by Marie Medina
“Really?” Owen said.
Ryden smiled at his wide-eyed mate. “If I had any desire to rule, I could challenge the clan leader and win.”
Owen stared up at him, questions in his eyes.
Trying to sound comforting, Ryden said, “I’m sorry if all that worries you more. I’m asking you to trust me when you barely know me. When my world must seem terrifying to you. My people are desperate, yes, but I know what I’m doing. Some of the elders think more like I do. I can settle this once and for all. Be free.”
“Would the clan follow you if you won?” Owen asked.
Ryden’s heart thudded hard. “What?”
“I’ve only met one other person from your clan, and everything about him disgusted me. We may be very different, but you’re a good man. Would the clan follow you gladly? Would they be happy about you leading them?”
“Many respect me. All recognize my power. But would they want me as their leader? That’s a hard question, little one.”
“But an interesting one,” Gregor said. “The position is won through a series of challenges, correct?”
“Yes. As with your pack.”
Gregor shook his head. “Not anymore. There is a challenge if there are two contenders with strong support. It’s not exactly an election here, but these days the position of Alpha is won through the support of the people.”
“I see. I thought you still fought for it.” Ryden frowned. “Another consequence of setting ourselves apart. We’ve no idea what’s really happening in the world.”
“Your way of thinking makes me believe you’d be a good leader.” Gregor glanced to Owen a moment before he asked, “Is the final challenge still to the death?”
“Yes.”
“No!” Owen said. “Forget I said anything!”
Ryden hugged his mate to his side. “I have no desire to be the clan leader, though I’m flattered you even suggested it. Don’t worry.”
“How large is your clan?” Gregor asked.
Ryden knew there was no going back once he revealed the truth. He took a dep breath and said, “Two hundred and three adults. Seven children under the age of eighteen.”
“Only seven?” Gregor asked, his expression reflecting his shock.
Ryden nodded. “Dying out, as I said.”
“Asmund led me to believe there were thousands of you.”
Ryden gave a dry chuckle before he said, “We’ve kept the secret very well. We boast and brag and go everywhere looking like Viking warlords.”
“Smoke and mirrors,” Owen said softly.
“Yes, exactly,” Ryden said.
“What’s to stop the elders from killing you?” Gregor asked.
“Respect for my past service and my family lines,” Ryden said.
Gregor frowned. “That’s it?”
“I can’t educate all of you on my entire culture in five minutes. Just trust me, please. I need to go. The longer I wait the worse it will be. I’m sure the elders are waiting for me.”
“Isn’t it very late where you live?” Gregor asked.
“Yes, but I’m sure the elder I injured to protect Owen has stirred them all up. If they grow too impatient, they’ll come find me. And I’d like to avoid that.”
“Nothing I say will change your mind?” Owen said.
“No.”
Owen turned away. “Just go then.”
The Alpha simply met his gaze when Ryden looked to him for advice. Was it a test? Ryden opened a portal and waited for Owen to turn back around. When he didn’t, Ryden circled around to face him. He took Owen by the chin and looked into his eyes. “I have an unbelievably sweet and kind-hearted mate who could possibly be carrying my child. I have more to fight for than I ever have in my entire life. I’m not in love with you, and flowery words would sound ridiculous coming from me. But I swear I will come back to you.” He tipped Owen’s head up more to kiss him, glad his little mate at least returned the embrace.
Yet he felt Owen’s disappointment as he went through the portal. He glanced back through as it closed, hoping his mate felt the reassurance he tried to send him.
Ryden stood there a long time before lifting his eyes to the doors of the great hall, which opened a moment later, confirming that he was expected. He gripped the hilt of his sword and made his way inside. Clan leader? With an omega shifter as my mate? Generations of past leaders and elders would roll in their graves.
And yet, the fact Owen had immediately believed he could handle it made him smile, even as he met the gazes of the six silent warriors and heard the doors shut behind him.
****
Owen stared at the spot where the portal had closed. He jumped and drew in a sharp breath when Gregor placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Are you really all right?” Gregor asked.
“As far as me and Ryden, yes. But what he’s doing now? Not at all.”
“I understand, but I’m sure he knows what it is he needs to do right now.”
Owen sank down into a chair. “What if he doesn’t come back?”
“He seems like the kind of man who can take care of himself.”
Owen closed his eyes and leaned forward, putting his head in his hands.
“He’s certainly interesting. And quite wrapped up in you.”
Owen looked up. “What? No, it’s just because we mated. Honor and duty. I’m his responsibility now. He has to return to take care of me because I’m the type of man who needs to be taken care of.”
“Did you hear what he said? See the way he was looking at you? He’s smitten whether he likes it or not. Whether he knows it or not.”
“I haven’t done anything to endear myself. Just bugged him and annoyed him and—”
“And completely changed his mind about you.”
Owen focused on his Alpha again. “I guess, but…” He trailed off, shaking his head.
“You’re focusing on the bad because you’re scared.” Gregor sat down across from him. “When I met him, he was adamant about not mating you. Completely without compassion. Something must’ve changed his attitude.”
“One of the elders came by. They argued. And then the same man came back the next day and attacked me.” Owen looked down at the floor, wringing his hands. “Ryden instinctively protected me, and our emotions were running high afterwards. I pressured him into the mating. It’s cost him everything.”
“Pressured him? I doubt that. He mated you because he wanted to, no matter what he said.”
“But it feels like I took advantage. I’ve upended his life.”
“Maybe that’s what the gods want for him. I doubt you or anyone else could make a man like that do something he didn’t want to do.” The Alpha leaned forward, his expression serious. “And you being pregnant is possible?”
“Yes. He knotted me. But the thing is, he says Fens don’t do that. There was no mistaking it, though.”
“He sent you into heat. I didn’t believe that until I saw it.” He cleared his throat. “And I’m sorry. I think maybe he was right. I shouldn’t have come to see you. But I had to be sure. I knew nothing about him.”
“It’s fine, Gregor,” Owen said, feeling his face heat. “I was embarrassed, but what could I have done? There was no fighting it.”
“I won’t mention it again. But what I’m getting at is this—there’s something powerful between you two. So many things had to happen for you two to even have the chance to meet. Fate has sent you crashing into one another, and the best thing to do is hold tight.”
“I know,” he said softly. “Which is why I’m so scared. I do get why he didn’t want me with him. I’d be a liability. But this waiting is going to drive me crazy.”
Gregor stood. “Come on. Let’s go find Jared. Maybe he can tell you more about the clan. Get someone from the fae court to help in some way. Dane might be able to help as well. They both know so much more about the clan than we do.”
Owen hesitated but finally stood, more out of respect for his Alpha than becau
se he held out much hope. He’s been gone less than five minutes, and I feel completely lost. “Perhaps they can distract me, but I don’t think I’ll be able to stop worrying.”
“Never said I expected that.” Gregor opened the door and held it for him. “But you’ll get through this better with others at your side.”
Owen nodded and walked back outside. The midday sun felt warm on his skin, yet he still shivered as he wondered what the mate he barely knew was about to face.
****
Ryden saw that all six elders were dressed in formal robes and wondered how long they’d been waiting for him. He approached them and bowed, keeping his hand on the hilt of his sword. Rafe seemed to be completely healed, yet he scowled at Ryden all the same.
“Harald will join us momentarily,” Fendal said.
“I see no reason to trouble the clan leader. I’ll admit to everything and accept my exile graciously. I won’t even return home. I’ll leave the realm right away and swear never to return.”
Rafe came forward in his chair, planting his fist on the long table the men sat behind. “You will not mate that little runt!”
“I’ve already done so.”
“What? Who were your witnesses?” Rafe asked.
“I had none. And needed none. I made promises to him, and he declared that he was mine. Forever. Formalities be damned, I will not break these vows.”
“They aren’t binding here.”
“I knotted him.” He smiled when Rafe’s eyes widened. “There was no mistaking it. The gods made their will known.”
“That’s not possible. We are elves, not rutting beasts!” Rafe said. “And you are not mated just because you fucked him!”
Ryden let his wolf come forward a bit. “Do you care to debate with my wolf? He’d love another taste of your blood.”
Mikel, the elder who had served on the council the longest, leaned forward. “You’re sure it wasn’t a trick? You knotted him? In your human forms?”
“Yes, I did. I was quite surprised, but it’s becoming clearer with each passing moment that my body and my wolf know what is best for me. The beast accepted our mate immediately.”
“Gods, you’re turning into a lovesick fool!” Rafe said, waving a hand at him in disdain.
“Lovesick? I’ve said nothing of love. We aren’t in love, but we are mated. Which makes me part of his pack now.”
“Think carefully before you say anything else,” a booming voice behind him said.
Ryden turned to see Harald coming in from a side door. “Clan leader,” he said, bowing his head ever so slightly. “I’m sorry you’ve been disturbed.”
“No, you aren’t,” Harald said, pushing past him and standing before the long table. He looked at the elders a moment and then turned back to Ryden. “You know what we’re facing. Extinction. You need to be putting your seed in the belly of a strong Fen woman.”
“And have one child, at most? Owen is an omega. It’s said they’re very fertile. If you decide to pardon me, I may help our people a great deal.” He had no intention of raising any of his children with Owen the way he’d been raised, but if Harald’s pardon could be secured, they’d all rest easier in years to come.
“They’d all be inferior,” Harald said. “You’re too powerful for us to let you throw yourself away.”
Ryden flexed his hand on the hilt of his sword and met Harald’s gaze with his head held high. “What’s your plan then? Lock me in a cell and stud me out?”
Harald glared at him. “Don’t tempt me. It’s crossed my mind before, given your abilities.”
Ryden tried to speak, but he almost choked on the words. He turned and strode away a few feet, closing his eyes and taking several deep breaths. He walked back toward Harald, stopping two feet away from the towering warrior this time. Looking up, he quietly asked, “Are you serious, Harald? Are we really reduced to that?”
“Yes, I’m serious, though your scenario is far cruder.” Harald clasped his hands behind his back and said, “My plan was to find you a wife who wouldn’t care how many lovers you took or how many children you had on the other side of the sheets. Your powers surpass mine. You are not leaving this room until we settle this. If you cooperate, you can keep him, and we’ll even let the children live, so long as you foster them back to the wolf pack. We can’t have them here causing trouble.”
“I’m sure you think that’s very generous.”
“It is.” Harald pointed a finger in his face as if Ryden were a disobedient child. “If you keep defying us, we’ll kill the little shifter right in front of you.”
Ryden’s wolf surged forward, and he growled. Harald didn’t move, but his jaw did flinch as he lowered his hand. Ryden looked to them all, trying to determine who was against him and who for him. Fendal and Rafe both glared at him, but Mikel, Gideon, Doron, and Grim all looked less certain, eyeing the other men in equal measure with Ryden and Harald.
Ryden thought of his little mate’s words. He also considered what the Alpha of the wolf pack had said. If he killed Harald outright here and now, he would win, but what would Owen say? What would such news do to the tenderhearted omega? A swift kill at this moment would guarantee his and Owen’s safety, and then what everyone else thought or wanted wouldn’t matter, unless they sought to challenge him. His people were dying—was this what the gods were pushing him toward? He straightened and held his head high, trying to calm his beast.
“You’re right, Harald. My powers do surpass yours. They completely eclipse them in fact.” He drew his sword and pointed it directly at Harald, reciting the ancient words he’d never imagined coming from his own lips. “Before the gods, I declare you unworthy. With power from the earth, I will defeat you. And unleashing the beast within my heart, I will vanquish you. Your blood will flow down my arm as my fist is raised in triumph.”
“No!” Rafe said, jumping to his feet. Fendal rose as well, but Gideon, who sat between them, put hands upon both their arms.
Harald eyed Ryden as he lowered his sword. “I’ll give you one chance to take it back.”
“Never,” Ryden said. “I will not look over my shoulder the rest of my days.”
Harald licked his lips, a hint of fear coming to his eyes now. “All this? Over a shifter? You throw your entire life and thousands of years of tradition away for a runt who’s been riding your cock for a couple of days?”
His wolf snapped and snarled at those words, but he managed to remain calm, though he hardly knew how. “I intend to win and preserve all the best parts of our traditions. And secure a real future for our race. Fen blood shall run through the veins of all the children my mate will give me.” He sheathed his sword. “Name the day and time.”
“Don’t do this, Harald!” Rafe said.
“It’s an official challenge, properly issued,” Mikel said. “If Harald backs down, he forfeits his position.” He looked pointedly at Rafe. “Can you manage to behave with a bit of dignity for once?” His gaze also wandered to Fendal, who glared but said nothing.
Harald’s face had gone red, and he turned angry eyes back to Ryden. “One week from today. At dawn.” He took a step forward. “Enjoy the little shifter while you can. Once you’re dead at my feet, I’m going to fuck him and then cut his throat before the entire clan.”
“You will never touch him. And because of those words, I’ll feel no remorse now when I kill you.”
“Your father is rolling in his grave!” Harald waved his hand in a gesture of dismissal and then stormed from the room.
I’m sure he is, but I no longer care. Ryden looked at the remaining six men and bowed low, his fists clenched. Rafe and Fendal both backed away, glaring. Rafe grabbed Fendal’s arm and pulled him toward another door. Ryden offered the others a tense smile and opened a portal.
“Ryden?” Mikel said.
“Yes?” he said, pausing. He wanted to be away from this room but knew he had to observe etiquette more than ever now.
Mikel looked at the other three men, wh
o moved a bit closer to him. He nodded to the door Harald had exited through. “You could have sliced him open. There is precedent, given the threat to your mate. We four could have overruled any objections from Fendal and Rafe and made you clan leader here and now.”
“It would have been easier, yes, but I won’t go back to my mate and tell him I killed an unarmed man.”
“But you would have done it to protect your mate. Surely, he would understand,” Mikel said, watching Ryden carefully, it seemed.
“We’ve already had a rocky start. The look on his face would be too much for me to bear. I could never cause him that kind of pain. He’s everything we are not, full of compassion and caring,” Ryden laughed, shaking his head at himself. “Perhaps I will be lovesick by the next time we see each other.”
“Your mate must be remarkable indeed,” Mikel said. “We look forward to meeting him.”
Ryden bowed again and went through the portal. He saw no one he recognized and asked for directions to Owen’s home. A wide-eyed girl showed him the way, asking if he wanted her to try to find him.
“No, thank you. If you happen to see him, you can tell him where I am, but don’t trouble yourself.” He knew good and well Owen would know he was here in no time. Everyone they’d passed had taken notice of them. He walked up onto the porch of the small cabin and saw his luggage sitting there. He sat in a rocking chair and watched the other pack members going about their day, waving in acknowledgment when anyone greeted him.
This pack was only one of a dozen in North America, and from what he’d heard, all of the other Alphas were embracing the alliance Gregor had forged with King Asmund.
How much have we missed out on by ignoring these people? How many fated mates have never been found because we simply weren’t looking in the right place?
All these thoughts and more sped through his head as he waited to tell his mate what lay ahead of them.
Chapter Six
Owen stopped what he was saying midsentence and broke into a run as soon as he heard that Ryden was back. He threw an apology back over his shoulder but noted the Alpha and the others smiling and waving the apology off. It hadn’t even been an hour. What could it mean? Was it good news or bad? He halted to catch his breath when he reached his home and saw Ryden sitting there, rocking on the porch with his eyes closed as if he didn’t have a care in the world.