Broken Alpha by Paulina Vasquez (ebooks online reader TXT) 📕

been out having a good time, this isn’t the first time this has happened, certainly won’t be the last.” He said.

“Should we call the police?” I asked.

“You have to wait two days before an inspector will look, but I’m sure she will be back soon.” He bowed out the front door.

That’s odd, Angela seemed like a quiet and reserved person, not the party type at all. I saw Kosta’s car pull up, “I have to go, I’ll see you later.” I said.

“Where are you off to?” Karla asked.

“Kosta is taking me to Delphi.” I told her.

“Ahh, good. Enjoy the trip and take some pictures.” She called out behind me as I walked out waving goodbye.

“Kalimera, Raven.” Kosta smiled as he held the door to the back seat open.

“Kalimera.” I wished him a good morning and stepped up into the black Mercedes G-Class.

We pulled out into traffic and a motorcycle pulled up alongside of us. I couldn’t see the driver because he had a full face covering helmet on, but he had a very muscular body and his biceps were as big as my head. He could have easily passed us but was maintaining the pace next to us.

“There’s a small taverna that has excellent breakfast just ahead, we can stop in and get something.” Kosta said.

“Sounds great, thank you.” I said. Kosta had to be well into his forties, but sometimes it’s hard to tell with a werewolf. I wondered why he was living in the city and if actually belonged to a pack or had a mate. I wasn’t at that level to ask him just yet, so my curiosity had to wait.

Kosta parked the car on the busy street and opened the door for me. We stepped into the restaurant and the delicious smell of food and Greek coffee hit me.

“What is that?” I pointed to something coming out of the oven that looked like pizza.

“That’s Ladenia, a flat bread with tomato, onion and olive oil. It’s very good with a side of sausage.” Kosta told me.

“Sounds great!” I smiled and Rae yipped in my head.

Kosta ordered the same for both of us, the Ladenia with sausages. He carried the food to the car, and I carried a coffee for him and a tea for myself. Soon enough we were driving outside of Athens, eating and talking.

“This is fantastic.” I said and continued to enjoy my breakfast.

“This Greek sausage is so delicious and juicy.” Rae purred at me.

We continued to drive north, Kosta was pointing out landmarks and sights during the drive. He was a wealth of information on Greek history. The first werewolves descended from Greeks thanks to the Greek Gods. He told me the story of the first werewolf, King Lycoan of Arcadia was turned into a werewolf by Zeus.

“Is the beast of Greece really a descendant of King Lycoan?” I asked.

Kosta nearly spit his coffee out at the mention of the beast. “You know about the beast?” He asked nervously.

“Leo and Rocky are the other two wolves in my dorm. They told me about him.” I answered, not wanting to give him the full details at the night club in case he was reporting back to my father.

“The beast in an old children’s tale to get naughty pups to behave.” He told me. I could sense a nervous under tone.

“Look, we’re almost there.” He said changing the topic. We were climbing the beautiful hill sides on a two lane road. The scenic view was spectacular! It made me wonder how the ancients made the journey to the higher elevation.

We slowed down and Kosta turned into the second parking lot. A motorcycle passed us by, and I tried to get a better look at the driver. He looked like the same rider from this morning, surely this wasn’t the same motorcycle from Athens. Was it?

 

Chapter 7 – Delphi

“Know Thyself.” Kosta read the Greek inscription at the front of the temple entrance as I stared up at it.

“It’s one of the many Delphic commandments inscribed around here. There are one hundred and forty-seven of them, like words of wisdom; nothing in excess, obey the laws, respect your parents, worship the Gods.” He added.

“Do you have a favorite one?” I asked him.

“Be on your guard.” He replied.

“Really? Is that really one of the commandments?”

“Of course it is. Ancient Greeks were always at war or preparing for war.” He said.

This ancient site was not only where the temple of Apollo was at; but also had numerous treasuries from different Greek tribes dedicated to several Gods in which tithings and tributes were offered to the Gods. Every time a Greek tribe won a war they paid homage to the Gods by erecting treasuries filled with offerings. We walked the sacred path and looked at statues, sanctuaries and alters. The area had lots of olive trees growing and even some almond trees, I reached out and grabbed a few almonds off a tree to crack open.

“Did you know that Delphi is the belly button of the earth?” Kosta said. “Legend says that Zeus released two eagles from opposite ends of the world, and they crossed paths right over here, he declared it the center of the word. There’s a stone just over there called the omphalos, which is the navel, marking the spot.”

We visited the Tholos at the Sanctuary of Athena, the site of the oracle, the stadium which was home of the Pythian games, and the theater with stunning views from Mount Parnassus. I looked out at the mountains and Kosta pointed out the fault line