The North

Are there any myths and legends you were told as a child that you still love to hear?

Chapter 4

Bread crumbled beneath my fingers, sodden in the warm broth I’d been wolfing down in giant gulps. It melted away the last of the ice that had clung to my bones but my hunger refused to be sated. Even after I’d eaten enough venison to get me through the winter, alongside vegetables I’d never seen before, and oh so much bread, I gorged on.

Cooks tittered in quiet conversation as they cleaned up from the evening meal in the large stone kitchens down in the belly of the castle. Astrid, the blue-eyed, blonde-haired female who had been the one to watch over me while I slept, studied me intently. She didn’t judge my ravenous hunger, nor had she wasted time trying to talk until I nearly choked on a mouthful of water.

“Slow down.” She shook her head gently. “You won’t go hungry again, not now you’re under our care.”

I glanced over at her, wiping my mouth with the sleeve of my dress; an act that had the older female grimacing in dismay. Little did she understand, that despite the promise made by her Alpha, I couldn’t be certain we’d be taken in. At least, I wouldn’t, and couldn’t allow myself to believe it, until we were all back here.

Slowing down as she suggested, I decided I’d possibly eaten far more than I should have as an ache stabbed into my side.

“Thank you for feeding me,” I said, wiping my hands clean on my lap.

She smiled brightly, all sense of dismay fading in the blink of an eye. “Of course! I tried to get you to eat when you first arrived here, but you were hallucinating so badly with the cold. Alpha Hati thought it was best to let you rest. You’re lucky he caught your scent while we were hunting.”

Astrid frowned at me when her words made me clench my jaw in further infuriation with the male. She’d clearly expected a different reaction, but to hear he’d been the one to find me, that he’d seen how close to deaths door I’d been and still made me wait to see him, and then acted so coldly. . .

My back prickled with awareness and I whipped around on the bench to see the Alpha himself blocking the doorway with his bulk. I swallowed harshly and felt my cheeks heat as golden eyes took in the mess of food remains and spilt broth on the wooden table.

“You’ve eaten your fill, little Alpha?” There was no inflection of teasing in his words, but rather satisfaction as he nodded and folded his hands behind his back.

“Yes,” I grit out hating the nickname that had stuck. He knew I felt about it, had admitted as much, and still he threw it out.

He held my glare with a passive expression, and Astrid had to break the silence.

“She’s eaten about everything that was left over from this evening’s meal. I don’t doubt she’ll do the same again, skinny thing needs it.”

My blush deepened at that assessment, my gaze darting down to the table when Alpha Hati smirked.

“Did she now.” He chuckled. “Will you find her something warmer to wear, she’ll need boots too if she can stand them. We’re going to ride to the coast with one of the carts.”

“I have never ridden a horse before!” I protested quickly, feeling no small amount of unease.

“Then you can ride with Farrin. If your father is as injured as you say, and your pack weak, it will be safer and easier. We will draw less attention to us when we arrive at the port if we arrive as any other travelling humans would.” His tone was firm and his eyes flashed a warning to accept his words as final.

I kept my peace, standing quietly as Astrid did.

“I will see her properly dressed, Alpha,” she said.

For a moment, he remained standing in the doorway, staring at me as if he wanted to say more. His power became suddenly suffocating around me and I couldn’t look away from his eyes that flickered like living flames. A whimper caught in my throat, breaking whatever had been brewing between us. He shook his head as if trying to shake something off and grunted as Astrid attempted to squeeze us both past him.

I made the mistake of letting my arm brush against his chest and he growled at the contact, sending me skittering forward.

Astrid laughed as she hurried me down the hall, unaffected by the sound of her Alpha while it left me trembling. I couldn’t help but glance back at the terrifying male stood watching us disappear up the stairs. Maybe he was considering how much food he’d need to stock up for my pack’s arrival; if I’d eaten so much, the eight of us together could eat for the country.

“Hopefully I have something that won’t be too big for you,” Astrid chirped, smiling warmly at me as she patted my hand. “I know I’m a bit taller than you. If not, someone else will have a dress.”

“I do not mind if it’s too big,” I replied. If we were to be spending most of our time riding, it wouldn’t matter much.

With no idea exactly how long it had taken me to get here, nor how long I'd been asleep, my only worry was returning to my pack. Not clothes. I could only hope they were alright. The money will have surely run out by now, so did they have to leave the Inn? Had Father had enough time to recover, or had he taken his last breath?

Surely if he’d passed, I would have felt it. Something in my gut would have warned me if they were in trouble. Right?

I had to stop walking as the world spun around me, my heart suddenly pounding like a drum that deafened me while my breathe became ragged and strangled.

“Eabha?” Astrid placed her hand on my back while the other gripped my arm to help me remain steady.

“How long have I been here? How long will it take us to ride to the coast?” I asked desperately.

“We found you only the night passed, you slept through today. The port is two days away, if you ride through the night, which I imagine you will.” Her tone firm, she gripped me tighter. “I swear to you, Alpha Hati will find your family and bring them back safely; even if he must fight mortals and blood drinkers alike. He could find the smallest of mice in the largest of forests; seven wolves will not remain lost to him for long.”

The surety in her tone washed over me like cold water. Capturing her gaze, I whispered, “Is he truly a good male? Will we be safe here?”

A comforting smile and Astrid tugged me on my way again, keeping my hand tightly in hers. “He may be a little rough around the edges, for he’s seen and been through much, but he is good. Honourable. The safety of his pack comes first, from threats without and within. As long as you and your family tow the line, you have nothing to fear from him.”

I believed her, despite the doubts I had about him. No liar could feign the reverence in her tone as she spoke about her Alpha, and I wondered of the trials in his life that had brought him here. To doing something no other Alpha had ever done before, since the first of our kind left the immortal lands to roam the wilds of this realm.

Maybe one day I would find out.

Up yet more stairs we climbed, through hallways with large gaps in the wall that left one peering down into the dark snowswept forest below. Astrid seemed unbothered by it, pushing into a room safely away from what would be a treacherous fall. She set about lighting candles, the hearth nothing but smouldering embers that reminded me too much of a certain pair of eyes for me to stay nearby.

I stood by the window, uncomfortable with having walls around me and staring longingly up at the sky. Pitch black and stretching on endlessly, I began to doubt the freedom of the wilds was worth giving up. Would we live this way forever or just until the world calmed around us so we could return to our wandering ways in the freedom of beinn and gleann?

It felt like giving up to do what other packs had done and take root in houses to live hidden amongst the mortals.

A strong breeze that caused a tapestry on the wall beside me to flutter drew my attention away from my brooding. It was richly made, and I finally took note that everything in this room seemed lavish to my eyes. The floor by the bed boasted thick rugs and furs, another in front of the fire that called for me to curl up and doze in the heat.

“What position does Farrin hold here?” I asked curiously, for he must be well respected to have such a fine room. Not many in the castle could be as well kept from age as this.

My question was met with a peel of bell-like laughter from Astrid and she grinned at me from across the bed.

“This room was given to us because of my rank, not my mate's. While he is one of the finest warriors here, my own position is important. My duty is to keep the peace. No pack has ever boasted so many wolves and sometimes there is strife between families as they settle in. My job is to defuse tensions before wolves resort to fang and claw. They would not be allowed to remain here long if Alpha Hati was forced to deal with every petty squabble.”

I snorted, for I already knew the male had a short patience so could believe in the need for another wolf to step in. Still, I eyed Astrid in disbelief. Tall she may have been, but she seemed too gentle to be the one sent to settle disputes; for surely, at times, fang and claw were needed. It was our way.

Humming in acceptance, I turned back to the tapestry while Astrid opened a trunk to look for a dress.

My fingers grazed the rough fabric in awe. I’d never seen anything like this before, far different than any of the art I knew of in the forms the of stone carvings of old. Dark green, like the river weeds that clung to rocks, it came alive in shimmering gold threads. It depicted two wolves, one chasing the sun, and the other the moon, in a never-ending circle.

Hati and Sköll.

I knew who they were from the stories my father passed down from his father, and so on.

Two sons of Fenrir. Hati chasing the sun, and Sköll the moon, both destined in the times of Ragnarok to finally catch and swallow what they chased, bringing chaos and darkness to the world.

Just a story, of course, Mother would tell me, even as Father would wink and disagree.

It turned another question in my mind. Did I really believe that the Northern Alpha was who he claimed? However distant the relation might be, despite the name he had. Shifter he most certainly was, but unlike any I’d ever met. Perhaps Astrid would know, but I feared she would laugh at such a question and say that it was but a title he picked up for the greatness of his achievements. I would look a fool for thinking he was akin to a deity.

“This will do!” Astrid tugged out a thick dress of dark blue and I nearly sighed. Wearing clothes was going to take some getting used to.

Stripping of the old one, I pretended not to hear Astrid’s gasp as she took in the state of me. My ribs stuck out, my hip bones threatening to burst out thin stretched skin, and my leg was still a gruesome mesh of back and blue with a slice of pink striking down the middle.

Uncomfortable with the scrutiny, I quickly tugged the new dress on to cover up. It felt heavy on my shoulders and I scrunched my nose as I fretted at the material. I could be glad that it chased off the cold at least.

Astrid chuckled and guided me to sit down to push my dress up over my knees. I watched curiously as she lifted one foot and slid odd woollen mittens up and over, doing the same with the other

“Stockings,” she explained. “To keep your feet warm.”

She left leather boots at my feet, and it was when I first stood with them on, that I understood what Alpha Hati had meant by “If she can stand them.”

I hated that I couldn’t feel the rough texture of cool stone against the soles of my feet, despised the way the leather pushed and nipped my skin. It was as if a whole sense had been stolen away and my steps felt oddly shuffled and clumsy with the extra weight.

“Don’t worry, it’s just while you travel on the road. You need to look as much like one of the humans as possible. Once you’re back here, you’re free to dress, or not dress, however you please.” She winked and threw yet another item of clothing over my shoulders; a cloak with a hood that fell over my eyes and caused her to giggle as she pushed it away from my face.

“That should keep you warm. Let’s find some blankets for you to take too, yes? And pack some food, I’m sure you’re family will be hungry.”

“Thank you, Astrid.” Looking up at her, I hoped she could understand how much I meant it. Through so much horror, I’d also seen kindness from her, and from the trader who took us to the port, and they both asked for nothing in return.

Leaning down to press her warm cheek against mine, Astrid embraced me as one of her own. Her scent of sweet grass wrapped me in a veil of safety, reminding me of warm days spent frolickng in flower-filled meadows.

“You’re welcome, Eabha.” She pulled away with a concerned frown. “I do wish you could remain here a while longer before traveling again, you still look so pale and tired. And your leg, I thought he had managed to heal it further.”

I blinked.

Heal it further? Their healer had worked a miracle! A wound like mine, even aided with the greatest of skilled healers, should have still been an open mess with broken bone. Yet it was closed, and showed weeks worth of healing. I should not have been able to walk. Or hobble, as it was more akin to until the pain faded some more.

I could still hear the echo of snapping bone in my ears, and shuddered as my flesh rose in goosebumps.

“You must not have seen how bad it was before,” I said; for if she had, she would understand how well it had healed.

She gave me a funny look, as I did her. Then she seemed to realise something and a smile replaced her confusion. She hummed quickly in agreement. “Of course, of course. Forgive me, I have been up through the night watching over you and sleep is catching up with me.”

Sleep. At the mere mention, I wished I could have fallen on the thick cream fur by the fire and hibernated until spring. I did not see sleep in any amount in my near future.

Astrid led me back out the room to gather what we would need for our journey South and I followed with building anticipation. More than a few times, the growl of untrusting wolves met my ears but I paid them little mind and Astrid was always quick to silence them.

It wasn’t like me to not acknowledge such challenges, nor was it like me to not care that I came off as a weak-willed wolf after I’d made such a show of strength earlier. But I was too weary. A soul deep exhaustion had settled over me and I feared it would never leave.

Astrid handed me a food filled satchel and waterskins before deciding we had everything we needed. Blankets were tucked under her arm, and she patted them with a nod.

“Don’t let Alpha Hati forget you will feel the cold more than he will,” she said, taking my arm to show me the way to the open courtyard surrounded by more crumbling walls.

The sky above the thick treeline was beginning to pale but stars still shimmered overhead in between thick clouds, and the moon looked greyer than silver. He wasn’t kidding when he said we’d leave at dawn.

I chuckled to myself as I noted that I could see no wolf chasing it. . .

Looking back down, my progress hesitated. In the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by the massive warriors with an golden glow to their skin, stood Alpha Hati who dwarfed even them. Leather armour covered his chest made him appear impossibly bigger. His wolves were constantly looking towards him, growing taller when he spoke to them directly, and beaming if they managed to make him crack a smile. They loved him. And I still didn’t trust any of them.

“I promise my mate will not allow you to fall from the horse,” Astrid comforted, giving my back a nudge to press me forward again.

I snorted. She thought it was the sight of the huge black and white horse Farrin stood next to that had stopped me in my tracks. I’d barely even registered that they stood there, but once I did, my stomach rolled. The beast towered over me, with stocky legs and muscles rippling under a sleek coat as it shifted heavily on its hooves. I had no idea how I was expected to get on, and more than bones would break if I fell from him, I was certain of that.

Stumbling forward, I forced myself to walk again and the crunch of my steps caught the attention of the wolves. Eyes became watchful, but I could assure them, if their Alpha’s glare wasn’t enough to scare off any thought of betraying him, his confident grip of the hilt of a long sword was. I’d never seen our kind carry a weapon beyond hunting knives before, and I found it unsettling.

Farrin greeted his mate with a long, hard kiss when I reached him. Eager to be on my way, I fidgeted and looked around which was bound to cause suspicion.

“Be safe,” Astrid murmured, cupping her mate's cheek in her hand. He kissed her wrist, his lips lingering against her skin for so long, I felt like I was intruding and turned away to give them privacy.

Burning eyes caught mine as I did, and my body froze, caught like prey.

Alpha Hati’s gaze flicked to Farrin before he muttered something to the male behind him then flicked his fingers towards me. I blinked in confusion, and his brow lifted as he flicked his fingers impatiently once more. My feet moved before I even understood that he’d been summoning me over.

Scrunching my nose, it was on the tip of my tongue to tell him I was no trained dog to come at his beck and call. But before I could utter a word, the huge Alpha gripped my hips and turned me towards his stallion. A huge speckled horse of mixed white and black that rivalled Farrin’s in height. These animals seemed built more for ploughing fields than for me to be anywhere near. Never mind ride!

“Let’s allow Farrin a moment to say goodbye to his mate. He will catch up with us. Up you go.”

He hoisted me up as if I weighed nothing, even as I wriggled, he didn’t drop me. Strong hands were sure and steady.

I did my best to swing my leg over the horse’s back only for my dress to get tangled around my legs. I felt the Alpha's rumble of annoyance at my clumsiness, and was sure my skin was red to my hair as I tried to fix myself while flailing to find something to hold onto.

The cobblestones appeared so far away from my dangling legs.

“Move forward,” he grumbled.

“What?” I asked breathlessly, trying to not look down in fear I’d get dizzier, my gaze fixed on the gates nearly hanging of their hinges ahead.

The Alpha huffed and tapped my rear in an attempt to nudge me forward. Shuffling awkwardly with only a blanket between me and the horse, I realised quickly this was not going to be a comfortable journey. My fingers wound tight around course strands of white mane on instinct, and the huge horse snorted unhappily beneath me, his heavy hooves clapping against the cobbled ground.

Gods, I would have rather run in fur than spend another moment up here. It was so against our nature as wolves to rely on another beast to travel, and yet Alpha Hati mounted behind with practised ease that told of years of experience.

I stiffened as his hard, leather covered front pressed against my back, and he gave me no time to get used to our new position. In one move, he gathered the reigns, shouted his goodbyes to the pack who'd gathered to watch his departure, and guided his horse straight through the gates at a steady trot. It might as well have been a gallop for all I was used to it. My teeth clattered with each rise and fall as I jerked about unsteadily, certain any second, I would fall despite the Alpha's arms either side of me.

“Relax,” he murmured close to my ear, warm breath scorching my skin. “Lean back, that’s it. Find the rhythm just as you would running in fur, move with it. Don’t grip her mane too tight or she won’t forgive you.”

The fact the horse was a she barely registered.

I tried to do what he said, closing my eyes and loosening my grip to focus. Once my breathing evened out, I heard the steady clop of hooves, the drumbeat of movement I knew as well as my own heart. When I opened my eyes again, the ride was less bumpy as I did my best to rock rather than flail. A healthy dose of fear still curled around my stomach, and my fingers were already freezing and numb which didn’t help me retain my grip.

Much to my growing horror, Alpha Hati let the reins drop without warning to untangle my fingers.

“Hold, the reins as I did, but don’t pull back.”

A grunt told me I was doing it right, and then his warms hands came down over mine. It sent an odd shock through my system, my back going ramrod straight. At first it felt as if many needles stabbed at my fingers as they warmed up again but it faded quickly and I felt a begrudging gratitude, though I wasn’t sure why. For some reason, I resented the kindness he showed me, which was surely unreasonable. But I was too tired to question it.

Happy with our silence, I took in our surroundings with curiosity and amazement. More crumbling walls lined the road, and small huts housed yet more of the pack. They paused from chopping would and wrangling pups to watch us pass.

One day, I would have to ask for the exact number of wolves here, but for now the question felt too dangerous to risk.

I could see why the pack had chosen this location though. A river thundering past protected the Eastern border of the territory, fed by a tumbling waterfall that crashed down in the distance behind the castle from one of the rugged cliffs that surrounded us to the North and West. It was a fortress already without the crumbling castle to provide further protection.

The thud of hooves behind us signalled Farrin was catching up and he grinned as he slowed down beside us. Green eyes burned bright and even the icy air couldn’t hide the lingering scent of sickly-sweet arousal that clung to his skin and clothes.

Both of these males were so calm, acting as if they had all the time in the world, and I didn’t understand how they managed it when the world was descending into chaos.

“Are you not afraid?” I dared to ask, keeping my gaze on the road ahead.

“Afraid, Little Alpha?”

My lips pursed but I ignored his continued teasing of the title I refused to hold. “Our kind are being hunted and killed. A new creature has emerged with strength to rival our own, I’ve seen them destroy entire packs.”

Farrin scoffed at my assessment, and even though I couldn’t see him, I somehow knew Alpha Hati was smirking.

“The blood drinkers are not new,” he corrected. “Not to these lands at least. The human population has grown and expanded, making it easier for them to hide kills. They have grown stronger, and I’ll admit it has made them bolder, however, you need not worry. Farrin and I are more than capable of fighting them off. They’re solitary creatures most of the time, and one alone I could take down blindfolded.”

“With your good arm tied behind your back,” Farrin added.

Alpha Hati chuckled.

I found that I didn’t doubt that was true; pressed against him so, I could feel his strength.

“The cart should have been left for us here,” Farrin spoke up again, pointing to where piles of wood had been stacked together, probably for the numerous fires the pack here kept burning at all times.

Perhaps I wouldn’t have to be stuck high up on a horse after all. The cart wasn’t as big as most I'd seen, just enough room for two or three wolves; or perhaps an injured male and three pups.

Farrin guided his mount into position and jumped down to attach him to the cart.

Turning my head a little, I cleared my throat, “Will you help me down?”

“Down?” I could hear the frown in the Alpha’s voice so motioned to the cart. He hummed, his arms tensing on either side of me. “You would be warmer here with me, but if it is what you wish.”

“It is,” I replied, perhaps a little too quickly.

He made a sound suspiciously like a growl but jumped down and held his hands up for me. I grabbed one, swinging my leg over to not so gracefully slide down. A small pang of pain shot up my injured leg and I grunted, reaching down to rub above my shin.

“Are you alright?”

Looking up from my leg to see the Alpha watching me carefully, I nodded. “My leg hasn’t completely healed but it is still much better than I imagined it would be.”

“It hasn’t completely healed, there is still pain?” he asked, surprise arching his brow just as it had Astrid’s. When I nodded, his eyes narrowed and his eyes raked over me. “How interesting.”

Interesting? I didn’t see how. They must hold their healer in high esteem if they were shocked at this.

I stepped away from a suspicious gaze with as much suspicion of my own building inside. Farrin cleared his throat, breaking our staring match.

Holding out his hand, he offered me his first genuinely friendly smile. “I’ll help you up.”

Escaping the Alpha, I grabbed Farrin’s hand and used his offered knee as a step. He handed me a thick blanket, and nodded towards the soft pile of hay just behind the bench he would sit on to guide his horse. “Get wrapped up, it won’t grow much warmer when the sun is at her full height.”

I did as he said, tugging my cloak around me, then the blanket, and used the hay to cushion my head. Closing my eyes and tugging the hood further over my face, I prepared for another long journey. Sleep didn’t come, not even with the oddly comforting sound of the rattling cart and mumbled conversation between Farrin and Alpha Hati.

I didn’t think I’d ever sleep until I saw the faces of my pack.