Chapter 3 Athena is the Blonde girl.

The palace of the Supreme Alpha king gleamed with golden lights and polished obsidian walls. Long tables carved from Blackwood overflowed with rich meats, roasted game and fruits dipped in honey and wine.

Goblets clinked and laughter echoed though a battle had just ended outside the palace walls, the halls roared with celebration as if blood hadn't stained the ground hours ago.

Tonight wasn't about war.

It was about Lucian. The future Supreme Alpha king, who had returned.

He sat at the head of the banquet table, clad in a dark ceremonial armor polished to a cruel gleam, his piercing blue eyes scanned the room with cold detachment. The throne behind him remained empty, his father was yet to join the celebration.

Alphas from all corners of the realm sat in order of dominance, the banners of their packs hanging boldly from the marble columns.

Each Alpha has brought their daughters, adorned in silk and jewels hoping to catch the eye of the heir. Beauty filled the hall, perfumed and painted.

But Lucian's gaze lingered on none of them.

His mind wandered back to the battlefield, not of the fight but of the girl.

The blonde haired maid girl.

An omega way too beautiful to be called one. He felt an instant attraction towards her. Lucian had acted on instinct. Pushing the General aside before he could drag her away.

He had expected fear in her eyes.

What he hadn't Expected.... Was something else.

Something that still haunted him.

The sound of the great oak doors creaking open sliced through the festivities like a blade.

The hall fell into a hush.

She entered. The omega. Dressed in a simple maid gown of green, her long wavy golden hair loose, framing her face. The color of the dress was the color of her eyes, the color of nature.

She carried a silver tray with goblets of wine, her eyes cast downward with practiced humility.

And yet...

Lucian wasn't the only one who looked.

Even the music faltered. Mouths stopped mid sentence. The air shifted.

She was radiant.

But it wasn't just her beauty.

It was how unaware she was of it.

A rustle of fabric came from further down the table.

A sharp voice cut the silence.

"Who is that?" Selene, the daughter of the Alpha of Ravens-pack asked. Her black hair was twisted into a crown of braids, her eyes sharp like a hawk's.

An omega girl dressed in the same green attire as the blonde maid, leaned toward Selene and answered.

"She's no one. Just a maid. An omega."

Selene's stoic expression shifted into a cruel smile. She gave a quiet, derisive laugh.

"An omega?" She said louder, "Then why does she look like that?"

With a flick of her wrist, she picked up a silver fork and fling it across the room, casually as if tossing away scrap.

The fork sliced through the air, aiming for the omega's shoulder.

Clang.

Lucian's hand snapped out, catching the fork inches from its mark.

The hall went dead silent again.

He rose slowly from his seat, the power of his presence radiating like a storm building on the horizon. His eyes, hard as tempered steel locked onto Selene.

"Do not test my patience, Selene of Raven pack. I find cruelty unbecoming especially from those who are desperate to impress."

Selene's face went pale. Her lips parted, trembling with words that never made it past her throat. The Raven pack Alpha Micheal shifted uncomfortably in his seat, casting a cold glare at his daughter.

Lucian turned toward the omega girl. He remembered now. She was frozen, eyes wide, hands trembling with the tray in it.

But when she looked at him.

Their eyes locked for a moment.

And Lucian felt the world fade away.

It wasn't just lust. Though he felt it deeply for her.

It wasn't pity.

It was something deeper. Something he chose not to name.

A bond stirring.

He returned to his seat with the fork in hand, eyes never leaving her.

"Serve." He ordered softly.

She moved forward, and the feast resumed but everything had changed.

------

Later that night....

The maid was summoned to Lucian's room. The walls were carved from the same black obsidian as the rest of the palace, but the room felt warmer. More lived-in.

A fire crackled low in the hearth, throwing flickers of gold and shadow across the polished floors. With thick blankets draped across the king sized bed.

Rain tapped softly against the tall arched windows. The humid air fogging the glass.

Lucian stood before one of them, shirtless, wearing only his dark trousers and a half- buckled leathered belt.

His hands were classed behind his back, his blue eyes scanning the drenched kingdom below, a land soaked in blood hours ago, now peaceful beneath the storm.

Behind him the logs plopped in the hearth.

Then-

A Soft Knock at the door.

He didn't turn.

"Come in." He said, voice quiet but firm.

The door creaked open, the girl stepped in hesitantly, then closed it behind her. Her presence was like the rain-quiet, soft, but impossible not to notice.

She had changed from her serving dress, to a simple linen nightdress, loose and ivory colored, modest yet delicate. Her hair was down it's golden waves cascading down her shoulders.

Barefoot on the stone, she looked like a dream that didn't belong in a palace. Yet here she was summoned by the future king.

Lucian finally turned his back.She reached Lucian beneath his chest. Just watched her, eyes lingering, hungrily, also watching her as if trying to understand something ancient etched into her skin.

She looked uncertain.

"Sit." He said, gesturing to the cushioned chair near the fire.

Athena obeyed, brushing her nightdress under her knees and sitting straight despite the comfort. The flickering light painted her face in gold shadows. She looked fragile but not weak. Her Emerald eyes shone brightly like jewels staring up at Lucian who pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear and touched her face.

Lucian moved to the table across from from her, pouring himself a drink but he didn't touch it:

" Who raised you?" He asked, voice low.

She hesitated, but there was something in his voice, something not demanding but curious.

"I... I don't know how my real parents were. I was left at the doorstep of the old palace maid when I was a baby. She raised me. Trained me to work the halls. To keep quiet. To survive."

Lucian said nothing for a moment. The fire crackled and the rain whispered against the glass.

He stepped forward, the space between them growing smaller

"She teach you to lie too?" He asked

Startled she replied "No..."

Lucian's lips curved slightly, not quite a smile, but close. He stepped closer to her, she still sat down so her face was merely inches away from his crotch. He raised up her chin.

"Then tell me the truth."

She looked up at him and stood up.

" what's your name?"

She parted her lips to answer, but he moved suddenly.

Fast. Deliberate.

He reached as if to brush something from her shoulder, but then tugged lightly at her arm, tipping her balance. She gasped stumbling forward straight into his chest.

Lucian held her effortlessly, one hand on her waist and the other bracing her shoulder.

The world still.

They were close now. Too close. Her palms pressed nightly against the heat of his bare smooth chest.

He stared down into her eyes, blue meeting the green of her eye like nature.

"Your name." He murmured

"Athena. My name is Athena."

He felt serene. The name suited her.

The name echoed itself in his mind.

Ancient. Fierce. Soft on the surface.

He asked a question that shattered the peaceful moment.

He exhaled, rubbing her waist and said:

"Finally. Now for my final question. Athena.... Have you ever had sex?"