I’m not sure what I was expecting but all of the sudden I felt like the boogeyman might bust into my room at
any moment.
I got up again and checked to make sure the door was locked and then padded over to the window. I was on the sixth floor, it’s not like someone was going to climb up. I laid down and hugged my pillow close. I had wolf hearing, why was I being paranoid.
I replayed what Eros had told me and thought about the chill that ran through my spine when the growl ripped through the club. Did he notice me or sense my power? Was he upset because I was an alpha born wolf in his territory? But wait, Athens was neutral, and he didn’t get close enough to fully sense me. Maybe
I’m just over thinking things.
Perhaps Eros was just trying to scare me, it’s not like we had been at the club that long for anyone to really notice me. I turned and tossed a bit more. This entire dorm room was tiny compared to my bedroom at home.
I woke in the morning and looked at my phone to check the time, it was almost noon. I had slept in; this time change adjustment was hitting me hard. I decided to take a shower and explore a little today, maybe I would walk to campus and look around.
“Ah there she is.” Karla called out to me as I stepped out of the elevator.
“Good morning Karla.” I waved.
“What good morning? It’s almost one o’clock” she said with her arms moving. Karla reminded me of the quintessential Greek lady who was opinionated, in charge and in everyone’s business.
“Time change.” I simply stated and stood smiling.
“A nice man dropped this off early this morning, he said you dropped it yesterday.” She handed me the silver bracelet I was wearing last night.
I took the bracelet and stared at it for a moment. I hadn’t even realized I had dropped it. Maybe it was the taxi
driver?
“Thank you.” I shoved it in my purse.
“Off to see the great city?” She asked.
“I’m thinking about starting at the campus and the surrounding areas.” I told her.
“Watch out for the pick pockets, especially in the metro.” She called out.
The campus was two blocks east and I could see the Acropolis in the distance. I walked around looking at the old buildings and found my way to the big library. I took note of the buildings so I could easily find my way next week. My stomach growled at me and I decided to get something to eat.
There were several eateries and shops in the vicinity of the campus. They had indoor and outdoor patio dining areas. I walked by a big window and saw a rotating chunk of meat on a spit.
“Mmmm Gyros.” Rae purred and my stomach grumbled again.
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Ten minutes later, I was seated on a patio chair and taking a big chomp into the fresh and flavorful Gyro with delicious tzatziki sauce. I had decided to spend the rest of the afternoon walking along the shops and taking in my new environment.
I walked by an ice cream shop and heard a knock from the inside window. Rocky was waving at me, so I stepped inside of Richy’s Temple of Sweets.
“Hey Raven, how’s it going?” Rocky asked.
“There’s so much to take in.”
“The only thing you need to take in right now is the new sweet seduction chocolate ice cream Richard just got in. He’s now offering twenty–one flavors.” She said.
“Ladies, would you like a sample of my sweet seduction?” He asked with his eyebrows dancing up and down. We burst out laughing at his cheesy catch line.
Rocky and I strolled out of the ice cream shop with our large sweet seduction ice creams. I had some nagging thoughts in the back of my mind about last night, so I decided I would ask her.
“This beast of Greece, what can you tell me about him?”
“Well I’ve never actually seen him myself. He’s the Alpha of one of the strongest and deadliest packs in Europe. He killed his own father for the title when he was sixteen.” Rocky said.
“How could he do that at sixteen? We don’t get our wolf until we are eighteen?” Shock in my voice.
“He’s not an ordinary wolf. He got his wolf early and they say he’s a descendant of King Lycaon, who was turned into a wolf by Zeus, after trying to trick him. He’s monstrous and his aura radiates death, they say his family is cursed. We try to avoid him.”
“Cursed? In what way? What’s the name of his pack?” I made a mental note to ask my father since he knew most of the major packs in the world.
“I’m not sure what kind of curse, but it’s said to be very unnatural. The name of the pack is Olympus Blood Moon, their territory is in the central part of Greece and a few of the islands belong to them.” She informed
- me.
“The man I was dancing with at the club said that the beast was watching me.” I told her anxiously.
She nearly dropped her ice cream and gave me a shocked look. “I saw a man dancing with you, but I didn’t get a look at his face.”
“He said his name was Eros, he was a wolf.” I added.
“Eros? As in the Greek under boss?” She asked.
“I have no idea. Wait, underboss? As in mafia? There’s a Greek Mafia?” I asked in complete shock.
“Whom better to run human mafias? Arms, drugs, trafficking, s*x, all of it. The black market is run by the lowest unethical wolves, the corruption runs deep.”
Goddess what kind of world have I been living in? I thought to myself. No wonder my father wanted to keep me close to home.
“The beast may have noticed you, you have a strong aura” she said.
“Does he actually have a name?”
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“Yes, but most are afraid to even say it.” She looked over her shoulders and then whispered, “Dimitri
Theodorus.”
I felt a sensational chill run through my spin at the mere mention of his name. “Dimitri,” I heard his name roll off my lips. Rae tensed up and I thought maybe she could use a run.
“Rocky, is there a safe place to let my wolf out for a run?”
“Yes, Athens has some forest lands that are neutral. Leo and I will usually run once a week near the Kaisariani Monastery. We’re actually going tonight.”
“Would it be okay if I joined you?”
“Sure, we run in human form to the forest, it’s about a thirty minute run east of here. Then we let the wolves
out.” She said.
We headed back to the dorms and I spent some time looking through my university schedule and class syllabus. I was sitting at my desk when I noticed a small binder in the top drawer that contained take out menus for local restaurants that delivered.
“Sweet, let’s order something.” Rae yipped.
I might be small, but Rae is an Alpha born wolf and she’s bigger than most wolves. We burn a lot more calories quicker. My fingers dialed a local Greek restaurant and I placed the order. I plopped down on my bed and flipped through the tourist guide I had picked up. I was reading up on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi and felt an instinctive pull to visit since mom was a descendant of Apollo.
I was lost in thought looking through the guide when I heard the elevator door open and a knock at my door. There was a handsome young delivery guy holding my bag of food. “Kalispera.” He smiled.
“Umm, hello.” I smiled back. He had said good evening, but my Greek was terrible and I wasn’t about to make a fool out of myself.
“I have a leg of lamb specialty plate and fresh baklava for Ms. Raven.” He held out the bag.
“Thank you.” I smiled. I had already paid over the phone but tipped him five euros.
Three hours later, I was dressed in yoga pants, shirt and running shoes, running with Leo and Rocky. We looked like normal college students out for a run. The cool night air felt wonderful on my skin as we jogged east towards the forest.
We finally reached the forest and went in a little deeper before we found a spot to shift. I removed my clothes and hid them in a bush next to the tree before stepping out in my black Alpha wolf. Rocky and Leo both turned to me and bowed their heads in submission at Rae who emanated a strong power. Rocky was a dark brown wolf with hazel eyes and Leo had light brown fur with brown eyes.
Leo let out a bark and we took off running. Rocky and I followed behind and I had no idea where we were going. The night was clear, the air was crisp, and the forest felt still. I wondered if other predators lived in the forest. It certainly did not feel like we were alone.
Rae kept trying to pick up scents, but we couldn’t even pick up Leo and Rocky who were running along with us. The Mediterranean climate was so much different than the Canadian Rockies I was used to. We stopped at a small stream to lap some water up, the moving water was the only sound that could be heard. We started to run back in the same direction and a loud howl pierced through the air. Leo, Rocky and I started
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running with great urgency to our starting point. Leo and Rocky were from the same pack so they could still mind link, but I was completely in the dark. I thought this was neutral territory.
We reached our starting point and I shifted back. I reached into the bush for my clothes and found they had been scattered around. I picked them up, put them on and quickly ran out of the forest tree line to meet Leg
and Rocky.
“What the hell was that?” I asked.
“Obviously we weren’t alone. Leo and I have been running here for the last year and we’ve never come across any other shifter’s.” Rocky told me.
“Raven, you smell different.” Leo sniffed in my direction.
I pulled my shirt to my nose and inhaled, he was right, caramel and spice. I looked at the forest behind us and saw a pair of glowing eyes staring from the darkness. I blinked and they were gone.
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