The North

The chapter warning a lot of you have been waiting for...

SEXUAL CONTENT WARNING

If you don’t like reading this sort of thing, you can skip the end of the chapter and you won’t miss anything important.

Chapter 18

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“Skoll and I are the reason there are Blood Drinkers.”

Frozen where I sat, I waited for the words to change in my head, for me to hear what he’d actually said and not what I’d surely misheard. How could they be the reason? What had they done?

“I will tell you everything,” he said, lifting his gaze to meet mine. The fire in them had dimmed, leaving them a dull burnt amber. “But not here. And not if you look at me like. . .that. I can bear the disgust of others, but not yours.”

I couldn’t find my tongue, and while there was a myriad of emotions building, I wasn’t sure disgust was one of them. Confusion, certainly. Horror, perhaps. Disbelief.

A hand appeared in front of my face, and only then did I realise Hati had stood. He peered down at me with lips pressed into a tense line and shadows sculpting the strong lines of his face. My gaze moved to the outstretched hand. Taking it would mean more than accepting help to stand. It would be accepting I couldn’t react until I heard what he had to say. It would be taking the final plunge into a world I wasn’t sure I wanted anything to do with. Who was I to know about the machinations of gods? Who was I to even be near a wolf whose life’s purpose was to bring destruction to these lands?

“Will you tell me about the other prophecy too, the one Eirny thinks is about me?”

He hesitated, but defeat came crushing down on his shoulders and he repeated, “I will tell you everything, Little Alpha.”

My body protested as I tentatively placed my hand in his. Strong fingers curled around mine and he hauled me to my feet as if a weighed nothing.

Stood face to face, we could properly see the damage we’d done to each other. Claw marks sliced from the left side of his ribs down to his right hip, already scabbed over but still red and raw. He looked worse than I did, covered in splattered blood from head to toe, but I couldn’t be sure whether most of it was his or mine. A few good bites littered my skin, but most of my injuries felt more like bruised skin, beaten bones, and strained muscles.

“Can you walk?” he asked gently.

“Yes. Your bark is worse than your bite.”

He snorted, releasing my hand to watch me wobble as I tried to keep my knees from buckling.

“That almost sounds like another challenge.”

I chuckled weakly, feeling queasy at the very idea of facing him again, and yet eager to do so at least once more in my lifetime. Not even before tragedy struck my life had I felt as alive as I did facing an Alpha truly worthy of the title by designs of brawn and strength. He had other good qualities too of course, but my submission would be enough of a boost to his ego for one day.

Staggering over to my dress, I grimaced as I picked up the now sodden garment from the slush we’d created in our fight. Astrid would not be impressed, especially if I got blood on it. In fact, she would be unhappy the efforts of her bath hadn’t lasted so much as a day.

“Here.” Taking the dress from me, Hati bundled it up and wrapped it carefully in his tunic. “We can hang it in front of the fire; Astrid won’t know a thing.”

“Can you read my mind, is that one of your powers?” I asked, only half joking.

He laughed and urged us on back down the road towards the castle as if everything was fine between us. “No. You just wear your every thought on your face.”

“Mother says I’m impossible to read.”

“You are.”

Arching a brow, I glanced up at him. “So which is it, I’m impossible to read, or I wear my every thought on my face?”

“So demanding.” He sighed playfully, eyeing me next to him as if befuddled. “Is it life amongst the same few wolves that makes you nomads so defensive or is it just you?”

I’d never heard the term nomad before but I caught his meaning well enough. I huffed and quickened my steps, pretending not to feel the bite of cruel winds that caused snow to fall from the trees. It can’t have been later than midday and yet the sky overheard was dark grey, the air thick with a looming storm. “You are teasing me, Alpha. I don’t appreciate it. Where are we going? If my family see me like this. . .”

“They won’t see you. We’re going to my chambers, so we can go in round the back. Nobody will disturb us there.”

I stopped dead and pressed a hand against his chest to make him stop, momentarily stunned by the heat of his skin. “I don’t think my being in your den is a good idea either. There’s enough talk about me already, I’ve upset Gerlac-“

“Eabha. Turn around and keep walking. Or argue more, and I’ll make sure if talk does go round, it will be about how I took you there to further discipline you.”

Striding past, he left me staring after him open mouthed.

Utterly infuriating.

The male was going to be the undoing of me.

Following him off the road and onto the path the patrols used to guide them round the castle walls, we skulked like shadows towards the stable yard. A smile might have even cracked through my scowl as Hati grabbed my arm and flattened us against the wall to hide us from passing wolves with arms of hay.

“They’re going to see us when we go through the gates anyway,” I whispered, rolling my eyes as he placed a finger against my lips.

Sidestepping, he peered round the corner then glanced back at me with eyes glinting mischievously. Against my better judgement, I decided to play along. I placed my feet in the tracks he left, my fingers curling into my tunic-wrapped dress still under his arm so I could get a feel for his every move, no matter how subtle. He trod as quiet as the dead, not one twig or leaf stepped on, no snow crunching, not so much as the swish of frozen undergrowth against skin. No matter how I aimed to copy him, some small sound always gave me away.

The archway leading into the stable yard was in clear view of the door, windows, and the wolves doing chores. In fact, I could even hear Niamh’s excited voice echoing out, my sister unfazed by the icy weather.

She would see us. . .

Hati gave me no time to think. He grabbed my hand and bolted, dragging me behind him at a dizzying pace. My cry of protest turned into a laugh of delight that rang out sharp and clear, my feet flying over the cobbles as I tried to keep pace. There was no doubt we’d been spotted as hearty chuckles followed us; not that it deterred the grinning Alpha.

We slowed once through the door and back inside, but continued to dart down hallways and round corner after corner until we came to a door I’d never seen before. A flickering candle alone lit the narrow hall, shadowing us from anyone who might walk past.

Breathless, I nearly staggered as Hati released me to open the door. Exhilarated by our game, another giggle slipped out from behind my hand, and he paused to turn back to me with a questioning smile.

“Even my sister will think us pups now. What will they say, Hati.”

He only laughed and swung the door open, not worried in the slightest. “I have been alive since before your ancestors left for Alba; trust me, Little Alpha, we never grow enough to stop acting like pups. Besides, Niamh loves me. She would not think less of me for making you laugh, quite the opposite in fact.”

Still chuckling softly, he stepped into his chambers and left me to trail behind him with a blush, though I couldn’t pinpoint what I felt embarrassed about.

As soon as the door was closed behind me, I was left in no doubt this was Hati’s private den. His sweet honey scent alone permeated the air alongside the smoke of used candles. Two windows on the opposite wall lit up the room crammed to the brim with more items than I’d ever seen in one place. The wall around the hearth was decorated with various weapons; glinting swords and axes, long spears and arrows, shields of every shape and colour. I only recognised the small round shield the people of my homeland favoured, but I was certain he had something from every corner of the known world.

“All the different weapons I’ve favoured over the years,” Hati explained, brushing his fingers over a leather-bound sword propped against the large table. The metal pummel had five lobes, the handle only long enough to be gripped by one hand.

“Over the years,” I repeated slowly, creeping further into the room. “How many years exactly?”

Leaning against the table, he folded his arms and arched a blond brow. “It’s rude to ask an immortal their age. I’ve been told it’s rude to ask a female her age too.”

Immortal.

That word stretched on as I stared at him.

He frowned and straightened up to approach but I couldn’t bring myself to meet his gaze.

“I can still be killed. Nothing is truly immortal. I still age, and find new aches with every passing decade.”

It was probably meant to put me at ease, but it was such an unfathomable concept. How many lifetimes had he lived? All the things he must have seen and done, all the females who must have caught his eye. . .

“Why don’t you clean up while I build the fire, and then we can talk.” He motioned towards a small table by the window with a bowl of water and a rag waiting. “There’s pelts and blankets on the bed you can use until your dress is dry if you like too.”

Suddenly I became very aware of the large, low bed with crumpled blankets and piles of furs in from different animals, a mix of reindeer greys and doe brown, speckled rabbit, maybe even bear. Far more than I had the luxury of boasting. There were more on the floor before the fire too, and I knew without asking that he’d probably hunted and made these himself.

“Unless you have something other than talking in mind. . .”

I scoffed and all but jumped towards the bowl, casting him a glare over my shoulder. “You shouldn’t speak to me like that.”

He hummed in reply, watching me scrub away dirt and blood for a moment before I heard him pad over to the pile of logs in a basket by the hearth. As much as I tried not to, my eyes kept straying towards where he crouched, watching muscle bunch and ripple as he worked, dark tattoos moving like water over sun-dark skin. Even seeing him holding my dress up to hang on a wooden rail sent a strange sensation through me that settled low in my belly.

The moment he lifted his head, I whipped back round to focus on cleaning, pretending I couldn’t sense him drawing nearer.

“Give it to me,” he murmured, his chest brushing against mine as he reached round for the cloth.

Ringing it off in the water once more, I accepted this was as clean as I was going to get and handed it over so he could have his turn, but instead of allowing me to step aside so he could reach the bowl, I felt the press of the rag against my back.

I stiffened and blinked at the stone wall before me, gripping the sides of the table.

“You’ve missed quite a bit.” His other hand lifted to sweep my hair out of the way, and I did my best to keep still as he worked slowly lower.

Water tickled down my back, and I could sense his smile each time a shudder wracked up my spine at the pleasant feeling, no matter how I fought it. It was hard enough to resist letting my head fall back as my eyes fluttered shut, a low purr rumbling from my chest. Being washed by pack was normal, but it had never made me feel this way before. I swallowed uncertainly, both eager to see where this might lead as his hands grew ever bolder where they rested now on my hips, his front pressed flush to mine so I could feel the rise and fall of his chest with unsteady breaths. His weight forced me into the table but I barely felt the bite of wood against my thigh.

“You were right before. Loki had reason for showing my brother and I our father.” Picking up from where he left of, it was hard to focus on his voice when I swore his fingers had replaced the rag sliding down the curve of my back. “I didn’t understand why The Great Wolf had never come to see his sons when there were no walls around the island, no water he would not be capable of swimming. I could see no bars to block his way, nor chains of great weight to hold him down. That’s when our grandfather, in the guise of helping his grandsons, explained what had been done. You know the story?”

I nodded, then gasped as I felt the nip of teeth at my throat urging me to speak.

“The gods began to grow wary of the size and strength of Fenrir as he grew, more so after the prophecy that he would bring the death of Odin,” I recited the story by heart, hearing the echo of my grandfather’s voice in my head as if he was telling it to me before bed as he often had. “They decided to trap him in a contest of strength, daring him to show off by breaking free of the chains they made. The first chain was named Loeding, which he broke free of. He broke free of the second, Dromi too. Then, desperate, they sent the god Skirnir to the dwarves beneath Midgard and had them forge the final chain, named Gleipnir.”

Hati growled, as if the name itself was an enemy, or something to be feared. His lips brushed against my shoulder as he finished for me, “A chain made of unseen things; like the footsteps of a cat. . .” His fingers tapped their way up my ribs. “The roots of a mountain. . .and the breath of a fish.” Teeth again, scraping over a blooming bruise.

Suddenly I was spun around, and my gaze clashed with the fire of his. He tucked wild strands of hair behind my ear, and I forgot what we were doing by the time he started to speak again.

“There I stood, on the island of Lyngvi in the middle of the Asmvartnir lake where the gods finally succeeded in binding Fenrir. The place my Father bit off the hand of his keeper and friend, Tiw, for betraying him. All for what? What had our father done to deserve this? Nothing.” He shook his head and took a deep breath. “Loki has a silver tongue and he used it well. It wasn’t just our father, he said, the gods saw all of his children as abominations. His daughter was banished with the dead to watch over Helheim. His other son, the serpent Jörmungandr, was cast away to the depths of the sea. What would they do to Skoll and I when we were grown, we two pups who’d never spoken to any god before; never thought of much beyond hunting and fighting and females. Ragnarök was not our doing, Loki argued, but because of the corruption of Æsir and Vanir alike. That was when we found out the part we had to play, the prophecy that had been ours since the day we were conceived.”

“Loki was trying to manipulate you.” Was that my voice? It didn’t sound right. It was too low, husky, and full of intrigue.

“Yes. We were too young then to know the trickster god for what he was. He played on the importance of loyalty that we’d learned from being wolves brought up in pack, he drove a wedge between us and those we’d been brought up with; for we’d heard the story of the twin wolves chasing the sun and the moon before. Eirny had spun our fates into a bedtime story, one that Skoll and I loved to play out in the belief wolves powerful enough to swallow the sun and moon were to be admired. It was too easy for us to turn our anger away from the gods who seemed undefeatable to us, and towards the she-wolf who’d raised us. Lied to us.”

I let my fingers linger on his arm to draw his gaze to mine. “That’s not your fault. You were pups who had your own fates and beliefs used against you. Eirny must have forgiven you for any difficulty you caused. . .”

His head only lowered further, and that unsettled me so greatly that I found myself cupping his face in my hands. He blinked in surprise, and my lips parted to speak until that action caused his gaze to drop to them. Words caught in my throat. Heat fizzled between us. And I made a decision I knew would haunt me.

He must have seen it in my expression because Hati wasted no time gathering me into his arms and kissing me with the same fever I kissed him. Sliding my hands down his neck, my fingers tangled in his hair to keep him against me, drawn to the feel of his muscled chest pressed to my own that added a new, heady addiction. This felt better than when he kissed me before.

Stroking my tongue along his bottom lip, I silently pleaded for more, instead I got him pulling back as if he’d been struck by lightening.

“I haven’t told you everything,” he rushed, eyes wild and searching as he squeezed my hips. “You need to hear it before this goes to far.”

“Why?” I asked breathlessly, my mind a haze of desire.

Couldn’t we escape reality for a while? Not one moment?

Forehead pressed against mine, he forced out through gritted teeth, “You might see me differently when you hear it all. The Blood Drinkers. . .I’m not willing to be your first and have you regret it once you have all the facts.”

Of course. How could I have forgotten his admission that he and his brother were somehow responsible for them. Talk of firsts also brought a fresh flush to my cheeks that overpassed baser instincts.

“You’re right.” Pulling away, I wrapped my arms around myself.

What would it make me to give my body to the male who could have an inordinate amount of blood on his hands?

An awkwardness descended, heat turning to cold so quickly, both of us avoiding eye contact with only crackling flames to fill the silence.

Taking initiative, I marched over to the pelts and sat, picking up a blanket to wrap around my shoulders. I murmured in appreciation as I sunk my toes into the soft yet bristly fur that urged me to lie down, roll around to scent it, and curl up to doze. My aching body agreed with that idea.

“Where I am from, old stories are shared over a drink,” I prompted, reaching over for another blanket to make a comfortable spot for him, only to still when I realised what I was doing.

I snatched my hands away as he returned with a wineskin bag and two wooden cups, the aroma of sweet fruit and bitter alcohol drifting towards me. Hati hovered for a moment, eyeing the spot I’d fluffed up before slowly lowering himself to sit.

Drinks were poured and raised to each other before we both took a sip. I nearly spat it right back out when the burn overpowered any sweetness the fruit tried to cover.

“I, for one, will not get through what I have to say without some help.” He eyed the contents of his cup then took another long swig, barely flinching at the taste.

I did the same, bracing myself for whatever I was about to hear, as eager as my siblings for one more story before they went to sleep.

“Loki left Skoll and I on that island alone, and we agreed to try to free our father before we returned home. Together, we thought we might be strong enough to move the rocks that kept his chains in place. How could we not be if we were wolves of destiny?” He scoffed at the naivety of his younger self. “We couldn’t of course, and during our struggle, we met the man we now saw as responsible for all our kin’s woes.”

“Odin,” I breathed.

He nodded, a snarl twisting his lips. “All Father. King of gods, in all his wisdom. He threatened to imprison us if we so much as set foot on the island again, mocked us for even thinking we could break Gleipnir. He returned us to Eirny as scolded whelps and told her if Loki should step foot here again, she was to immediately send word.”

“Loki may have had a point,” I said, if begrudgingly. “The Gods seem ignorantly determined to bring about their own downfall, making enemies instead of friends. Can’t they see that?”

He gave me a wry smile that didn’t meet his eyes. “Maybe you are just smarter than the gods.”

A clap of thunder resounded through the air, as if Thor himself battered his hammer to scold him for such a statement. Hati grinned over at the window and stood to close the shutters just as the first flurries of a blizzard began to descend in swirling white. The room was cast in a dim orange glow when he did the same to the other, the fire all we had to see by.

“You yourself however, put great effort into making an enemy out of me as well, Little Alpha.” He sat back down, propping an elbow on his linen clad knee as I ducked my head. “They did not have the gift of hindsight, and perhaps they are too proud or too sure of themselves to see what they have done. It’s too late too change anything now, so it must be easier for them to turn their backs. Or perhaps the gods make the mistakes so we might learn by them.”

I laughed and picked at a patch of pelt where the fur had worn away. “Wise words, Alpha. With hindsight, I do see I judged you too harshly when I arrived. I am glad we are not enemies because of it.”

“Do not speak so soon.” Grimacing, he poured more alcohol into his cup and stared down into it. “Maybe we are all flawed to see the truth too late. If Skoll and I had headed Odin’s word, if I had seen what we were playing into just as easily and blindly as the gods had, things could have turned out differently.”

“Tell me about him?” I requested.

A soft smile played about his lips, and he settled more comfortably as he fell into the swing of storytelling so many of our kind enjoyed. “Skoll and I are alike in many ways, and different in many others, beyond our appearance. In our youth, we never often saw eye to eye, but we were always each other’s other half. After we saw our father, we had the same realisation of our purpose in life: to answer Loki’s call. To get justice for what was done to our father, and make sure the same would never be done to us.

Our determination for revenge grew as we did.

We hunted together, ate together, fought together, win or lose. If one of us bore punishment, the other shouldered it too. What one of us lacked, the other made up for. We grew stronger and bigger than the others in our pack, our powers were greater and wilder. The Vargr hadn’t had a real leader since Fenrir was taken, and when we came of age, we took Alphaship together. As equals. Once that was done, we got to work spreading Loki’s poison. I’m a good speaker, I seeded his doubts in the minds of our pack: of the gods fear of our wolves, that this fear would eventually drive them to seek to enchain us all. We had to defend ourselves. We had to gather allies. Tiw, Thor, maybe even Odin himself, would one day come for us.”

My stomach rolled, but I kept quiet. No longer was I reeling from hearing the gods names spoken, from trying to comprehend their existence. Instead, I was trying to understand how it must have been for Hati, how stuck he must have felt, how unsafe, obligated to do something.

Unable to help myself, I slid my hand to his knee, and didn’t pull away when he placed his own on top.

“We began to forge our own weapons when we’d only ever used fang and claw before, started to patrol the forests and train our wolves until they were warriors to be proud of. There was no longer time for long hunts or lazy days in the sun; especially as Skoll kept disappearing, leaving me to lead the pack alone. I thought he was looking for something that would help us defend ourselves, or free Fenrir; he never really said, and I was too preoccupied to ask. On one occasion he’d been gone many weeks, and Eirny came to see me.

She confronted me on what Skoll and I were telling the pack, how we were making soldiers instead of hunters, how we’d taken the joy from everyone. She sited her friendship with the Aesir, how much they’d taught her in the art of healing and magic, how they had no intention of harming anyone, how they were allowing us to live freely as long as we kept the peace. She told me I was blinded by my own ego and hate, and that I wasn’t avenging anything, only fulfilling the prophecy I wished to fight against. I didn’t listen, tried to reason with her. She asked me where this path of warmongering would lead us, and I had no answer. Skoll wanted war. . .I. . .I didn’t see that as our only course for recompense, but if it came to that, I said I would fight.”

He ran a hand through his hair, his voice rough with guilt and grief that pounded against me, his fingers curling around my hand. “I should have seen the fear in her eyes when she said she didn’t recognise either of us anymore. I should have wondered why she waited for Skoll to leave to speak her mind, should have seen that she believed him already lost. I let her walk away. And the next day, I awoke to find her gone with a few other wolves; Magne among them. It put great strain on the pack. She was an elder, her opinion carried as much weight as any Alpha’s, and I knew others started to question the direction we were taking. When Skoll finally returned, I was panicked; Eirny was practically our mother and for her to choose to leave. . .Skoll laughed when I told him she’d gone.”

He rubbed a hand over his face, and closed his eyes as if to escape that I was there beside him so he could get the rest of his sordid tale out in the open.

“Many years later, we heard news of a death amongst the gods. Loki had orchestrated the murder of one of Odin’s sons and was on the run. Baldr’s death had been foretold as the beginning of Ragnarok, I thought war would be here any day. I worried Loki might come to our territory, or that the gods would overrun us all. Skoll had become evermore distant after hearing the news. In the end, Loki was caught, and once again his children were punished. We heard many a different tale; that one of Odin’s sons tore apart Narfi, who was Loki’s son with Sigyn. Or that it was Narfi’s own brother who was turned to a wolf and in his madness, turned on his kin. Either way, we do know, Narfi’s guts were used to bind Loki in a cave, and I was so sure we were next.”

A shiver went up my spine as my mind conjured the image he wove. It explained Narfi’s talk of being one of the slain, one of the damned. He’d tried to warn me about someone, but I wondered if Hati was as unsure as I was about who he referred to.

“If it wasn’t war you were after, what was it? What did you think the alternative could be?” I asked gently, desperate to understand.

He looked impossibly young as he gave me a helpless look then frowned at the furs and gripped his head in his hands. “I don’t know. Maybe that they would see our strength and the threat of war alone would be enough for them to free my father. I said I would fight if it came to it, but once it was nearly here? I became less certain, while Skoll became emboldened. He praised Baldr’s death and was unconcerned with what was to become of Loki. I saw what Eirny did when I tried to reason with him. Ragnarok was not my goal, I thought we had been in agreement that we would fight whatever fate was planned for us. Now he seemed eager to welcome it. He wanted us to make our move against Odin. Wanted to find the wolf who killed Narfi and offer him a place with us. He became obsessed with a spell he had learned of in some forsaken hall of a long dead god, was certain it was our key to winning.”

I shuffled closer as he voice grew ever softer. “What was the spell?”

“He told me it summoned souls of the dead and gave them new bodies. That alone should have made me say no. Blood had to be used, and as you know, blood magic is powerful and unpredictable. Eirny had always warned us to stay away from it. I wanted to stay away from it too as I thought our possible alliance with the Jötunn and Elves would be enough. But Skoll spoke of honour and blood and duty, so I agreed.” He turned away and my hand fell from his lap, his fingers stroking across his palm. “I gave him my blood for his spell, and he promised soon there would be peace for us all. It wasn’t until I realised exactly what the spell did, exactly what he was corrupting, that I truly saw my brother for what he’d become.”

Understanding dawned, and cold spread outward from my chest as I put it together.

“In my gut, I knew something was wrong with Skoll, something dark had taken hold of him. His spell wasn’t as simple as taking souls and giving them new bodies. The souls he took were from Náströnd, a part of Helheim only for those of us who have done the worst of things. These souls didn’t end up in bodies created for them, but stolen bodies. Mortal bodies. My blood and Skoll’s magic created the Blood Drinkers, creatures driven by ravenous hunger and no ability to be reasoned with. I’d never thought much of Midgard, less so of the humans residing there, but I didn’t wish them harm. Skoll, however, felt nothing of killing them to create and strengthen his army. He and his most loyal followers drenched Midgard in blood wherever they went, and Skoll delighted in it.

I saw then what would happen if I stayed, if I helped him. I saw the war that would come and the deaths that would be on my hands. I looked back over our time with Loki and suddenly heard the slyness of his tongue, saw the glint of greed in his eyes. Finally, the hate had lifted and revealed the things I’d been ignoring. I began looking into what Skoll had been up to and it turned out to be Loki who Skoll had been disappearing to meet for all those years, allowing our grandfather to further pollute him. His plans were no longer solely for revenge, but of domination.

My brother had gone behind my back, had been forging his own alliances with creatures and beings I deemed too dangerous. I’d been kept in the dark and used to spread the word, the lies, and nothing more. And now I had hundreds of mortal deaths on my hands. So, I waited until the early hours of the morning, and I made my way to Odin’s hall. I told him and the other gods everything. Our every plan, every deal we’d made to add to our army. They knew what Skoll was doing and were as horrified as I. In the end, I think it was the fact Eirny is my Aunt that saved me. By all rights, they could have killed me, and maybe I would have found peace. Freyja herself spoke for me, and she convinced the others I deserved a chance to fix this myself. I was commanded to rid Midgard of the Blood Drinkers, and bring Skoll to face judgement. . . if I couldn’t bring myself to kill him. . .”

They asked him to kill his own brother? A growl rumbled past my lips, red flashing before my eyes. How dare they? Hati had made plenty of mistakes but he’d seen sense. I couldn’t fault him for the creation of the Blood Drinker when he hadn’t known. Nor could I fault him for losing himself to revenge. The gods had created this mess and had managed to pass the blame off yet again.

Chuckling weakly, Hati slid his fingers into my hair and rubbed until the growl softened to a purr. “You don’t have to be angry for me, Little Alpha. I doubt I deserve your defence.”

Let him think that’s all it was. I certainly felt like I could scream at Gods who should have known better. I leaned into his touch, warmth melting away the darkness of the story that had crept over me as I tried not to fall into his lap and beg for more. I liked his touch. It was distracting and comforting, and I think he found the same.

“What happened next? How did you end up here?”

“It wasn’t a prophecy as such,” he explained, suddenly gripping my hips to pull me onto his lap. Unsure, my hands fell to brace on his shoulders, my breath catching as liquid gold eyes ate up my vision. “Freyja offered me a final piece of advice before I left to bring about the Gods justice. She told me I would find the power to do what needed done to fix what Skoll had broken, the key to ridding the world of Blood Drinkers and returning the demons to their part of Helheim. I have to admit, it sang to my ego that I had a Queen on my side.”

He grinned when I bristled. “A passing fantasy. . .anyhow. By the time I returned to our village, Skoll and half the pack were already gone. Somehow he knew I’d asked for an audience with Odin. He knew I’d changed my mind. Maybe he always knew I didn’t have what it took and that’s why he started to keep me out. I took who was left, other wolves Skoll didn’t think would go along with him, to Midgard. There I found Eirny and the group who’d left with her. She had just taken a mate, one amongst the Midgard wolves. We settled with them deep in the forests of the country you call Nirribhidh, and the Blood Drinker attacks stopped. Part of me hoped Skoll had decided to give up, that he saw this was futile. Even the Gods relaxed and let me live as an Alpha for a while. Our pack here grew with a mix of wolves, pups were born and raised, I smiled more easily again, and I almost managed to forget everything. . .Until around twenty years ago, the attacks started again. They grew worse as the seasons passed, quiet winters leading to more in number every Summer. Quiet rumours of their presence again only became horrid truth for many in recent years.”

Twenty years ago. I stiffened but Hati barely noticed that I was fretting over the coincidence that the attacks started up again around the time I was born.

“I couldn’t do nothing this time,” he continued. “There has been no sign of Skoll or any of the Vargr that left with him yet, but I sent out word for wolves to gather, and they came. I didn’t intend to create a pack, or become Alpha of so many, a saviour of our kind, but this is how I repent. My life is given by the gods so long as I make good on my word.”

“Your life isn’t theirs to give.” Sliding one hand from his shoulder to his cheek, my fingers brushed along his jaw. “How many lives have you saved here? Hundreds? More over the centuries? You already have redemption in my eyes. The gods created this mess, not you. Skoll is your brother but he has his own mind. What he does isn’t meant to be left for you to clean up anymore than I should be punished for anything my own siblings do.”

He sighed and tipped his head into my hand, nuzzling in with eyes closed. “It isn’t that simple. If I do nothing, I could be throwing us all into the end of times. The signs of Ragnarok have come, there is not stopping it now.”

I shook my head, at complete loss. What was happening was better suited to remaining story telling by the fire, not real life. Dangers like these could not be fought off by Midgard wolves alone, and I wasn’t sure we had enough Vargr here to make up the difference. “I don’t want to have a part to play in this.”

“You don’t have to.” Hati frowned, squeezing my hips. “This isn’t your fight. Skoll and his wolves will make a mistake that gives them away eventually, and I will rally the Vargr when he does. You’ve heard the prophecy Eirny mentioned now, Freyja spoke of an object, or a spell, not a she-wolf from Midgard.”

A she-wolf who could somehow see the dead and visit the realms of the gods in her dreams. Even as he said it, there was a hollow edge to his tone. But enough had been discussed about fate and foretellings. If I thought last night had been an overwhelming revelation, I would never recover from all I’d heard tonight. It was horrifying enough without the niggling fear that I might have something to do with it, as a wolf, a seer, or otherwise.

It was also incredible to think all this had happened so long ago, long enough to have become myth in my world. More astounding to think that Eirny had only taken a mate after Hati was a grown male.

“You watched Astrid grow up,” I said, reeling back. I wasn’t sure why that in particular made me realise the difference in age between me and the male who’s lap I was sat comfortably on.

“I did.”

“You’re older than my grandfather. . .”

He laughed, some of the tension melting away as he did. “And your great-grandfather. . .perhaps even his great-grandfather too.”

“You’ve been with other females.”

The smile fell from his lips to be replaced by exasperation mixed with. . .guilt? I had no right to be pleased by that. He was free to mate with whichever wolf took his fancy and I couldn’t have expected one of such an age to have abstained. My own abstinence was an oddity amongst our kind at my age. How could Hati look at me and see anything but an inexperienced pup?

Suddenly I understood his frustrations with me. Here I’d turned up and made demands of sanctuary to a God when my own life was but a blink in time. I cringed. Then stirred unhappily when warm hands slid away, Hati turning his face towards the dark as he made to shift me from his lap. “There’s the look I feared. You’re free to go, Eabha. I won’t ask more of you.”

“What? I don’t under-“

“You don’t have to make excuses. You’re disgusted, I saw you grimace.”

“Hati-“

“No, it’s alright. All I wanted was for you to hear the truth, you have it now. We can be glad I stopped us from taking things too far.”

His eyes widened when my fingers curled in his hair to stop his escape, a low growl sounding from my chest. “Are all Alpha’s incapable of listening? I’m not disgusted by you. I don’t hate you. I don’t blame you. I. . .I. . .”

“You what?” he breathed, daring to wait.

I wanted him.

“You are unmated. . . So am I.”

Bright eyes searched my face, fingers slowly creeping back under the blanket and up my thighs. It left a trail of heat that settled between my thighs, and the male grinned as I shifted above him. We could both use an escape from what was going on around us.

“Are you sure?”

I nodded, then gasped as he tore the blanket from me to bare my skin to the light of the fire. Nervous, I chewed my lip and admitted, “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“You’re a wolf, trust yourself. Nobody teaches our wild cousins what to do,” he stated, hooking his arm around my waist to tug me flush against him. “I will enjoy teaching you anyway.”

Would there be more than one lesson?

The thought flew away when he leaned in, but instead of the kiss I expected, his head ducked to nip the swell of my breast. My head fell back as the sting added to the molten heat running through my veins, and I decided to trust him and stop thinking so much.

He lowered me onto the furs and sat back, his eyes raking over every inch of me. Nobody had ever looked at me like that before, with a ravenous hunger that made my insides clench. It was hard to keep myself still, to stop from lifting my hands to cover myself when his eyes drifted every lower. My legs wavered between falling apart, or together, torn between the thrill and embarrassment. Especially as Hati still had the cover of soft trousers to hide him from view.

Electricity shot over my skin as he leaned in to stroke over the flushed skin of my chest, a slow smile curing his lips.

“I’ve always known when you feel me watching,” he murmured, stubble brushing against my cheek as he nipped my earlobe. “Your blush gives you away every time. Even when you refuse to turn around, pretend you don’t know I’m there. I know.”

Cradled between my thighs, his hips pinned mine down, the enticing weight urging my to arch beneath him. One hand flew to his hair to guide his lips to mine, the other curling into his bicep. I wasn’t sure if it was the sting of my nails, or the nip to his lip that drew a deep groan from him, but the sound vibrated through me and I became determined to have him make that sound for me again.

He was right. I didn’t know what I was doing, but deep into the haze of arousal, instincts guided. Somewhere in our tussle for control, his tongue stroking against mine, Hati managed to kick himself free of his clothes. Gripping my wrists, he pinned them by my head and growled, rocking himself against me. My core throbbed to life and I gasped, trembling at the unfamiliar ache that only grew.

I whimpered, and Hati immediately froze.

“Eabha?” His lips brushed mine as he spoke, and the delicious husk in his voice made me shudder.

This was almost as overwhelming as anything I’d been told in the last two days. Looking up past hooded lids, I could see the concern in his eyes, but I was too lost to try and figure out what the problem was. Suddenly he was pulling away, and I sat up with every intention of growling in displeasure, only to have a firm hand planted between my breasts, keeping me in place against the furs.

“I think we need to slow down.”

“Why,” I protested, trying to draw him back, but he was immovable.

He tutted and gripped my hips, dragging me closer to him with a wicked grin. “Now is definitely not the time to question your Alpha.”

I huffed, but I wasn’t left unhappy for long. The fire was stoked as he kissed his way down from my neck, the rasp of beard tickling my skin. Glinting eyes held mine and he flicked his tongue over my nipple, then captured the peak between his teeth before I could ask what he was doing. My hips jerked, my head flew back, and I swore my vision blacked out all together when the press of fingers circling the bundle of nerves between my legs sent me soaring higher.

It wasn’t until his teeth scraped across my thigh that I tensed with uncertainty again. He grinned again, rough fingers sliding up my right thigh to hook my leg over his shoulder.

“Trust me.”

It was impossible to argue. His mouth replaced where his fingers had played, and a strangled cry broke free. A pressure began to build as his tongue laved over the same spot, a change in rhythm causing my muscles to spasm. Pleasure exploded outward and I gripped his hair again to pull him away, or drag him closer, I wasn’t sure. He didn’t let up, sucking and nipping until I was nothing but a twitching body incapable of thought.

A deep chuckle brought my gaze flying down, the sight of him between my thighs sending another shudder through me. “Breathe, Eabha.”

I sucked in a breath which cleared away the flashing dots in my vision, tasting the spice of arousal on my tongue. As soon as my breathing had calmed, he was rising to claim my lips again, his tongue sweeping over mine and leaving a musky flavour in its wake. His fingers moved back between my thighs, a single digit pressing against my entrance, and this time it was a pinching pain that made me flinch before it was replaced by a feeling of fullness.

It wasn’t unpleasant, my hips lifting experimentally, and the change in angle hit a spot that made me moan. Hati growled at the sound, another finger joining the first.

It was too much and not enough at the same time.

I dug my nails into his shoulder and tried to drag him closer, my teeth set to his shoulder to stop him from backing away. Another growl rumbled out, spurring me on.

“Please, Hati,” I begged, unsure exactly what I was begging for, but he seemed to know.

His weight came down and we shared another heated kiss, inhibitions completely forgotten as I felt his length press against me. I raked my nails down his back and delighted in the deep groan, the way his skin twitched, the way his heady scent only became stronger. He was all I could feel, all I could think about. I breathed him in, pressed closer, and found myself snarling when he still hesitated. I was vaguely aware of his voice, but didn’t care what he was trying to say.

Another nip to his jaw tore away the last of his restraint. A firm hand gripped my hip, digging in hard enough I was sure I would feel it later. That didn’t matter though.

My eyes squeezed shut as he rolled his hips, the pinching pain returning to clear my head a little. Then he was buried deep and I swore the blood in my veins turned in molten lava. He rocked into me at a steady pace while his hands tried to claim every other inch of me, cupping my breast, nails raking down my leg, I met each movement with desperation, fire scorching every nerve as another wave of ecstasy washed over me.

I clenched around him as I cried out something unintelligible, and his pace faltered, becoming jagged thrusts that made sure every ounce of pleasure was wrung from my exhausted body.

He reached his own release with a cry muffled against my shoulder, his entire body tensing, hips grinding against mine, then going slack all at once. Only the sound of our syncopated panting and the snow lashing against the shutters filled my ears as I stared at the wooden roof overhead.

My fingers followed the length of Hati’s spine and I smiled as he shuddered.

As content as a house cat, I was happy to lie quietly, feeling the beat of Hati’s heart against my own, but when he finally moved, I felt the blush return to my cheeks.

What would happen now? Had we just made a big mistake?

Should I leave?

He didn’t give me the chance to. Rolling to his side, he pulled my back against his chest and threw a heavy arm over my waist. My eyelids fluttered as he nuzzled into my shoulder, and while we hadn’t shared a word, I didn’t mind.

One night. We could have one night. So I closed my eyes and nestled closer.