A low beat tugged inside my chest, pulling and pulsating. Steady and calm, the deep sound of drums throbbed inside of me. Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum. The rhythm worked its way through my body like a heavy bass that was making the seat of the car vibrate. I could feel it through my muscles, besides my heartbeats, and in my throat. The sound was not so harsh or sudden as modern drums, softer and almost bordering dark. Again, I felt the beat tug in my chest like something wanted out. Like the rhythm wanted to pull it out of me. The weird thing was that the sensation was so comfortable. It is soothing and exciting all at the same time. Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-ba-dum, dum. Ba-dum, ba-dum. As the vibrations coursed through me, Images of hands slamming down on huge drums appeared in my head—almost hourglass-shaped drums draped with thick white and red paint. Creatures and unknown symbols danced around as the hands kept slamming down on the stretched skin that made the top of it. Magical and thr
“Have you lost it? You know I’m from what human world.” He only chuckled, which irritated me further. He continued eating and smiling for himself again as if he knew something he was not letting me in on. The worst part was that deep down, I hoped it was true. I hoped I had a family that actually loved me and missed me. But his claim had a considerable fault; if I belonged here, why didn’t I have a wolf? I’m still only human. I also remember that black wolf from my dreams, dreams that first started to devolve after I came here. These dreams felt so real, and I caught myself thinking about them as memories—my only memories of a happy childhood. But I also knew that was only wishes and frugal hopes. “What? Tell me the truth instead. Where are we going? “ “I never lie, well, not that often, at least! We are going to meet what I think is your family. And I really mean this, Eir, I really think these people are your family. I know you have many questions, but I don’t have all the answe
“Hades! Stop it!” “I’m just helping; stop flopping around; you are ruining it.”I squinted my eyes at him as he tucked me into bed. That would have been fine with me if he hadn´t wrapped me so tightly; I looked like an overstuffed burrito. The blanket was wrapped all around me; even my arms were stuck to my sides. “Oh, relax; I know what I’m doing! “ I rolled my eyes and wiggled like a fish on land while muttering; I doubt that very much. Then he huffed, crawled up in my bed again, and tucked the blanket around me even further. “Toke is locked up; I’m staying here now because we don’t have silver on the ship. I doubt he will try anything, but something is strange about that boy. I don’t recognize him at all; therefore, I do not trust him. And you need to relax and rest. I know females feel safe and relaxed when they are firmly wrapped and with their hands close to their bodies. “ “Hades! That’s kids. Kids, Hades, not women!” “Hm.. no, I’m sure it was women... Yeah, no. It is fema
Great. I groaned down in my pull before I jumped up. Wrapping the blanket around me, I did the awkward penguin walk to the bathroom-like area with my clothes under one arm. I muttered all the animal-related curses I could think of as I heard People walk by, chuckling down the hall. This scenario would once have been my dirty little dream, a fantasy enough to make my cheeks heat up at any moment. It's a dream scene where I’m trapped on a ship with only incredibly handsome and well-trained men. But I felt more like a version of Wendy from Peter Pan. An. It was an imaginary story where I had been tasked with the impossible mission of babysitting a handful of kids with a beard, bad humor, and over 2 meters tall. All that was missing was that I would be tasked to wash their dirty underwear and their stiff and sticky single socks. The only reason for it must be that these overgrown kids don't have socks. A doomed Wendy figure that has to walk around model-like giants, alluring, dark, and wi
"Eir! Finally!" He beamed, but I still just stared at him. What is this? But before I could answer, a rather clumsy figure crawled over the ship’s railing and fell over on the deck. She bounced right up again and scanned the People on deck. "Maya!?" She squealed and clapped her hands before running over and throwing herself around my neck. I hugged her back before I grabbed her shoulders, held her out before me, and gave her a thorough look over. " Oh god! What happened to you? Are you okay?" I couldn't help but throw Tew a suspicious glance. She looked like she'd been beaten even if she was smiling, bright as the sun. Her lip was swollen and had a deep cut that seemed just to have closed up. Red and blue marks around her throat, minor shapeless bruises, and small cuts down her arms, shoulders, and on her cheeks. My hand gently brushed against her swollen cheek, so scared it would hurt her. "I am fine, really! At least now!" "But, " My eyes kept finding new marks on her as I l
Tew's POV Of course, my lose-mouthed brother had spilled the beans. However, she didn’t seem to know too much or any details. Not that it mattered, but I wanted to be the one who told her. First, I was irritated when she so obviously avoided telling me about her mother; I thought she was one of those spoiled little brats still stuck in her teenage mentality. Her files didn't tell me everything, but more than enough to understand she might have a strained relationship with her parental figure. I had been so eager to hear about her because I didn't remember much. But the woman I remembered was nothing like the woman who raised her. In my memories, she was kind and smiling. She loved to bake; the smell of bread with honey could still make my mouth fill with water. I remember the morning all the Kids gathered around the fire she had started and watched as she made her incredible food on flat stones. Indeed, our ancestors cooked their meat like this, if not hanging over the open flames,
Toke´s POV: “No.” “Yes.” “Why now?” “Why not? Fury had been quiet for quite some time now, but at least I wasn’t alone. At first, it felt wrong, like I was switching him out. But then again, I’m not the one that left or asked him to leave. He just disappeared one day. I've already been on edge for some time now; everything is wrong. Everything turns out wrong! But as I imagine it, the idea is always the only solution. The only way it could possibly work, and I now knew she was the reason it didn’t work out. She was an outsider and didn’t belong here, so she ruined the balance. It didn’t feel right at first, but he was right. We had done everything right all along. Saved her, protected her, and even made the ultimate sacrifice. That is probably the reason Fury decided to take a break. Losing the Alpha title was hard on him. “He is selfish; it was hard on you too! But we did what was necessary!” “Yeah, I know! Then why did he vanish?” “Because he wasn't strong enough. Not strong
Eir´s POV. My head was a hot mess as I lay down on the soft grass, watching the start. Tew´s voice was carnal and deep, chanting words I’d never heard before in a language I could not understand. But that’s not where my thoughts were. Brother, Tew was my older brother! The sound of the drums increased in intensity, working through my body and finding my heart. It matched its rhythm before slowly working it up. Up and up, to the point it felt like my chest would explode, but I still struggled to focus on it. The sizzling sound of the open fire, the smell of burning flesh and blood sacrificed to their old gods. The drums I heard earlier felt like dancing to it; it all felt more like a distanced raucous creating a wall around me. It was locking me up in my own head. There never was a claim on me as a mate; there never was a promise forged in blood. It had all been an excuse for Tew´s pack to drag the Viking’s pack to the moonstone with the council's help. They wanted justice for what