Chapter6

#Chapter6

I looked at the ground, knowing he was right and that I had asked a stupid question. I sighed heavily and continued inside.

After finishing up in the kitchen with mom, Adela and the others, we headed to the main hall to set everything up. We arrived at the hall, and it was packed already. Everyone was in mourning and crying; the atmosphere was beyond depressing. I noticed Erik standing in the crowd, speaking with his parents; he glanced in my direction and smiled. I smiled back at him and placed the food on the tables.

Once everything was prepared, we all headed towards the river to begin the funeral. On the edge of the river stood the pyre; it was breathtaking. The structure was built from oak wood logs, adorned with Gracie oak flowers and personal items were scattered all over that loved ones had placed. In the middle was Mikael, wrapped in a black blanket accented with gold stitching; it was beautiful, he was beautiful and was taken too soon.

Everyone gathered around as dad approached the pyre. He stood beside Mikael and glanced at him quickly before looking away; his features looked pained.

He then looked out at everyone gathered around. “Today, we are gathered here together, under unfortunate circumstances, to bid farewell to a dear husband, father, Beta and friend. Mikael was like no other man I’ve ever met in my lifetime; he was patient, kind, and fought with the strength and determination of a hundred warriors. But most of all, he cared for this pack. Mikael cared for every one of us. He will truly be missed but never forgotten.” Dad choked up a bit throughout his speech, but he kept it together as best as he could.

After dad said his piece, Mikael’s mate, Sarah, approached the pyre, tears streaming down her face. She looked to my dad with a half-smile; he kissed her on the cheek and then handed her the torch. Pack tradition was that the deceased’s mate light the pyre and send them off to the next life. As she approached the pyre, more tears flowed down her face; it was clear that she was hesitant to continue because she knew this was goodbye and who could blame her? No one wanted to do this; no one wanted to say goodbye to the love of their life.

She took a deep, shuddering breath and brought the torch down, lighting the pyre on fire. She stumbled back and clasped a hand to her mouth; dad came to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder and took the torch. Dad and Gunnar then pushed the pyre into the river sending Mikael off to rest and be with the Moon Goddess, Selene.

We stood in silence, watching as the flames consumed Mikael’s body as he drifted down the river. Finally, after a few moments of silence, dad came forward, getting everyone’s attention once again. “Now that we have sent Mikael to rest, we will now proceed into the main hall to celebrate his life.”

Everyone slowly began to retreat back to the hall. Erik came to my side and gripped my hand as I started walking. He smiled at me, and I gave him a half-smile; I just didn’t feel like genuinely smiling at that moment.

It had been a few hours now, and everyone seemed to be lighting up; people were laughing a little and smiling, reminiscing all the good things about Mikael and the good memories that he gave us. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a warrior approach dad and whisper something in his ear. His face went still, and anger was evident on his features. Finally, he got up and stormed away, with the warrior at his side.

I looked at Gunnar, who was watching as well. “Gunnar, What’s going on?” I asked him.

His gaze remained on dad, and he just shook his head. “I don’t know, but I’ll find out.” He then quickly got up and followed in the direction that dad left.

Hours passed by, and everyone was beginning to leave the hall to go back home. Mom, Adela and I started to clean things up, and Erik stayed to lend a hand. Thankfully, it didn’t take us long to get everything cleaned up, and before I knew it, we were finally back at home.

Shortly after arriving back at the house, we were in the kitchen putting things away when we heard the front door burst open with a crash. We peered out of the kitchen to see dad stomping into the house, fury emanating off him; he didn’t even glance at us; he just continued into his office and slammed the door shut, causing us to jump a little.

Gunnar entered the house a moment after, with a grim and infuriating look on his face. We all rushed out of the kitchen towards Gunnar, all of us wondering what the hell was going on.

Mom was the first to speak. “What is going on? What is the matter with your father?” She questioned.

Gunnars gaze locked with moms. “Alpha Cain was here.” He said through gritted teeth.

Everyone’s eyes widened, and shock consumed us.

I raised a brow. “Ok, and? What did he say? What does he want?” I asked, becoming impatient; I needed to know, we all did.

He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. “He came here to discuss the treaty, to discuss what he wants in return for ending the war.” His nostrils were flaring, and his chest was heaving now. Something was wrong, and I could feel it.

“So……what does he want?” Mom asked hesitantly.

I could tell that he didn’t want to tell us and struggled very hard to stay calm. His remorse-filled eyes then focused on me. “He wants you, Freja.”

My eyes went impossibly wide, and a shudder of fear took hold of me, I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

“What! Please tell me that is not true?” Mom asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

Erik stepped in front of me. “No fucking way, he’s not getting her,” Erik said growling.

“That is not your decision Erik, you will stand down and remember your position,” Gunnar said with ferocity.

Adela just started crying and remained silent.

A million things were going through my mind; I didn’t know what to do or what to say. Why did Alpha Cain want me? I couldn’t go with him. I had heard the stories, he would use me, torture me and then......no this can’t happen, I won’t let it and neither would dad, right?

I spun on my feet and headed towards dad’s office without wasting another second. Before I could reach for the door handle, Gunnar gripped my elbow. “Freja, I don’t think that is a good idea right now.” He said sternly.

I scoffed at him, yanked my arm from his hold and proceeded into the office. My mouth opened to say something but abruptly closed as I entered the room. I stood there taking in the sight before me; dad sat in his chair with his head resting in his hands while tightly gripping his hair. His office was trashed, things were shattered into pieces, and papers littered the floor. He was hurting; that much was clear. I shook my head and cleared my throat to get his attention.

“Dad, please tell me this is a joke?” I asked him calmly, not wanting to upset him further.

He slowly raised his head and looked at me; his eyes were pitch black, fury radiating off of him in waves. “No, this is not a joke, Freja.”

My brows scrunched together, anger building inside of me. “Why does Cain even want me?” I asked, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.

Dad closed his eyes. “He says that you are his mate.” He replied through gritted teeth.