Still Alive

Thalia

I gasped awake, breathing hard.

Instinctively, I tried to touch myself, but my arms wouldn’t move. Panic hit me instantly.

That was when I realized I hadn’t even opened my eyes yet.

The moment I did, I was met with the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen.

Gold colour, not bright gold. Not warm gold. They looked like a desert under sunlight, it looks endless and still in their eyes. Looking into them calmed me in a strange way, like peace finally found me.

For one stupid second, I thought maybe I had died.

Then I saw who the eyes belonged to.

My breathing immediately turned uneven again, and he rolled his eyes at me.

“Don’t be dramatic, feisty,” he said.

Not the terrifying god voice from before.

This voice sounded almost human, like a werewolf even.

“What? Why?” I blurted out, before realizing I was still in his arms.

I looked away quickly and froze.

A massive gate stood ahead of us, already open. It stretched into a lonely road lined with beautiful trees, leading toward a mansion so far away it almost looked unreal.

“Did I die?” I whispered.

“Not yet.”

His voice flattened instantly. It was cold and merciless.

“Why?”

“Because other people were stupid enough to interfere, and that’s good for you, I guess”

My stomach dropped.

“Then I have no reason to be here,” I realized aloud.

I immediately started struggling until I finally slipped out of his arms.

The moment my feet touched the ground, I took in my surroundings properly.

“Feisty sweetheart,” he said calmly, “I still haven’t decided what to do with you yet.”

Something about the calmness in his voice made it worse. It sounded like an inevitable death

“So for your own sake, learn obedience quickly.”

I stared at him warily while too many thoughts crashed through my head at once.

He is supposedly a god, but he looked human right now, with no particular scent.

He lived in a physical place in this realm. All of that made him seem even more dangerous.

Why would he think I wanted to stay here and become some spare piece of meat for him?

“And if I don’t?”

His gaze settled on me slowly.

“Then you die.”

I didn’t wait for another word.

The second I spotted an opening near the bushes by the roadside, I ran.

I expected him to appear in front of me instantly. Or drag me back with whatever terrifying power gods used.

But when I looked back, he wasn’t chasing me.

Instead, a sleek black SUV stopped in front of him. Another man stepped out, opened the door for him, and the god got inside.

Then they drove away.

I stopped running.

My chest rose and fell unevenly as confusion settled in.

Did I just survive?

Was I allowed to leave?

No.

That didn’t make sense after everything he said.

There had to be a trap waiting ahead.

And just as the thought crossed my mind, a violent gust of wind slammed into me.

The world blurred.

Suddenly, I was standing in front of a massive Victorian-style mansion.

Beautiful enough to steal my breath.

Except something else was stealing my breath, my neck was trapped in the god’s hand.

His eyes were bloodshot, completely different from the gold desert colour.

The sight alone made my entire body shiver.

His grip wasn’t even tight, but I knew he could kill me with the slightest twitch of his fingers. I couldn’t dare breathe.

Then, in the coldest human voice I had ever heard, he said,

“I am already very irritable, feisty. Don’t shorten your life by trying my patience.”

I nodded immediately.

“Yes, sir. I promise I won’t try anything,” I rushed out, words tripping over themselves so fast I barely sounded coherent.

Only then did he let go.

I collapsed to the ground, coughing lightly, and that was when I realized we weren’t alone.

At least fifteen people stood nearby, all staring at me with horror and fear in their eyes.

“Take care of her for now,” he said to a middle-aged woman.

She nodded immediately and walked toward me.

The closer she got, the stronger her scent became.

Werewolf.

But there was something else beneath it. Something unfamiliar.

She helped me to my feet, and I didn’t dare resist. I followed her silently.

The second we were out of sight, she turned to me.

“You should be very careful here.”

“Where is this?” I asked quickly.

“Master’s home.”

I frowned. “Wait… isn’t master a god?”

A small smile curled at her lips.

“That’s the kind of thing you never say out loud if you want to survive here.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s exactly what it looks like,” she said. “Master is a god choosing to live in human form right now. It’s his version of humility; he's the most merciful.”

My stomach twisted.

“Other gods are worse?”

“Far worse.”

“That doesn’t even sound possible.”

She glanced at me briefly.

“The proof is the fact that you’re still alive. You could’ve died the moment they brought you to him.”

I went quiet after that.

Then I looked at her again.

“Who are you?”

Her expression softened slightly.

“Someone master saved,” she said. “Someone like you.”

Something about those words unsettled me even more. I don’t think their master saved me, though.

“Now hurry,” she added gently. “Let’s take care of you before you end up in front of him again.”

I nodded slowly, even though none of this made sense yet.

As we walked, I looked around properly.

The land stretched endlessly around the mansion, perfectly maintained, almost unnaturally beautiful. Everything here felt expensive, untouchable, and unreal.

I met a god.

I fainted.

I woke up in his arms.

Got threatened.

And now I didn’t even know where I belonged anymore.

“What happens from now on?”