Selene was right, over the course of the next few days the pain in the back of my head had reduced to nothing but a little sting. I was still processing all the memories. When I woke up from the experience, apart from my head, my whole body was convulsing in pain too. If it hadn't been for Theo, I would have definitely fallen face first onto the ground. He had cradled me like a baby and carried me to our house where I slept for almost ten hours before regaining the energy to walk around.

Everyone came around to visit and see how I was doing, at first it felt nice, but after two days of each and every one asking me, 'how are you doing?' and 'do you remember when we-?' Like, okay enough, yes, I remember.

Right now, I'm seated with Mom, Ethan and Michelle in my living room as she ponders me with questions. ''Ohh honey, I can't express how happy I am that the spell worked, and you can now remember everything. You're well now,'' she gushes and wipes her now wet eyes.'

''I was never sick mom,'' I roll my eyes at her.'

''Oh yes, but you get what I'm saying. Honey, do you remember the time when we threw you a surprise birthday party?'' she inches closer to me and grabs my hand.

''Help me.'' I mind link Ethan who is standing at the furthest corner of the room, an amused smirk playing on his lips.

''No can't do. Your facial expressions are totally worth it.'' He replies and chuckles loudly, which led to him earning a glare from his mate.

I slump my shoulders in defeat and face my mom. ''Yes, Ma, I do. It was a nice evening.''

''It was, wasn't it? And Theo, aww he was the absolute best. Do you still have the diamond earrings?'' She is now squeezing my hand so hard, that it is on the verge of breaking.

''Yes, yes, mom I do,'' I slowly begin to peel her fingers off my hand. ''They're really beautiful.''

''Yes indeed, and the dress!?'' She squeals, her fingers somehow found their way to my poor bruised hand and squeezed it again.

''Ahh-'' I wince. ''Yes, mom. It's very pretty, so pretty in fact, I think I might actually wear it and parade around the house. Huh, what do you think?''

''What, are you out of your mind girl? Why would you do something like that? Did you lose your senses when you got your memories back?'' she gasps in outrage.

''No mom, I-''

Thankfully, Michelle took pity on me and decided to cut in. ''I think we should leave now, Athena needs to rest,'' she put her hand on my mom shoulder and lightly squeezed it. ''Don't you think so too, Victoria?''

''Yes, yes of course.'' Mom immediately drops my hand. ''You rest, princess. I'll see you soon.'' She gets up, kisses me on the forehead and smiles at me before walking towards the door.

''Great to have you back Ena, see ya!'' Ethan waves and follows the women out.

''Goddess, that was so exhausting,'' I exhale and lean back on the sofa as I massage my temple slowly.

''I know right, tell me about it!"

''Ahhhhh, what!?!?!'' I jump up from the sofa ready to face the intruder, only to find Charles casually leaning against the doorframe holding a tray in one hand and a box in another. ''Are you insane!''

''What did I do?'' he saunters in and puts everything on the table.

''You freaking scared me, you idiot!'' I throw a pillow at his face which he catches unfortunately.

''Hey, it's not my fault that you didn't sense me coming.'' He plops on the couch next to me. ''I heard your mom, so I decided to hang around the back.''

''Ughh, lucky you.'' I grumble. ''I wish I could hide. If it's not mom, then it's Lila. Either of them is constantly hovering around me and asking me questions. Goddess knows what will happen if the both of them decide to visit me at the same time.

''I'm surprised that hasn't happened yet,'' Charles hums. ''Speaking of, do you remember-''

''Shut up! Shut up! Just shut up!'' I yell and smother him with a pillow.

''Gosh, chill Athena,'' he crawls away from me and sits on the floor. ''You're mad!''

''Don't ask! I'm so sick and tired of it.''

''Chill, I was just messing with you.'' He gets up from the floor. ''I took the liberty to bring your breakfast. Your mate will join you soon,'' and with that he leaves.

For the past few days now, my breakfast is served later than usual, since I've been sleeping a lot and waking up late. Selene says it's my body's way of recuperating. Theo is usually gone by the time I wake up, but he does come back to join me for breakfast. Selene also comes by once a day to check on me, which to be honest I really appreciate. She really isn't that bad, it was all that sister of hers.

I had just put on the coffee when the front door swung open.

''Hello love.''

Just the sound of his thick masculine voice sent shivers down my spine. I grab the kitchen counter tight from the fear of falling over. ''Hii,'' I turn around and smile at him, my hands still clutching the counter tight.

''How are you feeling today?'' he pushes a stray lock of hair behind my ear and kisses it lightly.

''Theo,'' A whimper escapes me, and my knees give away. Thank the moon goddess for his quick reflexes and sturdy arms. He immediately stops me from hitting the ground.

''I got you.'' He whispers seductively in my ear knowing very well the effect it would have on me.

Well, two can play the game Mr. Argent. I smirk inwardly and glance up at him through my lashes. ''Thank you,'' I whisper back and trail my fingers down his arm gently. ''Breakfast?''

''After you love,'' he drops his hand from my waist and pulls a chair out for me. I grab the coffee pot, two mugs and take my seat. He follows suit and sits on the opposite side. ''Let's see what Chef Perez has sent.''

He uncovers the tray, and on it lay some croissants, scrambled eggs, toast and bacon as usual. Sometimes I wonder how many kilos of bacon the pack consumes, especially if it's a daily food item on the breakfast menu. I opened the other box which contained some chopped fruits. Hmm, this should be interesting.

Theo piles the eggs on my plate then on his, while I sip on my coffee. I picked up a croissant from the tray and bit into it. Gooey melted chocolate poured out of it as soon as I took the first bite. ''Mmhmm, chocolate,'' I hum while licking my now chocolate covered fingers.

''Stop doing that,'' Theo says, his voice low and raspy, in fact it was almost a growl.

''Doing what?'' I blink at him innocently. ''This?'' I lick the chocolate off my finger again, only this time slower.

''Athena,'' He growls, louder this time.

''Sorry, is there a problem?'' I tease him unable to keep the smirk off my face.

''That is not a game you want to play love, you'll lose.''

''What if that's the intention.'' I pick a strawberry and dip it in the melted chocolate that has seeped out from the croissant and bite into it seductively.

I notice his eyes flicker from my lips down to my exposed neck as they turn a shade darker. I smirk inwardly again, hah, I'm winning at this, but my victory was short lived.

''Eat your breakfast Athena, we need to leave soon, and you need to get dressed.'' He picks his fork up and stabs the poor eggs with more force than normal. I'm surprised the plate didn't crack.

Oh no, no, no, no,no,Theo. I started this and I'm sure as hell going to finish it, just the way I want it to.

I push my plate aside, then grab his and push it out of my way. Before he could put his coffee mug down, I snatch it from his hand, and it followed the plate. ''What in the-''

''Sssshhhh.'' I sit on the counter, wrap my legs around his waist and wink at him.

''What are you doing?''

''Having breakfast,'' I reply before planting my lips onto his.

He quickly gives in to the temption. Our lips move in sync, and the more intense the kiss gets, the more the fire in me rages. I end the kiss and rest my forehead against his as I gasp for air. ''So?''

He full lips, now puffy from the kiss, turned upward into a smile. ''I've missed you love,'' was all he said before taking my mouth in his and kissing me with so much passion, the fire burning inside me raged even more. My hands found their way to the hem of his t-shirt and in a matter of seconds, it was lying on the kitchen floor, shortly followed by my satin pyjama shorts.

Somehow, in between the vigorous love making, we found our way on the living room floor by the couch. Theo and I lay on floor wrapped in each other's arms, smiling in bliss. ''Best morning ever,'' he chuckles. ''Did you plan this?''

''Not really, why?'' I stop tracing patterns on his bare chest and glance up at him.

''Oh, I don't know, just uh, how comes there was blanket conveniently placed on this couch?''

''Ohh,'' I slap my forehead. ''I was tired of being cooped up in our room for almost four days, so yesterday afternoon I decided to come down and chill on the couch. Must have left the blanket behind. Kind of worked out well for us, didn't it?''

''It sure did,'' he kisses my head. ''But we need to get dressed and get going before Charles or anyone else walks in and sees you naked. It's past noon now.''

''Ahhhh, I wish we would stay like this forever.'' I groan.

''Me too love, but we are alphas, and we have a responsibility towards our pack, and now that you've recuperated well and are so full of energy, from what I just experienced,'' he smirks, ''You need to get out of the house and address your pack, don't you think?''

''Our pack.''

''Yes ours, but at the moment, more yours than mine. You need to go out there and make sure the pack members know that you're back, to take what's yours, to be the alpha they need. To re-claim it. Since there are people who would very much like to see you overthrown and shunned out. You need to show them who is in charge.''

''Elena Cavanaugh you mean,'' My face scrunched up in disgust.

''Hmm, among others.'' He replies and plays with my hair.

''I get what you're saying, and I know where to start.'' I kiss him lightly on the lips before sitting up. ''Let's go get dressed.''

As soon as I showered and got dressed, I was met with Charles, who was patiently waiting in the leaving room with Theo.

''Ahh good, you're here. Let's go.'' He waves me over.

''You're not coming with me.''

''Yes, I am.''

''Why?'' I eye him suspiciously.

''He's beta, you're alpha.'' Theo simply replies from where he is seated on the couch as he adjusts his shirt buttons.

I quirk an eyebrow and stare the both of them. ''And?''

''What he means is, where you go, I follow,'' Charles replied this time.

''Oh,'' I nod. ''Okay, let's go then.'' I gesture Charles towards the door and proceed to follow him out. ''What about you?'' I ask my mate.

''I'm going back to my office at the packhouse, there are some problems at the main branch in Toronto that I need to look into.''

''Nothing serious I hope.''

''Don't worry love, it's nothing I can't handle.'' He gets up and in two long strides, reaches me. ''I'll see you later,'' He kisses me and leaves.

''Shall we,'' Charles extends his arm towards me.

''Uhh, yes, let's go.'' I loop my arm around his. ''Don't you find it weird that the factories are having a lot of problems nowadays?'' I ask Charles as I watch my mate's retreating back.

''How do you mean?''

''First the Vancouver factory and now the Toronto one.''

''It's how it is Athena, especially in the factory business. Any malfunction or even an injured labourer can cause a big uproar if not dealt with accordingly.''

''Yes, but-''

''You're overthinking cookie, as usual,'' he replies.

I couldn't help but smile at the nickname he had given me. ''So glad I have memories back, I now know the story behind that nickname.''

''Chocolate chip cookie remember?'' he laughs.

''Don't let Theo hear you say that'' a giggle escapes me.

We walk over to the training grounds, laughing and reminiscing about all the memories from last year, pushing the worry over the factories behind us.

''-so that's why you both had a bet going on! Oh goddess, you knew I was going to moan after eating the cookie!'' I slap Charles on the back.

''Of course we did. It is a tried and tested theory, that you will always moan when eating chef Perez's cookies.''

''Hmm, can't argue with that fact,'' I reply.

Soon we are at the training grounds where a lot of people had gathered. At first no one noticed us since we were at the back, but once they did, they whole place suddenly became silent. So silent, you could hear the accelerated heartbeats of almost everyone very clearly.

''Alpha Athena,'' a young girl, with copper colored hair and bright blue eyes that almost reminded me of a certain backstabbing cousin, walked up to me and lowered her head in respect. ''It's been a while since you joined us out here.''

''Indeed it has.'' I give her a small smile. ''May I?''

''Yes, yes of course alpha,'' she replies and scuttles away to give me passage towards the sparring arena. I notice two male wolves inside the circle who had paused their fighting because of my arrival, readying themselves to continue.

'An alpha's true sense of power is shown when they can walk into a room and command the attention of every person present, be it the old, the middle aged or the young.' These words flitted in my head like a mantra and had a voice, a very familiar voice, my father's, only it was distorted.

Funny enough, I don't remember him saying these words to me, ever.

I shake away my thoughts and pay attention to my pack members. The copper haired girl is now standing next to me, looking at me expectantly. ''Would you like to spar, alpha?''

''Well, I-'' I begin to reply but a sharp voice interrupts me.

''That's like asking someone if they need air to breath, Julia. Of course the alpha will spar.'' I look up and see Hazel approaching us.

''Let me guess, you're volunteering to be my opponent?'' I cross my arms and quirk an eyebrow at the pack trainer.

''Why yes. Unless of course you're scared?'' she replies.

''Not a chance. Tell me, how is that leg of yours?'' I smirk whilst eyeing her leg.

''Ohhhhh,'' she gasps. ''You remember!'' and pulls me into a hug.

''Of course, I do.''

We separate and Hazel wipes her eyes discreetly and looks at me, the moisture in her eyes still shining. ''Let's go.''

I peel the combat jacket off my back and hand it over to Charles, who is smiling ear to ear. ''Oh how I missed this,'' he chuckles and follows the two of us.

''Oh Athena, this is Julia by the way, she is like my second in command here. Helps me keep the brats in place during training,'' she points to the copper haired girl who is walking beside her.

''Pleasure to meet you Julia,'' I lean forward and smile at her. ''I hope the children are good at combat?''

''Yes alpha, they are. They're currently having a girls versus boys competition and I'm proud to say the girls are winning.''

''That's amazing. I'll pass by one of these days to see what they're up to.'''

''Of course alpha,'' she beams in happiness then walks away.

''Athena don't look but-'' Charles starts, but it was too late. I had already seen her. Elena Cavanaugh was here with her two equally useless friends. ''Athena-''

''Don't worry Charles, she's not worth my time. I have better things to do.''

''That's more like it.'' Hazel laughs and comes to a stop in the middle of the circle. ''Let's do this,'' she cracks her knuckles.

A light breeze blows over the land as the rest of the pack members slowly begin to crowd around us. Everyone eager to see the two of us fight. From the corner of my eye, I see Noah, Hazel's mate stop his training and walk over to our side.

I ignore everything else and focus my attention on the pack trainer standing a few feet away from me. Slowly we begin to advance towards each other, neither of us willing to attack first.

After almost two minutes of no action the crowd begun groaning in displeasure. ''Let's give them something shall we?'' I smirk at Hazel and attack.

She dodges my punch and moves out of the way. I quickly turn on my spot and duck just in time, her foot missing my face by a mere inch. The crowd gasps, but I manage to tune them out.

''Come on Athena, that all you got?'' Hazel snickers, the pride in her voice very evident.

I smirk inwardly and before she could even lift an arm, whack her in the ribs. She doubles over in pain and I take at as an opportunity to elbow her in the back. She hits the ground with a thud and a grunt of pain escapes her. My victory was short lived however, as she recovered faster than I had anticipated and was on her feet in an instant.

Before I could register anything, her fist landed on my face and what a hard blow it was. I could taste the blood in my mouth just from that one punch. Wow, she is strong. I stagger backwards and blink my eyes multiple times as I attempt to focus.

Luckily my vision cleared just in time, and I managed to get a hold of the foot that came flying not even seconds later. I tightened my grip around Hazel's ankle and swung her hard before letting go. She slid on the rough ground, sand, gravel and twigs now all over her clothes and hair. Her upper arm got bruised from one of sharp stones. I could see a thin scratch on it as blood gradually begun to drip. Just as quick as the scratch came, it went. Thanks to our advance healing.

Speaking of advance, one very angry female trainer was making her way towards me, ready to take me down. She begun swinging her arms, attempting to land punch after punch on me. I blocked most of them but wasn't as successful in blocking the last two. One to the gut and the other in the ribs.

''Uff,'' I double over in pain before spiting out blood. Hazel took this opportunity to do what I had previously done to her, but I saw it coming. Before her elbow could land on my back, I wrapped my hands around her waist and rammed into her. The both of us fell to the ground, but I managed to get on my feet a second faster than her.

''Not tired are you alpha?'' she wipes the dirt off her face and goes into a boxing stance.

''Not a chance,'' I sneer back and begun throwing punches and kicks in her direction. She blocked the first few but then got weary and tired. I kick her left leg causing her to lose momentum then landed one last blow to her gut. She fell to the ground with a thud, wheezing in pain. I march up to her fallen form and place my foot on the crook of her neck, signifying my win.

''I yield,'' she nods her head, still gasping for breath.

At that moment, the crowd broke into a series of claps and cheers. I throw them a smile before extending my hand forward to help my fallen opponent up. ''Thanks,'' she grabs it and pulls herself up. ''You've still got it Athena.''

''Haha, I never lost it,'' I smirk in return. ''Think you can continue with your training, you've got about an hour left.''

''I'm wounded Athena, not incapacitated,'' she grunts arrogantly.

''Very well, suit yourself.'' I pat her on the back and walk away from the circle.

''Must you always put up a show?'' Charles asks, a witty smirk playing on his lips as he approaches me.

''I have no idea what you're talking about,'' I grab my jacket from his outstretched hand and avoid his gaze.

''Of course you don't. Next time, I'll duel you.''

''And what, you think you'll win?'' I cock an eyebrow at him.

''I don't think so, I know so,'' he replies confidently.

''We'll see about that,'' I smirk at him. ''For now, let's go to the office.'' I begin to proceed with haste towards the pack house.

''A bit in a hurry are we?'' Charles matches my speed and nudges me in the shoulder. ''Want to tell your mate about your little win huh?''

''Do I look like a child to you?!''

''Of course not, but uhhh, friendly advice, you might want to shower and clean up.''

That made me stop in my tracks. I looked down at my dirty leggings, then at my hands. There is dirt in between my nails which made me cringe. ''You're right.'' I look up at the beta who has an amused look on his face. ''I'm filthy.''

''Well, that's one way to put it,'' he laughs and moves out of the way before I could chuck a stone at him. ''I wouldn't look in the mirror if I were you.''

''Why!?!?'' I yell. ''What's wrong with my face?''

''Umm, not the face really, but your hair. It looks like a birds' nest.''

''No!!!''

''Yes!''

''Noo!!!''

''Most certainly yes,'' he tries hard not to laugh, but fails miserably. He holds up a finger, ''hang on, uhh, I've got one more. Umm, your hair looks like a ball of used steel wool.''

''Ohh you!! I will kill you Charles!'' I stomp my foot on the ground and run after him. Luckily for me, he is headed right towards my house. I'm sure he did that on purpose. I follow him in, only to find him standing casually by the stairs.

''That's a good girl, right up the stairs you go and don't look at the mirror, just like we discussed, okay?'' he ushers me up.

''I'm so going to get you for this.'' I growl.

''You can try. Now go, shoo, go, go.''

''You, you, you......'' I wanted to say something offensive but controlled my myself. With my hands balled into fists, I stomped up the stairs to my room, leaving a smirking Charles waiting for me in the foyer.

After cleansing myself and slipping in to a simple cotton dress and some flats, I make my way down the stairs, where Charles is patiently waiting for me, sipping on wine, from my wine collection. Not that I minded it. Charles is like a brother to me.

''Seriously Charles, it's just a little over four o'clock. The sun has not even set for crying out loud!''

''It's wine o'clock somewhere Athena. Either you join me or you let me be.''

''I'll take the latter for now. I need to see Theo. You coming?'' I stood by the front door for a few seconds waiting for his reply, but it didn't come. Taking that as my answer, I walked out and made a beeline for the pack house.

Even before arriving his office, I could feel Theo's agitation through the mate bond. He was tensed and worried even. I quicken my steps and barge into his office to find him pacing about.

''What has happened?''

''Athena, love. What? When? I did not even hear you come in. Is everything okay?'' He stops his pacing and looks at me.

''You tell me.'' I walk up to him and take his hand in mine. ''What's wrong Theo?''

He eyes meet mine. His laced with worry and was that fear I detected in them. ''It's worse than I thought,'' he sighs. ''I- I- uh, I'm afraid I have to go there personally.''

''Oh.''

I break my gaze away from him and look outside the huge window. Of course he has to go. His business is in trouble. What kind of woman will I be if I held him back from this? It is through the factories that we are able to take good care of the pack. Making sure that the school, the hospital, and the kitchen among other things are provided for.

''Love, are you okay?'' He approaches me from behind and puts an arm around my waist.

''Mmhmm, you should- you should go. You have to go.'' I turn to face him. ''Just be careful.''

He takes my hand and kisses it softly. ''I promise to come back as soon as the issue is sorted. However, unlike the last time, I might have to spend a night or two. Maybe even more.''

''That's okay, I understand. You've got the keys to the penthouse, right?''

''Yeah, I do.'' He replies, but before he could say something further his phone started ringing.

''Take it,'' I drop my hand from his begin to walk out. ''I'll get your bag ready. Meet me at the house?'' I stop at the door and ask him, but all I got was a thumbs up.

As soon as I got home, I searched for a bag and begun putting in some of his suits. Not even ten minutes later, Theo's musky scent reaches me and two seconds later he walks in, a frown displayed on his perfectly chiseled face. When he saw me holding his shirts, the frown dropped and his lip curved upward a little. ''I could have done that myself.''

''It's fine really. I don't mind,'' I wave my hand in the air. ''What time are you leaving?'''

''Right now.''

His reply made me stop mid-folding. Did he just say right now? As in now? As in Immediately? ''Theo, did you say now?'' I ask him again, making sure he hadn't made a mistake or rather I hadn't.

''Yes love, now. The car is already waiting for me at the edge of the forest.'' He replies while putting his laptop charger in its bag. ''The jet is being prepared as well.''

''Uh, ahaaa, yes, yes, of course, okay,'' I fumble with my words suddenly not feeling comfortable with his imminent departure.

''Are you sure you are okay?'' he stops what he's doing and walks up to me. ''Athena, look at me.'' he holds my face between his hands. ''What's going on inside that head of yours?''

''It's just, ugh, I don't know Theo, this all seems a bit too sudden. First your Vancouver factory and now the Toronto one.''

''Babe, its just a coincidence. Someone must have got word of what has going down in Vancouver, and he must have thought himself cleverer and decided to play the same game.''

'''It does not look like a coincidence from where I'm standing.'' I grumble through my teeth.

''I'll be fine. Don't worry.'' He presses his lips to my forehead and lingers on for a few more seconds than usual. ''I love you, I've got to go.'' Before I could say anything more, he had grabbed the suitcase and his laptop bag and was out of the room.

I watched him leave from the bedroom window with a disgruntled Charles following him up to our borders. ''I just hope it's nothing too serious,'' I whisper to myself.

That night Charles, Mila and I dined together at their place. ''You look tensed Athena. Is it because of Theo's sudden departure? Don't worry, it's not like he's gone forever. He'll be back in a few days,'' Mila reassures me using her sweet motherly voice that is always reserved for when she's around with kids.

''Yeah, I know. It's just that I have this nagging feeling and no matter how much I try it doesn't want to go away,'' I sigh deeply and take a bite out of my sandwich.

''You're overthinking as usual Athena. Just relax, everything will be fine.''

''Normally I would've agreed with you Charles, but not this time. I'm having a bad feeling about this trip of his.''

''I'm afraid I have to agree with Charles. Don't worry too much, everything will be fine Athena. Maybe all you need right now is a good nights' sleep. You'll see, Theo will be back soon, and everything will be fine.''

I smile at the beta couple who are looking at me like they're expecting me to explode at any moment. ''Thank you guys, umm, it's getting late, I should be going by now. I also have some work of my own to catch up on.''

''But Athena, uhh, I thought we would sit and chat maybe have some wine or whiskey, whichever you prefer,'' Mila stands up and blocks me on my way out.

''Really not up for it today, maybe next time. Goodnight guys.'' I smile at the couple and walk back to my now empty house and empty bed. I quietly walk up the stairs, past our bedroom and into the study, where I plan on spending the whole night. I doubt if I'll be able to sleep. Over the past few months, I've gotten so used to Theo being around. The fact that the spell has been lifted and my memories restored has just added to the fact that the both of us are so dependent on each other.

We are a team, we do almost everything together, from having breakfast, to training to even taking down evil cousins and their army of rogues. And we're even partnering up in business. Some people might say, it's not healthy. Then again, some people's opinions don't really matter.

In fact, most people's opinions don't matter.

''Hah! Since I won't be sleeping tonight, might as well do some work.'' I click my laptop to life and begin going through the plethora of pages of the minutes I was sent for todays' meeting at Nightshade. ''Seriously woman, do you need to type everything down?'' I curse at Nancy who hasn't left even one single detail of what entailed in todays' meeting at the office.

Judging from the time the email got in, I'm assuming she was the last one to leave the office. The girl works really hard. Hmm, maybe I should give her a raise.

By the time I finished going through the minutes it was almost past ten. Theo should've landed in Toronto by now. I tap into our bond and concentrate on mind linking him. I've never done this whole mind-linking from afar thing before, so it took me a while to get a hang of it.

''Athena?'' His voice rung in my head. Knowing that it finally worked, I relaxed in my chair.

''Hi.''

''Hey, love why aren't you asleep?''

''I'm working. Have you landed safely?''

''Yes I have. I'm on my way to the penthouse and I'll be meeting the financial controller first thing tomorrow morning. Now please go to sleep and stop worrying.''

Ahh, he knows me even better than I do. I smile to myself like a crazy person and nod, before realizing he cannot see me. Duh, Athena. ''Okay, I'm going. I love you.''

''I love you too, bye,'' He cut off the link.

I heave a sigh and focus my attention on the laptop in front of me.

Was I sleepy? Maybe a little. Mainly from reading Nancy's minutes.

Was I going to sleep? Uhh, no.

Did I lie to mate I was going to? Yes.

Since I had a lot of time on my hands, I thought of working on some more designs. They might not be used for this season's line but It would be better to have ready for the next. I swivel in my chair and face the night outside, thinking of how to go about the new designs.

Dark, gloomy, broody, misty, starry and hazy nights.

''Hmm....''

Endless shades of black, grey, midnight blue, darker blues. Shades of purple too.

And that's when inspiration struck!

I woke up the next morning with a jolt. Yes, woke up. Turns out I did fall asleep. Not on my bed though. Somehow in between the drawing and brooding, I had fallen asleep on top of my papers and pencils.

''Ughh, what the-'' I pull off the paper that was stuck to my cheek. My gaze lands on the clock mounted on the wall.

Half past four.

I look outside the window, it's still dark. Apart from the patrol guards and me of course, no one else was awake. Since I wasn't planning on going back to sleep, I decided to gather my stuff and put it back in its place, then make myself a nice hot pot of strong coffee.

I was gathering my pencils when I felt it first, a sort of a dull pain which then gradually increased. I grabbed on to the desk for support all the while trying to figure out where and why I the heck am I hurting. Moments later I felt a cold numbness set in, a shiver ran up my spine but this time not a pleasurable one. It was then I realized that the pain I felt was not mine.

''Theo,'' I felt my heart palpitate. ''Something is not right.''

***

Here you go guys!!!

Happy New Year to everyone , except the Theo and Athena :/ Looks like happy days are over and trouble is back for our favorite couple.

Hope you like the chapter and please vote :)

-Jessica.S