25.Are you having a stroke?

**Eros**

Eros rolled his eyes, slightly annoyed by the person who randomly decided to join them. He was about to talk heart-to-heart with Eve; he wanted to point out his worries and admit his feelings. Eros needed to reassure her that nothing happened inside the office.

"Afia, as always- finding the perfect moment to invade someone's privacy," he groaned, displeased by the opportunity taken away from him. Eros faced Eve, a slight smile on his lips as he heard her trying to stifle her giggles. In his eyes, she was the most adorable human being ever to be seen.

"Cousin!" Afia ran right in front of him, grabbing onto his shoulders, shaking his body violently. "Are you having a stroke?" she asked worriedly, still shaking him like a sack of potatoes.

"God, you know how to ruin my mood in seconds," he groaned, ripping her hands away from him.

"Pardon my French, but holy fucking cheese balls, that isn't a stroke, you're smiling. I thought I'd never live long enough to see you smiling," she placed a hand above her heart, looking genuinely shocked. Eros stood frozen, looking down at his cousin, ready to kill by the look from his eyes alone.

"Umm... He does smile quite often," a barely audible voice whispered from behind them. Eve's voice was enough for Eros to calm down, his tensed body relaxed, and eyes softened. Afia stood aside, looking at both of them, eyes particularly following her cousin's movements. Eros rushed closer to Eve and lifted her on his arms, holding her bridal style. Despite having his little cousin near, he couldn't help but stare at Eve's beauty, admiring her as much from a close distance, as he would from afar.

"You must be tired and cold. Rest, and we will talk at home," he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and turned around, heading back towards the bar. Afia ran next to him, following like a guard dog, the look on her face showed how conflicted the young woman felt. Eros didn't speak; his lips were sealed together in a thin line, checking on Eve time by time. When her breathing became even and heart rate normal, he looked at Afia.

"You better keep your mouth shut, she needs to rest," he growled, now seeing a threat even in her. She took Eve to that night club, putting his little human mate into potential danger.

Afia raised her hands, mouthing a weak, "I surrender." For a while, both walked in silence, avoiding fallen trees and branches in their way.

"I don't remember this place having as many fallen trees a week ago, the last time I wandered around here," Afia whispered, almost sure that she knew why the forest area had changed so drastically.

"I might have been in a rush," Eros replied coldly. He didn't want to talk; he didn't want to explain himself or his actions. All he wanted was to hold Eve tightly and enjoy the moment they're having together.

"Spill the beans, Eros."

"I have nothing to spill. Don't start nagging; my pockets are empty, you can look for yourself- no beans," a corner of his lip twitched in amusement. Annoying his little cousin had always been one of his favourite things to do, especially when she appeared out of nowhere, demanding answers to questions which were none of her business in the first place.

"Stop it," Afia growled, earning a gentle punch to her shoulder.

"Family or not, if she wakes up, I'll make you pay," his eyes flicked from blue to black, Ares taking the control over his body. At first, she flinched, then- she bit her lip and nodded, thinking about how to get the information out of Ares, since the beast was in control now.

"Ares?" Afia whispered.

"What is it, pup?" His voice softened, all danger fading away from it. The young woman knew that her cousin and his beast had always seen her as their own, being near and protecting her, for as long as she could remember.

"I know, I'm kind of pushing your buttons right now, I'm sorry. But I want to know how Eve ended up so close to that territory. Did you two come here together? Don't get me wrong; I love, trust, and respect you, but she's my only friend, and I don't want to hurt her. Emotionally or physically." Afia sighed, sliding hands into the pockets of her hoodie, and leaning her head backward.

"You have all rights to be angry at me; you do, I understand. For taking her to the night club and now disturbing you two, but please understand. My parents still don't give two shits about me; this is the second year in a row that I haven't been chosen as a mate... The only family I've ever known is you, and now, Eve appeared. I care for her, I do." Afia found it hard to explain herself, knowing how wrong her actions have been. She couldn't risk losing his trust; she would never get another chance to see Eve again.

"Listen, I understand that you want the best for her, so do I. But the past couple of days have been a living Hell since I've found her, all odds have been against us two having a future," Ares was a dangerous shifter, yet he was kind in heart, especially to ones he valued the most.

"She's your true mate, isn't she? This isn't just you rebelling against your mother and doing this to piss her off, am I right?" Afia half-smiled, feeling genuinely happy for him. She had grown up with Eros by her side; she had seen the pain and torture he had to endure whenever Alpha or Luna had a bad day. That man had been to Hell and back, yet he was still holding on and fighting for his happiness.

"That is true, she is," as the words left his lips, Ares looked down at Eve's sleeping figure. She leaned closer to his chest; her arms wrapped around his neck. Even asleep, she held onto him as if her life depended on it, a little thing, which made Ares happier than he had ever been.

"I'm happy for you," Afia dragged him out of his dream-like state, tapping on his shoulder- a little thing she did, whenever she spoke the truth.

"Can you please explain?" she suddenly asked.

"Explain what?" Ares felt a little lost in the current situation. Just a moment ago, she questioned him about Eve, and now, she needed an explanation for something.

"How did she end up here? I don't believe that you brought her here by yourself. This particular forest area is the most dangerous in the whole territory; many grown wolves don't dare to come here. On the other hand, humans have no idea this place even exists- they get to learn about territory in school, yes, but this part was taken out of the map ten years ago. You know- to avoid more wolves and humans being taken by those bastards." Afia shivered, the thought of bleeders alone made her blood boil. If only she could be strong enough to destroy their entire bloodline.

"I'll be frank with you- I have no idea. I found some disturbing information about my mate and decided that both of us needed some time in privacy. You know- just two of us, at all times. So, instead of taking her home, which is quite far from my bar, I took her to the apartment. Everything was going well- in fact perfectly until I had to talk to one of my suppliers. We headed to the bar, and I left Eve with Kali, to make sure she was safe. Thankfully, I managed to deal with everything fast enough to get back to her in time. It was five minutes, Afia, and when I headed back to her, she was forcefully held by an unknown wolf. I snapped that bastard's neck and carried Eve back to our apartment," Ares signed, once again fearing the thought of not being there in time. Just like now, if he found only moments later- his precious mate might be skinned alive by those freaks.

"Wow, that's a lot to take in. But, I mean, it doesn't explain as to why I met you two here, right next to the border," the young woman lifted her brow, she didn't want to consider them trying to leave the pack. It's impossible.

"Yeah, I'm getting there. Anyway, I left Eve in the apartment and headed to my office, inviting Kali to join me. I wanted to find out what happened and why she wasn't helping my mate. Long story short- Kali wanted to become my bitch; to get the information, I toyed with her a bit. Then, at the worst moment possible, Eve burst into the office and ran off crying. I thought she would head back upstairs, so first I made sure that Kali won't be the shifter which wastes precious oxygen."

"Why? Ares, I love you more than I love my mother and father, but why did you take her life away? Maybe she got distracted and didn’t notice Eve being held by someone? I'm not trying to justify her actions, yet nobody deserves to die without doing something utterly wrong." Afia felt sorry for the woman, who had died by her cousin's hand. Sometimes, Eros and Ares, both were more animal than human.

"Because she admitted her fault in coming up with a plan to get rid of my mate. Our law allows murder, if one said they had gone over the limits to hurt someone's mate. Understand me, I might hold myself back if Eve had simply been chosen by me, but she's not. The Moon Goddess, herself, gifted me a true mate, and I will not stop until I know she's safe from all danger."

"Alright," Afia averted her gaze. If just a minute ago, she felt sorry for Kali, now she didn't. Now, she silently cursed the dead woman for putting Eve in danger.

"I snapped her neck, and the office door busted open again. I thought it was Eve, but it wasn't. Instead of my mate, her friend stood in the doorway." Ares groaned, even remembering that red-haired vixen made his head hurt.

"Wait. What? Oh, Gosh, I'm so lost. Why is your mate's friend even a part of this? What did she want?"

"More like what she didn't want," Ares added, leaving his cousin completely stunned.