Chapter 21 #2
She laughs. “Ready to dip into the ocean and scoop up all the fish! You were so upset when I said that.”
“Aye. Those are our fish!” I lean my cheek against her soft silver hair.
“Does the present have these same stars, lad?”
I nod. “Aye. They’re not as visible in the city, but on a clear night, I see them and I think of home, of you and my brothers.”
The scent of salt hits my nose, and my heart sinks when her shoulders tremble. “Then promise me that no matter how far you go, you’ll look up at the stars each night and remember us.”
I try to laugh, but it gets stuck in my throat. “I… I’m not going anywhere.”
She takes my hand. “Don’t try and lie to me. Last night the gods showed me a vision. You’ve found him, and you’re going away with him.”
I don’t know what to say. Guilt and grief take me by storm, making tears flood my eyes. I hang my head, grinding my teeth. “Aunt Helga, I’m so—”
“Don’t you apologize to me, lad.” Warm hands frame my face, tilting my head. Tears shine in Helga’s eyes. “What happened that horrible day was not as it seemed, was it?”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because if Soren had truly betrayed us, you would not be leaving with him.”
I place my hand over hers. “It’s true. He never betrayed us. He lied so I would not take any blame for the attack.”
Helga breathes in slowly, wiping away her tears. “And it’s because of that lie that our pack was able to stay together.”
“Aye, Auntie. He did it for me, for our family.”
Her eyes are watery, but her tone is steady and sure when she says, “Then we failed Soren, and we failed you, and for that I beg your forgiveness.”
I shake my head. “No. There’s nothing to forgive. I made the choice to stay, and I don’t regret it. It all worked out in the end, did it not?”
Helga’s lips tremble when she smiles. “You have given enough to our pack, lad. You’ve honored your father’s wishes. Go now and know that he would be so very proud of you.”
“Would he?” A tear spills down my cheek, and Helga wipes it away with her thumb.
“Of course, and so would your mother. You deserve all the happiness in the world.”
I pull her close, hiding my face in her neck. I take a few deep breaths, trying to hold myself together. “I love you, Auntie.”
“I love you too,” she says, holding me tighter.
I never want to let her go, but now that she’s given me her blessing, I can forge a future with Soren free of guilt.
“Thank you for everything,” I say, brushing a kiss over her palm.
“Be well, Lyall. Be happy. That’s all I ask.”
A grin spreads over my face. “With Soren by my side, that will be all too easy.”
Despite the ache in my heart, a burden has fallen from my shoulders. Each step feels lighter, the air a bit sweeter.
Jamie and Anders wait for me by the boat. Jace hurries up to me. “Are you okay, Uncle Lyall?”
Smiling at his concern, I tousle his hair. “Aye, lad. I will be. But you have to promise me something?”
He straightens up, serious as can be. “What?”
I point to Anders and Jamie. “You look after those two for me, aye?”
He salutes me, making me laugh. “You got it! Have fun with Soren, and…” He swallows, eyes bright. “And we’ll see you two a lot, right?”
I tug him into a hug. “Of course you will.”
“Ready to go?” Anders looks me over, no doubt scenting the tears still drying on my cheeks.
“I am.”
He swings an arm around my shoulders and leads me to the boats. “Then let’s not keep your mate waiting.”
“How’d it go?” Soren’s hand is warm in mine. Central Park is busy even in the evening. Folks walk the trails together, laughing uproariously and talking far too loudly. The setting sun casts its reflection over the lake, where ducks paddle and dive for food.
“Hard,” I say with a sigh. “I wanted to tell them so badly. My aunt knew. She had a vision that I was leaving.”
Soren’s fingers grip mine. “Was she angry?”
I give his hand a reassuring kiss. “No. She wished me well.”
“Are you feeling okay?”
I don’t know how to answer. My heart aches, and telling it this is for the best doesn’t help. “I just need time.”
Soren’s quiet, picking at some peeling paint on the bench’s armrest.
“Listen to me.” I take his chin between my fingers and make him look at me. “I love them, and I’ll always wish things could have been different. No matter how much it hurts, I would make the same choice I made tonight again if it meant being with you, Soren.”
He blinks, eyes damp, lips curling into a smile. “I love you.”
I knew love could hurt, but I never knew it could hurt so achingly sweet as this.
Tears sting my eyes, so I close them tight. For a moment, I can’t speak, overcome with too many emotions to name. Framing his face, I press my forehead against his. “I love you too.” The words come out on a ragged gasp, and I can’t be sure if I’m laughing or crying.
Soren chuckles before he pulls me into a kiss, sweeter than the finest mead and just as intoxicating.
This is it. We will never be separated again. This is the start of our beginning together.
There’s a flash of light behind my eyelids. Suddenly, fury slams into me, burning my lungs so pungently I can taste it. It’s Gunnar’s pack bond, but it burns in my chest like fire.
No, no, no!
I’m on my feet, throwing myself in front of Soren. “Please. I can explain.”
I barely recognize Gunnar as his bestial rage twists him into something inhuman before my eyes. Fur crawls over his skin, fangs glistening in his mouth. The portal shimmering over the lake slams shut behind him as he wades onto shore.
“You lied,” he snarls, the words grating over jagged fangs. “All this time, you fucking lied!”
“Lyall, let’s go!” Soren grabs at my shoulder, but I refuse to move. My brother’s wolf is riding him hard, and I fear running will provoke his prey drive.
“Gunnar. Please. Sit down, we can talk about this. There’s so much you don’t know. Just listen—”
“You’ve been meeting with this traitor, all this time!” Gunnar roars, sending birds flying from the trees. People passing through the park gasp, throwing worried looks over their shoulders.
Run, run, run. I wish I could scream the words at them.
“It’s not like that!” Gods, he must hear me out.
Gunnar grows taller, muscles bulking up. His shoes split as clawed feet puncture the material.
“What the fuck?” Soren whispers, voice thin with terror.
“He killed Leif,” Gunnar snarls, panting harshly as his clothes tear, body twisting into that of a beast. “T-took my little Bjorn from me.” Grief thickens his voice. “He was just a baby. Because of him, my family is gone!”
It’s hopeless. Gunnar has finally lost himself to his berserker, and it’s all my fault.
“Lyall—”
Whirling around, I shove Soren in the chest. “Run! I’ll hold him off!”
I have no fur to aid me in my shift. If I go up against him in this form, he’ll tear me apart. But I have no other choice. No one is taking Soren from me again.
A roar shakes the ground. People scream in shock and terror. The air wheezes from my lungs as Gunnar slams into me, throwing me onto my back. I brace, hands over my face, but he doesn’t waste a second on me.
No, he goes straight for Soren, and my worst nightmares are made reality.
Soren screams in agony when Gunnar’s fangs drive into his shoulder. The scent of his blood turns my world upside down.
“No!” I charge at my brother, leaping onto his back. I grab his arm, trying to pull him off.
“Gunnar, stop! Please!” a voice cries. A familiar one.
Gunnar freezes, fangs still buried in Soren’s flesh, eyes wild with rage.
Arlo and several other men and women emerge from the shadows of the park. The scent of their magic burns my nose. Golden torcs around their necks glint in the light from the streetlights.
Witches.
My heart sinks. They must have been nearby this whole time, watching us.
Oh gods. This can’t possibly get worse.
Arlo holds out his hands. “Easy there, stud. Let him go. Please, don’t make this worse for yourself.”
The rage burning in Gunnar’s eyes sputters out. He pulls his fangs from Soren’s flesh. My mate cries out and crumples to the ground.
“Now!” one of the witches snaps, and then the world around me falls utterly still and quiet.
Soren’s face is twisted in agony—that image will come to me in my nightmares—but he doesn’t make a sound or even twitch a muscle.
I shake Gunnar, but he’s stiff as if he’s turned to stone.
The people around us are motionless, even those who were fleeing.
Their bodies are frozen in the act of running or hiding.
One fool was even filming the attack on his phone, his face stuck in an expression of awe and terror.
I collapse the moment I’m off Gunnar’s back, trying to stay calm as the witches close in.
How could things have gone from bad to worse so quickly? It took only minutes for my fantasy to warp into my worst nightmare.
“Hands over your head, now!”
I do as he says, never taking my eyes off Soren’s agonized face frozen in a silent scream. “Please. Help him.”
The witch ignores me, barking orders to his companions. “Initiate containment protocol!”
“Yes, sir!” a witch says, lifting her hands to the sky. A tear slashes across it and black blurs shoot from the void. Ravens caw as they descend upon the park. They land on the shoulders and heads of frozen citizens and peck… something from their skulls. Not flesh, but nothing I can see.
They remind me of Odin’s ravens, Hugin and Munin. They fly around the world and gather wisdom and knowledge for the Allfather. Could these ravens be taking memories?
A witch, terrifying in her familiarity, moves to stand in front of me, obscuring my view of the birds. Helena’s mouth twists into a smirk. “Mr. Erikson. I think you have some explaining to do.”
How could things have gone so wrong so fast?