Chapter 5 Scars Of The Past

• Aphrodite's Point of View
• My fingers danced over another scar, this time smaller but not any less unmistakable. "They… they look like they never fully healed," I whispered, being not quite sure if that was allowed, but the curiosity got the better of me. "What happened to you?"
• Again, there was silence between us, a moment. I thought he wasn't going to say anything, that he would just let me go as usual, remind me of my place. Then he expelled the breath, his shoulders loosening.
• "They're from silver," he said, his voice low as if the memories themselves were an added weight. "The blade that caused them… it was dipped in silver."
• Silver. That explained it, the reason why the scars hadn't healed, why they had hung in there on his skin despite his Alpha blood. But what had happened? What could have marked him so thoroughly, both physically and emotionally?
• I continued tracing the lines of one scar absent-mindedly, and this time, he didn't flinch. He sat like a mountain, weathered by time.
• "Before I was Alpha King, I was part of a pack," he began softer, though his voice still had that bitter edge. "We were… weak. At least, that is what they thought."
• I listened closely, unable to tear my eyes away from the scars. The pain in his tone was one I hadn't expected. It was different from the cold emotionless Alpha I had known.
• "My parents were the Alpha and Luna of the pack," he continued, "but we were often treated like we were nothing. Punished for things we didn't do. They thought weakness ran in our blood, and that punishment would fix it."
• The words landed like a gut punch. I couldn't imagine Alpha Zeus, staunch and solid, being treated that way. Punished? For doing absolutely nothing? And his parents also?
• "They used silver blades on us, on me," he said, his voice taking on a darker, bitter shade. "Anytime I did not turn out the way they wanted me to, anytime I showed even the slightest hesitation, they would just make sure that I remembered. These scars… they're the only thing left from those days."
• My hand stilled, the cloth forgotten, as I tried to wrap my head around what he'd just said. The scars, the pain, the torment, it all finally made some sense. These weren't just marks from a battle, but from his past, one that had molded him into the Alpha King he was today.
• "They used silver on you," I said quietly, guessing at the kind of torture he would have endured. "Why?"
• Zeus let out a low, mirthless laugh, one that ran down my spine like ice. "Because I was born to lead, but they didn't believe in me. They thought I would fail, just like my parents did." He paused, his voice going cold. "But I didn't."
• I could feel the weight of his words, the anger simmering just below the surface. He'd been through so much, more than I could ever have imagined, and it had left him with scars not only on his body but also on his soul.
• "And here I am now," he said, his head twisting a little to look over his shoulder at me. And his gaze impaled mine. "The Alpha King."
• There was a moment when I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. The weight of those words couldn't be disregarded, the power that came with them. He had risen from the ashes of his ignominious past, forged through fire and pain, and now he was standing at the top. At what cost, though?
• I wanted to say something, anything; however, words failed me. All I could do was stare at him, this man who had endured so much and come out stronger for it. Yet, there was something tragic about it, too, something lonely in the way he carried that strength.
• Without another word, I went back to scrubbing his back, my movements slow and more deliberate this time. I knew now, the cold imposing Alpha King was a man who had suffered, had been contorted at the whims of cruelty and pain. And somehow, that just made him even more dangerous.
• ***
• The moonlight spilled into my room, casting silvery shadows across the walls. I lay on the worn bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling, trying to make sense of everything that had happened with Alpha Zeus. The scars on his body, the story he had shared—it was as if something had shifted within me, a glimmer of understanding for the man who held such power over us all. Yet, a strange ache lingered, almost as if his pain had found a place within me.
• Then, a searing pain tore through my chest.
• I gasped, my body jerking off the bed as fire spread through my veins. My heart hammered in my chest, drowning out all other sounds as my muscles twisted and spasmed. I clawed at the sheets, fingers digging into them as another wave of agony hit. My limbs felt like lead, immobilized by some invisible weight while my bones rearranged beneath my skin. It was as if my entire being was being pulled apart from within.
• Then the realization hit—I was eighteen now. The age when a werewolf experiences their first shift.
• Looking down, I saw paws where my hands had been, covered in thick, silvery fur that gleamed under the moonlight. My heart raced, both exhilarated and terrified by the strength coursing through me. I wasn’t just a helpless girl anymore; I was a wolf.
• A strange exhilaration filled me as I took a tentative step forward, feeling the floor under my new paws. I was something more, something powerful. The weight I had carried for so long felt lighter, as though chains had been lifted from me.
• But then, a scent hit me. It was intoxicating, overwhelming, and it made my heart race even faster.
• It was him. Alpha Zeus.