Page 28 of The Alpha's Bullied Rejected Mate
Chapter 6 - Athena
The silver restraints bit into Athena’s wrists as Marcus secured them again, this time against the headboard of a queen-sized bed.
He had changed her location. The room she was in now wasn’t as big as the one she had found Riley in, but it wasn’t as detached and sterile as the room she was in before.
Room? More like a cell. She thought to herself.
This was a bigger cell; she was still cuffed, after all. A cell that came with a bigger bed, a balcony, and a private bathroom.
His fingers brushed against her skin in a way that sent unwelcome shivers up her arms. He stared into her eyes for a brief moment, and her heart pounded against her chest.
Had he felt it too?
His gaze returned to fix on what he was doing in the same cold manner.
What was she thinking?
He finished and finally let her wrist go.
Athena rolled her eyes inwardly at the cuffs. She had escaped them a number of times before through a technique she had learned during her darkest days—when she had been hunted relentlessly across three states, forced to use every trick in her arsenal just to survive herself during witch hunts.
The memory of those desperate months still made her stomach clench, but the skills she had acquired had proven invaluable.
She stared at the cuffs again. She could break free, just like she did before. But the trick she had used required moremagic than she could afford to burn right now. Her reserves were already depleted from erecting the barrier, and it had been ages since she’d channeled that much power in one go. She was running on fumes. The glamor she had been maintaining all day didn’t help matters either. Breaking the cuffs again would demand effort she didn’t have—magic she couldn’t spare. So, she stayed still, feeling the familiar prickle of suppressed energy beneath the cold metal.
Besides…
Demons were still out there, lurking in the corners. She could still feel them, and the hair on her back still stood on end. Their kind didn’t give up easily.
She had set up a barrier, but she didn’t know how long it would last. If she planned another escape now, there was a possibility of encountering those creatures, and she didn’t want to expose Riley to that. She was lucky enough that the dream powder hadn’t worn off during her first attempt.
She needed to stay safe. For Riley. So, for now, she couldn’t plan any escape.
She hated the situation she was in. Hated being back in this life of running and hiding. She hated the way the past had clawed its way back into the peace she had built. And more than anything else—
She hated him.
Marcus sat a few paces away now, sharpening that ridiculous blade of his like the sound might drown out her voice if she tried to speak. His expression was flat and unreadable. That careful, calculated coldness of a man who didn’t want to be wrong.
She wouldn’t be in this situation if it were not for him. Truthfully, a larger part of her had berated her for thinking she could outrun an Alpha werewolf in the first place—pure foolishness.
But a smaller, stubborn part whispered that she might have made it to town if only she had left sooner. If she had not hesitated.
After he had stormed out, for a moment, she thought she had a window. But she had spent too long weighing her chances, second-guessing every sound, waiting for silence to stretch convincingly. And by the time she moved, it was already too late. He had caught up with her in no time.
She turned her gaze aside, but her voice held steady. She was furious, and she would say what she had to say.
“You dragged us into this,” she stormed.
He didn’t stop sharpening.
“You dragged us into this!” she repeated louder this time.
“You shattered the barrier I had placed over our lives. Do you think I wanted to use magic again? Do you think I want to expose my son to that?”
Her eyes snapped to him.
His hands paused for half a second. Then he resumed his ‘task’.
