CHAPTER 4~ THE GODDESS'S WAy

Linessa's eyes slowly opened up, scanning her environment. She was no longer laying on the floor of the meeting grounds, instead she was standing on her feet in a place she could not only deem unfamiliar, but also beautiful.

She found herself surrounded by towering trees, adorned with lights that hung from their branches. They created a radiant path that led to an even brighter white glow that Linessa could not see beyond.

Was this the light everyone who'd experienced near death encounters spoke of? A light so dazzling and enthralling that it pulled her in. Was she by any chance…dead?

Tentatively, she followed the path, but the closer she got, the further it seemed. However, when she finally felt like she was getting somewhere the light disappeared and darkness loomed over her like a cloud.

She couldn’t see anything, not even the trees that were there before. The only thing that now existed in this place was the moon that shone dimly above her head.

She hissed, but the sound was interrupted by a sudden and incomprehensible whisper that had her heart almost jumping out of her chest. She frantically looked around, for somebody, for something…but all she could see was the darkness that embraced her wholly.

“Open your eyes…” The voice was low, eerie even, but for some reason, it didn’t scare her. “Open your eyes, Linessa.”

“My eyes are opened…my eye~”

“No! Open your eyes…” It sounded closer now, too close.

“Who are you…?”

"I think deep down, you know who I am." The light appeared again, glowing steadily in front of her this time. "I am the same person whom you begged to avenge you. But I'm not a hero, Linessa, I am a goddess...and goddess's do not deal in pity. I deal in purpose."

"What do you mean...? Are you the~"

"You were supposed to die on that altar, but your rage was louder than your pain. Therefore, I am giving you a second chance, not because I'm kind, but because I am curious to see if you're truly as sharp as the blade you want to become."

The light glowed bigger, swirling until it became oval in shape. It wasn't all white like before, there was a dark, purple glow in the center that Linessa felt an overwhelming need to touch.

With trembling fingers, she reached out...hand dipping into the swirling violet. It didn't feel warm, the way light should be...no, it felt like electricity against her skin; cold and strong.

"It won't be easy though. You won't be able to do it all by yourself and if you try, it will only lead to your death. You need an alpha; a second chance also come with a second chance mate and I've prepared one for you. He has a scar on his neck, a mark forged by a sharp blade. He is the only one who can anchor your power, Linessa. Without him, the violet flames will consume you inside out."

Linessa pulled her hand back, the electricity still dancing across her fingertips. "An alpha? I'm still dealing with one who plotted for five years to kill me. Why would I want another?"

The goddess's voice didn't carry judgement, only a heavy, ancient truth as she spoke again. "Well simply because you'll die without him and him too without you. But be warned, there are others with the same scar, they will however lead you to your ruin. It's your job to find the right alpha, and if you make the wrong choice, it will cost not only your life but his too."

"So I'm a compass?" She whispered, a bitter laugh bubbling up her throat. "Given a second chance just to be the hunter of scars?"

"You are the flame, Linessa." The goddess's voice began to recede, sounding like wind through autumn leaves. "He is the hearth. Without the hearth, the fire burns everything down. Choose wisely, look not just for the blade's mark, but for the soul that recognizes your fire."

The light expanded until it was all around her, swallowing her up in the cold it brought along with it. Her body felt light, weightless as though she was traveling through air, and then there was a sudden, hard push in the small of her back.

"Open your eyes!"

Linessa's head snapped back, her lungs expanding with a sharp, desperate gasp as the dream shattered. Her eyes shot open, and she looked around, wildly analyzing the meeting grounds. It was empty, not a single soul remained. She could understand that, after all, her humiliation was over, but not staying long enough to even confirm that she was dead was just...just awful.

Nobody tried to make things easier for her, they left her to bleed to death in agony on her own. At the thought of that, Linessa looked down at her wrists, finding that the knife cuts were still there. They were healing…but nonetheless, still there.

Tonight was a night she'd never have the luxury of forgetting...

Tonight was the night where her end would be her beginning.

She wasn't sure why the goddess deemed her important enough to give her a second chance, but she'd put it to good use. She'd avenge herself, no matter what it costs.

Kenneth and his pack would surely crumble before she did.

But first, she needed to get the hell out of here. If Kenneth were to ever find out she didn't die, he’d finish her off and if she died now, the goddess's efforts would go to waste and most unfortunately, he would win.

With haste, she climbed to her feet, and it was then she felt it all…it was then she felt what could only be the aftermath. Her legs were shaking, weak from the amount of blood she lost and her head was spinning, vision blurred, making it hard for her to focus.

But despite that, she stumbled off the podium and staggered into the shadow of the forest. Her chest heaved as she moved forward, her breaths unsteady; deep and yet they felt so shallow. Her chest felt tight, as if her ribs had constricted around her heart, and her wolf was whimpering…a tangible feeling in the very pit of her stomach.

She knew the border patrollers were out, there was almost no way to leave without going unnoticed. She couldn’t transform into her wolf either, she was way too weak, her body needed time to recuperate. But she also knew she had to make it out of here, and she had to make it out alive.

Her steps quickened, turning into a staggering run incorporated with adrenaline. Her pace wasn't steady, but it was filled with urgency and a desperation that urged her to keep moving.

Leaves rustled and twigs broke under her bare feet as she tottered, but she didn’t stop…not until she heard noise; the sound of men talking.

Her steps came to a complete halt, and fear; a crippling amount of it filled her heart. She followed the voices, blurry eyes burrowing through the forest until she found the source.

She saw her pack members, 4 of them. They were slacking off, drinking liquor and laughing…her existence unknown to them. They weren't hunting, they were celebrating.

To them, Linessa Raven was a ghost.

With a shaky breath, she carefully started moving again; slowly, right on the tip of her shaky toes. When she made it far enough for them not to hear her, she began running once more; running withe everything in her.

And she didn’t stop…not even when she made it past the borders, not even when she was totally out of their reach. She didn’t stop! Not until she fell flat onto her face unable to move anymore, and even then she tried to crawl.

But her desperate crawl came to a sudden stop when the mark on her neck started to burn and then itch. With the same hand she had digging in the dirt, she clawed at the skin, her deep breaths turning into painful whimpers as heat travel through her.

Her own hand burnt when it touched her skin. It was like she was dipped in gasoline and then lit on fire, except nothing like that happened. It was her...

She was the fire.

Those were the same words the goddess said...was this what she meant? Was this why she needed this scarred alpha?

The mark on her neck glowed violet, and the trees started spinning around her, and then they just weren’t anymore.

She had escaped the butchers, but she was now at the mercy of the fire spreading through her veins.

As the world began to fade into darkness, and the heat began to suffocate her, a sharp scent of ozone and cedar flooded her senses...

And then she felt a hand touch hers, cold and comforting in the heat she suffered from. "What do we have here...?"

Those were the last words she heard before everything went completely black.