The Scarred Queen's Rise (Athena) novel Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Athena was eerily calm, so calm that Michael almost thought she was talking about someone else, not herself.

The pity in Michael’s eyes grew so intense that it sparked a dark thought in him.

He thought, ‘What if I just hid Athena away, made her mine alone?

‘Even if she hates me, resents me… as long as she stays by my side, that’s enough.‘

But another voice inside whispered, ‘Wouldn’t she end up hating me for this?‘

Defeated, Michael lowered his head, clearly unable to answer Athena’s question.

He could hardly bring himself to meet Athena’s eyes. After giving him an icy glare, Athena said coldly, “From now on, Michael, you’d do well to stay out of my affairs. Whether I live or die is none of your concern.”

She continued, her voice dripping with contempt, “And spare me that guilty look, it disgusts me.”

Athena strode away without looking back. Michael remained rooted under the tree, his gaze lingering on her retreating figure until she disappeared from sight.

But soon, Michael’s hope rekindled.

He thought, ‘So what if Athena hates me? Deep down, she still cares, doesn’t she? Once she cools down, she’ll come back.

Michael gritted his teeth and strode out of the estate.

“I’ll get justice for Athena,” he vowed.

Michael galloped straight to the military camp, radiating murderous rage as he kicked open the doors to the labor quarters.

The workers inside, startled by his sudden arrival, scrambled to their knees in terror.

His abrupt intrusion laid bare all the camp’s filthy secrets before his eyes.

Several women who had made mistakes knelt on the ground, being harshly berated by the disciplinary matron, their bodies covered in bruises and scars.

Seeing them, Michael couldn’t help but picture Athena in their place.

‘Was she whipped like this too? Did she cry for help with no one to answer, just like these women?‘ he wondered, his gut twisting.

The disciplinary matron went pale at the sight of Michael, as if she had seen a ghost.

She dropped to her knees with a thud, trembling as she called out, “Lord Osborne!”

Her voice rang out strangely loud, not the respectful greeting it should have been, but more like a warning to someone inside.

Michael’s instincts kicked in as she thought, ‘Who is she trying to alert?‘

As he wondered, a woman’s anguished scream, laced with sobs, came from inside, making his heart clench.

1/2

Chapter S1

He immediately turned toward the source of the sound and kicked open the door.

Inside, several thuggish soldiers were crowding around a woman, who was completely naked.

The horrific scene made him physically recoil.

The thuggish soldiers, seeing Michael burst in out of nowhere, were petrified and immediately dropped to their knees. “General…” they stammered in terror.

Michael’s pupils trembled slightly, his heart tightening as if gripped by an iron fist, making it hard to breathe.

‘So this is why Athena hates me,’ Michael realized, the truth hitting him all at once.

Rage threatened to consume him, and the murderous glare in his eyes made the soldiers cower in fear.

One of the bolder soldiers knelt desperately and pleaded, “General, we were just having some fun! That’s how things have always worked in the camp, we paid money, and we didn’t break any rules!”

Michael fixed him with an icy stare. Panicking, the man grabbed the woman’s arm and barked, “You filthy whore, say something! Didn’t we pay you?”

Tears streaked down the woman’s face, but her eyes blazed with a tsunami of hatred.

She slowly lifted her gaze to the man, then suddenly let out a blood–curdling scream of despair and wildly lunged at him.

Stan Woods shrieked, trying to yank her hair, but she sank her teeth into his ear, making him howl in agony.

The crowd froze, stunned by the sudden outburst.