Chapter Two Heimdall

"W hy haven't you taken a mate yet?" my father barked the moment I stepped into his home.

I just sighed, carrying the bowl of stew over and sitting it down in front of him at the table. He'd been sitting in the hard wooden chair for over two weeks now, the bloody stump of his right hand wrapped in bandages that looked like they needed changing again. In his left hand was a lit cigarette, probably his twentieth one of the day, if not more. Granted, werewolf healing usually stopped us from getting things like lung cancer. But my father was doing his damnedest to get it anyway.

"There are no women in the pack that aren't already mated," I replied, just like I had every day for the past year.

"There's a few coming of age soon. Take one of them."

Sixteen was hardly of age , even in werewolf packs. Most wolves weren't even considered adults until their early twenties. Besides, taking a child bride wasn't an option, no matter how much he pushed. On that subject, I would not budge.

"Eat your stew, father," I replied, ignoring his suggestion.

Despite my best efforts, the man was still living in the stone age. Even during his youth, no such traditions existed. But in the past few years, he'd been doing his best to try to bring them back. He wanted to go back to an age where humans feared the woods for good reason. Where werewolves and other creatures could roam freely without fear of being hunted. He wanted these hills for our people and nobody else.

He believed in a utopia for our kind and nothing, not even failure, would convince him otherwise.

"What's the report for the day?" he growled, pushing the stew away.

I sighed, knowing he would refuse to eat again . "No changes," I said, taking a seat across from him. "The borders are being patrolled as you commanded. Nobody from the Hati pack has crossed them or even come close. The mountain is ours and Thor refuses open war."

"Why?" he asked, talking more to himself than anyone else. "I killed his father and nearly killed his human lover. Why does he not march against us while I'm wounded and vulnerable?"

"Maybe he fears the great Tyr and his people."

My father scoffed, holding up his bloody stump. "The great Tyr. Right. If I were so great, I wouldn't have been maimed by that little fuck." He looked over at me. "And our people? Nothing about them is great. The Skoll pack is weak. Weaker than it ever has been. Each winter that passes, we lose more wolves to old age and sickness. There's not enough food, no more pups are being made, and each day we take in the sun is one day closer to destruction." He lit a new cigarette with his old one, taking a long drag before blowing it up into the air above him. "At this rate, we won't be around much longer."

I could hear the despair in his voice. The hopelessness that filled him these past couple of weeks was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. My entire life, this man had been a pillar of strength and steadfastness. Even when the rest of the world looked down on us for staying separate from the humans, he stood strong against the winds of change. He was trying to preserve our way of life, to keep the wildness of the wolf inside us alive. Under his leadership, we would never become dogs to the humans like the Hati pack. We would survive.

"What can I do to help?" I asked, wanting more than anything to ease his burden.

"Take a mate," he replied. "That's what I wish for you. You'll need the help when you take over the pack."

"But that won't happen anytime soon," I began.

"It may not be far away." He held up his stump again, looking it over. "Losing a hand makes me weaker in all of my forms. Even shifted, I won't be able to run as fast or fight as well as I used to. It's only a matter of time before someone gets the better of me."

"That's not true–"

"Yes, it is!"

Silence filled the room as the echoes of his shout faded away. My heart quickened in my chest, knowing I'd upset him. I thought he might lash out. But instead, he did something worse. He slumped in his chair, staring out the window with a melancholy look on his face.

"When you take over this pack, I don't want you to be alone like I am. I want you to have a woman at your side to support you. A woman worthy of being Luna." He took a long drag on his cigarette. "Your mother was one hell of a Luna."

He always talked about her like she was dead. And she might as well have been. She'd left my father when I was five years old, claiming there was a better life in the city for all of us. When she tried to take me with her, my father forced me to choose. As much as I loved her, I couldn't turn away from my father and the Alpha of our pack. Even at five years old, I understood that he was our leader.

So, I chose him.

The last memory I had of my mother was her tear-stained face as she got into her car and drove down the mountain, never to be seen again. Since that day, I'd been raised by my father and trained to follow in his footsteps. My mother's departure was considered a betrayal to the entire pack, and even worse, disloyalty to family. Even though we were werewolves, we were still mountain people. We'd been in those hills long before the country around us was settled. And we'd be there long after it fell to ruin. But, amongst our people, family was the most important thing in the entire world.

And my mother had abandoned her family. So, to us, she was dead, and I knew I'd never see her again as long as I drew breath.

"She betrayed us," I said finally, pulling myself from my thoughts. "She betrayed our family, our pack, and the future you've fought so hard to make for us. If I take a mate, she'll be a better Luna than that."

My father looked up at me, a proud smile filling his face. "Well said, boy." He took another long drag on his cigarette. "In that case, I don't mind waiting. As long as your mate is cunning and loyal, you'll have my blessing."

"I'll make sure of it."

"Good," he nodded, looking back out the window. "Did you send a group of wolves down to the farm to take a look at everything that old woman was hiding?"

Back to business. "Yes. They found the tunnels you talked about, but they were empty. It looks like the Hati pack cleared them out before we could look. The farm appears to still be functional, with a few human caretakers from the Hati resort. But they are only caring for the animals. Everything related to the werewolf hunters is gone."

"Damn," he muttered, kicking at the table leg. "I was hoping we could use a few of those silver weapons to our advantage."

"I'm sorry, father."

"No matter. We have a secret weapon of our own that is far more powerful than silver." He glanced back at me. "How is it doing?"

"Just fine. No problems and the barrier remains intact."

"Good. We don't want anyone finding it before we're ready. It'll be the one thing that Thor will never see coming. I doubt even that half-witch brother of his will know about it. We've done too good of a job keeping it hidden."

I nodded in agreement. "When will that time come?"

"Soon," he said, looking back out the window. "Very soon. And when we march on the Hati, you will be at my side. Together, we'll reunite the packs once more and drive the humans out of these hills. Then, finally , we can have some hard-earned peace." He looked up at me, a grin spreading over his face. "Who knows? Maybe your mate will be a Hati woman."

I grimaced, screwing up my face in disgust. "I hope not."

"We're all one family. Once we prove that to them and unite the packs, you might find a few of them agreeable to our cause. We just need to remind them that they still have wolves inside them and not dogs ."

"Of course, father." I pushed myself up from the table, giving him a small bow. "Please eat your stew. You'll need it to regain your strength."

I was halfway to the door when his voice stopped me again.

"Are you going on patrol tomorrow night?" he asked.

"Yes, sir."

He nodded. "I'll be coming with you. I want to see your hard work keeping our borders safe myself. And I want to bathe in the light of the full moon. That and the fresh air will help my wound heal faster."

"As you wish."

I left the house, a sense of excitement and anxiety twisting at my stomach. If my father wanted to see my work, then I had to make sure it was impeccable. I'd proved my loyalty to him long ago, but I still had yet to prove I was an Alpha worthy of leading the Skoll pack. This was my chance to do that.

So, with pride flowing through my veins, I set about making sure everything was in perfect order for our patrol the following night. The Skoll pack had to be ready to go to war the moment he decided it was time. Our security was the first piece of that plan. And the second was something we'd been working on in secret for years. Both were my responsibility and both would be perfect, no matter what.

I would not let my father down.