could.

Oliver, a wolf she knew the name of but had never formally met took the seat, making her move her lips to tell him so. He stopped her and cut her off before she could. He had been waiting to come up to her, following her when she spoke to Nathan and then saw her disappear into the bathroom with Thomas. This was his chance. "You know, everyone here may be fooled, and they may be tripping over their feet because they want you to acknowledge them, but not me." She was taken aback. "You're a hybrid, a vampire, a monster. And yet you're supposed to be our Queen? You're not even a wolf, not fully."

Thomas decided to appear at the right time, picking Oliver up by the collar of his shirt, pulling him out of the chair. He gave him a nasty glare, his once kind smile and turned on look replaced with disappointment. "I believe you stole my seat." He let him go. By this point, everyone was watching to see what would happen. The King calmed down though on the inside he wasn't so cheerful. He dusted off Oliver's shoulders. "If you speak to her like that again, I'll make sure that you can never speak again. Now, I'd ask you to apologize but why waste my breath? Run along, runt."

With a matching scowl, the wolf turned and left without fighting back though it was clear he wanted to. Thomas sat down, making the rest of the pack go back to what they were doing. "Sorry about him, love, I'll make sure Jackson speaks to him about respect." She waved it off, pretending like what Oliver said hadn't bothered her. She didn't say anything so he figured to distract her from what happened, smirking as he leaned over to her ear. "What was that thing in the bathroom about, hm?"

Athena looked over at him, taking a sip of her glass of water, trying not to shiver because of his closeness. "I can't kiss you?" He gave her a look, showing her that he knew that it wasn't just some kiss she did because she felt like it. She sighed, pouting. "Fine. I met Nathan, him and I talked and I told him that I wanted to show you and everyone else that I'm not some innocent, naive, weak little girl. You teach me everything, you guide everything, and I wanted to initiate something to prove it to you. And besides, when we met I was scared to show affection at first but now I realize that I feel safe around you, I wanted to try something."

"You kissed me because you wanted to make a point?"

"Yes. Did you not like it?"

"I liked it a little too much."

She blushed and shoved him playfully, making him chuckle and grab her hand under the table. "Stop! I was doing so well. Did you see that? I was being tough and wearing the pants in this relationship." He laughed harder, nearly doubling over from where he was sitting. Her blush got worse and she whined, actually whined. "Thomas stop it!" He tried to control himself and wiped his eyes since he was starting to cry from the humor of it all. She huffed, trying not to smile.

"You're so cute," he mocked, going to poke her cheek but she swatted his hand away. "Ena, Ena, Ena, you're cute." He continued to try and she kept swatting his hands until he finally grabbed her and picked her up, making her squeal. He smiled widely and sat her in his lap, making her squirm.

"I'm not cute. I'm tough, I'm wearing the pants!"

He eventually locked her in his arms so she couldn't get out, smiling like an idiot into her hair, laughing in her ear quietly and softly. "Ena stop moving before I spank you in front of everyone." She stopped right away, turning her head and gaped at him, eyes wide.

"You wouldn't."

Thomas smirked, keeping her back to his chest but they were looking at one another. "Is that a challenge?" She shook her head, her cheeks still crimson. "Relax, baby, I was just teasing." He rubbed her back before setting her back down in her chair, completely unaware of the pack watching them with amused smiles, all sitting down and starting to eat. Athena fixed her dress and hair, her embarrassment fading away. He became serious, knowing she wouldn't be happy about this but she deserved to know. Hayley knew and she was pissed.

"I heard from some of the other guys that Elijah is holding a meeting today with the vampires and witches, to create some sort of agreement of peace." Her giddy behavior faded just as quickly, listening to him. "The werewolves weren't invited."

She narrowed her eyes. "Why not?" He shrugged, his way of telling her he hadn't a clue. "Does Jackson know? Hayley? Or any of the other wolves?" She didn't understand why her brother would do this when he knew fairly well that all the factions deserved a place at the summit. There went her happy mood.

"I told Jackson and Hayley, no one else knows yet." Thomas saw the expression on her face and already knew what her choice was going to be. "Eat first, then we can go talk to them alright?" She nodded, no longer in a good mood. She took her fork and stabbed it into her food.

What was Elijah thinking?

———

Supernatural creatures meeting in a church was ironic in her opinion. A witch, two vampires, and a priest all gathered in a place of worship. It was like the beginning of a bad joke. Athena didn't care so much as where the summit was taking place, she was agitated that the wolves hadn't been invited, no invitation was extended. She pushed the doors open with fierce aggression, heads turning towards her. Thomas was trailing behind her, hands in his pockets, casually following, but it was obvious he was trying to keep an amused smile off his face.

"You're insane if you think you can chop up the city and not let the werewolves have a say in the matter," she hissed, stopping by the table and glared at each one of them. Genevieve stared at her, eyes wide with awe. She, of course, had heard of the Nyx legend yet never thought she'd get to witness their presence. "You better have a damn good excuse."

Diego stood up and pointed angrily at her. "What the hell is she doing here?"

Thomas grabbed the vampire's arm and shoved him back into his seat with a smirk, glad that he was able to overpower him. "Didn't your mother ever tell you that it's rude to point?" No answer. His smirk widened as he turned his head to look at Elijah who was clearly attempting to keep his sister from murdering them.

"We are not dividing the city," he explained patiently. "We're establishing boundaries—"

"So then why weren't the wolves invited?" Athena questioned, vehemently defending her new friends. "Why can't they talk about boundaries with the rest of you? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of peace if one group is excluded from the discussion? They want a seat at the table and they will get it." She narrowed her eyes when the other two parties scoffed. "If they don't get one soon, I promise you, you'll regret it. So don't say I didn't warn you."

As soon as she finished speaking, Diego and Genevieve began to argue once more. Elijah took one glance at Thomas, seeing the ginger already watching him with an expectant expression, and then grabbed his sister's arm, pulling her to the side to speak privately with her, though the King was listening.

"Do you have any idea what it took just to get those people in one room together?" Elijah asked.

"No, and I do not care. Because I was not aware this was going on until my boyfriend told me." He looked uncomfortable with the news, revealing how Rebekah mustn't have told anyone. "And yeah, you heard me right. I'm no longer a single pringle, I had my first kiss and everything, got him wrapped around my finger. So tell me, is the reason you left the wolves out was because of Thomas or Hayley?"

"I excluded them because they no longer reside in the French Quarter. My immediate concern is to end the mounting conflict here. Now, I can assure you once this treaty is solidified, it will expand to include Hayley's people."

Athena shook her head with disbelief. "What am I supposed to tell them then? That you want them to sit still and play fetch until you want to let them sit at the adult table?" He was not a fan of her sass, not sure how he was going to get her to walk away from this when she was already adamant on getting what she wants. She was a Mikaelson after all.

"I would prefer that you remove yourself from the process, to begin with!" He shouted, making her flinch, causing Thomas to walk towards them and placed a gentle hand on her arm, glaring at the noble brother. He realized that he had been out of hand and his demeanor softened. "Athena, are you absolutely certain that this is what you want? With him? This isn't like you."

She bit her tongue from yelling back at him, remaining calm. "What I want is none of your business. This is my life, I am my own person, I make my own choices. If I make the wrong one, that's on me. So don't ask me if this is what I want because it is. And this is who I am. You are just hung up on that thirteen-year-old girl who put flowers in her hair. I'm done being that weak little girl." He glanced away from her, the point she was making cutting deep.

"Athena. . ."

"Give the wolves a voice."

Then she turned around, brushing Thomas's arm off her shoulder and started to walk out of the church with tears burning in her eyes. She was frustrated, not sad. No one seemed to believe she had moved past that part of herself. Yes, her child-like self lingered and would always be a part of her. But she was pushing that in the back of her head and maturing. She'd prove them wrong, she knew she would.

———

As the day went on, Athena busied herself with getting to know everyone in the pack, listening to their stories. It helped clear her head for a while, a smile usually on her face as she paid attention to whoever she was speaking to. Then when evening time arrived, she was told by Jackson that Elijah was hosting a faction party, and they were invited. The wolves were uneasy to hear this but once their alpha said they were attending, no one could argue with him.

She wasn't keen on returning to the compound, not wanting to run into either one of her brothers, so Mary, Jackson's grandmother was kind enough to go around the bayou to other female wolves and find the perfect dress for her. In the end, she ended up getting an a-line v-neck floor length chiffon lace dress in a stormy hue. The sleeves were see-through and went midway down her arm with designs that matched the color of the dress. She was given black heels that she took one look at and tossed to the floor before she announced that she was going to wear converse. And she was reminded of just how much she hates dresses and parties. However, she wouldn't admit that this fashion was growing on her.

Thomas wore a tux, nothing too out there, something simple and to be expected. Yet, when he escorted her to the car, she was stared at him for a moment. He did look good in a suit. A little too good. If he knew she was eyeing him, he didn't show it, focusing on the road. Once they arrived, he exited the car, opened her door, and took her hand before guiding her inside.

Vampires were scattered throughout the courtyard, the wolves slowly piling in. They got plenty of judgemental stares but no one stepped forward or caused a fight thankfully. Athena looked over to see Jackson dancing with Hayley, Elijah watching close by with an unenthusiastic look on his face.

"We're a little late don't you think?" she mused to the redhead beside her to had his arm linked with her's.

Thomas hummed before shaking his head. "Not at all. We are never late, everyone else is simply early." That erupted a laugh from her, laying her head against his arm for a moment. He smiled at her reaction, pleased with it. Together they walked further into the crowd, intertwining their hands, dancing to the music. They didn't speak, listening to their surroundings, watching to make sure nothing went wrong.

Just as they were beginning to relax, getting the impression that maybe tonight would go right, a booming sound went through the courtyard. Everyone looked over to see Oliver laying upon a shattered glass table, Diego stalking towards him with a rageful expression. Thomas let go of Athena and quickly made his way to Diego, holding the vampire back in a death grip. Athena rolled her eyes.

"Men," she murmured to herself.

Elijah intervened as well, pushing Oliver against the table. "This ends now. I won't ask again." By this point, all eyes were on the males, waiting to see if blood would be shed or not. She knew for a fact that both species were dying to see a fight. When she looked over, she saw that Thomas still had Diego in a tight hold, in a perfect angle to kill the vamp where he stood. And Elijah could also kill Oliver.

Hayley appeared on the staircase, speaking up. "What's stopping you? Kill him. Go ahead, Elijah. Do it. I mean, it's not like he doesn't deserve to die. I mean, it was Oliver who handed Rebekah over to the witches so they could torture her." Athena's jaw clenched at the reminder. "But, then again, wasn't it Diego who led a werewolf massacre last month? And the witches cursed the wolves, while the humans stood back and let it all happen. So, when you think about it, everyone here deserves to die."

"Are approaching a point?" Elijah questioned, furious.

"My point, Elijah, is this: if we can't all learn to get along, if our families can't create some sort of community, then what's the point? Kill each other and get it all over with." Her words caused a long, drawn-out pause. Slowly, Elijah let go of Oliver and once he did, Thomas released Diego reluctantly.

Athena sighed, watching the fight break apart. Then suddenly, all of the wolves looked towards Hayley with a sense of pride, as if she was their savior. And when the party ended, the five factions gathering around, it wasn't the female Nyx who was chosen to be the representative, it was Hayley. She merely stood by, observing the peace treaty being signed in the blood of the person who was signing it. And she silently witnessed the entire pack gathering around the banquet table to celebrate Hayley once they arrived at the bayou.

Thomas gripped onto his glass of whiskey, sitting next to her at the table, keeping calm the best he could. "Why did you let her take credit? You're the one who confronted Elijah the first time." He looked over at her, seeing the way she just stared.

"Elijah didn't listen to me the first time. He threw a party, that was all. Hayley was the one who convinced him to let the wolves have a say. Besides, she deserves this." She wasn't looking at him when she spoke. "A true Queen does what is best for her people, even if that means letting someone else have the spotlight."

He had no chance to respond because she stood up with her glass in hand, holding it up high with a smile on her face. "To Hayley!" The wolves all stood up, raising their glasses in a toast.

"To Hayley!"

Thomas was the only one who didn't raise his glass, looking worried for Athena. She sat back down and set down her glass, going back to eating her meal. And for once it was hard for him to figure out what she was thinking.

———

If it isn't obvious already, Athena is going through some character development. And basically what it boils down to is her maturing and figuring out what her responsibilities should be. Last chapter we saw her making a vow to make sure her family doesn't fall apart. This chapter we see her making the promise to prove to people that she isn't her younger self anymore. However, this is going to backfire if that isn't already obvious as well. Some people in our society tend to put too much on their shoulders and it takes a toll on them. And that is exactly what I'm displaying with Athena.

Nathan Hill is played by the wonderful Theo James!

I hope you guys have a great day/night and don't forget to vote on this chapter, comment your thoughts, and follow me for updates!

( credit : @pepperronys )