by Helen Scott
The steady click, click of the emergency lights blinking was actually soothing rather than stressful as I continued to explain. “Apparently, these choices have been presented before, and every time the multiple mates came up, something happened and the person with multiple mates never believed or their pack didn’t believe and I’m assuming it didn’t end well for any of them. These choices kept throwing the world out of balance, bringing more chaos and destruction as we took step after step closer to Ragnarok. If I can find my fifth mate, then we will be taking a step back towards order and magic. She said that if I complete my bonds with all my mates, then it will restore some of the magic to the world, the magic that allows us to shift and to exist in the first place. It will reconnect Midgard with the rest of the seven realms.”
“Why us?” Micah wondered aloud after I’d paused for a moment too long, debating what to say next.
“Apparently, we are all descended from the wolves of legend. Each of you represent something, almost an element in a way, and once we have everything together, then the balance of the world will begin righting itself.”
“Do you know who we are descended from?” Blake asked.
“Jaxon is descended from Fenrir, and I’m descended from Freya, but that’s all I know for sure. I think I know what you each represent though.”
“How? Why should we believe any of this?” Roman demanded, more upset than I’d expected.
“I’ve been having dreams, like the one where I sleepwalked, only I wasn’t sleepwalking, I was having a vision. It happened in the hospital, in Tate’s hospital room, and in the gas station before we came back to the woods. I didn’t tell you because I thought I was going crazy and that it was just stress or something like that, but Skuld knew. She knew what I’d dreamt of, and she knew things that she wouldn’t have been able to without being who she said she is.”
“What do we represent?” Micah asked, jumping in.
“In my dream, I saw Roman with the moon. Micah, you were with the sun. Blake, you were metallic, I know that sounds weird, but there was something dark about you, like you were used to being in the shadows and being somewhere hot. Tate, I believe you represent the earth and all the riches it contains, everything from the precious stones to the tallest mountain. My fifth mate seems to be trees, or plant life in general maybe, that’s what I always think of when I remember the vision anyway.”
“I get the sun, moon, and earth, but mountains and trees? And what are you? What do you represent?” Tate asked.
“I don’t know. We didn’t exactly get time to go into the finer details before the other wolves showed up.”
“And Jaxon?” Roman growled from the front seat.
“He’s darkness, destruction, chaos. He’s the eater of the world.” I felt like the words were flowing through me more than I was actually saying them. “All I know is that he’s the opposite of me. If the mate bond was solidified between him and me, then it would bring more chaos and destruction into the world.”
“But you do feel a connection to him?” Roman asked quietly, not looking at me. It felt like his entire soul was on display in that moment, and I couldn’t stand that he thought I’d hurt him or leave him like that.
“I do, I won’t lie to you. I don’t want to though. There’s nothing about Jax that I find appealing, it’s more that there’s some kind of innate connection there. At first, I thought it was just because I’d known him when I was young, that he was the last living connection to my family and my old life, but after talking with Skuld, I don’t think that’s it. I think he and I are two sides of the same coin. It’s like we’re magnets, he’s one pole and I’m the other, and there’s something drawing us together. But I feel more connected with you, all of you, than I do to him. Plus, I want to be with you, which has to count for something. I love you. I choose you and will every day for the rest of my life, no matter how long and weird it may be.”
I could have heard an ant’s heartbeat in the car at that moment, everyone was so quiet. My own heart was fracturing the longer they stayed silent, but it was like no one wanted to be the one to speak.
Without saying a word, Roman turned back to the front, shut off the blinking hazard lights, and pulled back out onto the road. I wanted to cry and beg him to talk to me, but I knew that they all needed time to process everything I’d just unloaded on them, so I kept quiet.
I wasn’t sure how long the silence lasted since I let myself get lost in my own thoughts about what it meant to be a descendant of Freya and what I needed to do to make sure we all survived this. At some point, we started nearing civilization once more, though it wasn’t the city I’d spent my life in but a small suburb or it, or maybe it would be considered its own town. Either way, it was a relief to be out of the woods, literally and figuratively, for the most part at least.
“I’m with you, Nina. No matter what. Just like you said, I choose you and will choose you every day for the rest of my life, and not just because of the mate bond, but because of the amazing woman I have come to know and truly fall in love with. You’ve changed my life for the better, and I’ll never regret letting you kick my ass that day in the forest no matter what happens or who comes for us. I’m yours one hundred percent, just like I know you’re mine.” Blake’s words touched something deep inside of me, something that I didn’t even realize was hurting until he soothed it.
I reached forward and squeezed his shoulder in a silent thank you and sent a wave of love down the mate bond, or at least I tried to. When he reached up and took my hand in his, giving it a squeeze back before dropping a kiss on my knuckles, I felt like he’d understood what I was trying to communicate.
“I don’t know if I understand everything completely, but I know you’re my mate and that’s all that matters, so I’m with you too,” Tate said, squeezing my knee.
“You know you’re the queen of my heart, beautiful. If you ever doubt it, just ask and I’ll tell you all the ways I love you, all the things I love about you, and how completely you rule my world,” Micah murmured in my ear next to me.
My heart froze in my chest as Roman stayed silent. I wanted to reach between the seats and make him look at me, but I couldn’t because he was driving. I, for one, didn’t want to die in a car crash, and I was fairly sure that the others didn’t either. Plus, it felt like there were more important things on my shoulders now than just us surviving because we wanted to love each other. There were things like the stability of the world to consider, and trying to help Skuld get home to her sisters, plus the whole not taking another step toward Ragnarok thing.
Finally, when I’d given up on him saying anything, Roman spoke. “I’m with you. You’re my mate, and we are meant to be together. I think we need to kill Jax.”
And just like that, my mood went from upset to worried. Roman wasn’t one to say things without thinking. The only time I’d ever seen him act rashly was when Micah and I had just bonded, and even then, it was an understandable reaction. For him to plan to commit murder though? That seemed a little extreme and unlike him.
“Dude, we can’t just kill someone, even if they are an asshole,” Tate said.
“We can. He’s a threat, not just to you, but to the whole world. The best thing to do is put him down.”
“I don’t think we’re there yet, brother,” Micah said.
Roman simply made a grumbling noise that wasn’t quite a growl before he said, “You’ll come around.”
What I didn’t say was that I wasn’t sure it was something I could do, not yet anyway. Maybe after I got my last mate and everything was finalized, but right now, I still felt like that one half of a magnet pulling toward the other. I couldn’t stand it, but there it was. I’d promised Skuld I’d resist, and I would, but that didn’t mean we had to resort to murder, right?
8
Nina
I was so lucky that the guys were better at planning and saving money than I was. We hadn’t had access to Roman or Micah’s funds since their pack decide
d we were unnatural because Roman suspected they could trace the activity. Blake and Tate were another story though, especially Tate.
Blake had lost a lot of his stuff when we ran from Jax’s pack, so Tate had been our only hope for a while now. It made me feel guilty, but it wasn’t like any of this was our choice, so I tried to push that emotion away. It was thanks to him that we were all freshening up in a motel room though.
I was beyond excited to sleep in a bed again, and taking a hot shower had been utter bliss. First was dinner though. We’d decided to start going to random bars that advertised margarita specials, since that was where Skuld saw my fifth mate. We’d driven east, and we were determined to find him, so we figured stopping at any bar we saw that met the criteria was a good plan. That also meant lots of yummy burgers in my future, or at least until we found him. Somehow, I doubted he’d be at the first bar we tried. I just wasn’t that lucky.
“Ready to go, beautiful?” Micah asked as I finished pulling my shoes on. They were just some old sneakers, nothing special, but they were relatively clean, which made them the best shoes I currently had. Part of me wished I could dress up, wear something that made the guys stare at me with their jaws on the floor. That wasn’t about to happen any time soon, but hopefully one day it would.
As I pushed to my feet, I nodded. The guys had noticed a bar a couple blocks over which had a big sign proclaiming that they had margarita Mondays, and that was why we’d picked this motel. Walking over in the night air seemed like a good idea at the time, but now my anxiety was getting the better of me. As the door to our motel room clicked shut behind me, I couldn’t help but feel exposed and vulnerable.
I must have indicated it somehow, because Roman’s arm was around me a moment later as he said, “We won’t let anything happen to you.”
“It’s not just me I’m worried about. You guys always seem to be the ones who get hurt on my behalf. I don’t want that to happen again.” I let out a forceful breath as I tried to calm my heart.
“We are a family. Whatever happens to one of us, happens to all of us,” Blake said over his shoulder as he led the way to the bar.
It was a nice sentiment, but when someone was being beaten or held against their will, it didn’t feel like that and I didn’t want it to. Having the emotional bond was enough, but the idea of us feeling everything the others felt as well was too much. We’d never get anything done. I knew what Blake was trying to say though, and I appreciated it.
The rest of the walk passed in comfortable silence as we made our way to the bar. The place was small, built into the end of a strip mall, and had more TVs in it than people, at least from what I could see through the window.
Blake pulled the glass door open and held it for Tate and Roman to go through, and Micah slipped in as well. Tate opened the second glass door, and Roman and Micah went first into the bar with me following and Tate and Blake bringing up the rear. As soon as I noticed, I realized why Micah had practically pushed in front of me—they wanted me in the middle, protected. The thought made my heart melt in my chest.
As we walked through the bar to an empty booth, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that there was no pulling sensation for the mate bond. I hadn’t really thought that my fifth mate would be at the first bar we tried, but apparently, I’d had a secret hope that he would be, which was now crushed.
Honestly, I was surprised that the corner booth was open. Any time I’d seen one before, it was always occupied. Roman and Micah slid onto the faux leather cushion on one side, and I went to follow but they stopped me.
“You get to be in the center of this sandwich, love,” Blake said.
I shrugged. What, like I was going to complain? I slid across the leather cushion with an awkward scooching motion until I was on Roman’s other side, then Blake and Tate slid in next to me.
As soon as we were settled, a waitress came over. “Welcome to Lucky Mike’s. What can I get you today?”
Most of us just asked for water and a menu, while Micah and his sweet tooth asked for a soda. Our lack of alcohol seemed to disappoint the waitress, and I figured it was just because we wouldn’t be spending a lot, therefore her tip would be smaller. She came back a moment later with our drinks and menus.
Finally, it was Roman who asked, “Anything?”
I shook my head.
“Doesn’t mean he won’t come in later.” Blake shrugged.
“He’s right,” Tate added. “It’s still early.”
“It’s almost eight,” I said, nodding toward the clock on the wall over the bar top.
“Which is early for people who intend to go out drinking. Showing up before nine isn’t normal, at least if you’re intending to get drunk with friends,” Tate replied.
“Solo is another story completely though,” Micah said quietly. “If he’s struggling with something, then the earlier he gets here, the earlier he can forget about whatever is bothering him.”
“True. I think we should have dinner and enjoy the reprieve we have while we have it. Your admirer made it perfectly clear that he intends to track you down. For now, he doesn’t know where you are. Let’s take advantage of that,” Roman said, surprising me. Usually, he was the one that was advocating for being extra careful.
When the waitress appeared a moment later for our orders, we gave them.
“Thank you again for taking care of us,” I said to Tate.
“You’re welcome, babe.”
I guzzled down most of my water and had to flag the waitress down again and ask for a pitcher of water for the table. We were all still recovering from our adventures in the woods, and though we’d been safe with Skuld, we hadn’t exactly had a lot of water or food. This was our chance to rehydrate and fuel up, and I was going to take advantage of it.
“So if he’s not here tonight, then what’s the plan?” Blake asked as he swirled the ice in his glass, making it clink against the sides.
“Are we going to come back here tomorrow or try somewhere else?” Tate added.
They all looked at me as though I had any more information than they did. “I have no idea. What do you all think would be best?”
“I’d say try somewhere new every night until we find him, or decide on a few places to try and loop through them until we catch up with him.” Roman took a long swig from his water, taking a few pieces of ice into his mouth and crunching on them as he waited to see my reaction.
“I’m fine with either option,” I said as I refilled my glass again.
“We could try a few different places then reassess, see if that’s what we want to keep doing or if we want to try a different tactic. There’s nothing saying we have to decide now,” Micah said.
“I think we should try somewhere else tomorrow if he doesn’t show up here tonight. As much as I believe Skuld when she said she had no idea which bar it was, I wish she could have given me some detail or something. Staying in one place hoping he shows up doesn’t seem like the best option though, at least not to me.” I shrugged.
The food arrived before anyone could say anything else, and I was shocked by how fast it had been delivered. Were we the only ones eating? I looked around at the other patrons, most of whom were nursing their beers or sipping on some amber liquid pretending to be fancier than they were. None of them were eating, and they all had their eyes riveted either on their waitress or the TVs.
I glanced up at the glowing screens, and all of them displayed sports of some kind or another, most of which I was only vaguely familiar with. I didn’t care about any of them, the only thing I cared about at that moment was the burger in front of me. It was a double cheeseburger with onion rings, all of which was slathered in barbecue sauce. The thing was practically the size of my head, and the side salad that came with it looked surprisingly fresh and equally as large. My fries were waffle cut, which was my favorite. As I stared at it all for a moment, I was extremely thankful, and my stomach seemed to growl in agreement.
“You know you’re
supposed to eat it, not just stare at it, right?” Micah asked with a wink.
I stuck my tongue out at him before wrapping both hands around the burger and lifting it to my mouth. I practically had to unhinge my jaw to get my mouth around the thing. The explosion of flavor on my tongue was so mind-blowing that I thought I moaned, if the spike of lust that came through the mate bond was anything to go by.
“This is so good,” I said around my mouthful of food. Not the politest thing to do, but I needed them to know how good this burger was. The sweet tangy flavor of the sauce with the fried onion and creamy cheese was a party in my mouth. The actual meat itself was more of an afterthought, like it was just the vehicle for all the other tasty stuff.
As soon as I swallowed that mouthful, I took a bite of salad. The crisp crunchy lettuce, cheese, carrot, and whatever else they’d put on there was a whole other flavor profile but just as good, especially when combined with the tangy, creamy dressing I’d chosen. After that was a couple of fries, which I dipped in the barbecue sauce that had dripped from the burger. The bite of the sauce and the crispy crunch of the French fry made my little junk food loving heart sing.
We ate mostly in silence, each of us too busy stuffing our faces and enjoying having real food for once, not just what we could catch and cook up. The others had all ordered burgers, though different from mine. Roman’s was a cheeseburger, but it had fancy avocado and stuff on it, Micah’s was just bacon and cheese, Blake’s was topped with what looked like pico de gallo and strips of tortilla chips, and Tate’s was a double cheeseburger but was topped with a fried egg, which was just about as messy as mine with the runny yolk dripping down the sides when he bit into it.
We were each enjoying our own little slice of heaven when a cheer went up from a few of the other patrons. I looked up at the TV they were watching and saw some guy sliding across the grass of a soccer pitch on his knees as his fists pumped into the air, his blue and white jersey stained and a little muddy but still cleaner than most of my clothes at that point. His teammates ran over and were all clapping him on the back and falling onto the ground with him. Whatever had happened, I got the feeling it had won them the game and possibly a championship of some sort, if the trophy that was twirling in the corner of the screen was anything to go by.