RETURN OF THE WHITE SHE WOLF

ATHENA

The moment I tasted blood in. Just mouth, I knew it wasn't mine.... it was hers.

Standing in the hallway of the Nightwalker Pack hospital, I glared at the bleeding woman in front of me and I couldn't help the immense satisfaction I felt as I stared at the gash on her lip.

An injury I had inflicted on her.

Sebastian's words resounded in my head like a broken record as I glared at her.

"Go donate your plasma to Sienna in the hospital, she needs it."

There was no emotion in his voice.

It wasn't even a request.

It was an order.

Like I was nothing but a mere tool to help his mistress become stronger.

Life in the Nightwalker Pack has been a nightmare for me. Mated to an Alpha who treats me like I was nonexistent and invisible was both heartbreaking and frustrating.

When I was first mated to Sebastian, I had high hopes. I wanted to be happy with my mate. Even if he was an Alpha, I didn't covet the power he wielded. All I wanted was a home where I could be comfortable and happy.

The reality was both sad and unexpected.

My life with Sebastian turned out to be hell.

The only times he ever talked to me were times when he needed me to do something, or abuse me emotionally.

Even worse, he openly flaunted his relationship to this bitch, Sienna.

She was nothing but a weak Omega. Compared to her, I was extremely powerful.

But she was blessed in where I lacked.

She had a family background while I was an orphan. No family name on my back or really any family to speak of.

I was alone.

Sebastian never failed to remind me of that. Sienna never failed to flaunt it in my face. They both made sure I was well aware that I lacked in almost everything that they thrived in.

All I had going for me was my strength and the fact that I was mated to the Alpha.

Now, they were exploiting that strength of mine and that mate bond between me and Sebastian.

Even by Omega standards, Sienna was terribly weak. A better description for her would be sickly.

She was almost always at death's door.

Saving her life meant a steady stream of a powerful werewolf's plasma to be surgically implanted in her to help boost her plasma levels and strength.

By sheer rotten luck for me, I happened to be the most compatible person to donate plasma to Sienna.

In addition to the emotional abuse, that sparked a whole other dimension of torture for me.

Sebastian's laws were absolute and he made it clear that I would dare not disobey him.

I listened.

An action I regret until now.

For the past few years, I've been Sienna's regular plasma donor and I don't even get appreciated for it.

Instead, she mocks me and Sebastian berates me whenever I do even a little thing wrong while donating my own plasma unwillingly.

I had finally reached a breaking point today when the order came as usual.

Once again, Sienna needed my plasma.

Once I got to the hospital, Sienna hurried over to me like she had been waiting.

She had such a bright smile on her face that I would be skeptical if she was actually sick.

"Well, well," she grinned. "Look who's here to save my life again."

"Sienna, let's just get this over with, I have something important to do."

She chuckled at that, her voice like a vulture's screen in my ear.

"What is more important than me, Athena? I am your biggest priority."

I glared at her for a few seconds.

"I am warning you, Sienna. I don't have time for this."

She stepped closer to me.

"Or what?"

I barely let her finish before my palm met her cheek with all the force I could muster.

Considering how powerful I was compared to how weak she was, she was sent to the floor by the force of the slap and she took a second to gather her thoughts before she scrambled away from me, tears in her eyes as well as fear in her expression.

I could perceive the coppery smell of blood in the air and soon saw the bleeding gash on her bottom lip as blood flowed out of it slowly.

The slap has attracted a lot of people including the doctor in charge of her, who stared at us both, stunned.

"Doctor," I turned to him calmly. "Take my plasma and let me get the hell out of this place right now or I'm leaving anyways."

"O-of course," the doctor stuttered as he led me into a ward with equipments and a few nurses already waiting.

Once I changed, I was given an aesthetic which knocked me out while they did the operation.

I was back up in a few hours and despite the doctor's protests, I changed back into my clothes and hurried out of the hospital back to the Pack mansion where I lived with Sebastian.

As expected, he was already home as if expecting me, and he was pissed..

"I guess your bitch already cried to you," I smiled as I strolled in.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" He hissed as he rose to his full height of 6'5, towering over my 5'10 frame easily.

I used to be intimidated by this, not anymore.

I glared back at him as I struggled to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill out of my eyes.

"I should be asking you that question," I retorted. "What the fuck do you think of me?"

"You are playing with fire, Athena," he growled. "You will lose-"

"I'm way ahead of you," I said as I cut him off and slammed the divorce papers I had in my back on his chest.

He took it with a puzzled expression and read it.

"Divorce?" He frowned.

"I already signed it," I retorted. "Now, I will be free of you and you will be rid of me."

Choosing to take nothing else but the bag on me, I turned to walk out the door.

Once I read the door, I turned to glared directly at his eyes as he watched me leave.

"This is the last you'll ever see of me, Sebastian. Watch as I rise from your ashes."

I meant every word.

I am never coming back here again.

SEBASTIAN

As I paced around in my office, I couldn't help but think back to the night Athena left me. The lack of emotion on her face plagues me.

It's been a week since she left and that face has caused me sleepless nights as I wondered how broken she had to have been to be so emotionless about leaving me.

It was nothing short of heartbreaking to imagine.

The fact hurt me more than anything else I have ever felt.

Ever since the incident at the hospital, Sienna had never stopped her victim campaign against Athena. She told everyone who cared to listen of how Athena attacked her when she was at her weakest in the hospital.

She made it seem like it was a cowardly cheap shot taken at her because she was sick and couldn't defend herself.

It was sickening to listen to.

Athena has been the one keeping her alive with her plasma and even at her best, Sienna never held a candle to Athena in terms of pure physical prowess. She was always going to get beaten by Athena.

Even worse, I knew she was the aggressor in this case. I knew for a fact that she taunted Athena first and forced her hand. The fact that Athena still donated her plasma was enough reason to prove that she simply gave Sienna what she deserved.

Unfortunately, I couldn't voice those arguments.

I glanced at the news article on the screen of my computer and I wasn't liking the sight I saw.

Athena's divorce had somehow gone public, and it was damaging my reputation. People are now investigating my personal life as many believed she would have only divorced me if I cheated. The controversy surrounding my love life was growing thicker with every piece they uncovered and within just a week of my divorce, the impact on my reputation was quite tremendous.

All of this weighed on me as I let myself slump into my seat.

All of this would have been avoided if I just stayed with Athena like I had initially planned.

I loved Athena. I wanted to build a life her alone and I wanted a happy life for both of us.

By, after our mating ceremony, it all went downhill for us.

The Pack elders disliked her because she wasn't from a well-known family, or even had a family at all.

In their words, she was just an insignificant werewolf that should be good for nothing more than becoming a foot soldier in my army in recognition of her strength.

They argued that the woman I should be mates with needed to have a family name to throw around besides mine. In their opinions, that would increase the prestige of the Pack and elevate the bloodline of my offspring as they would be products of nobility on both sides.

They collectively suggested Sienna to me, or rather, they forced her unto me.

Even if she was sickly, they argued that I could make her powerful enough if she was donated enough plasma to help her growth. They left me no choice in the issue and made their own decision with me having almost no say.

I was young and just risen to power. I thought it was the the right way to go with their decisions as they were supposed to know better.

They encouraged me to make Athena into a figurehead until Sienna was strong enough to take over and then ditch her.

I was reluctant but I couldn't disobey.

My only act of rebellion was my decision to make life difficult for her as long as I can until she hates me enough to leave.

I was ready for it. I had been ready for the divorce and the possibility of her leaving me since I started treating her badly....

....but it still hurts.

It still hurts really bad to know that she had left me for good.

The feeling plagued and I couldn't help but wonder what I could have done different.

Disobeying the elders was only going to end in tragedy as they would make life not only harder for me but for her as well. The end might be even worse, resulting in either or both of our deaths.

Watching Sienna play the victim was irritating in itself. She had always abused Athena emotionally and I turned a blind eye to further sell my façade.

Even now, I regretfully can't say anything to berate her for her hypocrisy. It was only normal that Athena would have reached her breaking point sometime soon.

In the werewolf laws, everything was normally supposed to be determined by strength, regardless of bloodline, wealth or prestige. Even Alphas used to challengeable for the position as long as you had the will and strength to back it up.

Now, it's pure privileges and nepotism.

While some of the elders have bloodlines potent enough to challenge for the Alpha position and some of their ancestors had even become Alphas in the distant past, they had foregone that privilege to settle for the position directly below Alpha.

That had further spilled into the future generations until now that it has simply become tradition.

The werewolf civilization was more political than anything else now.

As I stared at the news headline, I couldn't help but wish there was a different way.

I remembered that the spy I put on her informed me that she had left the country and I couldn't hold back the anger that raged inside me.

I wiped my table clean with a swipe, sending everything clattering to the floor. That fueled my rage even more, sending me on a spree of destruction around my office until it was barely recognizable.

The ruined office gave an insight to how bad it must have been for Athena. I had ruined her just like this.

"I am sorry, Athena."

****

FIVE YEARS LATER

A knock on my office door drew my attention as I perused a few documents.

"Come in," I ordered as I kept working.

The door opened and Nathan, my Beta walked in with a practiced gait. His face was stern and his features more muscular and buff. He seemed to fill out the suit so much that it was hugging his body.

I sighed at the sight.

"How many times have I told you to get a suit that fits your size, Nathan?"

He grinned at that.

"This is perfect for me. I've also got the business proposal for your mating ceremony."

He gave me the document and I was immediately drawn to the name of its head.

It read;

Athena.

ATHENA

"They wanted a fiery person, so I showed them my fire."

The air was crisp in Dradesvow's Airport.

It had a familiar scent to it.

A scent I disliked.

The scent of home.

I was back home, much to my distaste.

As I strolled out of the airport, I couldn't help the beautiful expanse around me.

The high rise buildings that surrounded me as well as the busy roads leading in and out of the airport was nothing short of breathtaking for anyone who was coming here for the first time.

Or in my case, coming back after five years.

It was both breathtaking and numbing.

All of this beauty, masking the corrupt system of its leaders and letting bastards like Sebastian and his ilk stand at the forefront as their leaders.

It was repulsive.

From a luxurious Rolls Royce parked in front of me, a lady walked out dressed in a generic blue collar outfit. Penciled skirt that hugged her curves, a white shirt worn under a black fitted suit, and paired with black heels. She stood with her back straight and her raven black hair was held in a ponytail that cascaded down to her waist.

One look at her as she adjusted her glasses and anyone could tell she had an administrative job.

"Welcome to Dradesvow, ma'am," she said with a slight bow.

"Thanks, Bella," I smiled as I stopped over to her. "It's good to be back."

Bella, my secretary and the one in charge of the Dradesvow branch of my multi million jewellery company, gave me a small smile as she held the door to the Rolls Royce open.

"It's been a long time coming. I thought you'd never come back."

I smiled at that.

"I thought I never would."

She got in after me and closed the car door behind me.

"So, how has business been here?" I asked as the driver drove away from the airport.

"Pretty great," she shrugged. "A lot of people have been quite curious about you though."

I cocked an eyebrow at that.

"And why is that?"

She shrugged in response.

"You have the most successful jewellery company in Dradesvow. Since you make the designs yourself, your designs are unique in ways that no one else can emulate. Everyone wants to either have their piece custom made by you or partner with the company in more ways than just business."

I laughed at that.

"Are you saying -"

"Yes," she sighed exhaustedly. "People have been asking for your hand in marriage and asking me for dating advice and things related to you. I had become almost like your mother while some believe I am being your gatekeeper. I have gotten quite a few threats as well."

I laughed even harder at that.

"You must have had it pretty hard, Bella."

She scoffed at that.

"Oh, please. They are nothing to deal with, ma'am. I am used to obnoxious, entitled brats trying to throw their weight around. They weren't even tasking."

"I'm impressed," I smiled. "You did great."

After leaving Sebastian, I scraped together what little savings I had and travelled out of the country, eager for a fresh start.

I started designing jewellery just to make ends meet, selling my designs for scraps. Eventually, my designs started getting attention and I started selling to bigger companies that paid me handsomely but I saved up most of my money and opened a jewellery business of my own.

It was hard to say the least.

Knowing how great and creative my designs were, a lot of the companies I sold designs to did their best to shut me down. Once again, nepotism and entitlement reared their ugly heads in my life but I wasn't going to let them defeat me this time.

I fought against their machinations and manipulations until I was able to legally operate as a business and quickly grew through the ranks as my designs became almost staple among the ruling class regardless of exorbitant price tags to my designs.

It was a long road here but I am proud of what I made out of it.

"We will be going to the meeting I mentioned from here," Bella said after a few minutes of comfortable silence. "The reason why I insisted that you come back is simply because this deal was beyond my capacity. It is something you would have to handle personally."

She handed me the file as we spoke and I opened it to familiarise myself with the details before the meeting.

The name at the front of the document caused me to freeze, my whole body going rigid.

Sienna.

That bitch.

She is having a mating ceremony with Sebastian and she needed me to customise a jewelry for her ceremony.

I contemplated refusing this job.

I really didn't want anything to do with Sebastian and his family. Especially not the first thing I do upon returning after five years.

"We already received upfront payment," Bella said. "We can't disappoint them now."

It was almost as if she read my mind.

It took me a second to compose myself as I made my decision.

I was running a business. There's should be no room for emotions in this.

If anything, they would be the ones unsettled by my presence.

I defied the odds.

I came back better.

As we reached the restaurant for the meeting, I donned my most charming smile as I stepped out of the car and was escorted into the restaurant.

"Ah, miss Sienna," I said as she stood up, her smiling fading once she saw my face. "How are you? I am your designer. CEO of Valerian Jewelries."

Her face hardened at those words. Her eyes immediately found Bella's who kept her expression professional.

"What is this?" She asked.

Bella looked puzzled for a second.

"Ma'am, you asked for my boss' personal attention on this project. Here she is."

Sienna opened her mouth to talk when a presence settled on us.

A familiar presence.

We all turned our attention to the door as Sebastian walked in, his Beta, Nathan in tow.

I was frozen at the sight of him.

He looks just as breathtaking as ever. Almost like he never aged a single day in these five years.

And still just as dangerous.

I recognised him for what he was.

A threat, a danger and a blight.

Sebastian's eyes lingered on me longer than necessary, ignoring everyone else in the restaurant.

"You've changed."

I smiled coldly at those words.

"No, Sebastian. I'm still the same. You just couldn't handle me."