The God of War - Editing
Aphrodite

Max’s POV

The following day I woke up early. Last night I made a makeshift bed for the little wolf near my bed. I left her in a peaceful sleep and went to have a shower. “You know, whenever I tell you to shut up, you never obey me. What will I have to do for us to go back to a good place?” No response. “Ares!!! I’m talking to you.”

Only after I finished my shower did he decide to talk. “You already know, Max.” I sighed. “I can’t accept her, Ares. You hurt your pack because of her. You were out of control because of her. If she dies, and let me tell you, it won’t need much because she is weak, you will die, and so will our pack. Get into your head that we are responsible for their survival. A destined mate isn’t good for you. Start listening to me for once.”

Howling in my head, he went away. Why does he have to be so complicated? Annoyed, I returned to my room wearing only a towel, and the little wolf was standing in the middle of my room in a perfect, gracious wolf position. Her pink eyes sparkled more than in her human form.

I had to agree with Ares. She was a stunning white wolf. “Good Morning, Handsome. Thanks to me, your body is even more carved like a Greek God. And Jules will have much fun with you.”

“Ares, this wolf of yours is a sassy little one, isn’t she?” Now, I knew why she was meant for him. Like Ares, she was full of herself. “Buddy, I can’t wait to mate her. She is it!” Ares howled in content.

“Good Morning, Aphrodite. I can see you are fully recovered. And I don’t know what you are talking about. But I don’t owe you anything.” She perked her ears up. “Don’t worry, Max. You will replace it soon enough.”

I went to my dressing room and got ready quickly. I did not have time for that. I had been away from my pack for too long playing perfect mate, and I did my part yesterday. She can be alone for a few hours. My scent in this room will help her.

“Right, Aphrodite. I need to look after the pack. You can rest here. My scent will help. I have mindlinked the doctor. He will check on you during the day to be sure nothing went wrong with the shift.”

I opened the door to leave, and she barked twice. “Handsome. I’m not Jules. I won’t let you lock me anywhere. I want to be seen and loved by our pack. I’m the definition of beauty and the rightful Luna. I was born for you and them. They will be proud to have me. If you thought I would let that she-wolf pretending to be Luna run our pack down, you should think again.” With that, she walked out of the room, leaving me behind. Ares was laughing in my head and wagging his tail. “I told you she was perfect, kid.”

I went after her, thinking about what I would say to the pack about a white wolf running around. I was right behind her, and she seemed to know everything about the pack. I bet that Ares had shown off the pack house.

She stopped outside my office and waited till I unlocked the door. She ran straight to the sofa by the window. Her delicious scent filled the air and mixed with mine. Now my office will smell like her even when she leaves, which was exactly her plan. Another one joining Ares on his revolution against my wants.

“I know exactly what you are thinking, Max. My scent will be everywhere, as it should have been since I arrived. Our pack needs to know the smell of their Luna.” Like a queen, she lay her head graciously on her front paws and watched the window. Outside, the pack was lively and buzzing. Warriors were laughing, heading for training, and pups walked to school.

The day went on, and many problems occurred, but when I started to get angry, she would lift her head, and I would be calm instantly. I shook my head. Was it because of her? Because she is my mate, does she control my emotions like that? No. It could not be. My mother always calmed my father, but she had to touch or hold him when he was in full Alpha mode.

“Aphrodite, you don’t want to be locked in the room, and people already have seen you. It would help if you came to the afternoon training. Get stronger to defend yourself. Not sure if you had the opportunity to train at the Woodland Pack as you are an Omega, but here we can help you with that.”

She jumped from the sofa. “Thanks, handsome. But I don’t need any training. That is not from where my powers come. That isn’t how I will help our pack. Besides, I made you stronger to protect me from evil.”

I was annoyed with this little wolf. First, she does not listen to me, and second, she keeps saying she is responsible for my strength. I looked down at her face. “I’m helping Julie heal, but can we stop being delusional like Ares? You just showed me you couldn’t lead my pack by my side. Lunas go to training. Even my mother did. They need to gain strength to help the pack. Yes, the Alpha does the heavy lifting, but the Luna stays behind in war, helping protect the women and the pups.”

The little wolf perked her ears and said in a disgusted voice. “Speaking of evil. Two are just about to cross our borders. If she touches you, I will ensure Ares kills her today.” She returned to the couch and sat like she owned the place. And I had no clue what she was talking about. A minute later, I felt someone crossing into the territory, and Brian came into the mindlink, saying that Alpha John and Tania had just crossed the border.

I looked at Aphrodite, and I did not know what to think. How did she know someone was about to cross the border? Scratch that. How did she know it was Tania and John? I walked closer to her. “How?” She puffed, and her eyes sparkled even more. “It doesn’t matter. Remember what I said, and don’t let that Luna wanna-be touch you. I make good on my promises.”

I was not expecting John today and had not thought about what I would tell him. Everything was simpler before I went on that damn trip to hell. Things are getting way too complicated. There was a knock on the door, and Terry walked in, followed by John and a smiley Tania.

Terry widened his eyes when he saw the little wolf sitting on the sofa like a sphinx. The sun illuminated her fur, making it, along with her eyes, even more beautiful. They all were staring at her. “Alpha John. I was not expecting you today.” John shook my hand and said, “Hello, Alpha Maximus. What a beautiful she-wolf you got here today. I have never seen those eyes on a wolf before.”

I had blocked Ares after Aphrodite’s threat, but somehow I was sure she would be keeping her promise, and I just gave Tania a nod. “Tania.” Tania smiled, and I was glad John and Terry were in the room. If she had entered alone , she would be all over me in a heartbeat.

Tania watched the little wolf with disgust on her face. She probably thought Aphrodite was there because she was my side chick. I have seen too much drama in other packs when the Alpha replaces his Luna. I had slept with many women, but none were from my pack.

“Hi, darling. I came here for the afternoon training. You said before that I could come to train with the female warriors if I liked. And it will be good to see the dynamic of the pack that I will soon help you lead.” Terry seemed anxious to take Tania out of the room and said, “I will bring you there.” I moved quickly before he could leave the room. “No, Terry, mindlink Ger. He will show Tania around.”

“What is going on, Max?“, came a confused Terry on the mindlink. “I know why John is here, and it is best if you are here too for this. Besides, the little one over there threatened that Ares would kill Tania on the spot if she touched me. You will be with me till they leave.”

Terry laughed. “I thought you said she was a weak little she-wolf. And here you are, needing backup to avoid casualties.”

“Enough, Terry. The little wolf is weak. She even dared to say she didn’t need training. In contrast, Tania is here to train and improve even more her skills to be one of us.” I stopped our discussion on the mindlink and poured John a drink. “I’ll go straight to the point, Alpha Maximus.” He started, but then stopped and looked at Aphrodite. At a meeting like that, only the Beta is usually present, and some Alphas did not even allow that.

If I commanded her in an Alpha tone, she would have to obey me. She was not my Luna. But deep inside, I did not want to throw her out, and where would she go while I was talking to John? Sure, she would not go back to my bedroom like an obedient pup. John looked at me, expecting my command.

I said nothing. It is my territory, my rules. John came here uninvited, pretending to be escorting his daughter. “You were saying, Alpha John?” He composed himself. “Right. I am here because of the Alliance, Alpha Maximus. We had agreed to talk at the next full moon, and now the full moon has passed, and I have not heard from you.”

Ares was in control during the full moon. Of course, he still needed to hear from me. “I am considering everything, Alpha John. I know what the Alliance will mean for the Blue Moon. But you have to understand, to choose the right Luna for my pack is a huge thing, and you changed the terms of the deal at the last minute after so many years.”

“Is that about the former Luna? Tania told me she isn’t happy about you having a chosen mate.” I growled to shut him up. “My mother isn’t the Alpha of this Pack, John. I make the decisions here. I will be contacting you soon.” I got up to leave. I had had enough of the man. “Excuse me, I wasn’t expecting visitors today, and I have work to do.” I opened the door, and Aphrodite was at my side in an instant without me calling her.

I lowered my walls with Ares again and walked to the back entrance. She must be hungry, and I could hunt to shred some stress from the meeting. I took my clothes off, leaving them at the back door and in seconds, I was beside her in my massive black wolf.

She was tiny compared to me, and it was quite a contrast. I was black as the night, and she was white like a cloud in the sky. I nudged her to start the run. And she took off with me on her tail. I bit her playfully a few times. I took the lead but did not run very fast for her to keep up. She was small, but she could run.

I caught our meal and presented it to her feet first, before starting to eat. “Well done, Max.” I heard Aphrodite saying and I felt satisfaction rushing through my veins and puffed my chest, showing her my strength. My feelings were all over the place—stupid mate bond.

Aphrodite is a sassy little wolf. She sensed the danger coming towards her. You could have a taste of the powers in this chapter. What do you think Aphrodite’s powers are? Leave your comments below.