Zeus [Book One] - Rewriting

Thirty-Four

Zeus 
| thirty-four | 

When Anya finally stepped on her home ground, a sense of relief washed through her. However, the sound of Ethan's slow footsteps behind her reminded her of the grief. Her eyes watered as she walked carefully, making her way towards the edge of the trees, her lips parting as she licked them. 

Forcing herself not to cry, she sniffed, closing her eyes briefly before she finally made it. She winced as she stepped from the trees, the warmth of the sun making contact with her skin for the first time in weeks. 

"Is this it?" Ethan asked, shifting his brother's body in his arms. He stood by Anya, the both of them watching as a few wolves rushed around. 

The air felt different, Anya noticed, her tired eyes glancing around the territory before she took a step forward. Ethan remained close by, but made sure there was at least a foot between them as he followed her, Anya remaining silent as she made her way towards the pack house. 

Her movements were slow, her cousin looking at her in concern as she stumbled a few times, his hand shooting out to grab a hold of her arm, steadying her. She shot him a grateful smile, before her eyes shifted towards Eli, her expression saddening as she looked away, Ethan sighing. 

Removing her arm from his grasp, she turned away from him, quickly blinking her tears away as she bit her lip. Her knotted hair fell into her face, but she made no move to push it from her eyes, taking a deep breath as she reached the gardens. 

Her hand pressed against the iron gate, the cold metal biting at her skin. But she barely noticed, weakly attempting to lift the rusted latch. Ethan leaned over her, his arm brushing against hers as he lifted the latch with a simple flick of his wrist. Anya stared at the now open gate numbly, her eyebrows furrowed as she lifted her empty gaze to look towards her cousin. 

"You're okay now," He whispered, a ghost of a smile making its way onto his face. Anya nodded once, before pushing the gate open, her feet now touching gravel. She ignored the pain as the stones dug into the soles of her feet, breathing in through her nose as the scent of the slowly dying flowers hit her nostrils. She listened as Ethan closed the gate behind him, the rust causing the metal to screech as it moved. Ethan winced, yet his cousin barely heard it, her pulse pounding in her ears. 

It took them several minutes to cross over the gardens, reaching the second gate. Yet this one was open, Anya easily walking through them as she turned to the left, finally seeing the buildings. Her breath suddenly came out in gasps, her heartbeat increasing. Ethan frowned at her, taking a hold of her shoulder, "Hey, hey... Calm down," He coaxed, Anya humming response as she took deep breaths until they were normal. 

"I-I..." Her mouth opened and closed, but she was unable to form any words as she felt her cheeks become wet, her eyes glistening. Ethan made sure he had a strong grip on his brother's body, before taking a hold of her hand, tugging her towards the pack house. 

A few wolves rushing past them had turned to look at her curiously, bowing their head respectfully, before disappearing from their view. But as Ethan stared at the wolves until they ducked their heads and looked away, Anya paid no attention towards them, allowing her cousin to walk her towards the building. 

What should have taken them a few moments, ended up taking several minutes as Ethan had to keep all three of them steady as they made their way towards the pack house. Anya was barely able to keep herself on her feet, most of her weight leaning on Ethan's back as he tugged her closer. "Come on, Shorty," He encouraged, his voice sounding slightly strained as he lead the way. A mumble came from his cousin, but he wasn't able to make out the words.