Page 11 of Wolf Reborn

Because the temple was on the tip of a hill, the wind was strong, tugging at my hair as I hurried to catch up to Lucian. He promised me that I’d get my chance to speak with the Goddess. I just hoped it would be soon.

Lucian avoided the entrance of the temple and went around towards the back, taking a path hidden by trees that I hadn’t noticed before. Behind the temple, where there was a grand garden, vast and colorful, one that resembled a forest more than a garden. It had taken us mere minutes to get here, and we'd avoided the crowd. But how did we get in? I was about to ask him when he approached a door and placed his palm flat against it.

A hologram appeared above his hand, followed by three clicks. Then he turned the door’s handle and opened it.

Now I was more eager than ever to find out what it was he wanted to show me. I knew he had a special relationship with the Goddess, and I was looking forward to learning about it.

“So, what do you do exactly? Rehema said you’re like the Goddess’s son,” I probed as he allowed me to step through the door ahead of him, which led to an empty white room with another door ahead of us.

He didn’t respond but turned and closed the door. When he walked back to me, his expression gave nothing away.

“She already has a son,” he answered.

I tried to hide my surprise. I hadn’t known that. It wasn’t common knowledge, at least for wolves on Earth. “Oh, right,” I grumbled.

His mouth curved with an amused and knowing smile as he stepped around me. “There’s a ranking among the gods. The gods known on Earth are called the Supreme. They help keep civilization going with their influence. But there are other gods, like the Goddess’s son, who don’t have a direct connection to Earth. That’s likely why you didn’t know of him. They are called the Dextura.”

We crossed the room, and went through another door. On the other side, there was a corridor with stone walls lined with torches. I looked around as he closed the door, amazed. It was as if we were in an ancient underground tunnel, but the air was still clean and crisp.

“Among the Supremes,” he continued, as we turned left, “there are gods called the Imperium. Those are the most powerful ones, like Zeus, Odin, and our Goddess. Each of the Imperium was responsible for creating a different species on earth.”

“I had no idea,” I admitted as the light from the torches flickered across the walls.

“I know. There are many gods here that beings on Earth don’t know about. Dexturas who aren’t known and worshiped directly serve under the Supremes and the Grand Primus, who have more authority. For example, our Goddess has several lesser gods who help her. She’s powerful, but it’s a lot of work to guide her children both here and on Earth.”

“I see . . .” I muttered. When he made another left turn, his head almost touching the stone ceiling, I said, “So back on Earth, the story I heard says that the first werewolf had the Goddess’s favor and her divinity, hence the white fur.” I paused and turned to Lucian. He stopped walking and met my eyes with an unreadable expression. “I was told that werewolf is you. The story goes that the first wolf, corrupted and tainted by darkness, lost his white fur and transformed into a beast that stood on two legs, a form all the werewolf descendants inherited and can take. I’m not sure what people called it in your day, but we call it our second form on Earth now. Since you still have white fur and I’ve heard nothing from you about any children, nothing in this of what I’ve been told is adding up.”

“The first werewolf was indeed corrupted, bitten and turned by a vampire.” We both started walking slowly as he spoke. “That’s why the Goddess created me and then the other white wolves, realizing that as strong as her first creations were, they weren’t strong enough to face vampires, especially royals. Too many of them were dying or being turned. Also, wolves always had the ability to shift into our final form.”

“Oh,” I drawled. “That makes sense.”

“Yeah, after you live here long enough, you realize that a lot of the myths and legends that get passed down merely contain elements of truth in them, rather than the literal truth. That’s especially true the more time that has passed since the events took place. Even the gods get pissed off when they hear how their proudest moments get edited over time.” He smirked, and a bit of light entered his eyes. “Well, actually it only bothers them if they get minimized. If they’re embellished, they’re fine with it.

Smiling, I thought about all the other werewolf legends Xavier and I’d been told at bedtime by Uncle Mathieu. Goddess, did I miss them! Thinking of Xavier just made me want to get wherever we were going faster, and it seemed like this corridor went on forever. “Not to change the subject, but I feel like we’ve been walking for hours. Where are we going?”

"This leads to a hidden cave,” Lucian answered. “A sacred place for the Goddess. Right now, it’s where she's sleeping."

“What?” I exclaimed, my voice echoing through the lonely corridor. “You’re taking me to the Goddess?”

“No,” Lucian chuckled. “You’ll see when we get there.”

I looked behind us, my heart racing.

“Be still Natalie, you have nothing to be worried about,” he said.

I nodded, and he waited for me to catch up with him, then let me walk in front. “How did you—you know, end up here?”

“How did I die?”

“Yes.” I looked back at him as we continued down the corridor. The hall was wide enough for two people to walk side by side, but not when those two people were white wolves like Lucian. He was simply too big. And I loved it.

“I was killed by two vampire royals, but not before I killed three others. It was a few centuries before your time.” He looked down at me. “During that time, people lived in caves and huts, not in apartments, like thereare now on Earth.”

“Wow,” I whispered under my breath. “You’re that old.”

“Older,” he chuckled, and I laughed along with him.

Talking to Lucian felt so natural. Nothing seemed forced, and I couldn’t help letting out a sigh of relief.

---