Meeting Them Again

Athena


Sebastian led me to the hall, partially dragging me with him as if he could sense my reluctance and it bothered him.

If only he knew why I really didn't want to see anyone from that pack. Shadow pack was small, there were not many privileges that were provided and not many people in the pack too, so each face was familiar and I was sure anyone from there could recognize me as well.

And the last thing I wanted was to face the people from my horrendous past. It'd weaken me and being weak was the last thing I could afford.

"Sebastian, can you please let me go? It's not that important for me to be there...so please." I managed to muster with my shaky voice.

"You don't get to decide what is important or not, you will do what I say and want," He spat, and threw me on the couch causing a yelp to leave my mouth as I landed on the surface, "Keep your mouth shut or else you know what I'd do to you."

"Please listen to me once, I'd do anything you say or..."

"What are you even thinking? In what do you think I'd care to give a fuck about what you want or listen to you? I don't care," He grabbed my face, and his tight grip caused a burning sensation to spread through the skin on my cheeks.


"I didn't mean..."

I couldn't speak because he roughly tilted my face upwards and leaned "Stay within your damn limit, Athena. Because If I have to do that, you wouldn't like it."

He was not understanding the reason, nor I had the courage to tell him because that story was a part I wanted to forget as a nightmare.

I did not want to remember all those things I faced.

Tears began gathering in my eyes in anxiety, "It's not what you think, I c-can't do this....I-I don't want to see...."A sob automatically broke through leaving me unable to complete my sentence.

His expression changed.

For a man like him, it was hard to spot the unusual with me.

"What is it?" He asked, calm and cold at the same time.

"I...I don't want to, please let me go. I'll accept any of your punishments, you can hit me or do anything. I just don't want to do this...." I sobbed.

"What pack you used to live in before the auctioneers took you away?" His question made every cell of my body get alert. I could hardly breathe, anguish was all I felt.

They did not take me away....

My parents sold me.

I shook my head, not wanting to answer. I did not even want to utter the name of that pack. I spent the worst of my time there, from my childhood, in fact, the day I was born— That hell for me was even worse than Sebastian's.

"Please, let me go to our room," I begged.

Sebastian did not get the chance to speak since the sound of footsteps and a guard's voice broke through, "Alpha, they are here."

My eyes widened, and my body froze like ice. The knot in the middle of my chest tightened.

Sebastian grabbed my hand, probably knowing that I was about to run away.

"Don't." It was his stern command that snatched all the strength from my knees.

"Please..."

He did not pay any heed to my plea, he grabbed my hand and made me stand up. Dragging me forward to stand beside him and then despite all my attempts to get away he turned around and forced me to do so as well.

And then my eyes spotted the worst I could have ever imagined.

The two people standing in front of me were indeed members of the Shadow pack but their relation to much was much beyond that.

In front of me stood my parents. The same people who did not bother once before they sold me for a couple of thousand dollars, the same people who, for the entire time, thought spending anything on me would be a waste of money, the same people who only looked at me if they had to unleash their anger, the same people who did not deserve to be called parents.

They were devils under disguise. They were the true culprit for everything I had to face.

"Athena..." It left from the mouth of the woman I once called mother.

"What are you doing here?" My so-called father asked, his bewilderment shading his entire expression.

I bit down the inside of my cheek, trying hard not to cry. My hands automatically grabbed Sebastian's arm and I held onto him as tight as I could.

The more I looked at those two filthy beings, the more the pain seemed to increase. I'd thought I could somehow stop my tears, but it felt like I was not going to be able to do so.

Sebastian's eyes were only fixated on me as if he was noticing all my reactions, every deep breath I took or the way my eyes moved and hands shook.

"She is my mate," He answered on my behalf and my parents' eyes widened.

It was astonishment that covered their eyes at first as they exchanged a glance with each other and suddenly there was a change in both of their countenance as they noticed my hands holding Sebastian for my dear life.

I knew that expression.

It was nothing other than greed.

"We were here to search for our daughter," My mother's sad voice and sudden teary eyes did not match the ones I'd seen my entire life, "Your mate, Athena is our beloved daughter. I don't know if she has told you anything about her or..."

"No, she hasn't," Sebastian for some reason spoke quicker than I'd expected, "Would you both mind telling me what really happened?"

This polite request did not fit his behaviour, he was never the one to request but why he did today turned out to be the biggest mystery for me.

A barely noticeable smirk tugged at the corner of my mother's lips as she sobbed and looked at my father, passing him a silent message to join in her acting.

"A few bad guys took her away and we did not know that they handed her to those disgusting auctioneers so when we got a hint that she might be in your pack, we came in search of her." He lied perfectly.

If the memories weren't so decisively imprinted inside my head, maybe even I would have fallen for this act of theirs. It looked like they truly cared for me when in reality, they were only thirsty for money.

"We searched everywhere but we couldn't find her, for the past we have been searching for her all day and night," My mother frantically walked closer to me, wiping her tears and looking at me with affection.

"My lovely daughter, you don't know what we have been through. Your dad and I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat thinking of where you might be, what those guys might do to you," She stroked my hair and I flinched away, trying to hide my face into Sebastian's arm.

I did not want to see her or hear her voice. It disgusted me.

"You look so terrified, don't worry. It's me and your dad, we'll not let anything else happen to you. We are so sorry that we couldn't save you," She continued with her acting, "Please forgive us. Theo, please tell her to talk to us. Why she is not looking?" She cried.

"Athena, sweetheart...why don't you just talk to us once? You know we love you, don't you?" At the end of his sentence there hung a threat.

He was indeed trying to force me under the disguise of his sweet words to act as if I liked them.

Without thinking anything, I moved closer to Sebastian and hugged him with the last drops of strength I have. I buried my face into his chest, finally letting go of my eyes.

"Please, please, please...." I begged, "I don't wanna be here. I don't want to talk to them."

He rested his hand on my lower back, pulling me closer; It gave some sort of comfort and support in my vulnerable condition.

"Looks like, your daughter here doesn't think good of any of you," He finally spoke, the tone made every hair of my body stand up sharp as needles.

This was not going to end up good for any of them.

"No, it's not like that, Alpha. It's just that she is upset with us that we couldn't save her when she needed us," Nervousness could be spotted in the voice of this woman who was a disgrace in the name of a mother, "Please let me talk to her once."

Unfortunately for her that she did not wait for Sebastian's approval before she grabbed my hand and forced me to look at her and her harsh pull made me almost stumble as she turned me around.

"Why are you not talking to us, Athena? What did we do wrong? You know how much we love you. We couldn't save you for once but we have taken care of you with all our hearts," She spoke.

Her tone was soft but I could see her jaw tightening in anger and her hand tensed its grip around me, she surely was bruising my skin and it was totally intentional.

She wanted me to lie.

And the reason was not inexplicable at all— She wanted Sebastian's wealth and the only way could be me since I was his mate.

I tried to pull my hand away from her strong grip, the burning sensation increased as her nails began digging into my skin and she glared at me, "Talk to us."

"Sebastian..." I whimpered, pressing myself against his chest as I closed my eyes, "Please."

"Athena, listen to us once, love," My father spoke. His voice made my skin crawl with loathing.

I hated them. Their sight, their voice, everything about them disgusted me. 

"She will talk to us. We are her parents, she can't turn away from us like this," Finally the rage made itself apparent in my mother's voice and this time she attempted to pull me with her.

I tried to pull my hand away but she used more force and a cry left my mouth, "No!"

"Leave her hand." Sebastian's voice finally buzzed through.

"W-what? Alpha, she's our daughter. Let us talk to her once..." She seemed flabbergasted.

"I said. Leave her hand." This time he sounded deadly.

I could see the sight of his dark thinned pupils in the eyes of my mother which widened in fear and she frantically let go of my hands, taking multiple steps back looking terrified.

I did not realize how badly I was shaking until now.

Sebastian turned me around to him and I held him as tight as possible.

"Please ask them to leave," I buried my face into his chest, his scent somehow helping in making me feel safe, "Please, I beg you."

Without saying anything he slowly lifted my face and looked at me, "These tears— Only I should be the reason behind them."

The mask on his face was impassive. I could not decipher what had gone behind those cold blue spheres but for once, it did not scare me. It made me feel safe, I felt safe in his arms, with him.

It felt like he wouldn't let me go anywhere. He would not let anyone harm me or take me away.

"Your parents, they are the ones who sold you to the auctioneers." It was not a question, it was a statement and he knew what he said was the truth.

His thumb brushed over my cheek, giving me the light caress I did not know I needed at this moment.

I sobbed and nodded.

It hurt so bad to even remember what my own parents put me through my whole life.

"No, that's not the truth. She's just saying this because..." My so-called father hesitated to come up with any lie because of Sebastian's stare that shot at him.

"Before you run your mouth, just remember that you are under my roof, in my territory and I can take both of your filthy lives in less than a few seconds," He spoke, "I don't spare the ones who dare to touch my property and your wife over here, has already done a bigger mistake than that." He raised my hand and brushed his fingers over the red finger marks on my forearm, the rage flashed in his orbs.

"I-I..." Mom struggled to speak, the terror was evident in her stuttering and sharp intake of breath.

"What was the amount?" He asked, looking at both my parents.

"What...what do you mean?" Mom was the one who spoke.

"What was the amount you sold her for?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"No, we didn't sell her, it's—" Dad began with his lie but Sebastian cut him off.

"Answer the damn question!" His loud voice caused me to flinch but he placed his free hand at my lower waist and held me closer, soothing the pain with his small motion.

"Five thousand dollars."  My mother blurted out in fear, "We sold her for five thousand dollars."

The room fell silent for a few minutes which only increased the tension until Sebastian spoke.

"Five thousand dollars for your own daughter?Doesn't seem like a good deal to me. Looks like the auctioneers benefited  a lot by coming across two filthy, disgusting animals like you," He said, calm and collected, "Since you both already seem to enjoy cheap deals, how about I offer you a  good one and make an exception?"

They exchanged glances with each other. There was confusion, panic and dismay that covered their faces but there was no reluctance.

"What is it?" Dad asked.

A smirk tugged at the corner of Sebastian's lips upon his question.

"One million dollars," He announced, pausing for a second as if to see their reaction which I knew was nothing other than greed.

And he finally finished his sentence, "For both of your lives."

I heard their gasps at first but the next thing I could register was my mate turning me around to face them.

Extreme fear was written all over their faces.

Smirking Sebastian leaned closer to my ear, "Watch this."

A  chilling shiver ran down my spine in realization — He was not going to let them get out alive.