-Athena-

''A moment of weakness, that was what it was. I cannot allow myself to be weakened like that. I should not have walked into that study. I cannot let that happen again.'' These thoughts have been drifting through my mind the whole morning. I'm currently in the office bathroom trying to calm myself down.

What if Mila had not interrupted us? What would've happened then? Would I have kissed Theo? Probably, yes. Oh goddess, I need to distance myself from him before I lose it.

''Athena! Athena are you in there?'' I hear Nancy's shrill voice from outside the bathroom.

''Yes. Yes just give a minute,'' I shout back, hoping she's heard me. I take one last look in the mirror, adjust my clothes and hair before I walk out.

''You were in there for long. What did you have for dinner, bad shrimp?'' She asks as soon as I join her.

''I choose not to answer that,'' I reply and walk ahead of her.

I hear her chuckle before she catches up to me. ''So, Charles called. Mila will be our showstopper. You know, I didn't know she was his girlfriend. In fact, I didn't even think he had a girlfriend,'' She whispers the last part.

I catch a hint of disappointment in her voice which makes me stop in my tracks and face her. ''You like Charles!'' I gasp. 

She reacts immediately and presses her hand on my mouth. ''Ssshhh.''

I slap her hand off my face and burst into fits of laughter. ''You like Charles. Oh my, this is- this is huge!!!''

''Oh come on Athena, it's not funny,'' she grumbles in annoyance and closes the door behind us after we walk into my cabin.

''I'm sorry, you're right it's not funny. It's a crush though isn't it? It will go away,'' I tell her, attempting to make her feel better.

''They're good for each other. They fit perfectly together, like puzzle pieces. It sounds weird I know, but during the brief interaction we had yesterday, I saw it. I wish I had someone like that. What do you think Athena? Will we ever get someone who is perfectly in sync with us like the way Mila and Charles are?''

''I don't know, maybe. But you don't stop looking alright. You will find him eventually,'' I reply.

''Well yeah, maybe someday. One thing is true though, matches are surely made in heaven,'' she sighs and leaves.

''Heaven indeed,'' I mumble under my breath and get to work.

Towards noon my phone rings, I look down to see Charles video calling me. ''I'm busy you know,'' I roll my eyes as soon as I answer the call.

''Yet you answered my call,'' he says.

''What is it Charles? I'm going to be home in a few hours, you can disturb me then,'' I tell him, rubbing my temple in agitation.

''I just wanted to show you your showstopper in action,'' he winks, then pans the camera towards Mila who is cat walking around the living room.

''Wow girl! You're good. Shit! She is amazing. Have you considered taking up modelling as a career?'' I ask her.

''Absolutely not!'' Charles shouts shifting the camera to towards him.

''Excuse me?'' I raise an eyebrow. ''I was asking her, not you.''

''She is my mate Athena; I can answer for her.''

''No, you cannot Charles. It's Mila's decision to make. Anyway, that is between the two of you and I don't want to interfere. I'll see you guys in the evening.''

An hour later Nancy walks into my cabin a satisfied smile plastered on her face. ''You can relax now Athena. Everything is set and in place. The clothes have arrived from Grey, so Rebecca is waiting for you in her office. Everything is set for tomorrow,'' she smiles at me and walks out.

''How did he manage to do all this in two days?'' I wonder out loud. I grab the phone and dial Theo's number.

He immediately picks it up, '' Yes, love?''

My breath hitches upon hearing his voice making me freeze in my spot. Oh Goddess, I should have thought thrice before calling him.

''Athena are you there? Is everything okay? Athena? Do you need me to come there?''

This brings me out of my stupor. ''Uhh no, no, umm Nancy was just here, and she told me everything is set for tomorrow. I just- I just wanted to know how you managed to set this up in no less than two days? I don't think I could've done that.''

He laughs, a deep masculine laugh causing me to shiver in my seat. ''Being me has its perks. I just happen to know a lot of people who owe me a lot of favors, so I called some of them in. Everything is set love, the only thing you must worry about is getting your models up on the ramp. Leave the rest to us. Okay?''

''Thank you. Thank you so much Theo,'' I tell him with all the sincerity I could gather.

''How many times have I told you not to thank me love? Everything I do is for you. You are the reason I am. You are all my reasons,'' He replies.

I froze again. If I was standing, I'm damn sure I would've have fallen down then and there. I checked my pulse to see if my heart was still beating. The loud thumping didn't help, and I was convinced he could hear it too. ''I-I-I-I should go. I will see you soon,'' I say and put the phone down.

What is happening to me? Why is this one male affecting me so much? I grab the glass of water placed on my desk and down its contents in one gulp. ''Deep breathes Athena. Deep breathes. Inhale. Exhale,'' I exercise myself before getting up and walking towards Rebecca's cabin.

''So, what do you think Athena?'' Rebecca asks as we finish looking at each item of clothing presented to us.

''I think we can pull this off,'' I say confidently, a determined smile forming on my face.

That evening, as the four of us sat around the table having dinner, Theo decided to drop a bomb on us.

''So the gala will start at seven o'clock tomorrow evening. I'm sure you will be going early to check up on your models love, so I've arranged for a car to take you there and bring you back as soon as you're done-''

''Wait what? Hold up,'' I interrupt him. ''I don't have to come back here Theo. I'll just change backstage like i did the last time.''

''No love, you will be coming back here, where you'll get ready and the limo will then take us to the venue. I choke on the wine I was sipping and thump the table hard. Mila who is seated on my right, rubs my back slowly.

''A limo!'' I cry out once I've recovered. ''Why?''

''What do you mean why, Athena?'' Charles asks me. ''It's a gala. A lot of high-profile people will be attending, including us. So of course, we have to show off.

''That is not a valid excuse Charles! Why can't we use any of our cars? We have your Porsche,'' I point towards Theo. ''My BMW.''

''Charles' jeep is out of question though,'' Mila pipes in.

''Hey, don't hate on the jeep babe,'' Charles points his fork at Mila. She rolls her eyes and ignores him.

''Ahem,'' Theo clears his throat, ''As I was saying, once the limo is here the four of us will leave for the venue. The media has been alerted so the whole event will be covered. By Monday morning, you will be on the front page of every tabloid magazine out there love,'' he looks at me and smiles.

''I- I- Uhh- umm,'' I fumble with my words.

''Oh come on Athena, can you just appreciate the effort he has made. For once, please don't argue,'' Charles folds his hands and begs. ''Please.''

''Ughh fine,'' I give in.

''Great, Your gowns have been delivered, so you don't have to worry about that too,'' Theo continues. I choke on my wine again. ''No Athena. Not a word, I'm not getting into an argument with you again on this.'' He stops me before I could utter a single word.

''What?! I'm not a child Theo, stop treating me like one!'' I yell at him.

''I will when you stop behaving like one. I told you I'm taking care of it didn't I?''

''Yes, but that doesn't mean buying me a dress,'' I throw him my most ferocious glare which would make most men quiver in their knees but not this one. He just winks at me and continues with his dinner.

''I cannot believe this!!'' I look turn to look at Mila, but she just shrugs her shoulders.

''You can't always win Athena. Let it go this time,'' he tells me slowly.

''Okay,'' I nod. ''But only this one time, that's it.''

Aside from Mila and I making some small talk, the rest of the dinner goes by quietly. I for one, was thankful that Theo had stop dropping his surprises.

The four warriors who tail me day in day out were given the time off by Theo since, his words not mine; 'Athena will be with me, she will have all the protection she needs.'

Theo and Charles are now in his study going through some pack details. I on the other hand, am slouched on one of the bean bags in the balcony. ''Mind some company?'' Mila walks up to me.

''Please, be my guest,'' I gesture to the empty bean bag opposite me. She plops down and throws me a packet of gummy bears. ''Thanks.''

''You know he loves you right?'' she suddenly speaks up.

I sigh deeply and look at her, ''I know. I just- I don't know Mila. I mean, I do feel things when he is around. Ughh, my brain turns to mush.''

She chortles a laugh. ''Ohh trust me, I've been there. It still happens. I could be mad at Charles and he would walk in, say something so romantic yet funny and all the anger gets thrown out of the window.''

''Yeah, that sound like something Charles would do,'' I reply as I chew on my gummy. ''Can I tell you a secret?'' I whisper. She nods her head and leans forward.

''Sometimes when Theo is in the room, I want to rip his shirt apart and kiss him. Hard,'' I tell her.

Mila's eyes widen at my revelation before she bursts into a fit of laughter.

''It's not funny Mila,'' I scold her, my cheeks flushing.

''Ohh Goddess! You should look at your face right now Athena. You're red!'' she continues laughing. I scoff and look away, using my mop of hair to hide the blush.

''Okay sorry, sorry. I won't laugh anymore. But you need to do something about your feelings Athena,'' Mila tells me, the laughter now gone from her voice.

''What am I supposed to do? I don't want to look like a fool. I won't have another situation like Leo's in my hand.''

''Leo is a stupid asshole. This is Theo we are talking about; he is your mate Athena. My advice to you is to act upon those feelings. Also, there is not mate bond to blame this time, so it's all 'real'. You know what the weird part is Athena? You know what you're feeling, you just don't want to accept it.'' And with that she gets up and leaves.

I choose to sit there for a while. Thinking about Mila's words. She said I know what I feel. but do I really? Ughh all this is so confusing. I walk to my room and throw myself dramatically on my bed like the way the Disney princesses do. Now just throw in an amazing sidekick and I'll qualify to be one.

I lay awake that whole night thinking about Mila's words. Is it really what I think it is? Or am I just feeling this way because he has been so nice and helpful? But it couldn't be that could it? I mean, I tried pushing him away on numerous occasions, but he has stood by me. Every single time. Am I, am falling in- No!!! No, no I cannot, I am absolutely not. NO!

It must have been around three in the morning when I finally managed to get some sleep. So, when I woke up the next day it was almost 10:00 am. '' Shit! I overslept. Oh Goddess,'' I run a hand through my messy hair.

I walk out and notice Mila and Charles talking. Charles notices me first and smiles widely. ''Morning sleepyhead. Your mate was up at five waiting for you,'' he adds.

''Oh. Um- where is he now?'' I ask him as I grab an apple from the fruit basket and join them on the table.

''Oh he is out, making sure everything is in order for tonight,'' Mila replies. She has a stack of cards in her hands and keeps on handing them to Charles one by one who is attaching a small bag to each of them and placing them neatly in a box.

''What all this?'' I ask the pair.

''Programmes for tonight. We decided to add goodie bags to each and hand them over to the guests who walk in.'' Charles replies.

''Oh okay. So I'll go shower and leave for the office. I'll see you guys later,'' I wave them off.

''Okay cool. Don't stay out too long we need you here before seven. And Athena? Try not to get yourself killed please.

''I'm not making any promises.''

As soon as I get to the office, I'm met with Nancy who is waving a large stack of papers in my face. ''Athena, good you're here. The gala has not even happened, and we have orders coming in. Theo's advertisement idea worked like a charm. Look!''

I take the papers from her hand and go through them as I make way to my cabin. ''Wow, this is great Nancy. I hope all this people will be attending tonight. Have you got your dress?''

''Yes. Yes, I do. I will call the car around as soon as you're ready,'' she tells me.

''Yeah. Let me head to the advertising department, I need to have a word with Juliana. We can leave after that.''

Once we get to the venue, Nancy and I head backstage to check on the green rooms. It's almost past noon now and in a few hours our garments will be arriving. I noticed one of pack warrior, Hudson standing in the furthest corner of the hall, his eyes scanning the room every now and then. ''I'll be right back,'' I tell Nancy and walk up to him.

''Hudson? What are you doing here?''

''Alpha.'' He lowers his head in respect. ''I was asked to make sure that everything runs smoothly over here and that no vampire manages to slither their way in. Alpha Theo wants everything to be perfect for tonight.''

''Okay. Umm where are the others?'' I ask him out of curiosity.

''Sharon is on the other side Alpha; she will be guarding the area around the back stage. I'm told Eleanor will join her soon.''

''Thank you, Hudson. Have a good day,'' I tell him and walk back to Nancy who is busy admiring the decorations.

''Theo Argent is going all out on this Athena, don't you think? Why would someone do so much for a person they're not even in business with? Is there something you're not telling me Athena?'' she nudges me.

''What? No! Of course there isn't. Why would you say that Nancy?''

''It's because I'm not stupid Athena. He helped you at the fashion awards and now this. I'm also not blind, I see the way he looks at you,'' she smirks at me. ''Maybe he is your match made in heaven.''

''What? That's absurd? Are you out of your mind!? Why would he look at me like that? that's crazy. Besides, I've never seen him look at me in that way. You're just making things up.'' I reply and look away before she could see me flushing.

''Uh huh. You haven't seen him looking at you, because just like Rapunzel, you're never looking when he does,'' she says.

''If you're done, I'd like to go to the dressing rooms, the make-up artists will be arriving soon,'' I ignore her statement and brush past her.

''Fine! You'll see I was right,'' she says and catches up to me.

By 05:00 pm all the models had arrived except Mila who will be coming with us. Being showstopper has some privileges. Like, she will have two people who are tasked with getting her ready as soon as she arrives. All the outfits have been allocated to the models and soon the process will start.

I leave through the main entrance, checking and double checking everything while I make my way out. As promised, the driver Theo sent is waiting for me, ready to drive me home.

The three of them are waiting for me as soon as I get home. My gaze meets Theo's across the living room and a silly smile makes its way on my face. I hadn't seen him the whole day so my first instinct was to run into his arms but, I stop myself.

''Good you're back. Here have some cookies,'' Charles offers.

''Are those the ones that I had last time? Because if it's those, uh I don't want them,'' I tell him, rubbing the back of my neck in embarrassment.

''No love, those cookies are over. We got these from the bakery nearby,'' Theo replies.

''Oh well, in that case, don't mind if I do,'' I take a cookie from the plate and make myself comfortable.

''Hey Athena, want to get ready together?'' Mila asks me.

''Thought you'd never ask,'' I chuckle.

Mila goes to her room and walks out with two garment bags in hand. Theo had them placed in my room, he didn't want you seeing them, you know, in case you flipped and decide to return them or something,'' she whispers as we enter my room.

''Did he now?'' I raise an eyebrow at her.

''Oh come on Athena. You know he means well,'' she smiles at me. ''So when do we begin? We have like an hour and a half.''

''Well then, we better get started.''

***

Thoughts?

The gala will be in the next chapter. How do you think Amunet is going to ruin this one? or will she not?

Let me know in the comments as usual

Happy reading 😊

-Jessica.S