You want answers from me?

I thoroughly scrub myself, top to toes, and lay back to let myself float. As I do, the water from above changes from a shower, to a circular curtain around the edge of the pool. Again, I wonder if this is me, or the magic of the caverns. 

I don’t have much time to think about it before a shadow figure appears behind the curtain of water. It startles me so much that I accidentally dunk my head back, and inhale a bunch of water. You know, like an idiot. I spring up from the water, choking and sputtering. I am trying to get my bearings, determine where the shadow has moved to. I don’t have to wait long before a massive hand lifts me from the water by my throat. The hand is hot, almost feverish, and I can feel claws threatening to puncture my skin. 

It’s a man that resembles a demon, his skin is blistering and cracking, revealing molten heat on the inside. Not a demon. A freakishly large burning man. Athena is not responding to my frantic calls. Fiery Gigantor brings me in close to his face, and inhales deeply. 

“Gotcha.” He growls. My heart is beating so fast and hard that it feels like a freight train is speeding down a track above the cavern. Just when I think I can’t hold out without air any longer, Gigantor drops me, and stumbles back a few steps. I can see his body dissolving to ash, I can smell it. It’s thick, and bitter, like burnt rubber tires. When he’s gone, I throw on my clothes and the robe, and slip back through the door to the bathroom. There is no lock or bolt, no way to stop him if he returns. A subtle light streams in from above, the theme to this place being endless ceilings. The light goes on as far up as I can see, shrouded by mist. In this light, I can see an ugly red handprint on my neck. It’s raised like a scar from an old burn. 

“You must conceal this.” Athena says softly. “It’s a mark. To help them find you.” I focus on willing the scar “away”. It takes all of the strength I have.

“Why couldn’t I hear you when he was here?” 

“I cannot act against him, we are bound. His wolf cannot act against you, but that does not mean you can’t hurt each other. There is powerful magic mixed in with all of this. The protection spells around this place must have prevented him from staying longer. Although I have to wonder how he was able to breach them to begin with. Most witches are able to freely use their abilities as they grow, their families or Coven teaches them how to manage. A lot of it is just instinctual, but nature and emotions can derail you easily. He is using magic, but it is borrowed magic.” I don’t have any questions. I’m so tired, and I know she is too. I make my way to the main room of the cottage on unsteady legs. There is a fire going now, and the light by the door is lit. I crawl into the bed and cocoon inside the soft blankets that smell like sunshine. I know I should wait for Athena to be rested enough to watch over us, but I can’t force my brain to stay awake or receive anymore information. As I am drifting into deep sleep, my final conscious thought are that the mattress is shifting around me, he must be back. Then I fall into a dreamless sleep.

I wake up in a tree. I think it’s a tree. There are branches and vines all around me, but my mattress is still under me. 

“Just think of the room as it was when you first entered.” Athena instructs. I close my eyes and feel the same shifting and gentle rustling as last night. Everything is as it was when I open my eyes. “You have more than just me to protect us,” Athena reminds me. “but we should not linger here. There is a basket of food at the door, eat sparingly, pack the rest. I will show you how to leave this place.”

I do everything as Athena instructs, I pack the robe and a towel, and finally lace on my beautiful leather boots that Mr. Creepy gave me. I pull on a scarf and top it all off with the black cloak. As I take one last look around, I am hit with the first touch of homesickness. I want my mothers cool hand on my forehead, giving me medicine to bring me out of this bizarre fever dream. I want to drag my comforter to the couch and sleep away the day while she makes soup from scratch and sings quietly around the house as she tends to things. I want my father to come in from cutting the grass and plop into his recliner by the sofa, the smell of sweat and sunshine and fresh cut lawn filling up the living room. 

“You will see them again, sooner than you think.” Athena comforts. I know we have to move quickly so I pull myself out of my daydreams and slip on my leather pack. “Go back to where we bathed.” Athena instructs. When I reach the chamber where the bathing pool was, I am surprised to see flowers springing up where Gigantor disintegrated. I have no idea how I’m supposed to make peace with someone so hell bent on extracting their blood oath payment, or why his creepy body dust would result in a cluster of bluebonnets.

“The water will take us beyond the protection of these lands. Touch the water, Willow, it should come naturally to you.” I kneel down and place my hand into the pool. I think of moving beyond this place, of getting a head start, some place we might find allies. I relax and let go of my attachment to my body, and then I move through water, but it’s not wet. Maybe it’s space? We’re in a forest, it’s dark and I can smell wolves. Athena says they are not rogues, but we probably smell rogue, because we have no pack. Right now it is important that I am careful of what information I give about myself.

I’m crashing to the ground with a large mouth full of very sharp teeth on my forearm. I shift immediately, letting Athena take over. The black and gray wolf charges me at first, but seems to hesitate for a moment once it gets a good look at Athena. We are more than twice the size of this wolf, it growls low and begins to circle. 

“She is waiting for the pack.” Athena tells me. She feints left and pounces on the gray wolf as it dodges. Athena is forcing her to submit. Once the gray wolf submits, Athena backs off and focuses on the warriors that she can sense closing in. Seven warriors, but they all fall in behind an Alpha. Athena is completely still, when the Alpha crests the hill, he launches into the air, landing behind us. Athena does not spin around, she simply dodges his first attack without looking. This happens about 15 more times until I realize that she has drawn us back to the water. Taking two steps back, hind legs in the cool spring, we wait. The Alpha, a large brown wolf with black feet and ears, launches at us. Then I pull all of us through the portal in the water. I don’t know where we land, another forest, but I can’t tell if there are wolves. 

The alpha is snarling and lunging at Athena, I shift back to my human form and stand completely still. I want to cover myself, but I don’t want my movements to be perceived as a threat. He is taller than me, even in wolf form, but I don’t look down or away and he stares me down. Finally, he shifts back into his human form. His hair is short cropped and sandy brown, his eyes are brown, and he’s about 6’4”. He’s pissed.

“What was that, where are we?” He grinds out. I just shrug, I have no idea where we are.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know. I can take us back, but I need to know some things first, please.” I almost don’t add the please. I’m so desperate for information and so out of my element, I don’t want my voice to crack and give me away. 

“You want answers from ME?” He looks incredulous, “You ambush my borders and YOU have questions?” 

“To be fair, my wolf says that we were not yet to your border, just very close. Also, I was ambushed by the gray and black wolf, and I would like to point out that we did not hurt her at all.” He considers this, I can see his eyes flashing, his wolf is on edge.

“What do you want to know?” He asks.

“Is your pack associated with dark magic?” None of the other questions matter if the pack is compromised.

“The Summit Mist Pack is honorable. We do not practice or employ dark magic.” 

“What about witches?” I ask softly.

“We have a diverse pack. Some of my people are mated to witches, so there is magic, mostly healing and horticulture.” He’s studying my face, edging closer.

“I was born without a pack; I do not want to fight you. I did not tress pass, I am only looking for protection.”

“Does it have anything to do with the cursed mark on your neck?” He smirked. I don’t know how he can see it, and I don’t know what more I can do now. Surely a curse is grounds for banishment or beheading or whatever they do here. “So, are YOU associated with dark magic?”

“Not willingly, and not knowingly, until recently. I can’t tell you much about it because I don’t know much. I need to train, and I need to hide until I can face down what will come for me. If that is not something you can help me with, then just say that.”

“What can you do for my pack in return for our protection?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t even in the veil until…I don’t know how long it has been. Weeks maybe, months? I have no idea.” I sigh, I am getting tired of not knowing any of the answers, and of Athena never speaking up when I have naked encounters with men. 

“Why is your wolf…” He doesn’t finish, but he doesn’t need to. Athena is almost twice the size of his wolf. 

“Alpha blood.”

“Not ordinary Alpha blood though, who is your father?”

“I don’t know yet. I was raised by humans; I have never met anyone that wasn’t human. That I know of at least.” I want so badly to clothe myself, or conjure some warmth, but I can’t reveal that part of myself. 

“If you will tell me the truth, then I will help you. You can stay with me for a week, but you will only have access to my floor of the pack house, and you may not leave until we have reached an agreement. Otherwise, I will have to turn you over to the brethren as your sheer size presents a threat to us. I know you are not telling me everything, but if this is as sudden as you say, I will give you a short window of time to decide if you can trust me.” 

I thrust my hand out to shake his, he accepts, his eyes trained on my mark the entire time. “We have a sort of prophecy about a girl with a mark like that. I would be happy to tell you about it once I refresh my memory of it, and once you give me a little more information about yourself.” I pull me hand away and move to stand in the water.

“I will take us back now, there’s a portal in the stream, but I can’t bring you unless you hold on to me.” He takes my hand again and we move through the space and water, back to the Summit Mist Pack boundary. 

When we reappear, there’s noise in the distance, they must be searching the river for us. Brush crackles behind me and before I can react, the Alpha wraps and arm around me and spins me behind him. The gray and black wolf sinks her teeth into his shoulder as he blocks the attack meant for me. 

“Kira, stand down, I will link the others. There is no threat.” The gray wolf snarls and snaps at me in disgust, but she runs off toward the pack lands. I pry his arm off of me.

“Do you think we could retrieve my things? I am pretty cold.” I could shift, but I want to appear less threatening. 

He nods and we walk about half a mile up stream where my belongings are being guarded by a wary looking black wolf. He comes up just shy of chest level to me. 

“This is my Gamma, Sam. Sam, this is….” I guess we never did exchange names.

“Willow.” I say simply. He waits, but I won’t give more than that. So, he nods and continues.

“This is Willow. She will be a guest with limited privileges for a week. She will have access to my private floor only, and she is not permitted to leave that floor. Please make sleeping arrangements for her while we gather her belongings.” Sam gives a slight bow to the Alpha and lopes off in the same direction Kira went.

“My name is Ransom Cyrus.” He gives a little nod to my bag, “Quickly, I can’t promise you are the only rogue out here.”

I snatched up my things and pulled the robe from my bag, cinching it around my waist, I scooped up the shredded clothes and boots I was wearing when I shifted. I could fix them in private. Once everything is secured, I stand up straight, shoving my mass of curls back from my face. I signal to Ransom that I am ready and we start off in a different direction than the other wolves. Pretty soon we come to a road, where an SUV is waiting. The driver steps out and hands some clothes to Ransom, who accepts them and slips on the underwear, slacks, and white button-down shirt. He rolls up the cuffs as he says something to the driver, who glances over at me and nods once, then strolls out into the woods. Ransom gestures for me to get in.