ARTEMIS

I heard him release a heavy sigh once flick left, before the closet door opened from the outside and I had to shield my eyes from the light.

He didn't say anything as I brushed past him on my way out, moving to lean against his desk. He was a closed book. I couldn't quite read the words that he hid within, but it didn't stop his demons from tearing at the pages and struggling just below the leather.

I would break the binding he bound.
-One day.

"So..." I began, trying to break the suffocating silence. I should've planned better, as soon as the word left my tongue I realised with a heavy heart that I didn't have anything to say.

I didn't know how to feel after that, much less what to say.

He dragged a hand his face, "I'm sorry you had to hear that."

I laughed dryly, but there was no humour behind it. "At least I'm not the only one with dysfunctional relationships."

I almost thought I saw the faintest trace of a smile from him.
"Come here." His sonorous sound had me willingly submitting to follow his every order. He engulfed me into the biggest bear hug, his strong arms wrapped around me, my face buried in his muscled chest. I was tense for a moment before relaxing. I let him hold me, and in that moment I felt safe, as his heat radiated into me.
Like no past or future could harm me.

But the comfortable silence between us couldn't calm the raging tides that screamed questions that ricocheted through my head. "Who's Amelia?"

He released me slowly, and I instantly missed his warmth. One taste of him and I was already addicted, practically begging at his feet for my next hit.

Withdrawal would hit me hard.

"She was an Alpha female." He said, obviously holding back and trying to say as little as possible.

"Was?"

"She murdered her mate, the Alpha. After that she was wanted for treason in almost every pack within a thousand mile radius." His jaw clenched. "Except here, I was the only one that wanted to hear her side of the story, I was the only one that would listen to what she had to say."

"So what are you saying? She's here?" I frowned, not quite liking the thought that there could be a murderer among us. Let alone someone sick enough to murder their own mate.

"I gave her sanctuary and a new identity, so yes.. She's here."

"But.." My mind spun, so many things I anted to say but so little time. "Who is she?"

He laughed. "Ask her yourself."

I couldn't help the frustration in my voice. "Well how can I ask her when I don't even know who she is?"

"It's not my secret to tell-"

Three sharp knocks sounded at the door, "Come in." He boomed.

The scent of roses and something strangely dark blew through me as the doors swung open. Astoria entered, her jaw clenched, fists balled.

And just like that.
A switch was flicked and everything fell into place.

It wasn't his secret.
"It's her's." I whispered, unable to take my eyes from the sinfully beautiful woman, once brooding and mysterious, I now saw her as just another scared and broken girl.
She was no different from me after all.

I remembered the night that she had stared at the blood red roses that he bought her, the only words she could manage being, "He's the only one who understands what it's like... to have murdered your own mate."

Her face fell when she saw me, her eyes seemed to glow with an emotion I couldn't quite place.

Anger? Sadness? Betrayal?

"She knows." Astoria deadpanned, not even sparing the Alpha a glance. "You told her?"

Maybe it was malice that dripped from her tone, or maybe it was the crippling sadness towards the memories that I had forced to surface.

And then the strangest thing happened, it was as though I as Astoria, seeing the events unfold through her eyes.

***

"You should stop following me." Astoria called into the darkness of the empty forest, her chest heaved breaths and her back pressed tightly to the tree.

"Then maybe you should stop running." A male growled as he stepped out from behind a tree, the light of the moon casting a silver sheen over his bronzed features.

A handsome male..stunning, even. With bright blue eyes contrasting to his overall dark persona and sinful raven hair. If I thought Astoria had a cloud of darkness hanging over her, this man was the storm. One look at his strong arms and much like Theos, you knew his might and didn't dare challenge it.

She caught his eyes and a pained expression fell over her face. She couldn't do it. But she had to.

"I can help you, you just have to let me." He stepped closer, holding out a hand to her, but she turned away, pulling her hair into her hands in frustration. He just didn't understand.

"You don't get it do you! You can't help me! No one can!" She laughed, though beneath she was screaming, slowly loosing her grip on reality.
"I fucked up Hades, I fucked up real bad!"

"You couldn't-"

Something inside of her snapped, She hadn't realised how close to breaking point she was until it was already too late.

"I fucking killed people! I thought killed the woman with the red hair... I killed little girl, it's all my fault! I killed them both!" Astoria screamed, her words not entirely making sense but she didn't care. Despair was tearing her apart from the inside out. She questioned every choice she had ever made. She blamed him for everything that had happened.

If he had never brought me here in the first place none of this would've happened, it was all his fault...
If he had just left her in the asylum to rot. She didn't need saving. She couldn't be salvaged.

"You did what?" He seemed so shocked. He must have known, he must have. She didn't even remember where she had hidden their bodies in her bloodlust haze.

"You should have just left me alone." She clenched her eyes closed to stop the rain from falling from her lashes and shook her head. "You should have left me!"

The male was on her in an instant, slamming her back into the trunk of the tree she was leant against. "You killed a fucking child!" He roared "How could you!"

His hot breath fanned against her face, he smelled like pine and sandal wood. His eyes swirled with red hot scarlet anger. Astoria inwardly shivered. She couldn't even look at him anymore without seeing that wooden pole and the silver collar that he has tied her to like a fucking dog. She couldn't even look at him without feeling the gnawing pain of a weeks starvation in her stomach, the aching in her bloodied paws. She couldn't help but remember how cold the nights were, how damp the rain and how tired and defeated she felt. He almost broke her. Almost.

He pushed away from her, unable to even face her, raking a hand through his thick raven hair.

"I'm so sorry Amelia..." He mumbled. "My anger got the best of me."

Astoria reached into her boot, sliding out something smooth that reflected silver slithers of moonlight.

"Not as sorry as I am."
She plunged the dagger into his back, just how Marus had shown her, only to feel the instant regret blossom as blood that was thick and warm and spreading, much to her own horror.

The only words that echoed in her thoughts and screamed in her chest,
"What have I done?"

***
If you havnt yet read my other book AMELIA and find Astoria's story interesting/ would like to know more about her/ the full story between her and Hades and all the events that led up to have just occurred then I seriously suggest you check it out :)
Also if you guys are ever confused or don't understand something don't hesitate to ask
Anyways...
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