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  I looked at Leo with my eyebrow arched and gave him a questioning head tilt. “Why can’t I scent you?” I asked.

  “Hi, I’m Rocky.” Said the female who looked to be about the same age with long brown hair and big hazel colored eyes.

  “I’m Raven.” I said.

  “You have a strong Alpha aura radiating!” Rocky said as she stepped closer with a curious look on her face.

  “Why can’t I scent you? Are you using magic?” I asked.

  “Leonidas and I are from the same pack in the Northeastern region of Greece. There are only five packs in Greece; northeast, north, central, Sparta and Crete. Athens is neutral but it doesn’t mean that someone won’t notice you. The islands are also neutral but there is a large roaming rogue population on the islands. Humans can’t scent you but other wolfs can. We use herbs to hide our scent so other wolfs can’t scent us.” Rocky told me.

  “Are you in some danger if another wolf scents you?” I wondered.

  “No, not on neutral territory. Our Alpha would just prefer us to be left alone and unnoticed when we are away from the pack. He makes everyone take the herb when they leave pack territory.” She said.

  “The herb is native to the Mediterranean and we like to keep it a secret.” Leo told me.

  “How many more wolves are in the dorm?” I asked.

  “Just us. Rocky is in six B, for Beta.” He smiled.

  “Are you heading to the market?” Rocky asked pointing to the utility cart in my hand.

  I nodded. “Yes. I just arrived today and to get stocked up.”

  “I need to go shopping too, is it okay if I join you?” She asked and grabbed a folding cart.

  “I’d like that.” I said and we made our way to the market.

  I learned that Rocky is the daughter of the Beta and Leo is the son of the Delta. What a strange coincidence that I was in six A, she was in six B and Leo was in six D. “What about the other dorms on our floor, C, E and F?”

  “Humans.” She said.

  We walked into the market and I grabbed laundry supplies, paper products, food, snacks and drinks. My utility cart was fully stocked with no room left; I was glad I brought it to carry everything back in. At the checkout, I found a tourist guide to Greece and purchased it as well. The metro line was by the market which was convenient transportation to get around Athens and check out some of the sights I wanted to see.

  We walked back to the dorm building took the elevator upstairs to unload our carts. Rocky was just across the hall from me. I stood in the kitchen and unloaded the groceries. The kitchenette had basic cooking utensils and necessities. I had purchased dish soap and a sponge to do the dishes.

  “Are we having the steak tonight?” Rae asked practically drooling at the fresh piece of meat I had bought for dinner.

  “You are such a carnivore.” I told my wolf.

  I left the room with the utility cart; my laundry supplies were still in it. I made my way to the elevator to return the borrowed cart to the basement and store my laundry supplies in the locked cabinet I was assigned.

  Rocky also stepped out of her room with the empty cart and stepped into the elevator with me. “Are you staying in tonight?” She asked me.

  “I really don’t have any plans, just settling in.” I said and the elevator doors opened up to the basement.

  “Leo and I are going to the club tonight; you’re welcome to come with us.” She smiled.

  “Is there an age restriction?”

  “Oh honey this is Greece, they don’t even check, but it’s eighteen.” She smiled.

  I walked over to the cabinet and put my laundry supplies away, then I set the utility cart back in the closet. We took the elevator back up to our floor and the doors dinged open. “Just think about it. It will give you a chance to let your hair down before classes start on Monday. We’re leaving at ten, you know where to find us.”

  “Thanks. I’m a little jet lagged but I’ll take a shower and think about it.” I told her.

  An hour later I had taken a shower in my little bathroom in what must have been the worlds smallest shower. I stood at the hot plate cooking my dinner and it smelled delicious. I had sliced the steak in strips and cooked it with onion, mushroom and zucchini. I dumped the contents in a bowl and sat at my desk to eat.

  I checked my phone and saw a missed call from Clair and a text message from my Dad. I texted my dad back and called Clair. I reached her voicemail and left a message. Thoughts of home and Zach flooded through my head as I sat silently chewing my food.

  “We should get out and see the night life, no sense in sitting around thinking about Zach.” Rae said to me.

  She was right. This was my new life and Greece was going to be my adventure. I was surrounded by Greek Gods without the overprotective eyes of my brothers. I was going to get passed Zach one way or another and dancing sure sounding like it would be a good start.

  I went into the bathroom and blow dried my long hair before adding some loose ringlets in it with my curling iron. My hair was indeed raven black, and it stood out with my pale complexion. I finished my make up with black mascara on my blue eyes to make them pop and a dark merlot lip stain. I stood in front of the closet, what does one wear when partying in Athens?

  “The little black dress.” Rae purred back.

  I slipped on my silver heels with a black form fitted dress. It was mid-thigh with three quarter length sleeves and off the shoulder, exposing one shoulder. I slipped on my silver earrings and bracelet and grabbed my silver purse.

  “Eeeek!” Rocky squealed as she ripped the door open and hugged me. “I’m so glad you’re coming with us. YOU LOOK HOT!”

  She was wearing black heels and a red dress. Her brown hair was semi clipped back and curled. “Let’s go. Leo’s got a taxi coming in five minutes.”

  “Hey, look who it is!” Leo smiled at us when we stepped out of the elevator. He was wearing black slacks and a blue button up shirt, his biceps nearly straining the shirt. “Come, the taxi is here.”

  We stepped into the night club and the music was pulsing in the air. It was sleek, dark and had strobe lights buzzing. I scented humans and at least a dozen different wolves. We made our way to the bar and Leo ordered shots of Ouzo. “When in Greece, do as the Greeks. Yamas!”

  We downed the shots and my throat burned with the taste of black licorice. Leo then ordered a round of beer. Alcohol had very little effect on a werewolf because our system burned it quickly.

  A human redhead made her way to Leo and Rocky rolled her eyes. “Come on, let’s go hit the dance floor.” I followed her and noticed a few wolves shamelessly eyeing me like candy. The place was so crowded, and we squeezed out a spot on the dance floor.

  I had that awkward feeling of eyes boring holes into me, I was so exposed on the dance floor that I couldn’t tell who’s eyes they were. Before I knew it, I felt a heated body pressing against my back and grinding against me. I turned to find strong arms and a dazzling smile on a handsome wolf.

  “You’re new.” He said with a Greek accent.

  “What makes you say that?” I asked.

  “It’s not every day a beautiful little wolf steps into Athens smelling like honeysuckle and vanilla.” He smiled.

  “I’m not new to Athens.” Technically it wasn’t a lie, I had vacationed here before with my family.

  “I’m Eros from the northern pack in Greece.” He said and slipped his hand on my hip. I could feel his aura, he wasn’t just an ordinary pack wolf, he was an Alpha. Rae also sensed him. I noticed his eyes trail down to my exposed shoulder and then to my chest.

  “Eros? Named after the God of lust, it’s nice to meet you, Eros.” I lied. I had no intention of getting to know him better or giving him my name. He was devouring me with his eyes.

  “She knows her Greek mythology.” He smiled, “What a coy little wolf, she will not give me her name.” He stared intrigued. His wandering hand and gaze was making me very uncomfortable. He leaned into my ear and inhal
ed deeply before he whispered a warning. “You’re not safe, the beast is here tonight and he’s watching you.”

  I heard a low growl coming from the upstairs balcony area and a chill ran through me. Rae was uncomfortable and something felt off. Eros walked away and I turned to find Rocky and Leo waving me over. I quickly made my way to them and Rocky spoke first, “I need some air, will you both step outside with me.”

  I thought we were going to get some air, but Leo quickly hailed a taxi. “Quick get in.” He said looking anxious and pulled the door open for us.

  “What happened? Why are we leaving so soon?” Not that I minded.

  “The beast of Greece was in the club tonight and he can sense all werewolves. It’s not safe for anyone.” Rocky said.

  “The beast of Greece? Sounds like a demon or boogeyman.” I let out a nervous giggle.

  “He may as well be.” Leo said.

  “We are never going back there.” Rae whispered to me.

  Wait a minute, a dreadful thought hit me. Didn’t Eros say the beast was watching me tonight?

  Chapter 4 – Howl

  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.

  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, sex, 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?”

  “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 sinc
e 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 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 Leo and Rocky.