Chapter 9 The Offer

"Then I will be your soulmate and I promise to protect you no matter what."

Zev Russel

***

Zev smirked. Of course he was aware about something that Athena mentioned. He almost forgot the truth, Athena was a human not like other creatures. She was different from him.

"Then I will be your soulmate and you will be my mate," Zev said to her, as his answer made her look at him confusedly, "Why?"

"Zev, I need a husband not a mate! If you want me to stay with you then you have to marry me." She said firmly.

'I had never thought she wanted me to marry her. That's good.'

"Okay,"

"Do you think we can be in a relationship?" She asked him.

At this time, Athena was laughing out loud and Zev knew that she must have thought that Zev Russel was just joking and said okay when she mentioned about marriage before. But the fact, a man like Zev Russel will do anything to make Athena become his.

"Why can't we be together? Don't you say that you want me to marry you if I want you to stay with me, right?" Zev asked her as his question made Athena confused as she saw Zev's serious face mode on.

"Can you see the fact that I had ever wanted to kill you?" Athena asked him. Her eyes widened to show that she was in panic.

"So you want to say that you regretted it now?" Zev pretended to be shocked to tease her because he loved how she reacted. For Zev, Athena was the most adorable woman that he had ever met.

"Of course-," she stopped for a while before continuing, "not. That's my job."

"Okay... I think you forgot. That was supposed to not be your job anymore because they must be hunting you since you failed in your mission to kill me," Zev smiled at her even though he knew she must be annoyed. "Oh, I forgot before I explained to you what had happened to us. I think this must be more urgent for now, Milly!" Zev called Milly and not long after that a young woman came to him as she was ready to serve his master. Milly was always wearing something neat and this time she came and gave him an envelope. "Thank you Milly, you can go." He said to Milly.

Milly just nodded and bowed her body before she left the room.

"What's that?" Athena asked him about the envelope in his hand. Zev looked there was curiosity in her eyes so he just gave that envelope to her.

Athena opened the envelope hurriedly as her instinct said that envelope would bring disaster in her life. She read the letter as her face changed constantly but one thing was possible that she was so furious. The tears gathered in the edge of her beautiful eyes. Athena's sadness was made Zev Russel was like pierced by a sharp dagger in his heart.

"How do you know about this?" Athena looked at him and a second later she smirked as if she mocked herself. There was a slight pain that clearly saw through her eyes and that made him so hurt. "Oh, I forgot." She cried.

Actually, Zev wanted to draw her closer and embrace her in his arms but Zev didn't want to make Athena thought that he was taking advantage of her so he let her cry or perhaps she needed time to be alone. For the first time, Zev really doesn't know what he was supposed to do to make her calm.

"Do you need private time? If that's so, I will leave you alone." Zev said as he was ready to leave her in this room but that man was shocked when Athena grabbed his right hand. Zev looked at her and found that Athena was crying.

"Could you please help me? I promise that I will pay it soon. Please help my mom. I will work for you." Athena said with a weak voice.

Zev was shocked when hearing that Athena asked him for help because he knew she was a prideful woman and asked him to help her was not her at all. Zev took a deep breath. He knew she became like this because her mom was in danger and also she paid her debt. All emotions blend and become one in her heart until that woman almost could not take any longer.

"Athena, I will help you as long as you want to marry me." He said to her firmly because Zev wanted Athena to know that he was not joking about the marriage.

"What?! Zev, I-," Athena lost her words. She was always so expressive so Zev could tell what she felt from her facial expression. "Zev, I don't think-"

"Athena, you know what I want and what I want is you and it's not about money. I want you to think about this thoroughly." Zev gasped.

"Zev, don't be joking anymore. You must not want me." She looked so desperate.

"Athena, I was always serious in everything about you." Zev looked at her and smiled. Zev knows Athena must be really confused right now but he needed to marry her to protect her because he thought he could protect her more as her husband.

"Zev, the problem was-" She stopped while taking time to compose herself before taking a deep breath. "Am not worth to be your bride." Her voice became low suddenly and this scene was different from Athena who wanted to kill him before. She was not a prideful woman anymore as Zev used to know her before.

"What?"

Zev was so shocked after hearing her answer. He doesn't understand why she thought that way? Zev looked at her and she looked so sad.

"Athena but just a moment ago you wanted me to marry you but how can you change like this?" Zev asked her out of his curiosity. He could see there were a lot of emotions reflected on her face but Zev really doesn't expect that she would change her mind so quickly.

'I think I have to be careful even though I know that she is my mate.'

"Zev, you don't know about me yet and you want to marry me. You don't know about my past. You don't know who I am and I don't know who you are. You know that my life now is at stake. Death haunted me day and night. You knew that they wanted me to die yet you want me to marry you?"

Athena looked so emotional and her pain painted on her face clearly and that also torture him at the same time. Actually, Zev also doesn't want to show her that her sadness affected him deeply.

"Athena, I want you to know that I am the one who has the right to judge my bride if she is worthy or not and for me you are precious more than what you thought." Zev said to her firmly.

'I don't know how to make her calm. I hope she can understand.'

"But my mom has a lot of debts and how do you just want to marry me with this horrible condition?"

"Yes, of course! Why not? Even the married couple for a long time, they also keep learning about their spouse, right? So would you marry me?"