Dire Cravings: Arctic Wolves Series, Book 2

by Tigris Eden

  “What? I’m not bait,” Olivia asserted.

  “Oh, yeah, how do we know you’re not lying?”

  “Why would I lie? If your Alpha thought I was a threat, would he have really allowed me down here?”

  Blue could tell that Trevor was thinking over his answer before he responded. He knew the moment Trevor made the right decision. The boy grinned before nodding his head at the other older children.

  “She’s all right, guys. Come on, let’s help her move these branches.”

  And just like that, the children accepted Olivia.

  While the women worked on getting the cabins situated, Olivia and the children cleared the valley of debris. Trevor, who was the leader of the older kids, helped her dish out orders.

  “What’s it like?” he asked in the middle of moving a particularly large branch toward the pile of debris.

  “What’s what like?”

  “Living in a city? I heard Alexandra say you were from New York, like our Luna.”

  “Yes, but I’m originally from California.”

  “Wow, so coast to coast,” he said in an awed tone.

  “Yeah. But it’s like any other place, I guess.”

  “Yeah, right. You’ve been to a place like this before?” Trevor opened his arms to include the entire valley.

  “All right, you got me there. Living in the city is loud. In California, where I lived in Echo Park, there was always something happening, whether it be good or bad.”

  “How so?” Trevor asked, eyeing her curiously.

  “Well, it was dangerous where I lived. I had to worry about gangs and drive-by shootings. It’s one of the reasons I moved to New York.”

  He nodded in understanding and went back to moving branches. “But New York is equally as dangerous, right?”

  “Yes, Trevor.”

  “So then why move from one dangerous location to another?”

  Olivia stood, dusted off her hands, and tilted her head in Trevor’s direction. “Good question. I don’t really know. I guess I was trading one form of danger for another, if that even makes sense.”

  Trevor responded with, “Not really,” before making his next statement. “Blue will keep you safe now.”

  She had to remember that he was a child. This was the only way of life he knew. “What makes you think that, Trevor?”

  “He’s your mate. When I find my mate, that’s what I’ll do. I’ll protect her. Ensure that nothing bad happens to her. Especially if she turns out to be human like you are. She’d be fragile, and easy to kill. It will be my job as her mate to keep her safe.”

  “Well, I’m not that easy to kill.”

  Trevor stood taller, and to Olivia, it felt like he matured right before her eyes. His eyes glowed before he spoke in a roughened tone. “Yes, Olivia, you are. Your life is short-lived compared to ours. You are Blue’s mate, and when a male Berserker ties himself to a female, his life force joins with hers. My father thinks you are a weakness. I’m hoping you prove him wrong.”

  Olivia stood dumbfounded for a moment before she came back to her senses.

  “Hey, Trevor, just how old are you?”

  “Two-hundred and forty lunar cycles. That’s about twenty in human years. Why?”

  The hell? He didn’t look twenty, he looked maybe sixteen—if that.

  “You look younger.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not.” He winked before walking off, the older kids following.

  Ain’t that some shit? Blue didn’t look like he was more than thirty, and he was over a thousand years old. The other children started to head toward their homes, but Rose and Ima stayed behind.

  “Hey there. Aren’t you going to your cabins with your mothers?”

  Both little girls looked at her and shook their heads.

  “Our momma passed on to be with the goddess.”

  Olivia’s chest hurt at the thought of the two little girls being without a mother. She’d lost her mom at a young age as well and had been raised by her grandmother.

  “Well, you’re welcome to hang out with me until your father comes and gets you.”

  “Our father died during the first raid on the mountain. We actually live with Santos and his sister Elena now.”

  Well, at least they were cared for. But she didn’t see anyone in the Pack not helping the two beautiful girls. Both had long, brown locks that brushed their waists. Their light grey eyes were assessing. They looked six or seven but were probably much older.

  “How old are the two of you?”

  “One hundred and thirty-two moons this coming spring,” Rose answered.

  “Wow, you’re practically young ladies.”

  “Yup, we will be able to change this season like the others, and both my sister and I are hoping that one of us will belong to Trevor or his brother Aaron.” The two little girls giggled, and Olivia hid her smile. They were already crushing on the older boys.

  “What would you two like to do?”

  Both girls looked at each other before smiling widely.

  “Can you introduce us to Blue?” Rose asked.

  Blue watched as Olivia and the two young pups approached him. He could tell that the girls were shy. They were like that with all the males in the Clan. He didn’t know if it had something to do with the death of their parents or not.

  “Blue, this is Rose and Ima.”

  “I know who these beauties are. They’re staying with Santos and Elena.”

  Both girls giggled before giving out shy greetings.

  “You are quite the celebrity.”

  “More like anomaly. I’ve lived in this area almost thirty years, and some of the Elders still gift me.”

  “Gift you?” Olivia asked.

  “Yes, some of the women cook for me or wash my clothes, and the men offer me weapons. I don’t need weapons, though. Isn’t that right, Ima?”

  The younger of the two sisters gave him a toothy grin before whispering, “Right.”

  “Why do they do that?” He could hear the annoyance in Olivia’s voice. She thought him to be arrogant. He was. And he had every right to be. Not in the sense where he overcompensated or tried to exert his will or his abilities over others, but because it was the only way he knew how to be. Himself.

  “Why?”

  “Because of who I am. What I am.”

  “None of this makes sense.”

  “It wouldn’t to you. But long story short, there was a time when I was on the wrong path. I captured, killed, and enslaved my own kind.”

  “Other Berserkers?”

  “Yes, and other wolves. I did bad things. Bad enough that I was exiled by the goddess to another realm.”

  “Another realm?”

  Grinning, he winked. “Yes. There are other realms, different planes of existence.”

  “Oh, geez, I’m gonna need to sit down for this story.”

  “We love hearing about your adventures, Blue,” Rose said, swinging her arms back and forth.

  “Do you, now?”

  Ima nodded her head quickly.

  “And this…realm you were sent to. What was it called?”

  “Xosha.”

  “Oooh, can you please tell the story?” Ima asked. She’d probably heard versions of it from others in the Clan, but for some reason, the younger ones enjoyed hearing about his exile, especially from him.

  “You all really want to hear this?”

  Everyone nodded their heads, Olivia included.

  “I want to hear all about Xosha and your realm travel.”

  “All right, but let’s get some food and sit by the river.”

  “Yay!” Both girls jumped excitedly, clapping their hands.

  Cassandra and some of the other women heard their conversation and decided it would be a good way to keep everyone calm until the situation within the mountain was handled.

  “You really are a celebrity,” Olivia said again after following him down to the river where the others waited.

  “If you say so
. Come and sit by me.”

  Olivia arched a brow at him. He could feel the warmth in her stare. She may not like him ordering her around, but there was a tiny part of her that got off on it. It was in her subtle gestures and the way her eyes dilated, or when her hands tensed by her sides only to relax moments later. His voice calmed her. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was open to him. Receptive.

  “You could ask politely.”

  Blue slid his hand into hers, giving it the slightest squeeze before pulling her to a stop. He was much taller than she. He knew his height was imposing, but he also knew how to lure and capture the attention of those he wished. Bending slightly at the waist, he made sure their heads were level. He gazed into her eyes deeply, and what he saw there took his breath away. Her mind may not be on board with his wishes, but her body trusted him completely.

  “What would be the fun in asking you? I like to see you squirm,” he whispered, lowering his voice. Olivia’s body swayed towards his, and Blue took that moment to linger. To just be in her presence. He hadn’t realized how badly he sought the feeling of being whole again. Her inner spirit called out to his. It was like taking a breath of fresh, cold air for the first time.

  “There you go again with the voice, Bödvar. You should know by now that it isn’t going to work on me.”

  She was testing his patience, but he had a lot more shored up. He gripped her hand tightly, tugging her to his chest. He dragged his nose from the base of her throat up to the side of her face, where he rested his lips against her temple.

  “Naughty little liar. You’re soaked.” Her sharp intake of breath, along with her scent, was all the confirmation he needed. “Sit next to me. I promise next time, I’ll ask politely.”

  She didn’t argue. Olivia followed him down to the river where the others waited and sat next to him. Just like he knew she would.

  8

  Everyone’s voices quieted at the sight of Blue taking a seat on a medium-sized boulder that butted against a tree. There was nowhere for Olivia to sit, and when he gestured that she should sit between his legs, she almost balked.

  Almost.

  You’re getting soft, Vasques.

  Olivia took a seat between Blue’s massive thighs. Ima and Rose sat in the front with some of the younger children. At least, they looked young. She couldn’t tell anymore. But as everyone quieted, Blue cleared his throat and began to tell his story.

  “I was punished for my crimes against my kind, and against others. After the brutal destruction of the Dire Clan when Ambrogio murdered the Alpha of the Dire wolves, the goddess appeared to me. At first, I didn’t realize it was her. There was no light of the moon, no Bow to speak of. Just a woman on the side of the road, peddling her wares.”

  “What did you say to the goddess?” one of the younger children asked.

  “Why, nothing. I was bloodied from battle. Weary from the long fight. I just wanted to find a place to sleep, but the goddess stopped me. She’d been disguised in a cloak that covered her from head to toe. I wasn’t concerned with conversation.”

  Olivia listened attentively as he described the goddess, a beautiful woman who was graceful and wise.

  “Then what happened?” Ima asked excitedly.

  “Then, she touched me, and I was taken into a mist and spit out on the other side into a world I’d never seen before.”

  “Xosha!” the children screamed.

  “Yes, little ones, Xosha. There is no concept of time there. They use the seasons and go by the stars and the sun. My abilities did not work. In Xosha, I was like a human. I didn’t have my heightened senses and was easily taken advantage of. I saw things, stuff that can only be seen there.”

  “What kinds of things, Blue? Tell us,” Rose demanded.

  “Well, darling Rose, there were portals, and each one was different. The realms are protected by a thick mist. It swirls and never ends. Each one takes you to a different place or time. During my one-hundred-year exile, I found twenty realms. Mapped and explored them all. I was trying to get back home. The one that takes you to Silverspell is in a forest. One second, you’re in Xosha, and the next, you can find yourself somewhere else entirely. One time, I think I might have even traveled into the distant future.”

  “Oooh,” the kids cooed in unison.

  The children were enjoying the story. Olivia relaxed her head on one of Blue’s thighs. She hadn’t meant to, but when she tried to move, he placed his large hand on the back of her neck to stop her. He didn’t stop telling his story, but the gesture was clear. He didn’t want her to move. Her body stiffened at the contact, but seconds later, she could feel him massaging her neck. His rough voice was soothing as he continued to tell the group of his fantastical adventure in Xosha.

  “Tell us about Peyton,” Trevor said.

  “Ah, yes, the lovely Peyton. She was quite the trickster. She was blond, like me, with jade-colored eyes. She was the ninth daughter born to the Vale’ek’s, but even being ninth-born, she was the Clan’s heir. Basically, she was a princess.”

  Before she could ask, Blue explained that the Vale’ek’s were an old family of vampires. Pure bloods that could reproduce.

  “But wasn’t she also a Hunter?”

  Blue cleared his throat before answering, and Olivia thought it odd.

  “Yes, but they don’t call them Hunters, they are known as Silver Fangs. There are many Clans. The Drakul and the Vale’ek are the strongest and always at war with each other for control over Ryse’Dyn. A large commerce city in Xosha. It’s where most of the portals to other places are located, and where the old families reside. But, yes, Trevor, she was a vampire, and I didn’t know it at the time until it was almost too late. In Xosha, I would have been considered an Abomination, and your Luna, Nerina, a Howler—a being that is both wolf and vampire. But I fell hard for Peyton, and the moment we started to see each other, that’s when everything started to get a little out of hand.”

  Hearing that Blue had fallen hard for another woman didn’t sit well with Olivia. Why? You have no claim on him. She didn’t, but he swore he had dibs on her. She didn’t know if a Berserker could sense jealousy or not. But she didn’t want him to know how she felt.

  “But Olivia is your mate,” Ima pointed out.

  “That she is. And she is nothing like Peyton.” Olivia would have protested, but sometime during the conversation, she must have gotten caught up in the story because her hair was unbraided, and Blue’s thick fingers were sifting through her strands. “You will all experience similar situations as you mature. You think you know one thing until destiny shows you the truth.”

  Her body, as well as her mind, was being unraveled like her hair. Coaxed into submission by his lulling techniques. She’d always loved when her grandmother played with her tresses, and now Blue was doing the same. Only it was more. Much more. Olivia drifted off to sleep to the sound of his voice, and the stories of Xosha. She knew she was dreaming because she saw things that weren’t real. Shadow Mares and Jems. Horses that could ride amongst the shadows, or warhorses made of precious stones. Or at least that is what Blue told the children. There were two horses off in the distance, one a Shadow Mare, that looked like wisps of smoke with glowing silver eyes. The other, larger mare, looked to be living flame, shaped like a horse. They made no sound as they grazed along the river.

  Olivia walked towards the Shadow Mare. It was a smoky black with a silver mane. As she moved forward, it spoke to her. Or, at least, she thought it did.

  “Did you just speak to me?”

  “No,” came a voice. Olivia tried to find the source. There was only she and the horses. “Don’t be stupid, Horses don’t speak to anyone except their riders. Why are you here?”

  “This is my dream. I should be asking you.”

  The voice snorted. “You may be asleep, but understand, I run shit here. This is my realm. You’re in my world. Here, I am king.”

  “King, huh?” Olivia wouldn’t put anything to chance. Werewolves w
ere real, and vampires were real. “And how should I address you?”

  “Why, I am the one who can give you life immortal. I am Sebastian Alistair Drakul, but those who don’t and do trust me call me Bast, as should you…if you know what’s good for you.”

  Off in the distance, almost like an echo, she could hear Blue’s voice. She had to be dreaming.

  “All right, Bast, what do you want?”

  “For now, I’ll just take this.” A figure stepped from behind one of the Mares. Bast. He was almost short for a male, roughly five-foot-six. He had blood-red hair and some type of ink that covered both sides of his face in a strange, intricate, almost rune-like pattern. His eyes were an eerie amber color with hints of green flecks. Piercings lined his ears, his left eyebrow, and his right bottom lip. He didn’t look to be any more than twenty—if that. They were standing toe-to-toe, and as his eyes roamed her body, Olivia felt lightheaded.

  Extremely lightheaded.

  “What did you do to me?”

  “Oh, sweetheart, didn’t Blue warn you about me?”

  Those were the last words she heard before she drifted into a deep sleep.

  Blue placed Olivia in their bed. She was asleep. He’d finished telling his story to the children while sifting his fingers through her soft curls. His heart warmed at the thought of crawling into bed with her later. Victor and the others had barely returned. Luckily, there were no casualties. When he left the cabin, he searched for Victor.

  “Teak, where’s your uncle?”

  “He and Nerina have retired for the evening. Is there something I can help you with?”

  “No, pup.”

  Teak glared in his direction before shaking his head and walking away. Blue walked towards a grouping of cabins where Santos and his sister, Elena, stood with Rose and Ima.

  “Evening.”

  “Hey, man, what’s up?”

  “Nothing, wanted to know what happened out there?”

  “Man, they just wanted to ruffle our feathers. Wasn’t shit happening out there. We got out there and didn’t even see much of anything. Victor had us go into town and check things out. All’s quiet there, as well.”