Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

A strid drifted awake from a distant, peaceful place. First came the sweet ache between her thighs—a throbbing heat that radiated up into her lower belly, reminding her of her long, passionate night with Erec. He hadn’t lied to her when he’d said the sex wouldn’t be quick or gentle. And that was quite all right with her. She preferred the hard, fervent kind anyway. It was a good thing their kind didn’t become fertile until after they’d found their soul mate and broke the curse. Otherwise, after a night like that, she had no doubt in her mind that she would have fallen pregnant.

Erec’s soft breathing and his steady heartbeat were the only sounds; silence had replaced the thundering music outside the tent. The recoil of her wolf told her it had to be some time during the day. Just what time it was, she couldn’t be sure.

Then came the scents—the strong tickle of cedar and smoke, the wisp of lilac, and the sweet aroma of sex. She and Erec had enjoyed each other’s company three more times before exhaustion swept them both into a heavy sleep, forcing them to squeeze close together on Astrid’s tiny bed.

Cracking her eyes open, she was greeted by a harsh brightness that stung and quickly shut her lids again. Maybe she’d just stay here for a while longer. With the light pressure of Erec beside her, accompanied with the hypnotic sound of his breaths, it would be easy to find sleep again. Being here with him was a comfort she wasn’t ready to leave just yet.

It wasn’t long before she visited that blissful, dream-filled place again. Over the next hour she glided in and out of consciousness. She would have continued to chase sleep for much longer, too, if a frantic stirring beside her hadn’t jerked her awake. Snapping up in bed, Astrid’s mind leaped through all the worst possible scenarios, most involving Jerrick and some kind of unheard ambush. Then she peered over at Erec, who was thrashing about, his lips pressed tightly together, a bluish vein jumping under the skin of his forehead. Despite his heavy breathing and the sweat glistening across his brow, his eyes remained closed. He was still asleep. It seemed the only real threats were the ones invading his mind in a very violent, very forceful nightmare.

Astrid silently commanded her jumpy heart to settle and leaned closer to Erec. She ran the back of her hand along his fevered forehead and whispered his name, hoping to wake him. He bucked under her touch, snarling, and she pulled back.

Her heart constricted. She didn’t like seeing him in any kind of pain, especially if it was intangible, something she couldn’t help him fight. “Erec…” she called gently. “Erec, please wake up.”

Every one of his muscles was drawn tight, but he stopped twisting in the bed. What dream could be tormenting him so much? As she whispered his name again and again, she touched his brow for a second time. Her skin was icy compared to the heat radiating from his. His fear and anger pulsed through his new pack connection so strongly it seeped into all her senses, leaving a pungent, bitter taste on her tongue.

“Erec…” she said with a little more force this time. “Wake up.”

His eyes snapped open, wide with panic. He blinked several times, and when his gaze finally found her, his body eased into the bed, unwinding. A small smile teased his lips as if his dreams had only been full of happy things and not the terrible fight she had just witnessed.

“Good morning,” he said, his voice still raspy with sleep. “Or should I say afternoon?”

“Erec.” She couldn’t keep the worry from her tone. “You were having some kind of nightmare. You were thrashing in your sleep.” You scared me .

His brows rose in surprise. “I was?” His fingers brushed the dampness clinging to his forehead and his puzzled look intensified.

Unease turned in Astrid’s gut. “You don’t remember?” she asked. “It just happened. Now. I tried waking you.”

“I only remember pieces,” he started. “I remember repeating a lot of what you and I did last night. Although it wasn’t nearly as good in my head as it was in real life.” His blue eyes darkened on her, causing her cheeks to burn as desire stirred. Sweet Moons, this man could turn her into a puddle without even trying.

“I must have had another dream because I remember Jerrick’s face. His laughter.” His jaw clenched, and his fury surged around him again. “And the smell of blood.”

That had to be the nightmare. “But you don’t remember anything else?”

Erec shook his head and sighed. “No, but it’s not important.”

His fingers glided down her arm, beckoning her to lie back with him. She did, and settled in close to his chest. Being pressed against him did things to her body she had no control over, like make her pulse hum through her veins and her lower belly clench with need. But still, there were questions she wanted to ask him, questions she had been so willing to put off last night. She needed the answers, but she hesitated, unsure how she would feel after getting them. If Erec and Jerrick really did have some sort of history—or worse, a present—would she be able to pull herself away from him then? The sinking feeling tugging at her gut told Astrid she wasn’t as strong as she thought she was.

“What’s wrong?” Erec looked down at her, worry weighing his gaze. She was about to ask him how he knew something was bothering her, but then she remembered their new pack bond and the link between them.

“Filip told me what Claus said during the questioning,” she began, wondering how to go about the delicate topic. Maybe straight to the point would be best. “He told me Jerrick is looking for you.”

His body tensed against hers. “Apparently he is.” He said it through a tight jaw. “Unfortunately, your father was too quick, and I didn’t get the why before Claus lost his head.”

Why didn’t that surprise her? Her father’s temper was untamable. “So you don’t know why?”

“I have no idea,” he replied. “I don’t even know how he knows my name. We’ve only met once, and that was during the ambush on the east-side pack, when Jerrick snapped Mikel’s neck in front of me.” Erec’s rage pushed off him in waves, as fierce as the river’s current, and Astrid was sure he wasn’t lying. No one could fake that kind of fury.

Relief flooded her. Erec wasn’t working for Jerrick, but that left the question of why the alpha was looking for him still. It was best to leave it alone for now. Jerrick was a madman. Who knew how his brain worked? As long as Erec wasn’t part of that insanity, that was enough for her.

“We should probably get up and leave this tent before people start wondering where you’ve disappeared to,” Erec said as he stretched his arms up above his head. His well-defined stomach and hip bones peeked from under the blanket, just covering his manhood, and Astrid’s heart skipped a beat. She glanced up at him and met his eyes. Having caught her staring, he made sure to add, “As much as I don’t want to.”

Astrid sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. “They’ll wonder where you are, too.”

He snorted a laugh. “Not me, but I’m sure Boden will be looking for his daughter, making sure you haven’t run off again.” Realization flitted across his face, and Erec suddenly looked ill. “Better yet, I think we both better wash before we step foot anywhere outside. I don’t need Filip or your father smelling me on you.”

Filip wouldn’t care, but her father… He was a different story. He may not be the alpha anymore, but he was still her father. An overprotective one, too.

“I’d like to make it to the Blue Moon alive, if possible,” Erec said, a grin playing with his lips.

“I distinctly remember you saying you didn’t care if you died before the Blue Moon. As long as dying was on your terms.” It seemed terrible to joke about such a thing, especially after the horrible words Erec had uttered the other day about wanting control over his fate. But something about his mischievous smile had her wanting to play along.

Erec put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back until she lay flat on the bed again. Then he leaned down, his lips brushing hers as he spoke softly. “That was before I had something to live for.”

He kissed her, but this time, there was no rush to the possession. His tongue whirled with hers in an erotic dance that was both slow and hypnotizing. The heat of his hand cupping her cheek spread over her, warming her entire being. Astrid reveled in it, remembering sunshine and the spring and all the promises that time of year brought with it. She missed those things desperately. Erec reminded her of those things.

Was it love? Filip’s words bounced around in her head. “When you finally do know it, you’ll know it. With every fiber of your being. Believe me. It’s a feeling like no other.”

Astrid still couldn’t say it was love for sure, but she did know one thing absolutely—now that she had relished in that sunshine and hope with Erec, she had spent too many days in this bitter winter.

She never wanted to be cold again.

E ven after washing any remaining traces of Astrid off his skin, Erec couldn’t get rid of the memory of what she felt like under his fingertips or how she tasted on his tongue. Those were things he’d always carry with him, even if he was wrong and he ended up not surviving the Blue Moon. Somehow, the memories he had with her would stay with him in the afterlife, too.

He hadn’t understood what had come over him last night. Watching Astrid dance by the firelight with the orange and gold glow of the flames flickering across her skin proved to be a powerful and mesmerizing spell, one he couldn’t shake. The way her hips swayed and her body rocked called to him, and it wasn’t long before he lost himself. But he was glad he had because finally giving in to that unexplainable magic between them was freeing. It was like being able to breathe fresh air again after years of drowning—at first a sting that was sweet but temporary, then soon a bliss he couldn’t deny or get enough of.

He was in love. He had realized it the moment he and Astrid had come together the first time while on her bed. At that moment, his heart was no longer his, and as the night wore on and he took her again and again, his feelings only seemed to strengthen. He couldn’t get enough of her, and if it wasn’t for the exhaustion that seized them both, he would have continued taking her until the Blue Moon rose in the sky.

Astrid had to be the one meant for him—his mate. Any lingering doubt dissipated, leaving only certainty. She was the one his wolf howled for and his soul called for.

And that meant they were saved.

But the hesitance dulling Astrid’s green eyes as they dressed and readied to leave the tent suggested her feelings didn’t mirror his own. Even after their night together, she still wasn’t sure about them, and that worried him. How could he be so certain about what was between them, but she wasn’t? What did that mean for the curse? If one of them wasn’t convinced about their love, would their twenty-fifth Blue Moon take their lives?

That was a scary thought.

Erec watched Astrid tug on her boots. Should he tell her how he felt? Maybe then he could understand what was holding her back. But when he opened his mouth, no sound emerged.

He cursed his cowardice. Was he really still scared of being rejected?

Drawing in a deep breath, he tried again. “Astrid…”

She stood, her boots finally tied on her feet. Tilting her head to the side, she regarded him with a tender smile. “We should probably see what Filip plans to do next, since Claus is dead. Maybe there’s a way we can help.”

He swallowed his words, pushing them into the pit of his stomach. Maybe now wasn’t the best time to tell her.

Instead, Erec held the tent flap open and let her walk through first. The frigid winter air bit at his nose, cheeks, and ears like a dozen little pinpricks. Even with the bonfire alight close by, the wind whipped around them so fiercely, the heat couldn’t touch his skin. He adjusted the fur cape across his shoulders, thankful his wound was healing quicker than expected. If another fight with Jerrick was in the future, he would need to be at peak strength.

He believed the nightmare Astrid had awoken him from had been nothing more than the work of his wild imagination, but still, it had left a twisting in his gut after opening his eyes. He couldn’t remember the details besides what he had told Astrid—just a few flashes of faces along with the strong metallic scent of blood—but that didn’t ease the nagging sensation of the dream being intended as something more. Like a warning.

Erec followed Astrid around the campfire until they found Filip talking with two men Erec didn’t know. He looked up, seeing them, and whispered one last thing to the two before sending them off. Filip’s alpha spirit was stronger than the last time he’d been this close to him. Since Boden had given up his title, Filip’s aura pulsed around him like a heartbeat.

“There you two are,” he said. Although they had washed the scent of sex off their skin, the suspicious look Filip gave them hinted that he knew what had kept them so late. Embarrassment colored Astrid’s freckled cheeks, but her brother grinned. At least Erec didn’t have to worry about a protective brother not approving a relationship between them. Then again, at this point, he was probably just glad there was a chance of his sister surviving the Blue Moon.

“I have a surprise for you, Ash,” he said.

“A surprise?” She perked up at that. “Should I be scared?”

Filip laughed. “No, I think you’ll like this one.” He beckoned them to follow. Erec stayed behind the brother and sister as they walked, watching the two of them banter and chuckle at jokes he didn’t know. It must have been nice to have a sibling, someone to share with. It was something he would never know for himself.

Erec tuned out their conversation as they strode past shelters of all shapes and sizes, as well as racks of salted meats, clothing lines, and fire pits and headed toward the very back of Svanna Rock. He had checked out this area yesterday, having been assigned one of the dwellings here. Then, only a few tents besides his own had been set up in this part of the clearing. Now, there was a crowd of about fifty men and women standing in the middle of the vast stretch, staring at the three of them as they approached.

What is this about?

Erec’s ears caught the last few words exchanged between Filip and Astrid.

“A messenger has been sent. We should hear back in a couple of days,” Filip said.

“Good,” she replied. “We’ll need all the help we can get.”

A messenger… Erec guessed that meant Filip had sent someone to another pack in hopes of finding support in their upcoming battle with Jerrick’s army. But the issue was that all of the surrounding packs had already been taken over by Jerrick, at least from Erec’s knowledge. Even Rohan’s in the north had been wiped out months ago. Filip could have been sending a messenger to Finnigan’s or Linus’s packs, since they were so far up the northeast point and there was a better chance Jerrick hadn’t reached them yet, but still, their numbers were small. Not to mention that by the time his messenger returned from visiting either of them, the Blue Moon would have passed. Erec doubted Jerrick would wait that long before attempting an ambush.

Right when Erec was about to ask for Filip to explain further, Astrid let out a high-pitched squeal of delight, stealing his question away.

“Is this…? Are we…?” she gasped.

That’s when Erec caught sight of the deadly weapons in every man and woman’s hands, along with the several large canvas targets lining the stone wall. Racks of spears sat off to the side, and beside it was a table covered in arrows and various axes and swords. The empty strip of snowy land had been transformed into a training field.

“You’re allowing women to join, too?” Astrid asked, her voice an excited shrill.

“You were right,” Filip began, smiling broadly. “I was surprised by the amount of women who wanted to train and fight.”

She gave him a smug nod. “Told you.”

Women training with weapons? Erec wasn’t sure what to think about that. He’d never seen a woman with the skills and the vigor needed to fight—well, besides Astrid. Even when Jerrick had attacked Mikel’s pack, most of the women ran for protection with their children. All that blood and pain and death. War had always been a man’s game. It wasn’t a place for females.

Yet, at least half of the crowd was made up of women.

And they did appear intimidating. With war paint darkening their eyes and their weapons glinting in the sunlight, they were just as threatening and dangerous as the men among them.

In the end, it won’t matter who it is that kills you, will it? Man or woman. Whoever was on the other end of the sword wouldn’t change the outcome. Dead was dead. And that gave Erec an interesting idea.

“This may work in our favor,” he said, coming to Filip’s side. “Jerrick won’t expect women in our ranks. It’ll give us a number advantage, too, if we can get more to train and fight.”

Astrid glanced up at her brother, her smile radiating. “I know a lot of other ladies who’d like to defend their pack. Some with amazing skills.”

Hope flooded Erec, his pulse speeding. His words rushed as the possibility of stopping Jerrick and his men became more realistic. “Jerrick works with the element of surprise, so if we can get the jump on him for once, we have a chance of winning.”

“Yes, yes!” Astrid shook her fist in triumph. “We can train every day. It’ll work!”

Filip, though, didn’t seem to share in Erec or his sister’s enthusiasm. His dark gaze revealed his apprehension. So did his tone. “We’ll have to see how it goes.”

He was still unsure about the idea of women fighting. Women at home, nursing babies and tending to the meals; men in the battlefield, fighting for their safety. That’s the way it always had been with their kind. The men were the warriors, and the females were the nurturers, so Erec understood where Filip’s hesitance was coming from. But from the amount of women who had come out to train, it was apparent they were ready for that to change.

Astrid’s annoyance twitched through the pack link. She clenched her fists at her sides. “We shouldn’t fight just because we shouldn’t, not because we can’t? That doesn’t make sense. If we can help defeat Jerrick, what does it matter what I have between my legs?”

“That’s how it’s always been,” Filip said, but his expression turned more thoughtful, considering her words.

“You let me train with you to humor me, and look what happened. I fought off three of Jerrick’s men, killing one of them.” Astrid gestured to the group before them. It was then that Erec noticed Stefan’s mother toward the back of the crowd with a short sword in her hands. She looked almost unrecognizable with the black makeup smeared across her cheeks and forehead. “They want to fight. Let them.”

Filip’s gaze swung to Erec. “You really think we’d have a chance against Jerrick?”

He nodded. “Jerrick doesn’t show mercy to women and children. He’ll slaughter anyone in his way,” he replied. “More numbers on our side can’t hurt us. I think, with the lot of us, we have a shot.”

Filip paused, his hand scrubbing his hairless chin in mock thought. Erec had a suspicion he wasn’t really considering their idea; he’d already made up his mind. He was doing it to draw out the moment and see how far he could push his sister’s patience.

Astrid huffed noisily, and he chuckled.

“All right, Ash,” he said finally, his voice still tinged with laughter. “You proved me wrong before. What’s not to say they will, too?”

Astrid jumped onto her tiptoes and planted a kiss on her brother’s cheek. Her happiness bloomed all around her, tickling Erec’s own aura. “They’ll surprise you. Promise.” She strode into the crowd, the men and women greeting her with slaps on the back and words of welcome. Erec stayed back with Filip, a grin spreading on his lips.

“She’s something else, isn’t she?” Filip said as they watched Astrid divide the group of fifty into smaller ones and discuss directions. Boy, did Erec know that statement to be true. Astrid was always pushing the limits; it was one of the many things he admired about her. Even if it grated on his nerves sometimes.

Filip crossed his arms. “You’d think I would know by now not to doubt her.”

Erec stayed quiet. He couldn’t keep his eyes off Astrid. A slow burn was building in his chest as he continued to observe her instruct the eager women on how to hold their bows and aim their arrows at the targets set up paces away. She glanced his way briefly, giving him a shy smile, and flames erupted behind his ribs.

By Vallor’s light, he loved her. There was no escaping it.

Filip’s strong hand came down on Erec’s shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“Welcome to the pack, Erec,” he said and shook him a little before walking toward his sister and the others.

Letting out a content sigh, Erec followed, knowing that finally, he had everything in his life he’d always wanted—a pack to call home, a life beyond his twenty-fifth Blue Moon, and his true mate, the one destined for him. Astrid.

Now, if only he could be sure she felt the same way.