The Tripartite Mate Bond Chapter 197: CHAPTER HUNDRED AND NINETY-SEVEN

“What do you mean? What has Zeus got to do with mate bonds?”

She took a deep breath and sat back down on the couch, her dress changing into something like mine.

“You're new and it's not something we've had in centuries. The only way to keep you under his control is if you're with another god. So he has insisted on giving your mates to other women, leaving you with no choice but to choose one for them,” she explained.

“He's got to be joking!” I exclaimed in shock. “How does he get away with dictating what everyone does?”

“He's the most powerful Olympian, Aurora. And with popular support, he can actually do whatever he wants,” she explained, sadness in her tone.

She didn't like this any more than I did but it wouldn't kill her to have a backbone.

“So there's nothing you can do but obey him?”

“What would you have me do? Have the entire realm hate me for not containing the threat that has been brought up by your existence? They all say it's my fault and it's my responsibility to… deal with it,” she muttered the last part.

“First of all, I'm not an it and secondly, if anything happens to the bond between me and my mates, you and everyone in this dumb theatrics are going to pay for it! I've sacrificed my life, literally! You guys can't take anymore from me!” I lashed at her and teleported back to my room.

“Lyra, can we leave tonight?” I asked as I packed my bag.

“I can. I'm getting an eerie feeling as well,” she replied, confirming my thoughts.

If their initial plan of sending the moon goddess to me didn't work, I doubt they'd let the sleeping dogs lie.

It was best I was in my own territory, gaining more energy as they plotted. Being here, eating their food and drinking that strange wine was an invitation for disaster.

I got outside and walked to the front of the mansion, hoping to see the flurry servants I'd seen in the compound when I arrived earlier.

“You're leaving?” I turned around to see Selene coming from the garden behind the main house.

“I would feel more comfortable in my domain and I already informed Zeus of my departure,” I replied, still looking around for any servant.

There was none.

“But we haven't completed our discussion yet,” she replied and suddenly, two men appeared by her side.

I braced up.

“I already said that I'm not a threat to anyone who doesn't come at me. Why would you take away my mates?”

I asked and sent a mental image to Lyra.

“I’m getting closer,” she replied.

“Look, I totally get where you're coming from but this isn't a decision that either of us get to make, okay? I don't want to do this anymore than you do. Just come with us, we'll go talk to Zeus and you can convince him to let you go without any fuss,” she explained, coming closer to me.

“How important are werewolves to you?” I asked as I began walking towards the gate. I knew she was coming close. I just needed to keep them calm until Lyra got here so we could make a run for it.

“They're my children and our life force is connected but that's not –”

“I literally just saved them from a demon of Tartarus, and this is how you pay me back,” I looked at her, watching a tiny fleck of guilt cross her features.

“I don't know what to do. I'm really grateful for this and I promise I'll make sure he doesn't hurt you but you just need to come with us,” she pleaded, holding back her lackeys.

“Hurt me? But you just said it's a normal conversation he intends to have, what has hurting me got to do with that?”

She tensed up and I could see they were closer to me than I'd like so I had to stop moving. If it turns into a chase way too early, I won't be able to outrun them.

“I'm just saying if you're scared of getting hurt, that you can trust me to protect you.”

“If you want me to trust you, then let me go on my own terms. Tell Zeus I'll meet him at the front of his mansion, not in some secret chamber where his wife is going to think something vile.”

“He's not like that!” One of the guys finally spoke, dragging my attention to him

“Is he your father or something?” I wondered, he had come to the god's defense so fast there had to be a connection there.

“Yes but that's not the point. He's a great and powerful god who has the interest of all of us at heart. You're a threat so you need to be exterminated!”

“Shush!” Selene scolded the guy but he had already spoken too much.

Then I heard Lyra’s powerful wings clap behind me.

“Well, I'm sure you know now that I won't be following you anywhere,” I told her and then I teleported to her back.

“Don't do this, Aurora! There will be consequences!” She screamed at me but I was already directing Lyra far away from the mountain.

She was fast and I knew if we kept at this rate, we might escape whatever attacks they had planned for us.

“Leaving so soon?” I heard from my back, startling me.

“Aphrodite! What are you doing?” I exclaimed, standing up from Lyra. I didn't want to put too much pressure on her, considering we were both pregnant.

“I was sent to bring you back and even though I have more important things to get to, I think I like this job,” she replied with a smirk.

“You're the goddess of love and yet you hate me without any reasonable cause,” I hissed.

“Oh please, don't act so innocent. You've got eyes for what's mine and I would rather Zeus neutralize you before you have the chance to fight me for him,”

“Fight you? For who?”

“Ares! I saw his name in your heart and you even have so much greed in you that you want him and your wolf mate together,” she snapped with a cringey look of disgust.

I laughed at the realization of what she'd concluded.

“If you ask Selene, she'll explain to you that the twin Alphas, Ares and Axel are my mates. They were three before Kane decided to hurt me and I let him go,”

“You let him go? Shouldn't it.. be the other way around?”

“Why? If someone claims to love you and then goes around to prove that he doesn't, it's best to leave.”

“No! Love fights for what is hers,”

“That's a bit outdated. You can love more than one person so why stay with the one that'll put you through hell?”

She began to think about my words, meanwhile Lyra had flown far away from Mount Olympus while we'd argued and the mountain was simply a dot in the sky.

“I thought you were his next conquest, that was why I was upset with you but I have learned not to jump into conclusions now. I apologize,” she said, her face finally showing a pleasant emotion.

“Thank you for understanding. My mates are my life and Zeus suggesting they be taken away scared the hell out of me. Can you convince him to stop it?”

“Give me some time to talk to them. I think we all misunderstood you. You're not just a god killer, you are capable of protecting us. And there are dangers on the horizon. It'll be dumb to do away with our only living weapon of defense, well except Ares of course,”

She blew me a literal kiss and it fluttered towards me right as she disappeared.

I opened the flower and

it was a summoning spell.

I breathed deeply at the meaning of this. I'd made my first friend on Mount Olympus.