Chapter 182

Agnes

The Goddess Festival was in full swing by midday. Families strolled between colorful booths while children played on the lawn, running back and forth and nearly tripping some of the begrudging elders. Thea had long since abandoned us to join her friends at the face-painting station, although her pink-streaked bangs made her easy to spot in the crowd.

“So far, so good,” Elijah murmured, his hand resting on the small of my back as we surveyed the festival. “The turnout is even better than we expected.”

He was right. The estate grounds were packed with people—not just from our pack, but from neighboring ones as well. The donation booth near the entrance had a steady stream of visitors dropping bills and coins into the collection box.

“I still need to check on the survival bag display,” I said, glancing toward the main tent where my creation would be unveiled later that afternoon. “Make sure everything’s ready for the presentation.”

“Later,” Elijah insisted, tugging me toward a food vendor selling fresh strawberries and cream. “Right now, you’re going to take a break and enjoy the festival you worked so hard to create.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but my stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. When was the last time I’d eaten? Breakfast? Yesterday?

“Fine,” I conceded, allowing him to lead me through the crowd. “But just a quick snack.”

A quick snack turned into a feast as we moved from vendor to vendor, sampling everything from strawberries to fried dough sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. The strawberries were particularly good—ripe and juicy, the sweet juice dripping down our chins as we bit into them.

“You’ve got a little…” Elijah gestured to the corner of my mouth with a smirk.

I swiped at my face with the back of my hand, but apparently missed because Elijah leaned in, his mouth brushing across my lower lip to catch the stray drop of juice. His tongue flicked across the corner of my mouth, and I let out a soft gasp of surprise, my face heating as a few passersby glanced at us.

“There,” he murmured, pulling back, but not before he peppered a tender kiss against the side of my jaw. “Can’t have my wife walking around with strawberry juice on her face.”

Wife. The word still gave me a little thrill every time he said it. For so long, I’d never allowed myself to believe that we could ever have a real relationship. But now, standing in the sunshine with strawberry juice on our lips, those days felt so far away. Like there had never been a moment that we hadn’t been in love. And maybe that was true.

“Come on,” I said, taking his hand and pulling him toward the main lawn. “I hear music.”

A small band had set up near the fire pit. Several couples were already dancing, spinning in circles on the makeshift dance floor.

Without hesitation, Elijah swept me into the dance. I laughed as he twirled me, and his laughter warmed me even more than the afternoon sun.

We danced until the band took a break, both of us breathless and flushed. As we wandered away from the dance floor, an announcement caught our attention.

“The couples’ games will begin in five minutes at the east field! All couples are welcome to participate!”

Elijah raised an eyebrow at me. “What do you say? Up for a little competition?”

I hesitated, glancing down at my bandaged hands. “I’m not sure how much help I’ll be with these.”

“We’ll find something that doesn’t require hands,” he promised, already leading me toward the east field. “Besides, we’re the Alpha and Luna. We should participate.”

The east field had been transformed into a course of sorts, with various stations set up in a wide circle. A small crowd had gathered, couples of all ages lining up to participate.

Evelyn spotted us approaching and waved us over. “I was hoping you two would join in!” she said, clipboard in hand as always. “It’s a relay race—three challenges that each couple has to complete together before they can cross the finish line.”

“What kind of challenges?” I asked, showing her my bandaged hands. “I’m a bit limited at the moment.”

Evelyn’s eyes widened. “What happened to your hands?”

“Long story,” I said, not wanting to get into the strange incident with the coffee mug. “Just a minor burn.”

“Well, you’re in luck,” she said, consulting her clipboard. “The first challenge is a three-legged race—just requires feet. Second is a piggyback ride through the obstacle course. And third is a relay race.”

Elijah grinned at me. “See? Perfectly doable, even with injured hands.”

Before I knew it, we were being herded to the starting line with five other couples. An attendant handed Elijah a scarf to tie our ankles together.

The whistle blew, and we were off—six couples hopping awkwardly across the field, trying not to trip over their bound legs. Elijah and I quickly fell into a rhythm: inside, outside, inside, outside. We weren’t the fastest, but we were steady, passing two couples who had already fallen.

By the time we reached the second station, we were neck-and-neck with a younger couple—probably recent high school graduates based on their age. Elijah quickly crouched down, allowing me to climb onto his back.

“Hold tight,” he said, and then we were off again, weaving through a series of obstacles—hay bales, water puddles, and low hurdles.

I clung to him, my hands gripping his shoulders as he navigated the course with surprising agility, even with my added weight on his back.

We reached the final station just behind the young couple. Two attendants were waiting, one in front of us and one about five yards away, holding a water balloon. Elijah would have to rush forward, grab the water balloon, and throw it to me. I would have to catch it, then race to him and throw it back at a target near the starting point.

Elijah took off, his body practically a blur as he ran. He reached the finish line in an instant and threw the balloon at me. I held my hands out as it arced through the sky, and miraculously caught it—which surprised me, because I had never had the best hand-eye coordination.

“Ready,” I said, although I was anything but. If we moved too quickly, the balloon would surely burst. Still, I couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous it was, holding a water balloon between our foreheads.

And then I felt it.

The heat.

At first, I thought it was just exertion, maybe the heat of the sun on my back. But the warmth grew, intensifying until I couldn’t hold it anymore. I felt like I was going to burst.

Before I could even comprehend what was happening, the world blurred around me, the sounds of the festival fading to a distant hum. I was aware only of the wind against my face, the power in my legs, the incredible, impossible speed carrying me forward.

I crossed the finish line in what felt like a single heartbeat, skidding to a stop only to find that I couldn’t stop—my momentum was too great.

I crashed directly into Elijah, the water balloon bursting midair—although from the heat in my body or the impact, I couldn’t tell. We went down in a tangle of limbs, rolling across the grass until we finally came to a stop, with me sprawled on top of him, both of us breathing hard.

“What… the hell… was that?” Elijah panted, staring up at me with wide eyes.

I shook my head, unable to form words. My entire body was buzzing with residual energy, my skin hot to the touch, my heart racing so fast it felt like it might burst from my chest.

Slowly, I became aware of the silence around us. The cheering that had accompanied the race had died away. I rolled off of Elijah, and we both sat up, looking back at the path I’d taken.

I saw a trail of scorched grass, blackened and smoking, leading directly from where I’d stood to where I now sat.

As if my feet had burned the very earth beneath them as I ran.