Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

T he forest is alive with the buzz of cicadas. I walk through the trees using my sharp eyesight to avoid the thick roots poking up through the dirt.

Untouched, pack land is ancient and free from the taint of man. We'd long turned the space into something protected from the outside land through a deal with the government.

While the law forbids others from entering, magic takes care of the rest with strong wards and other deterrent spells. I lift the hem of my skirt and follow my uncle and aunt.

We delve deeper into the heart of the woodland. Tall pines grow impossibly high and their trunks are thick in a way I never saw in the human world.

Inhaling the heady and comforting scents of moss, leaves, and flowers I reconnect with the land I'd grown up on.

I missed the unspoiled beauty I took for granted. Wolves howl as pack mates run off excess energy. Their shapes rush past, weaving in and out of the trees.

I admire the beauty of their silken fur beneath the moonlight. Back at school, I ran alone infrequently.

Here where there's no one to hide from, we're free to be our true selves. We descend and the temperature drops as the trees grow closer together.

As the ground levels out, I spot more clans gathered in small groups.

Families amble toward the big fire dressed in traditional garb. I admire the kohl lining their eyes, bold symbols on cheeks and foreheads, and the silver, amber, and brass jewelry.

The ratio of men to women is devastating. How many had been lost while I was away?

A little girl with a traditional bead wrapped around her head waves. Grinning I return her smile and she giggles.

I remember how exciting these nights were when I was her age. Too young to worry about the politics and power plays taking place around me I saw it as a fun dress-up holiday with extended family.

All wolves love their pups. We believe youngsters belong to everyone. I nod at some of the families I'm on friendly terms with and smile at some of my fellow schoolmates.

"Yl." I turn my head toward the soft-spoken voice. Heart in my throat, I watch the tall blonde with close-cropped hair steps into the patch of moonlight beside me.

"Fell," I whisper.

His strong square jaw, sharp cheekbones, and broad forehead have matured. I'm not prepared for this. Why didn't you show up? Or answer my calls?

Words dance on the tip of my tongue as my heart threatens to burst from my chest. The man standing before me bears little resemblance to the boy I once knew.

"I tried to see you earlier, but your uncle and aunt said you were unwell." His forest green tunic molds to broad shoulders and a firm chest.

He's grown up well. My pulse quickens and I fight down the arousal.

The chunky bracelet is made from the same gold as his necklace, adorned with garnet.

"Why?"

He hadn't cared when he ripped my heart out and retreated to the woods with the rest of

his family. A fact I'd found out weeks later from a friend.

Overnight they'd all withdrawn without any explanation. In the span of a heartbeat and three words, I'd

lost the one person I'd come to count on over the years.

His brow furrows. "I was worried. You said you were never coming back."

Pale green eyes stare into my soul.

"That wasn't my choice to make."

He scowls. "Since when do you care about pack rules? You've always pushed boundaries."

"Someone should," I mumble too low for him to hear.

We'd argued about this for the majority of our courtship. He had a blinding faith in the pack and their ways I disagreed with.

It made sense he wanted to become a keeper of our oral history.

"Since they showed up at my graduation and forced me back like a rabid dog."

"No. Alpha wouldn't do that." Fell's voice holds a hint of doubt. I double down.

"Yet, he did." I refuse to argue.

Fell's always held the high-up members of the pack in great esteem. I hated how they blinded him to the injustices done.

"I don't understand."

"Then I suppose you're feeling how I did that night," I whisper as melancholy settles in.

"Ylva," his voice shakes.

I ignore his beseeching gaze. "The elders are not perfect."

"Shh." He steps closer and I scoff.

"They may lead, but they're also still just human. People who sometimes make shitty choices."

He frowns and my eyes drop to his perfectly formed mouth. His fuller lower lip still begs to be nibbled and sucked on.

By some other girl. The thought still stings.

"No faith." The disappointment in his voice chafes. Who is he to judge me?

"It died with the rest of my family in a freak fire and once more when the love of my life walked away without looking back."

"Don't be like this."

Sorrow softens his voice, and mutes his rosemary, lemon, and salt scent.

This isn't the same boy who'd stood by my side against bullies. He bought into the brainwashing and it soured our connection.

I can't cling to the memory of the boy who'd made me feel like the most important person in his world.

"I can only ever be myself. It's nice to see that's still not enough for you."

"Ylva." Fell reaches out to grab my wrists.

I step back. "I need to go."

"You look beautiful in your clan's garb." We all have family colors, symbols, and preferred runes.

"Thank you." Turning, I jog to catch up to my uncle and aunt.

I know where I stand with them. Which is better than the wild ride Fell put me on.

The sweet bookish boy with a sensitive soul had caught my eye from the time we were children devouring the required reading in class.

When they paired us for a science project in fifth grade we'd clicked. I thought he might be my mate, but that wasn't to be.

Silly for me to expect a true match when it had become a rare connection. I hear the crackling of the fire before I see it.

Flames jump high, flickering in a wild dance. The seats are full of people as far as the eye can see.

Alpha sits in the place of honor beside the fire and his daughter sits behind him. Ignoring the whispers that include my name, I take my place beside my uncle and aunt on a log on the perimeters of the group.

The minutes creep by like sap dribbling from a tree in the dead of winter. Alpha stands and quiet falls. Even the animals sense his vast power.

"I thank you all for coming on such short notice. I received information from our Volva that

required quick action."

Restless energy swells. People lean forward and murmurs spread through the crowd.

"I've uncovered the cause of our recent issues. The old gods are displeased with us."

"No." Gasps of disbelief and the pungent oniony fear perfume the air. Murmurs travel through the

Group apprehension becomes a weighted blanket pressing down on us.

"We've become soft, and it shows in the fruit we can no longer bear. When I lost my wife to the sickness that stalks our healthy females, stripping them of their ability to bear young or worse, killing them I did everything in my power to find a cure." His voice cracks.

He turns away from the audience. The pain he's putting on display appears raw and real. I'm not sure I buy it.

Those around me exude a mix of shock and sympathy that mirrors my own. It's easy not to see our leader a regular person.

Tonight, it's impossible to do anything else.

"This isn't a matter of science or genetics. It's a test we've been failing. No longer."

Applause and wolf whistles deafen me.

"I have glimpsed the way ahead, and it starts with Ylva Eskildson."

Heart palpitating, I struggle to breath. The oppressive stares full of accusation hit like a physical blow. Animosity flows around me, constricting my lungs like a boa.

A firm hand clamps down on my shoulder. I blink slowly and find Fell seated beside me.

I slump on the log, hiding behind Fell's frame. Lemon floods my nose as his protective pheromones flare, providing me with comfort.

What is he thinking? Surely not her? Cruel words cut into my psyche as my ears twitch.

"Hey. You're okay. I'm right here." The rosemary, lemon, and salt scent comfort me.

"Please, tell me I just hallucinated that." I lean into Fell's hold, seeking the old familiarity and security he once gave me.

He shakes his head.

"She will forge a new path for our people. Her ancestors will help return us to our former

glory." The Alpha continues on.

How am I supposed to do that?

"Tonight, for the first time in one hundred years, I invoke the Rite of Mating for Ylva."

"No!" The word explodes from my throat. "This is not what I agreed to."

I try to rise, and Fell

presses down, keeping me seated.

"Be quiet you ignorant girl. This is a great honor," Aunt Gerda says.

"The last of a great clan, she deserves a chance to keep her family alive. And the gods have seen fit to commune with her. She was blessed with an encounter with Fenrir."

He's twisting everything that's happened. I fight against Fell's hold.

"I choose Cadoc Bergstrom, Kirk Nielson, Bo Jensen, and Fell Pederson."

Fell's eyes round, and his jaw drops. He didn't know. I shouldn't be relieved, yet I am.

Yells of protest, looks of disgust and anger bombard my senses. Anger snaps me out of my anxiety spiral. I don't want this, and yet they look ready to stone me. I'm trapped. The world shrinks in around me.

Holding my breath, I force my muscles to relax. Fell's grip loosens.

Run.

The she-wolf's voice explodes inside my head. I fall back off the log, rolling as I gain my feet, and shift.

The seamless transition is unlike any other time before. There's no hesitation or struggle to tap into my wolf.

My legs and arms lengthen and my nails turn to claws. I drop onto all fours. Power surges through me and I'm one with the land as my paws pound over the ground.

Our gift comes from magic. It's leftover from the blood of the gods that continues to run through our veins.

I jump over roots, tree trunks, and people who are frozen with shock.

"Prove your worthiness to your mate." Alpha demands, voice guttural and unhinged.

The glee in his tone, shows he views my escape attempts as something for sport. I don't have to look over my shoulder to know the four men are transforming to give chase.

My she-wolf is excited by the pheromones they give off as they shift. Picking up speed I let the her take over. The yips behind me warning me to stop fuel my passion for freedom. The sounds of multiple paws hitting the ground ratchets up my anxiety

Ignoring them I move erratically. I won't be an easy target.

I smell the heavy mating hormones. A wild urge to present myself and take them, startles me. I'd never been in tune with my wolf like this. Frightened, I increase my speed.

A hard snout slams into my hind, spinning me. I tumble to the ground and roll onto my side. The large gray wolf nips at my back legs. I yelp when his sharp teeth graze me.

A familiar tan, white, and gray markings like eyebrows, wolf knocks him to the side. Fell.

Blocking the snapping wolf from me he lowers his body and they tussle, nipping at each other. I take advantage of the disruption and continue forward.

A large black wolf with piercing yellow eyes, blocks my path. I dart to the right and find an even bigger gray wolf with black marks under its eyes that look like eyeliner.

It's blazing yellow eyes are full of silent alpha energy that locks me into place. My heart and my soul don't agree.

In the midst of confusion, my body is bound. I mentally thrash to regain the will being stripped away.

They keep me between them, closing in ranks. Panicked I look for an opening. I backpedal. I hit the tree, panting as the wolves growl and bark a warning.

Eyeliner, Cadoc, turns to the black wolf, who bows his head and lowers his belly to the ground in deference, establishing pack hierarchy. He lunges forward and catches me by the throat.

His sharp teeth press into my skin, but they don't draw blood. I refuse to yield, meeting his gaze. The black wolf yips. The mouth around my neck tightens slowly.

The pressure becomes unbearable. I yield, whimpering. His jaw opens and I sink to the ground, shaking.

I've submitted, in the eyes of our people they've all proved their worth for the mating match. The fear subsides, I transform.

"Always hard-headed." Cadoc growls, cupping my face.

"You could've stopped."

"We both know that's not true," his voice sounds tired and sad. "So stubborn." He clucks

his tongue.

Is that admiration glinting in the depths of his eyes?

"What are you going to do?" Winded, I catch my breath.

"Right now?" He arches a thick black brow. "Bring you back to complete the ritual."

"Please." I don't know what I'm asking him for.

Releasing my face, he holds out his hand. I grab them and he helps me rise.

"Uncle Cadoc." I try to appeal to his sentimentality.

"I think we'd both feel better if you drop the uncle off." His icy eyes bore into me.

I won't be able to sway him. He's always been about duty first.

Peppermint, camphor, and juniper berries flood the immediate area. His pheromones flare.

"Easy, Cad." Kirk steps forward.

Kirk places a hand on Cadoc's shoulder. His brown skin contrasts with the pale blue tunic Cadoc

poured his bulky frame into.

Former healer for the pack, Kirk's always had a soothing presence. His cinnamon, clove, and bitter orange aroma is warm and inviting.

He's suffered greatly with the strange sickness that refuses to budge. When he failed to save Alpha's wife, he stepped down and became something of a hermit.

His brown eyes are full of kindness. "The Rite has been started. There's nothing we can do, but ride it out."

"Please." My lower lip trembles. Life is closing around me.

"There's nothing I can do, Ylva." Kirk smooths back my braids. "Let me help you through this."

"What being owned in the eyes of the pack by four strangers?" I snarl.

Kirk grunts. "When we come together, we won't let it be like that." His thick black brows dip and his plush full lips curve down.

Kirk's diamond-shaped face has a wider triangular jaw that clenches and releases. I see the battle waging in his dark eyes. "I will do everything in my power to help make this easier on you."

A burning sensation on my wrist startles me. I look down and see the backward z that's Eihwaz rune representing trustworthiness.

"You made an official vow to me," I remind him.

"There's nothing I wouldn't do to bring my mate comfort. This might not have been our choice,

but we get to decide how it progresses," Kirk says.

This is a plan I can get behind. "Okay."

"You've got her. I'm going to keep the young pups from ripping each other apart," Cadoc commands before shifting and bounding off.

How could Alpha pair me with my childhood bully? The spoiled heir has always taken great pleasure in tormenting me.

Bo never let me forget I'm lacking. Everything about him has always annoyed me, including the fact that his scent smells like a decadent candy: licorice, spiced honey, and vanilla.

How can I ever trust him enough to form a mating bond?

Leaning into Kirk's warmth, I allow him to lead me back toward the den of wolves waiting to see a show. If I can't get Alpha to change his mind, I'll fight for every single concession I can in the negotiation.

The four may be slated to become my mates, but I won't lie down and show my belly.