Again, Aurik moved towards Freya, and this time she didn’t move away. The champagne and shock of the day was draining every ounce of energy she had left. Aurik was still talking but she wasn’t listening anymore. She registered the feeling of the rich silk on the bed against her cheek as she was laying down.
Her eyes opened when she felt his lips on hers. Aurik was kissing her, holding her in the strength of his arms. Caught in the excitement of alcohol and her first kiss she returned the passionate statement.
Aurik’s lips were leaving kisses all over her face and beginning to trace along her chin, he pulled the fabric of the dress down kissing her neck and pulling her body up closer to meet the hardness of his.
However, when his hand found its way under the bottom of her dress, moving up along the bare skin of her thigh Freya’s heart stopped. The sound of his trouser belt unbuckling rattled around in Freya’s frazzled brain helping to clear the fog that had started to settle.
“Aurik, no. You have to stop we can’t do this.” The strength to push him away finally surfaced and he moved back enough to let Freya sit up. The buzz of the drink was quickly fading, and she could only look towards Aurik in shock realizing his intentions.
“Freya, I can’t let them have you. If you’re mine, then they can’t give you away. They wouldn’t be able to give my mistress to the Vargar!” Aurik burst out while clenching his fists.
“That decision was already made Aurik, and you were involved in making that decision whether you knew it was me or not.” Freya whimpered out as she started to move back to the headboard, slowly inching away.
“Do you not know that I love you Freya? How can I let you go to those monsters like this? They don’t deserve you; they’ll ruin you!” Aurik was pleading, reaching his hand for Freya as his eyes softened for her.
She jumped from the bed and far away from the reach of the man that she’d only thought of as a friend and would only ever think of as a friend. Freya felt the hot tears finally escape and start flowing down her cheeks. Her back was to Aurik still on the bed, and she started to straighten out her dress.
“Aurik, claiming you love me won’t keep me from what’s been decided and proclaimed in front the entire court. You know that I have a duty to our people. And I’ll do what I must do to ensure their safety. I’ll never fight in a battle like my sister, but if I can save the lives of others and ensure no one must risk war again I will absolutely do it.” She paused to take a deep shaky breath, “Besides, we both know I will never belong at your side. You can attempt to make me feel normal, make me feel like everyone else, but I never will be. They would mock you just as much as they do me if I were to become your mistress.” With a sense of finality, she moved quickly to the door and let it slam behind her as she attempted to find a way out of the palace.
An ache was forming in her head as she ran in a daze through the extensive palace halls along with a familiar emptiness in her heart as she began to think that perhaps Aurik never saw her as a friend in the first place. Had this been what he had wanted from her all along?
It pained her to think that her first friend outside of her immediate family had only wanted a plaything to keep at his side in the end. Freya couldn’t keep the silent sobs at bay as she collapsed in a dark corner to weep.
Chapter 5
The temperament of the pack was uneasy as another day passed at the edge of the Adaryn territory. However, they knew the importance of this temporary stay in the camp the warriors had set up at the sight of ancient ruins.
It had been a few weeks now and the Vargar only grew more restless as each day passed. The Adaryn came and went each day, meeting with the Alpha and arguing over specifics and terms of an alliance. It seemed the Adaryn would ask and ask for everything they could get their hands on while turning up their noses at the same time.
Cain was beginning to grow weary of their presence, especially of the one with the golden wings. It was easy for all the wolves to see that the Adaryn Prince thought very highly of himself.
Even now the Adaryn sat across the table from the Vargar with their noses upturned and theirs eyes never making contact for more than a few moments. It radiated from them that they were loath to speak to the wolves.
Cain grit his teeth and kept his eyes trained on the camp perimeter as his mother continued to delegate with the Adaryn prince. He hadn’t been involved in the rebellious attack on the Adaryn soldiers months ago, yet he felt as though he were the one being punished. This meeting was boring and the Adaryn were snobs he’d rather avoid.
“The ultimate alliance, you say?” The Alpha questioned the Adaryn across the table that returned the grim stare with beady eyes. “What more could there be after trade? Especially when you don’t seem pleased with what we have to offer.” Her dark eyes held steady as she swept her gaze across the Councilmen and prince in her presence.
“We would like to bring up the possibility of uniting our races,” The man with beady eyes and brown eyes stated as he folded his hands and leaned across the table.
“Oh, would you really do us the honor?” The Alpha cooed, but the Adaryn didn’t seem to catch on to her sarcasm. “Please enlighten us.” She swept her hands into the air to gesture at the Vargar on her side of the table. Cain drew his eyes from the trees and turned to look at her with no ounce of amusement in his stare.
“We could offer a marriage…” The man seemed nervous and even jumped when his sentence was interrupted by the Alpha laughing in his face.
“Let me get this straight, Grouse. You would turn your noses up at the items we offer for trade but would dare speak of a marriage? You’re sore to part with anything you could potentially trade and yet would offer one of your own people?” Her dark eyes were wide, and her lips were parted as she openly stared at the Adaryn man. Obvious surprise and unbelief written across her face while the shock turned into a sneer.
“Please, do continue, I’d very much like to hear what you could possibly have to say on the matter,” The alpha waved her hand dismissively and settled back into her throne.
“As I was saying,” Grouse straightened out his robes and leaned back with a wary glance at his prince and fellow Councilmen. “We have a Councilman with an eligible daughter. A very noble family with much loyalty to the Golden Crown, and they would be proud to do their duty in allying our races. A marriage would be a deeper connection than mere trade.”
Cain screwed up his face in disbelief as he watched his mother turn the idea over in her head. The Alpha placed her hand on her chin and looked off into the distance as though she was seriously considering their offer. Who in the pack would she deem unlucky enough to tie down to a bird?
“A highborn lady of your court?” The Alpha questioned.
“Indeed, her father would part with her,” The man hesitated before he turned his eyes to Cain. “If she were to be given to someone of equal noble birth, of course.”
“Like the Alpha’s heir?”
“If such a match could be made,” The Adaryn agreed with a solemn nod, eyes downcast to follow the patterns on the wooden table. None of the Adaryn dared to look at Cain even as they spoke about him.
A growl came unbidden to Cain’s chest as the implication of what they were insinuating landed firmly in his mind. His mother would offer him as the wolf to marry a bird.
Highborn Adaryn lady or not, Cain sneered at the idea with his canines elongating in his mouth. Fury began to grow within him as his mother began to nod her head as though this was an easy decision to make. She tensed when she heard the low growl escaping Cain but chose to ignore it.
“My son is eligible, and also aware of the importance of this alliance,” Her tone was light, but Cain wasn’t dumb and could hear the threat in that sentence. “Cain will do his duty to ensure peace in our futures. As we all would do, surely.”
It seemed the decision was made.
Cain stood abruptly from the table and the chair he’d occupied fell over as he stormed away from the table.
>
“Men are so hot headed,” The Alpha stated with exasperation in her tone. Hot headed or not Cain was boiling with anger that his future had just been decided for him. He’d be a fool to argue in front of his mother or try to persuade her against this decision, but he could go for a run. Perhaps it would help him cool down.
His clothing shredded into pieces as his body morphed into a massive beast. The Adaryn at the table tried to cover the horror on their faces as they witnessed the man transform before their eyes as he ran into the surrounding woods.
“I will give him the option to make an offering to the girl,” The Alpha’s voice brought the Adaryn’s attention back to her while her son raced into the thicket of trees.
“An offering?” One of the other Councilmen spoke up as he faced scrunched into confusion.
“Yes,” The Alpha into her chair again. “We make an offering to our intended, and if they accept then the pair is official. I will let him choose to make the offering.” She trailed off as though she was already done with the conversation.
“And what if he doesn’t make the offer to the girl?” Grouse questioned.
“Then they will not marry,” She plainly stated the obvious.
The prince’s golden eyes squinted as he glared across at the Alpha, however she ignored his gaze as if he wasn’t even there. He might be the next Adaryn leader, yet he hardly spoke at all during these meetings. The Alpha mused he was like a child learning how to be a leader by watching what the older members of his Council had to say.
“Hmph, alright. And if he does make the offering, we would still like to hold our official ceremony. As it’s what an Adaryn lady is owed, by tradition,” One of the older and greying Councilmen interrupted.
“Of course. If we hold our traditions, I would only imagine you hold to yours as well. Cain will make the offering and you can hold your ceremony.” She placed her hands on the table and stood from her seat. The Alpha held her head high as she looked down her nose as the Adaryn’s across the table. Her fellow Vargar warriors stood with her.
At the sight of the imposing wolves staring down at them the Adaryn could feel it was time for them to leave the camp. Despite the fact they were still on their own territory the feeling of being unwelcome settled over them. The Adaryn rose quickly to stretch their wings and prepare to leave.
“We will return in a few days with the girl, Alpha Fargrim,” Grouse muttered as he took a step back from the table to begin putting as much distance between himself and the wolf leader as he could. “And, we still want the one responsible for the rebellion that lead us here.” His fists clenched at his sides just barely hidden by his shimmering robes.
“Bring her to the clearing and we’ll escort you into the camp. The scoundrel will be ready as well,” Her head lowered briefly in a nod of dismissal to the birds before she turned her back on them knowing none of them would dare to attempt to attack her as she turned away.
The sound of wings taking to the air came and went as the Alpha walked leisurely through the camp to the edge of the woods where her son had vanished into. It wasn’t long before she spotted him sulking back through the trees to return to the camp.
“Cain,” She nodded her head at him as he stopped a few feet from her. Her hands were folded at her back and she only looked at him with something similar to an apology written on her face.
“I will do it,” Was all he muttered as his red eyes glared at his mother. “I don’t like the idea of my future tied to one of them in this way, but I will do it.” Another short growl left his lips as he turned his head.
“I know, son. This isn’t something any of us could have predicted. But this is where we are now. I will give you the option to make an offering to the girl. If you truly do not like her, then you will not have to. That is all I can give you.”
“We all have a part to play if we want to avoid war. I suppose this will be mine,” Cain sighed, and his shoulders sagged as he turned to look back out into the forest. He was beginning to resign himself to the fate that had been decided for him. His initial anger began to fade as he came to terms with what was coming.
“It is a better future than your uncles,” She whispered. Despite the sadness in her tone there was a hardness to her eyes. “Anyways, they will return with the girl. You have days to find a suitable offering.”
“A suitable offering? The birds wouldn’t care one way or the other if I offered her a mole.” Cain scoffed. A Vargar wouldn’t have accepted such a small and worthless kill, but he guessed the Adaryn wouldn’t know the difference. Their kind rarely ate meat and they didn’t understand the importance of the offering.
“This girl they will bring, whether or not she knows the importance of this offering doesn’t matter. You know the importance of this occasion, and I’d like to think I raised you knowing how to do things starting on the right foot.” And with that she turned from Cain and walked back to the camp with her head held high.
Cain grumbled to himself, knowing she was right. If he was going to be tied to this stranger for the rest of his life, then he was going to ensure that this alliance worked. He was going to be the next Alpha and it was his responsibility to make sure his people had peace in their future.
Despite the quiet the pack had enjoyed for the past several years they all knew they were now on the brink of war if this alliance fell through. A few bloodthirsty warriors had gotten ahead themselves and now the Adaryn and Vargar were in this position. Cain hadn’t started the fight, but he was going to make sure it was finished.
Once more he turned to look in the direction of the forest. He let his flesh turn into fur as he fell on all fours and ran into the forest on paws. His claws dug into the fresh dirt as he ran, and the wind ruffled his fur as he sped through the underbrush.
This forest was different than what the Vargar had back home. The trees smelled different and the animals were smaller. Cain was used to hunting shadow elk and giant rabbits, not the night hogs and laughable hare on this side of the canyon.
Day turned into night as Cain stalked through the surrounding forest to catch the trail of something, he deemed worthy of hunting. Even if his kill wouldn’t matter to the bird, it would matter to him and the rest of the pack. His fellow warriors could mock him if he didn’t do something mildly impressive. He was going to be the next Alpha and he needed to show that he was able to provide for his mate, even if she had been chosen for him.
As the massive wolf stormed through the forest his mind began to wander. Cain had to admit that he was curious about the Adaryn he was going to be tied to. What would she look like? What color would her feathers be?
If she didn’t like him perhaps, she would just fly away and leave him.
The wolf let out a beastly huff that could have been a laugh. As snobby as the Adaryn were he wouldn’t be surprise if the bird up and flew away from the sight of him.
He wasn’t sure how long he’d been running through the woods anymore. Perhaps it been days now, he didn’t know. But his instincts were telling Cain that he needed to make his kill and return to the camp. The rest of the pack had left him alone up until this point, but he could hear their howls in the distance as they attempted to call out to him.
His nose lifted to the air and he shut his mind off to everything as he let the scents and sounds of the forest surround him. Cain’s instincts were starting to sharpen for the hunt, and he homed in on the sounds of something that sounded large nearby.
A monstrous snarl slipped through his sharp teeth and red eyes turned in the direction of several creatures shuffling through the debris of the forest floor. Instinct took over and the thrill of the hunt snapped into place as Cain began to thunder through the forest. His paws flew over the ground as he moved towards the herd of boar oblivious to his existence and intent on killing the next thing he saw.
Chapter 6
A day passed, and Freya kept herself tucked away the room she occupied at her father’s mansion. As time blurred around her, she took on
the stoic face of one ready to do their duty.
Lonan never stopped to question his daughter on why she had been with Aurik at the palace, probably for the best, he seemed to be avoiding Freya. Before the upcoming winter was over Freya would be tied to the ancestral enemy of her people and across the border, hidden deep within the mountains she’d never seen.
Freya’s few belongings were still packed from the last move, all she seemed able to do was wait for the day they came to get her. In the meantime, she avoided her father and sat at her mother’s bedside. She again wondered at what Raga would think of the situation, or if her sister would have let it happen. Freya knew if Raga was still alive her sister would kill to stay at her side no matter what.
Most days Kestrel returned tasked with creating more clothing that Freya could take with her. The highs of Adaryn fashion for all seasons and taking a myriad of measurements. Freya enjoyed the company of the girl and felt a twinge of sadness that she’d be leaving before this budding friendship could grow. This was the last day she would see Kestrel.
“Freya would you like to see the wedding dress?” Freya knew Kestrel was trying to sound excited about the dress she had worked on, but not why it was needed. “If not, I understand. It’s not exactly time to wear it yet.”
“I wish I could, but I don’t think I’m ready. I’m sorry”
“Please don’t apologize, this is the hardest one I’ve helped to make. Not every day you make a dress that will be worn in a ceremony to ensure the pact of two warring races.”
“I have no doubt it’ll be lovely. You’ve listened to me and taken into account what I like. I’ll have more clothes for the next few years than I’ve had in my entire life.”
“Only the best for a soon to be princess-” Kestrel was interrupted by a multiple loud voice attempting to speak over one another. Freya opened the bedroom door and walked to the top of the stairway to see several Valkyrie, guardsmen, and members of the council all trying to talk to Lonan at once. Freya turned back to the room before she could be spotted.
The Bird and The Wolf Page 6