The air inside the Stonehall glistened with tension. Flickering torches on the walls cast dancing shadows, and at the entrance, stood a woman who didn't belong to this quiet storm—yet owned it with every step she took –
Athena.
Clad in a dark crimson bodice that hugged her like battle armor, and long raven hair cascading in powerful waves, she was a living contrast to Mira's softness. Her eyes—sharp as blades, cold and assessing—landed on Mira before sweeping toward Ash, her lips curling into a subtle, calculated smile.
"You haven't changed," she said, voice low, sultry, and dangerous.
Ash didn't move right away. For a moment, the whole hall held its breath.
Then his lips curved ever so slightly. "Neither have you."
Mira blinked. Something tightened in her chest. There was a familiarity in their exchange, an ease that hinted at a history unspoken.
Athena strode forward, hips swaying like she owned the damn place. "I heard about the union. A surprise, truly. The Elders must be desperate to bind bloodlines."
Her gaze flicked to Mira again. "Or perhaps… someone has gone soft?"
Mira straightened, refusing to shrink. "You don't know me."
"No, I don't," Athena replied, flashing a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "But I can smell fear. It's not flattering on you."
Mira's claws almost came out. Not from fear—but instinct. Her wolf stirred at the insult.
But before she could answer, Ash stepped between them, voice low. "Athena."
She turned to him slowly, and Mira noticed the shift in his stance—tense, alert, almost… defensive?
"What are you doing here?"
"The Elders summoned me," she said coolly, brushing an invisible speck off her shoulder. "You didn't think they'd let you rule this part of the lands without oversight, did you?"
Ash didn't reply. Mira, still frozen in place, watched the way Athena tilted her head and smiled—like she knew something. Like they shared a past. And for the first time since the ceremony, something cracked in Mira's confidence.
Later, in the privacy of their chamber, Mira paced restlessly. She didn't ask right away. She didn't want to. But the question clawed at her until it bled.
"Who is she to you?"
Ash leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes unreadable. "No one anymore."
"But once?" Her voice wavered despite her attempt to sound strong.
He didn't answer. Just looked at her.
And silence, sometimes, was worse than the truth.
He finally turned away, his jaw tense. "We were allies. Once."
"Allies?" Mira echoed. "That's not what it looked like."
Ash didn't respond.
Mira wrapped her arms around herself, cold despite the fire burning in the hearth. "Why didn't you tell me she would be here?"
"Because I didn't know."
She looked at him, searching his face. But he had shut down, that much was clear. Whatever Athena meant to him, it wasn't something he was willing to say out loud. Not yet.
That night, Mira couldn't sleep.
She stared at the ceiling, heart aching in places she hadn't known were vulnerable. Something about the way Ash looked at Athena—not with love, not with desire… but with memory.
She hated it because for the first time… she felt like she wasn't enough.
And yet, in the mirror, she saw her eyes glow faintly—tinged with something ancient. Something awakening.
She didn't know what was more terrifying about Athena's arrival…
Or the voice inside her that whispered, "She's not the only one hiding something."
The moon was high when Mira stepped out into the inner courtyard of the fortress, drawn by the cool wind and the storm brewing inside her chest. The silence of the night gave her no comfort—only a deep unease.
She felt watched. "You walk like you belong here."
The voice sliced through the air behind her—smooth, mocking, and unmistakably feminine.
Mira turned slowly.
Athena emerged from the shadows near the stone pillars, her arms folded across her chest, one eyebrow slightly arched. She wasn't dressed for court anymore—just a loose tunic, boots, and that same deadly confidence that clung to her like perfume.
"Don't tell me you were hoping to bump into Ash again. He's busy. Or maybe you already know that."
"What do you want?" Mira asked, keeping her voice steady.
Athena smirked. "Isn't that the question, little mate?" She stepped closer, eyes gleaming like a predator's. "I just wanted to see for myself what the Elders traded power for."
She circled Mira slowly, the way one might observe a rival in a duel.
"You're young, soft, conflicted. And yet…" She inhaled deeply. "Your blood sings louder than I expected."
Mira stiffened. "You know something."
"I know many things, darling." Athena's tone turned almost playful. "I know that Ash used to hate the idea of fated mates. I know he once said he'd never let the Council decide for him." She leaned in, lips near Mira's ear. "And now look at him. Shackled."
Mira didn't move. She wouldn't flinch. Not this time.
"He chose this. He chose me."
Athena straightened with a chuckle, her eyes hard. "He chose necessity. There's a difference."
"And you?" Mira asked, voice low. "Did he ever choose you?"
That hit a nerve.
Just for a moment, something flickered in Athena's expression—then vanished.
"We were equals," she said, almost too quickly. "I was never a choice. I was a force."
"And now?" Mira tilted her head. "Are you here to reclaim him? Or just prove you're still relevant?"
Athena's jaw tightened. "You're playing a dangerous game."
"So are you."
The two women stared each other down—two she-wolves, worlds apart but bound by one name.
Ash.
And beneath the moonlight, something sparked between them—not attraction, not even pure hatred but recognition and knowing. Both had something to lose. And neither would surrender easily.
Athena turned first, walking away with a half-smile and an unspoken warning.
"Careful, little Luna," she called over her shoulder. "Not everything that looks like love… is love. Sometimes, it's just control dressed in softer chains."
Mira didn't move until the shadows swallowed Athena whole.
And when she finally turned back toward the chamber she shared with Ash, her steps were slower, heavier. Because now… she didn't just feel unsure of her place. She began to doubt what place Ash truly had for her in his life.