Althea - The Goddess Rebound

Chapter 18

Aries Blackwood

I gripped my hair tighter. What had I done? I had said the cruellest words to her. I didn't mean it. I don't hate you.

"I hate the fact that you exist." No, I don't.

"I hate the fact that you were made for me. I don't want you." I want you even if it's a sin.

"I never will. Till my dying breath." Lies.

All the words that I spoke were lies. I was afraid that I was starting to fall for this human. This weak little human had somehow managed to take a place in my heart over the week that I had watched her.

The more I watched her, the more she reminded me of Althea. But her looks broke me out of her lies. I guess not my heart. My heart had started to betray me. It had given a space to someone else that was not Althea. But I cannot let this frail human be heartbroken just as I was.

I could never accept her even though every part of my soul screamed at me to just take her. But I already belonged to another and there was no room for anyone else.

I'll rather live the rest of my lives with regret than to accept her into my grief filled life where there was no place for a frail being like her. It will only break her. It's better if she stays away from me.

Far away.

Like usual, I stayed the night in my office. I lay on the sofa as I stare at my side to the broken table. I sighed again. I'm going to have get yet another one. I turn my head back up to the ceiling and close my eyes.

Sleep doesn't come easy these days. No, it doesn't come at all.

I put my arm across my eyes as I tried to block the afternoon light that was seeping through the dark blinds.

Althea.

That's who I saw every time I closed my eyes. Before I used to welcome sleep just to get a glimpse of her. To imagine life with her. But now it made me scared. I was afraid to face her.

Even if it was just a dream, I didn't know how to face her. For my heart had started to beat for another. Someone that was not her. And I was afraid that I will let it and forget about her. Althea who was meant to be my only love.

My heart starts to burn as the familiar pain creeps over my heart. But the loud, constant rapping on the door brings me out of my sorrow. I get up the sofa and sit leaning forward with my elbows on my knees and my hands lightly tugging my hair.

"What do you want?" I growled, annoyed.

The door bangs open, making me growl louder this time. This was turning my annoyance into anger. I looked up to see three worried looking of Matt, Tray and Natalie.

"Althea-" Matt stops himself and corrects himself. "The human. We cannot find her anywhere-"

I jump off my feet and hold his collar before he finishes his sentence. "What do you mean?"

"Alpha, we have looked for Althea everywhere." Natalie speaks up and Tray slightly moves so he was blocking half of her body just in case I let my fury on her.

"I haven't seen her since yesterday. I thought she was in the woods like before. But... but her room was empty when I went to get her for breakfast." Her eyes filled with tears at this point.

"I asked Tray to send trackers after her. It's been a couple of hours since and we still have nothing." Tears spilled from her eyes.

My heart clenched as I let go of Matt. Tray turned to hug his mate, but Natalie continued. "We can only track her scent until the river. That's all we got." She looks up to her mate who was now holding her up. "You don't think anything happened to her, right?"

I growl when she says that. No. I won't let anything happen to her.

"Matt, get Harry to lead out a search party. Alert all the patrollers of her. Any scent, whiff of her, notify me immediately. Search the length of the river if you have to, I need to find her."

My voice boomed out in command before I turned to leave the room without even hearing a reply. I sprinted down the house and out, following her faint scent that lead into the woods.

I shifted into my wolf as I sprinted across the field. Please be safe. Please be near. Please.

Within minutes I was by the river where her scent vanished. It was like she disappeared from the face of the earth. No.

Then I shifted back to my human form as I looked down at the fast-flowing river that looked almost angry. Then my brain thought of the worst scenario. No. That cannot be it. But somewhere in my heart I felt that might be what had happened.

I turn around as I imagined her running towards the river. Her eyes filled with pool of never-ending tears that poured down her small face. Her tiny legs kept on carrying her towards the river as she wiped her tears with her arm.

I looked back at the angry river and back to her. "Stop." I said out loud. But she did not hear me. I jumped in front of her to stop her, but she ran right past my body. I spun around only to find her falling into the river.

"No."

I screamed as I reached for her arm only to grab nothing as it closed on the empty air. "No, no, no." This cannot be happening. I growled angrily as I once again shifted into my wolf and ran alongside the furious river in search of the human.

I ran for hours, searched everywhere. Then I jumped into the river myself just in case she was stuck in there. I swam against its current and looked deep within, but I still couldn't find her.

My own voice echoed on my head. Those words that I first spoke at her and now again at this human.

"I never want to see you again."

"Leave."

Finally, I resurface and turned to the sky as I howled for my loss again. It was almost as if the goddess was teasing me. As if she was saying, if you don't want her, then I'll take her back.

I didn't know goddess was so evil until this moment.