“Oh, shit.”
“You see it, too?” Athena turned toward Deidra.
“You weren’t supposed to find out like this, little one.”
Athena whirled back around and nearly swallowed her tongue. A naked Draco stood before her where the huge black dog…holy shit, a wolf, had been sitting.
“Shifters are real?” Athena asked in shock, looking around her.
“Yeah.” Deidra sighed heavily as she shifted from foot to foot.
“Oh, God.” Athena’s flight mode kicked in as she thought of something that had been said to her recently.
Now it all made sense. So many things she’d been confused about.
She’d always put it down as her being an outsider. Boy was she an outsider.
“Thena…”
“No!” Athena backed away from Deidra, her hands in the air.
Athena looked around at Deidra’s parents, the tears welling up in her eyes. She realized then that had hurt worse than her best friend having lied to her all these years.
With one last look around her, she ran away from the group. When she got to the road, she remembered she had no car.
“Come, I’ll take you home. And answer any questions you have.”
Athena turned to see Deidra’s father coming her way with a weary smile. All she could do was nod to keep the tears at bay.
The ride back to her house was made in silence. She had so many questions, yet wasn’t sure who she could trust to ask them to right now.
When they pulled into her driveway, Coren turned the car off and turned her way. Her heart was breaking at the loss of someone she looked up to so much.
“I’m sorry you had to find out this way, Athena. This wasn’t how you were supposed to find out. Deidra wanted to tell you so many times, but our laws prohibit that.”
Athena looked at the man in confusion. “If it is your law, why not amend it? Ten years, Mr. Blackwood. Was I not a good enough friend to Deidra in those ten years? Or is it because I’m weak and have a horrible background?”
“Ah, sweetheart, if it had truly been my law, it would have been broken for you years ago. Let me ask you this, can I have Deidra, my wife, and Draco come over and we can answer any and all questions that you have. I can also explain why that particular law isn’t mine to break without repercussions.”
Athena stared at the man for a few moments, seeing the sincerity in his eyes. “Okay.”
Chapter
Fifteen
Athena wentinto her bedroom to change out of her sundress into a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, before putting her hair into a ponytail. When she came out, everyone was already there.
“I’m so, so sorry, Athena. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I couldn’t. Please forgive me?” Deidra begged, tears streaming down her face, obviously fighting her natural urge to come to her.
“Was I joke to everyone? The poor, pathetic human who was clueless?”
“Never!” Deidra and her parents answered at the same time.
“Sit, Athena, and I will explain our shifter laws I told you about that didn’t allow us to tell you about our kind.”
Athena sat down on the love seat that was facing the large couch Coren, Katarina, and Deidra were sitting on. Draco sat on the chair that was off to the side.
“Okay.” She placed her hands in her lap and stared at her fingers.
