I smell her essence. But before I can turn in the direction it's coming from, her arms wrap around me from behind.
"Right here." She says in reply to my call, hugging me tightly.
"Oh..." I exhale in relief. My worries, rushing out of every pore and orifice in my body.
I turn around to face her and meet with her smiling face
"Were you worried about me? I hurried back as soon as I felt your distress." She says so innocently I can't help but smile at her.
"Yes, I was worried about you! You promised you would stay and wait for me where I left you, babe. What happened? Where were you?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry. Just that, a girl got lost. She kinda strayed away from her family so I helped her track them. It turned out they'd also been searching everywhere for her. I would have called you if I had my phone, and I never knew our mind link would work without our wolves until I felt your distress so I tracked you."
''It's okay..." I say and hold her hand, leading her toward the car park.
"It's time to leave for that surprise I told you about."
"Oh, yay!..." She says, clutching my arm in excitement.
"Why didn't you track me yourself though? You could have done that instead of getting worried, you know."
"I could, just that it won't be easy. If my wolf was not sleeping, I could easily track you among this crowd. Because I'm original, I can do it without my wolf of course but that would be time-consuming because of the people around. You were able to easily track me without your wolf because you're different."
"I'm different? Different how?" She asks, looking at my face as we weave through the people walking all around us
"Well, your kind is the super deluxe version of shifters, so to say," I reply and chuckle but she doesn't get my joke.
Rather, she frowns in confusion
"Super deluxe version?" She asks cluelessly
"Your wolf is different from all other werewolves you've ever seen, isn't that right?" I ask and she nods vigorously before going ahead to give me a full description of what her wolf looks like, how she heals faster, and how stronger she has become. Basically, everything I already knew about her before we even met.
I nod as she talks
"Your wolf is not strange. You're not a freak, you're just different from us. How do I put it?... You're created better than the rest of us. You're a Lycan." I say just as we arrive at the car park.
"Oh!... I'm created better!?" Her eyes widen with surprise as she repeats what I say and I nod
Ella and Ivar are still around. I think to myself when I see their car. I unlock my car that's parked beside theirs and hold the door open for Ash.
The questions about her wolf resume the moment I sit down to drive.
"You know, I never knew there were different kinds of werewolves until now! You're Original and I'm Lycan. What's the difference between the Originals and Lycans wolves then?"
The way she phrases her question makes me laugh. I obviously didn't didn't make it clear enough for her.
"You and I are both Originals actually. We're two of the four original offsprings that were chosen to fight and restore the glory of our various houses."
A deeper frown appears on her face right then like she's considering something to herself.
"This is just beginning to make sense." She says after a while, more to herself before looking into my eyes.
"Some parts are just beginning to make sense to me. There are still a lot of things I don't understand of course and I still have a lot of questions that I want to ask you..."
"Which part is beginning to make sense and what questions do you have?"
"Okay, remember I told you guys about the only time I ever got to leave the pack?...
"Yes?..."
"That was when I thought my wolf was weird and Martha took me to her witch cousin so she would help me get clarification. When we..."
"Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt— huh, this witch you're talking about, is she ancient?" I want to retrieve my memory so badly that I can't help but interrupt her while she is still talking
"Ancient? I don't know. What's an ancient witch supposed to look like?..." She asks back and I shrug, clueless myself
"Believe me, I don't know myself. I asked because only an ancient witch can help me get the memories of us that I locked away."
"I see... Well, if it goes by look, believe me, there's nothing ancient about this particular witch. She's young and very beautiful. Are ancient witches not easy to find? You can always find another one right?" She asks with concern.
No, they aren't easy to find but don't worry about it. Uncle Leif already has one in mind. He said I'll meet her at the appropriate time."
"Oh..."
"Yeah, continue with what you were saying."
"Okay..." She says and nods her head.
"So this witch told me I'm more than a shifter. She refused to tell me more because according to her, telling me would cause me to deviate from who I really am. She said it might upset the balance of nature that I came to earth to restore.
What she told me and what Uncle Leif told Eric about us... Why Uncle Leif insist Eric shouldn't tell you about me while I was in prison. It's all making sense to me now.
"Great..."
She nods
"So my purpose in life that she talked about– the balance of nature that I came to earth to restore is to fight alongside you and two other originals in order to restore the glory of our houses?"
"Yes, you got it!" I say, smiling at her
"Okay!... So– originals and houses?... huhh– I'm afraid you have to expatiate more on those... I'm guessing houses mean families right?"
"Correct."
"Great! Now tell me more about the originals. And don't forget that you still haven't told me what makes my wolf different from everyone else's. Make me understand, please. Tell me why the witch and even you referred to me as Goddess Sif.
"Okay... It's about an hour's drive to where we're going. Hopefully, I will have finished telling you everything you need to know before we get there. Let me start from the very beginning...
You are Sif. Or let me put it this way, you're Sif reincarnate. If you were raised by your real parents, you would have been named Sif and not your wolf. In Norse mythology, Sif is a golden-haired goddess associated with earth. She's the goddess of grain and fertility. She's Thor's wife.
I got my wolf when I was fourteen. That was when I was told why I was named after Thor, the most widely-known powerful god of thunder, known for his bravery, strength, and healing powers. I also got to know all about you and our special mate bond.
"You've known about me since you were fourteen?" She asks with surprise
"Yep. My mom died before then. Since Pops is not Original and I'd moved to my uncle's pack, the responsibility of telling me fell on Uncle Elias and Uncle Leif. I was well informed by my two uncles."
I told her everything my uncles told me about us then. I explained to her who the Originals and Chosen ones are. I also told her everything my dad told Eric and me about his investigation and House Denton. Finally, I told her how my mother and Eric's mother were murdered while they were trying to protect me.
I let her know everything, apart from the part that has to do with her parents. Since I don't know how she would take the news of her former Alpha and Luna being her real parents, I don't want to spoil her mood before showing her the surprise I have for her.
"I'm so sorry about your mom and Eric's parents. I'm really sorry, babe." She says, her hands squeezing mine lightly on the gear.
"It's okay. It's been fifteen years since their death. Strangely, it doesn't hurt now as much as it used to. Maybe it's because I've connected with you, my mate."
"Yeah, maybe..." She says with a weak smile. I can tell from her furrowed brows that she still has more questions to ask.
"What's on your mind?" I ask softly, removing my hand from the gear to squeeze hers
"I'm just wondering– I guess you automatically know I'm Alpha and not Omega because we're mated, right?..."
"Well, yes I guess."
"Since I'm adopted, how did you then know I'm original and among the chosen ones? You're from House War-Cloud. Which of the other three Houses do I belong to then? Do you know my real family?"
'Perfect timing!' I said to myself when we arrived at Sunny Beach town at that particular moment. I couldn't be more happier right then because I wanted to wait after my surprise before I told her about her parent.
"We're here!" I announced, smiling brightly toward her instead of replying to what she asked. "Welcome to Sunny beach town. Your surprise is waiting for you right inside this town ma'am."
"Okay... But we're not done discussing. I just asked some questions that you haven't answered yet"
"I'll answer your questions, babe, after the surprise, I promise. Okay? Now, please cheer up and smile for me"
She nods. The frown on her face dissolves into a bright smile like the Ash I've come to know.
"Yep, okay! Now, I can't wait to see the surprise." She says in excitement