Chosen by the Goddess

Chapter 8

    We have been on the road for quite a while. We had stopped once to get lunch but I was getting hungry again. 

    “How much longer?” I ask Rhys, feeling like an impatient child. 

    “Not much, maybe another 45 minutes, or an hour in this traffic.” I nod. We had talked earlier, but we were both getting tired, so I had turned the radio up. I had told him about how I was taking time off from college, but that I planned to go back to finish my degree in history and English literature. He had told me about his home and his pack. I could see that he was eager to get back. 

    I look out the window and lean my head against the cool glass. The wood around us were getting darker and the road less busy. Soon we were the only car in sight. 

    “Alright” Rhys says, getting me to turn to him. “We’re now crossing pack borders.” I don’t respond, but can hear the excitement in his voice. Suddenly, I realize how nervous I am. He must have noticed me getting tense, he puts one hand on my knee, as to calm me down. It works. 

    “And this-“ he continues, “is our escort.” I turn around to try and make out what he is talking about, we are still the only ones on the road. I give him a confused look, he chuckles and whispers, “in the woods.” I look outside my window again, narrowing my eyes to improve my vision. 

    They widen again when I see what he means. Beasts. At least four giant wolves are running with us, a couple yards away, safely hidden in the  forrest. It’s getting dark and I can only make out their slender, gracious movements, but not how many there are. I turn to the other side, and notice that there are more wolves on my side than on Rhys’. I feel my heart beat accelerating and I cannot help but wonder, are they here to protect me, or to keep me in place? I push that thought away quickly, that kind of thinking isn’t helpful.

    “You don’t have to be afraid.” His low voice snaps me out of my doubts. 

    “I know that you think that.” I respond, with a soft smile on my lips. The energy to act like everything is fine had left me a couple of miles ago. 

    “Nothing is going to happen to you. Everyone is anticipating your arrival, and you will see, we are not even that different.” I know he is trying to encourage me, but his words sound ridiculous to me. Of course they are different, I cannot think of anything more different from what I am used to. 

    “Where did they go?” I ask as I notice the wolves had left our side. 

    “They heard your heart pounding and increased the space between us. They don’t want to scare you.” 

    “How do you know? And why can they hear my heartbeat?” This information was not helping my anxiety. 

        “What do you mean? Your heart beats so loud and the wolfs pick up on it. If I focus on it, it sounds as if someone was playing drums in the passenger seat.” He chuckles a little too much about his own joke. I don’t feel like laughing. Great, now I’m not just nervous, but everyone around me knows exactly how nervous I am.  

    Just when I think I can’t take it anymore, we leave the woods behind, Rhys takes a turn and pulls up to a parking lot. It had gotten dark and the area was flooded with artificial light. 

    “Here we are.” He announces. I figured so much and only nod. He glides out of the car and, before I can react, has walked around the car to hold the door open for me. I jump out of the vehicle, after grabbing my backpack from the back seat. 

    “You ready?” He asks, giving me a beautiful, happy smile. I want to say no, because I am not, but to see him so happy calms me a little and I don’t want to dim his cheery mood. So I smile and nod. Rhys again walks a couple steps ahead of me, this time out of excitement. I clear my throat, he seems to understand what I mean, he slows down to continue walking next to me. We turn a corner, and I stop, causing Rhys to hesitate too. 

    “What is it?” He asks confused. 

    “This is a joke” I declare. 

    “Why? What do you mean?” He really doesn’t see what I am getting at. I raise my hand, to motion at what is lying in front of us. He had talked about a pack house earlier. But this building is far from being a house. This, is what can only be described as a castle. It extended far on both sides, there was a courtyard, the main entrance was framed with tall white pillars, and I counted enough windows to suggest that the building was at least four stories high. 

    “You call that a house? Cinderella called, she wants her palace back.” He flashes me the biggest smile.

    “I know, it’s pretty.”

    “Pretty is quite an understatement.” I respond, laughing nervously. 

    “You will be fine.” He says, before leaving down to me, and pressing a light kiss on my head. 

    “Do you kids just want to stand there or maybe come inside some time today?” Someone shouts from the... house I guess. Rhys lets out a noise that I can only interpret as joyous. His delight is contagious and I can feel myself calming down. I grab his hand, before he can run away from me again. That throws him off for a second, but then he continues to pull me forward and we make our way across the yard.