Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

" E at." Kirk slides a full bowl of spaghetti carbonara topped with parmesan cheese across the wooden table. Clad in a black t-shirt and black jeans that mold to his firm chest and fit thighs, he's a walking clothing ad for the everyday man.

Breathing in the aromatic steam rising from the blue stoneware, I twirl the noodles around the prongs of my fork. Aching deliciously, I blow on the food, eager to refuel. I've purged myself of the journey and the complex emotions it invoked. Raw and unsteady, I soak up the silent strength my men offer. I bring the food to my mouth and the surface tension eases. Even now, I feel like a stranger in my body. The trials changed more than my physical appearance.

There's a new strength in my limbs. Colors appear brighter. I sense my mates in a new way.

"We're missing something," Cadoc's voice rumbles in his chest. Stepping behind me, he kisses my crown. "How are you feeling, brat?"

"Starved." Swallowing, I lean back and peer up at him. His white sweater sets off his tan skin and brings out his blue eyes.

"Did Bo not sate your appetite?" He smirks.

"For food? No. For men." I grin.

Laughing, Cadoc moves to sit across the table from me.

"You're the link." Kirk's voice comes from my left.

"Maybe our gods have an interest in the world not ending?" Fell suggests. He pushes up the sleeves of his green t-shirt.

"For all we know, I'm not the only one," I speak around bites of food.

"True." Cadoc rubs his thumb and forefinger over his stubbled chin. I like the five o'clock shadow he's sporting.

"What's so special about you?" Bo studies me through narrowed eyes.

"Harsh, Your Highness." I wrinkle my nose.

He snorts. "I meant that literally. There's a piece of the puzzle directly linked to you." He frowns. "Or maybe your family."

My fork clinks against the empty plate. "The note someone slipped us in the Alpha's house said the fire wasn't an accident. Maybe it was more than a scare tactic." Appetite gone, I push the empty plate away from me.

"What would be the purpose, though?" Fell's words are rushed.

"Silence? Getting rid of the descendants of Fenrir?"

The food sits in my stomach like a rock.

"They kept it secret. Who could've known about their heritage?" Cadoc's facial features tighten. "I didn't even know."

"Alpha and the Fellowship. We don't know when they first contacted him." My stomach hurt as I think about the dark cult that kidnapped me.

Cadoc snarls. "Fuck."

"Keep eating, Ylva." Fell pushes the bowl of cut fruit toward me.

"I'm not hungry."

"Too bad." Bo stares me down.

Exhaling, I pick at the sliced strawberries. "If they wanted to end the line, why did they spare me?"

"What do you remember about the fire?" Fell's gentle voice does nothing to soften the blow.

I hear the roar of the hungry flames devouring everything. Cloying smoke choked me and stung my eyes and nostrils. Breathing becomes difficult. I release small puffs of air. I clench the fork. It bends.

"Hey. You're not there." A large, warm hand covers mine.

Inhaling, I nod my head and focus on the touch, grounding myself.

"It was so hot that everything around me seemed to melt or sizzle. The smoke burned and made it hard to see. So, I dropped to the ground, as the infomercials always told us. I was crawling when I heard the screams. I tried to go toward them, but the fire was raging out of control in that direction." My voice shakes. "And I was terrified." My vision blurs. Shame washes over me. "I fled like a fucking coward."

"Hey. You were eleven," Fell protests.

Swiping away my tears. I clear my throat. "I got turned around and trapped by a fire. T-then Jarl came out of nowhere. At fourteen, he leaped through the wall of flames, picked me up, and ran. I don't know how he ignored the pain. Our clothes were melting into our skin. The last time I saw him, he was throwing me out the window."

Lower lip trembling, I recall his face, covered in soot, hair singed around the edges, and clothes full of holes. "He was supposed to follow me. But he never made it out. He died for me." I bow my head. Sharing the truth I'd kept hidden for far too long zapped my energy.

"Jarl sacrificed himself because he loved you." Cadoc covers my hand with his. "Don't forget that."

"It was the wrong choice. I brought no honor or glory to our name?—"

"Bullshit." Bo's voice cuts through the quiet self-loathing I continuously struggle with. "Your parents would be proud of who you've become. Unlike other families, they cared about you and your brother as individuals. It wasn't about your abilities or some trumped-up legacy." His words are telling. Stunned, I go silent.

"Do you remember anything strange happening that day?" Cadoc squeezes my hand.

"No." I close my eyes, trying to recall my last day of normalcy.

"It was summer, so we were having a lazy day hanging around at home. Jarl and I played board games and binged cheesy eighties horror movies." Back in the moment, I let the day play out like a movie. I look out the window and see Kirk talking to my father. Dad shakes his head as he talks with his hands. Dad's brows dip and he frowns. Their conversation is intense.

I open my eyes. "You." I move my hand from Cadoc and point to Kirk. "Why were you at my house talking to my father?"

"I was arranging a blood draw to test you for signs of the illness. It was an upsetting subject for most parents." Kirk frowns. "But your father was adamant he didn't want it done."

"That's odd, isn't it?" Cadoc shifts his weight in his chair.

"Yes, he said he wouldn't have her reduced to a combination of genetics. I knew Alpha would be pissed. I tried to talk him out of it."

"You'd stepped down by then. Why you?" Bo nods his chin at him.

"He sent me as a last resort, hoping his trust in me would gain a different answer."

"Why would he do that?" I frown.

"It wasn't the first time he'd refused to have you tested." Cadoc sheds light on the subject. "I'm not sure why. I asked him and he said he didn't like the idea of tempting fate."

"Do you think he knew Alpha wasn't on the up and up?" I look at Cadoc.

"If he did, he never hinted at it to me."

"Well, he wouldn't, would he?" Bo scoffs. "You were working for the big bad."

"It can't be a coincidence that he said no to the Alpha multiple times. That takes guts and serious power to withstand his will." Kirk whistles.

"He must've had a damn good reason to show that ability." Cadoc rubs his chin. "Your father weighed his actions carefully. He wouldn't reveal his hand for no particular reason."

It doesn't escape my attention that I'm the focal point once again.

Fell hums. "It feels like your father knew something."

"How do we figure out what that was?"

"Maybe it's time to talk to the ancestors?" Fell suggests.

"Do you know a medium?" Bo's words are dipped in sarcasm.

"We all do." I smile as I stare at Fell.

"What? No. I do not know what I'm doing, Ylva."

"We can learn together." I grab his hand.

"I don't want to let you down." Fell looks away.

"Just try." I watch the man mingle with the powerhouse he's becoming.

He blinks slowly and nods. "Give me a minute. I can access the information of the old Volva, but it's disorienting."

A few moments later he grunts. "I can call him to the world, but I can't make him draw near."

"We have to try." I wince at the thought of disturbing my father. The man deserves his peace.

Fell's eyes grow unfocused as he slips into a trance. I wipe my mouth with a white linen napkin, setting it on top of my plate.

Kirk removes the dishes. I study Fell. His eyes frost over, and his gathering power fills up the room.

"I can board the boat to Niflheim and ride across the river of the dead, but I cannot exit. I will call to him on your behalf." Fell holds up his hand and I take it. I gasp as I'm pulled into his vision. Suddenly, I'm beside him on an ancient wooden longboat. Mist rises off the dark waters we travel in.

The swirling smoke-like substance forms faces and bodies. Their hollow eyes are fixed on us, watching our every move. Despite the display, I'm not afraid. There's peace and a feeling of inevitability.

The distant shore becomes clear. I make out figures standing on the shore. Our breaths form clouds. It's cold here, but I'm not uncomfortable. The crisp wind is invigorating.

The humanoid shapes fall back as a large bipedal creature walks to the shoreline. Its fierce yellow eyes are visible through the floor. Gray coat splattered with blood, the large canine bears sharp teeth.

"Garma." Fell's grave tone shocks me. There's an echo that hints at a power greater housing it. "We seek only information."

Garma sits on his haunches. A tall, slender woman cloaked in black steps forward. Lowering the hood of our robe, she reveals an oval-shaped face framed with hair pitch black on one side and bone white on the other. Her angular face is beautiful and terrifying. The left side is skeletal with a filmy white eye, contrasting with the aesthetic perfection of the opposite side.

"Hel," Fell greets her. We bow with deference.

"Like me, you walk between worlds." Her lips curve into a serene smile. Her demeanor puts me at ease. Like death, the being standing before us guarding the tall black gates simply is.

"You've come seeking answers because you have been wronged and deceived by those in power. I will grant you one question, child of Fenrir, who shares the blood running in my veins."

There's an odd kinship between us.

"What do we need to know to bring peace and justice?"

"To yourself? The world? Your people?" She arches a perfectly sculpted brow.

"Yes."

Hel's chuckle feels like a thunderstorm sweeping in. The water grows choppy, and the wind picks up.

"People will always seek to control what they fear. Our family has been bound, isolated, and mistrusted before we could prove ourselves. You suffer this same curse."

"I don't understand." I frown.

"Don't you? History repeats itself. The legends are kept alive to guide, warn, and teach."

She's trying to tell us something. Fell's voice comes through our link.

"Blood will tell, little wolf. The answers you seek all come from the secrets locked inside you."

"Inside of me?" I repeat the words.

"You're far more than you believe yourself to be. Tap into your true power and the tides will shift," Hel insists.

Quiet settles around us. The siren's call that comes with this beautiful place urges me to stay.

"Go, before the pull calls you home before your time," Hel commands.

Fell pulls us back into the present. Hands massage my shoulders. I inhale the combined scent of my mates. Lemon, salt, burnt orange, vanilla, and bergamot ground me.

My eyelids flutter open, and I find Kirk sitting beside me.

"Welcome back."