(This chapter is Eir´s father’s pov. How he met her mother and the time they spent together) It all seems so trivial now, but it meant the world to me back then! I had turned 22 and was the only Alpha son who had not participated in the mate hunt before I turned 20. I spent year after year pushing myself through tournaments and contests. It had cost me blood, sweat, and what I will never admit in front of anyone else, tears. I’ve crossed deserts and hunted wild boar in human form without weapons. I’ve crossed the wild sea in an open boat alone late in the fall, the one time of year the weather gods raged through the lands. The waves reached way above my boat, even the ships, but I still did it, and I survived. I excelled as a front warrior, footman, strategist, and even as a medic. I fought werebears and lions and came out of the old Alpha games, something that is more like what used to be seen in old colosseums in Roma than anywhere else, and lived alone all winter without supply an
Strange, maybe, but it was rubbing my ego seeing the Viking Alpha now all of a sudden begging for me to throw him a bone. No, that is not the right word, but it felt like it. But all in all, they started showing up for one reason, and one reason only: to make sure their pack, their future Alpha, would be promised to my little daughter. I know your mother equally understood and was horrified by their behavior. They all acted like you were a rare piece of meat or rock, like you would have no say in your future. It is not that this was uncommon behavior; it is just the first time I experienced it up close. I realized how wrong it was in so many ways. So, eventually, after conferring with your mother and my closest men, I even evolved the elders; I started turning all offers down. I suggested a mateing ball or gathering on equal ground when she was old enough so she could meet them all and decide for herself. Some understood, and others were outright furious that we could toss away such a
Eir´s POV. Hearing my father’s story was both heartbreaking and beautiful, but it also led to even more questions at the same time as it answered my questions. But first and foremost, I glared at Seb. “So? Can you? “ “Yes.” He answered way too lightly with a sheepish grin, “Then why didn’t you?” “Isn’t that obvious? So, I could show you the helicopter?” I had no response to that; I mean, can anyone come back with a sensible answer to that? My father cleared his throat, too loud and theatrical to be anything else than asking for our attention. Grateful to end this discussion, I smiled towards my father, only to falter as he began to speak. “I recognize that word! Your mother thought to me about these helicopters! Do you have one? Please show me!” I jumped up in my chair, all the curse words I ever heard flashing through my mind as I slammed my palm over Seb´s mouth that was about to answer. “No, no, he doesn’t have one! And no, absolutely not something you would like to see! “
Maya´s Pov. Crisp and fresh air loaded with salt from the open sea filled my every breath and brushed against my bare skin. Who would have thought I loved sailing so much? I grew up in the middle of nowhere, a little town with all the necessities one would need, of course, but besides that, there was forest and mountains as far as the eye could see. Now, I’m standing here, filling my lungs to the brim with saltwater air and loving every second of it. I really love the sound of waves, the way the ship moves on the water, the smell, and the incredibly clean air. Arcane´s confused voice made it all even better, feeding the happy little sadist inside of me. “I don’t get it. Is he sick?” “No, Nyx checked him; even that old doctor checked him inside and out. He is fine. A little pale and weak, but besides, there is nothing wrong with him. He needs sun, that’s it. And he needs to go home.” “That’s just bullshit. Didn’t you see him? I’m not talking about the color of his skin and all that
I didn’t have words to describe the moment words stopped spilling over my lips. It almost felt like that famous time-stopped moment. Not one single time did I dare lift my eyes from the cold wooden deck while I talked. I have bared every dark corner of my memories: anger, hurt, and despair. I felt alone and lost, striving for love and recognition when I, deep down, always knew I wasn't worth it, not in my father's eyes. I told him about bullying, outright torture, and evil. The more I spoke, the more memories popped up. Like I opened a jar of darkness, and everything was let loose like death pearls on a row. How little I had felt the first time my father spotted the neighbor kids holding me down, lifting my shirt up. Everyone froze, and I cried for him, pleading for him to help me; instead, he turned his back and walked away. I still felt the pain in my heart the moment he broke the last strig of hope in it. Warm tears still rolled over my cheeks, but I didn’t feel like I was crying;
Eir´s POV. “She´s fine! Just stop! Just do not touch her! “ A dark voice hovered over me and pierced through the sludgy darkness surrounding me. He almost sounded angry, letting his low-key growl follow beneath each word he uttered, “Show respect! I am the Luna here, and it is my duty to make sure she is safe!” A screeching voice scraped inside my mind like claws dragged over a chalkboard, making my skin crawl even in this state, swaddled in the soft darkness. “I said, do not touch her!” His voice rumbled through my entire body, and a warmth spread across my cheeks when I realized how much I enjoyed the feeling that sound made, cursing through my body. Not like I first expected, like the embarrassing warmth that struck my core, but it filled me with energy and almost a sense of joy. It was bizarre like I watched a gift getting unwrapped; I knew exactly what it was, knew it was exactly what I wanted, but still, every fiber in my body tensed and waited for the ultimate moment. The
The sentence circled around in my mind a couple of times while they started bickering over my head. Information circled, went right through, and came back for a new round. All the while, I stood there, like I was rebooting, and finally, it hit me: why this sounded wrong, what I didn’t understand. Not bothering with addressing Seb´s and my father’s angry word feud, I cut them both right off, “Brothers? What do you mean, brothers?” They both shut up and looked at me like they suddenly realized I was still there. However, nobody said a word, just stared at it. My father with an open mouth and an expression I could not read. Seb at least had the audacity to look away; I'm not sure why, but right now, it didn’t really matter. I held my father's gaze and repeated, “What do you mean, her brothers? And family? “ In the corner of my eyes, I saw Lydia moving behind my father, barely registering the smile on her face. But for what? How could she have brothers and family here? I thought I had
I really wished I had a mirror. Taking deep breaths, I tried to calm myself; I’m not sure why, but for some reason, I thought I had more time before these guests arrived. I loved the braided hair; I'm not going to lie; even the paintings on my face, shoulder, neck, and arms gave me a strange sensation of power and charisma. I felt like a mighty warrior princess from one of those Viking god movies or something. Empowered and mythical, well, all until I put this so-called dress on. The leather itself was soft and lovely; no doubt someone put a lot of effort into it. Not one stitch was out of place; not a single spot carried any evidence of harm or tear. The edges around my neck, cleavage, and shoulders had a super soft, white fur attached to them. And I mean, it is really white, like a newborn rabbit. But it also made me feel like a whore. The dress was skintight around my waist, pressed around my chest, and barely covered my ass on one side, sliding down across on the other, and Luck