The Sabertooth's Promise (Ice Age Alphas Book 1)

by Lily Thomas

  “Now you’re ready to be brought to the cave.” Tira led the way out of the hut, and Aiyre followed, the other women following close behind her.

  They directed her through the forest as they headed for the sacred cave. It would be the place where she and Daerk would be joined. The jitters entered her once more. She was both excited and alarmed by this new adventure she was about to take.

  They entered the cave, and Tira led her through the inky darkness until they broke into a large warm chamber where a fire was roaring in the center. The flames leaped up into the air, eating hungrily at the wood that sat in the firepit.

  Tira walked over to the fire, stuck another bunch of herbs into the heat of the fire until it began smoking. Then she withdrew the bunch and began chanting as she walked around the chamber and then walked around the women who were gathered inside.

  Aiyre watched the trail of smoke curl in the air behind Tira. Slowly, the grey smoke faded into the air around them, making its way into all their lungs.

  “Now we wait for the men.” Tira directed them to take a seat around the fire on furs that were already spread out.

  They each sat down, and Tira produced a wood pipe. She stuffed it full with some dried herbs, lit it, took a couple of puffs, her cheeks puffing out with the effort, and then she blew a stream of grey smoke into the chamber.

  “For you.” She handed it over to Aiyre, who took it.

  Aiyre placed the wooden pipe to her lips and slowly breathed in the smoke. She choked, her eyes watering as she handed the pipe over to the next woman.

  Tira chuckled. “It takes a few times to get used to it, but it will enhance your joining with my son. Together the both of you will make our clan strong and ready to face whatever challenges come our way. The gods will make sure of that.”

  Aiyre smiled at Tira. She was ready for whatever came.

  Within minutes the pipe had made a couple rounds around the women, and Aiyre was beginning to feel the full effects. She felt like she could see animals dancing around in the flames of the fire.

  And then she heard it.

  A light musical voice. It was Naru’s voice, calling to her, singing. It sounded peaceful and content and gave Aiyre the much needed hope that Eron had assisted her clan in their journey to the Eternal Hunting Grounds.

  Men chanting could be heard echoing down the rock corridor.

  Tira stood and motioned for the rest of the women to stand, except Aiyre. “You and Daerk will finish the ceremony with Eron.”

  Nerves once more raced back into her body as she watched the women file out of the chamber. Tonight was the night. She just hoped she’d chosen the right man.

  Daerk followed the men in his sabertooth form, excited for the night that laid ahead of him. He and Aiyre had already shared pleasure in his furs, but this was the night where they would be joined formally before the gods.

  His sabertooth purred its approval. It was just as eager as he was to set his eyes on Aiyre. His back leg limped a little as he walked, but Eron had done his best to help it heal after Brog had bitten it.

  As they entered the dark cave, the lights the men around him were carrying lit up the space. His nails scraped the stone floor underneath him, and then the men around him began chanting, letting the waiting women know they were coming.

  Soon he could hear light footsteps making their way towards him. They passed by the women, and then the men joined them. Now it was just Eron and him who would continue.

  Eron’s torch cast light over the rough cave walls all around them, making the stone appear to come to life. Each jagged edge looked like it was trying to reach out and touch them.

  His cat eyes focused on the light coming from in front of them. It was there that he would find Aiyre, and he wasn’t entirely sure he would be able to wait for Eron to finish the ceremony before he jumped his mate.

  They broke into the main cavern, and there she was.

  Aiyre was sitting beside the fire, and when he lifted his nose and sniffed the warm hair, he could smell the sweet scent of her body as well as some apprehension flowing off of her, which was to be expected.

  Even he was nervous about what the future might hold for them. The clan had barely any time to process the fact that their leader was mated to a pronghorn shifter. So far, they’d been accepting, if a bit surprised.

  His sabertooth only had eyes for Aiyre and no thought about the future. Quickly, Daerk reined in his sabertooth. If he broke tradition, Eron would have no qualms about whipping him with a sapling branch like he was a naughty cub.

  She was wearing a brown fur from a deer he’d killed a few years back. He’d saved the fur, not sure what to do with it until he met his mate, and then he knew it would be her dress for this night.

  And he was right.

  His mother had been kind enough to sew on a lovely pattern of beads.

  The dress highlighted the slender shape of her body and highlighted her alabaster skin and dark hair. The firelight flickered over her, drawing his eyes to the light gleaming in her eyes, her small nose, and those luscious lips of hers that called his name.

  Daerk let the shift overcome him until he was back in his human form.

  “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to your sabertooth form.” Aiyre breathed.

  He sat beside her. “As long as you never fear him, because he would never do you any harm.”

  “I know that now.” She whispered back, and her eyes briefly flickered over his wounded leg, and concern shown bright in her eyes.

  “Don’t worry about my leg. It is the least of the concerns we will need to worry about once we are joined.”

  Eron began chanting over them as he asked the gods to bless them and the clan. Daerk reached over and gripped her hand with his. They were in this life together now, and he couldn’t be happier.

  Epilogue

  Birds sang happily in the trees high above them, as Aiyre and Daerk strode through the forest. The snow was now gone, and the animals had once more returned to their area. The clan’s meat hut was filled to the brim, and the mood was now lighter. The worry of winter was gone.

  “We’re close,” Daerk told her.

  “Thank you for doing this.” Aiyre’s heart thudded in her chest as they approached her village.

  “My clan was happy to do this. They felt it was the least they could do for you and Ezi.” Daerk frowned. “All of us wish we had handled Brog differently before he’d the chance to kill your clan.”

  Aiyre sighed. “I’ve come to realize that I can’t dwell on the past and what could have been. Now that winter is gone, and the animals are back, I am looking to the future and what it will hold for us. I know Naru would have wanted me to continue to live life.”

  “We’re here.”

  They broke out of the trees to see her decimated village, now uncovered for the world to see. Her throat threatened to close up as her eyes scanned over all the toppled huts.

  Thankfully, there were no bodies strewn about like the last time she’d visited all those months ago.

  “Would you like some time, or should we head over to the burial?” Daerk placed a hand to the small of her back, giving her reassurance.

  “Let’s head over to the burial.” Aiyre led the way past the village and then over to the burial that wasn’t far away. The green grass under her fur booted feet felt good. The snow was gone, and now they would have a few blissful moons of no snow.

  They stopped by the edge of the large burial site, and she pulled up beside Ezi, whose stomach had grown significantly. She’d been right about Drakk leaving her with a part of himself.

  “How are you feeling?” Aiyre asked her longtime friend.

  “Very well.” Ezi rubbed a hand over her stomach. “This little one keeps kicking though, and I still throw up every once in a while.” Ezi smiled. “But I’m happy.”

  “You deserve to be happy after everything that’s happened.”

  “Thankfully we made it to spring.”

  A
iyre nodded her head. Her eyes skimmed over the burial area. The bodies had already been covered up, but the brown spot of recently turned soil stood out in stark contrast to the green blades of grass waving in the light wind.

  “Are we worried about Tor?” She asked Daerk as Eron took his position at the burial and lit some incense.

  Daerk heaved a heavy sigh. “There’s nothing we can do. Rir and I already searched for him, and we haven’t found a single sign to indicate he is anywhere near the village.”

  Aiyre glanced over at Ezi. The clan would provide for her, but she worried Ezi might have missed an opportunity for the happiness Aiyre had found with Daerk. She couldn’t help but wonder if pushing Tor away had been the right decision, but at the time she hadn’t known what the right course would be.

  Eron’s chanting drew her attention back to the ceremony. Unfortunately, some animals had found a few of the bodies of her clanmates before them, so they were missing a few clanmates, but there’d been nothing they could do about it.

  She closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. After this ceremony was finished, she could think fully of the future and only the future.