The Golden Goddess

A Warm Welcome

Lorcan

Thanks to the strange pillars of protection along our path, we reached the enormous iron fortress of the Heroux pack without any more drama. However, barely anyone had spoken a word, even Leif sensed the mood had shifted to one where he needed to keep his mouth shut. Sharp metal spikes rose up from the towering walls so high that I had to crane my neck and squint my eyes against the sun to even see the knifelike tips.

“As far as we know, the shadows cannot climb that high,” Kafele whispered to me when he saw me looking. I nodded once as a few guards' heads became visible through a small opening in the wall. They scanned our faces and nodded at Kafele and Rafandra before slamming the hatch shut. I inhaled a sharp breath, trying to prepare myself for whatever was about to greet me on the other side of this wall as the sound of clanking and twisting iron rattled through the air. So far, this realm looked like the beginning of hell and I was now extremely concerned for these wolves and how they must be living.

The heavy, black doors opened and we stepped through the threshold.

My feet became paralysed. I blinked rapidly to check this wasn’t an illusion. It was like stepping through a warped reality. One moment, you are surrounded by death and gore and the next…

The beauty of nature flourished in every corner of the quaint village. Vibrant greens, pinks, purples and yellows flooded my sight as I scanned the hilly slopes of flowers and grass. Large, wooden houses lined the gardens, old in style but with so much charm. Burbling, quaint streams cascaded along narrow pathways, weaving in and out of the buildings like a maze. I stepped towards the river bank, completely captivated by the glittery substance of the water and noticed the rocks that bedded the river’s floor were made of exquisite crystals. Even the air felt fresh and pure. How could that be when just the other side of that wall…

“Is this place enchanted?” Leif asked, thinking the same thing as me.

“Yes and no,” Kafele spoke quietly as I noticed the warriors take Zai’s body away discreetly since some of the people in the streets were starting to notice us. “This is how it has always been but when the Goddess was born, nature bloomed. Everything became brighter and crops grew in abundance. She is our lifeline here. We protect her at all costs.” “Impressive lady,” Leif nodded, bending down to scoop some of the water into the palm of his hand and drink from it.

“She is not a mere lady. She is a Goddess. And because of that, there are rules you must follow when in her company,” Rafandra turned to look at us three newbies with concern in his eyes. “Come. We must get to the city.”

“This isn’t the city?” Neve asked, smiling at the pack members who had now come out of their houses to study us. Many bowed their heads in respect to the warriors while some stared at us all with curious eyes. The first thing I noticed was their clothing. It was simple and primitive in many ways. The women were wearing either long dresses made from cotton or furs wrapped around their bodies whereas the men wore barely anything. Some had cotton shift tops on with leather animal skin trousers but it was easy to tell who the warriors were. They stood dotted around the pretty streets wearing only leather and furs as skirts with large leather belts to hold them up and strange gold armour on bare shoulders. Each was unique and clearly made especially for that warrior. Their bodies on full display were ripped and intimidating, yet closer to their true forms. Closer in appearance to their wolves. Now I understood the quizzical looks we were receiving. We were all dressed in the latest fashion from the human realm. My ripped jeans, tight-fitted T-shirt and leather jacket must be so bizarre to them.

“No, this is the border and smallest village in our Kingdom. We have seven villages altogether and the closer we get to the palace, the more beautiful they become,” he explained. I raised my eyebrows. I wasn’t sure how the other villages could get any more picturesque than this one. It was as if we had walked right into a fairytale setting. I was honestly waiting for a cartoon rabbit to wave hello to me.

“The Goddess is not to be looked upon or spoken to unless you are given permission by the King. And she is never to be touched under any circumstances,” Rafandra continued as we strolled down the streets that did indeed grow more stunning with grander wooden houses, taverns and beautiful open parks where young children were playing happily.

“Why can’t she be touched or looked at?” Neve asked from next to me, pulling my attention back to the conversation.

“There are many reasons. Mainly to show respect that she is a divine being but also because she has many powers that should only be used at her blessing.”

“What kind of powers?” I asked, naturally intrigued as none of us had ever met a Goddess before.

“Besides manipulating nature from just her emotions, she can read and feel people’s auras, bless, protect or condemn souls, and sometimes she receives visions when she touches another's skin. Not all those visions are positive,” Kafele explained. “She remains hidden in public behind golden veils and cloaks for this reason. To protect her from having to use her powers unwillingly but also to comfort those around her. It can be a little intimidating and overwhelming to be in her presence.” “There are many other reasons,” one of the warriors, named Jarik, smirked cheekily. “Rumours say she can turn things to gold! And she can bewitch men’s senses. Make them do anything she wants. Just one look in her golden eyes and you will fall head over heels in love.”

Kafele scoffed, shaking his head as he turned to me and Neve. “They are just rumours that the simpleton of this pack likes to gossip about over drinks in the tavern. You’ll hear many things about the Goddess but don’t believe them all to be true.”

“It is true! Everyone knows it,” Jarik continued, coming to life on this topic. “Remember what happened to Killorn? He was blessed by the Goddess for a trip to another pack and he made the mistake of looking directly into her eyes. He was never the same again. He came back from his trip with bunches of wild flowers, a boar’s head as a gift and got down on one knee and asked her to be his chosen mate.”

“Killorn was a mad man,” Rafandra jumped in.

“He was bewitched!”

“What happened to him?” Neve asked.

“Well, he was whipped within inches of his life when he was caught trying to climb up to her tower one night. Then he was taken by The Cursed not long after,” Jarik answered, shrugging his shoulders.

“Hear that Lorcan, don’t look into the Goddess’ eyes or you’ll break your chastity belt,” Leif whispered to me, sending me a wink and I smirked. I had no intention of breaking any of this pack's quirky rules, no matter how strange I thought they were. I was here to save the realm and defeat those shadow beasts, the last thing on my mind was women. After seeing those beasts and the gravity of the situation here, even Typhon seemed to agree with me on that one for now.

“But what is she like? The Goddess?” Neve questioned, already completely drawn in by the story. When none of the warriors seemed to know how to answer, she continued. “Is she a nice person? Is she funny? Is she kind? What does she like to do? Does she have any friends? Interests?”

“She is a Goddess, Neve,” Kafele answered and Neve frowned deeply.

“So? She is still a person. A member of this pack. Has no one taken the time to actually get to know her?”

“No. That is not our place. She is not like us. Plus, Alpha Aramis keeps her extremely well guarded and protected at all times. No one can get to her even if they wanted to,” Kafele answered and Neve turned to look at me. Neve was a super compassionate person and I knew she was instantly concerned for this woman. I had to reign her in before she stepped out of line and did something stupid.

‘Leave it alone, Neve. They behave and think very differently from us. Don’t ruffle any feathers before we’ve even reached the palace,’ I ordered through mind-link.

‘But can you imagine how this Goddess must be living? She must be so isolated and alone! It’s not right.’

‘I agree with you but it is not our place to say.’

She huffed and rolled her eyes but kept quiet as we approached another set of gates. These ones were made of pure gold with jewels and designed with curled patterns. The gates opened as we approached and an elegant and dazzling city stood before us with a truly magnificent palace at its centre. Then all hell broke loose.

I froze as I heard the deafening sound of my name being shouted on repeat by the sea of unknown faces that lined the limestone streets. They were waving banners and flags, many with my name, Saviour or the title ‘White Wolf’ written on them.

“Welcome to the Heroux capital, Saviour,” Rafandra smiled for the first time, but I couldn’t even return it. This was my worst nightmare. I’d spent my life avoiding the hysteria that surrounded me at home, thinking it was all slightly ridiculous. But this… this was something else entirely.

“Hero, hero, hero!” Leif started joining in with the chanting next to me as he slapped my back hard, shoving me forwards through the crowd. “Lap it up, brother!”

“Remind me why you are here again?” I growled under my breath as I attempted to smile at the pack members who were either screaming in my face hysterically or flapping their hands and looking as though they were about to faint.

“To share in all your glory!” Leif teased and I rolled my eyes to the heavens. He would never let me live this down. The pressure was now mounting with every step taken through the stunning village. The looks of hope and relief on these people’s faces were too much. Suddenly, a woman pushed through the warriors, who were holding the people back to allow us through, and fell to her knees in front of me with tears in her eyes and a wide smile on her face. She grabbed my hand in hers and started peppering kisses on it as my eyes bulged.

“Thank you! Oh thank you, my saviour. May the Gods bless your soul,” she cried, before a warrior lifted her around the waist and carried her away.

“This is madness,” Neve muttered next to me. I wanted to agree, but I was too stunned by the chaos. Instead, I started to walk rapidly down the streets, smiling as much as I could at the people but needing to get the hell out of here, fast. I did my best to ignore the hands that reached over the warrior’s arms and grabbed at my leather jacket or the women screaming how gorgeous I was. A slow bubble of laughter started to rise in my throat from the insanity. They were treating me as if I was some kind of celebrity or I had already defeated The Cursed. All I’d done was walked through their gates.

When we finally made it to the palace steps, I barely took the time to look up to see the enormous figure standing at the top of the steps, waiting to greet me.

I only paused when the crowd behind us fell silent and I lifted my head to find a man that oozed authority and royalness lower his hand. His dark eyes met mine and he took a few steps towards me. My nerves built as I could sense hundreds of people’s eyes on me and this man who was clearly their King and Alpha by the gold crown sitting on top of his shoulder-length black hair.

He placed his fist against his right pec and bowed his head to me in respect. I quickly caught on that this was how they greeted here as I had seen both Kafele and Rafandra give me the same treatment in the human realm. I placed my fist against my leather jacket and bowed my head in return. When I glanced back up, I could see him smiling at me.

“Lorcan Romano Black. We welcome you to the Heroux pack and our realm. My name is King Alpha Aramis and we have been expecting you,” his voice boomed effortlessly across the village as another cheer broke out from the crowd behind me. He silenced them after a few moments with another raised hand.

“Thank you for such a warm welcome. I am truly honoured,” I smiled back politely.

“Come. There is much to discuss and plan for, but tonight… Tonight we celebrate your arrival!” Howls and cheers from the crowd erupted again as he turned slightly to gesture for me to walk with him into the palace. I nodded and glanced behind me at Leif and Neve who had the Usoro twins on each side of them. We all followed the Alpha and another brute of a man wearing a similar royal cape around his shoulders and curly sandy coloured hair. As soon as we were inside and the glass doors shut behind us, the excitement of the pack faded into the background and we were met with a calming quiet.