Chapter 5
Effie Harlow
Holy crap. He was possibly the largest man I’d ever met.
Seriously, there was an absolutely massive man standing frozen at the corner bend of the room that faced towards the kitchen.
It was almost comical the way he paused mid-step before his entire body seemed to go rigid, a pair of icy blue eyes narrowing on me.
I wish I could tell you I wasn’t intimidated, but considering the look was not only tinted with surprise but also something that seemed like anger, I could feel my wolf freaking the heck out.
My pulse jumped as I tried to keep my breathing even.
Julian wouldn’t let him hurt me, right?
Why was that my first thought? I had never assumed someone would protect me before, and I didn’t expect it to start now.
I just needed to keep both my eyes on this man because he was literally the definition of a predator.
I also could feel an odd pulse of lust in my core that came from his massive, intense presence, my breathing going slightly rough as I blinked, trying to keep focused on him.
“Tore.” Julian’s voice had a warning edge. “This is Effie.”
The man blinked upon hearing his name, seeming to shake himself of something, his gaze darting from me to Julian before sliding back over to me.
“When?”
What was with this ‘when’ question? I felt like this was a common question between the men around me. I didn’t like feeling out of the loop, and I had to admit, despite not having a right to know, some of the looks they exchanged had me feeling off.
It was also possible this was my ridiculous urge to somehow connect with Julian…
and now Tore? I barely knew the man’s name!
What was going on here? Was it possible I was just hyper-focusing on the few first people that wanted to spend time with me?
That didn’t treat me like crap? Or was this an authentic connection I felt to them?
My brow dipped, not liking the confusion there.
“Around an hour ago. I met her at the train station, she just transferred in.” Julian’s voice was soothing, and I found myself physically relaxing to it, something I couldn’t currently afford without knowing who Tore was or if he was a threat.
I knew there was a different side to Julian as well, I could sense it, but right now he was sweet and relaxed.
I just wish it could remove the fear this other man was inspiring.
“Effie.” Tore said my name with interest before stepping forward.
My wolf instantly had me stepping back, hitting into one of the barstools as I gripped the counter.
Not only was this man massive, like 6’6’’, but he was extremely built and dangerous-looking, like some vicious warrior.
Like the Vikings I had seen illustrated in some of my books come to life.
His hair was a dark blonde, with almost caramel undertones, messy and pushed back slightly to highlight his intense predatory gaze.
The man was wearing a dark leather jacket and motorcycle boots with his shirt and jeans, adding a darker edge to his overall appearance.
It probably didn’t help that he had tattoos running up his neck and onto his fingers, making him appear all that more deadly.
I mean, he was gorgeous… but terrifying.
He was also a fenrir wolf.
An extremely powerful alpha, if I had to guess, far more powerful than my uncle, and his entire air was vicious and almost primal.
I couldn’t help but feel cornered like prey, something that not only came from my recent past but the natural dominance he exuded without any of Julian’s sweetness to counteract it.
Honestly, sometimes it truly surprised me that fenrir wolves couldn’t shift into a full wolf form, because their magic made it feel as though there was a vicious creature waiting right under the surface to make an appearance.
A small whimper broke from my throat as I began to feel the same pressure that I felt around my pack, that fear and intimidation coursing through my veins. It was confusing because there was something underneath all of that, a familiarity trying to push through, but it wasn’t strong enough.
Julian made a worried noise but didn’t move as Tore stopped after a second step, his eyes flashing with confusion and something that looked like hurt.
Had I hurt his feelings?
Frustration filled his face as he ran a hand through his hair, looking confused on how to handle this. I didn’t know either. I wanted to both snuggle up next to this man and run for my life. I was pretty sure the first part was just my wolf… I’m pretty sure. Honestly, it may have been both of us.
“Effie grew up in a pack of fenrir wolves,” Julian explained as Tore snapped his gaze around towards him.
I wish I could tell you I hadn’t used it as an opportunity to literally turn and run.
Julian called my name in warning, but I didn’t listen.
Where the heck did I think I was going to go?
I almost slid on the floors as I went to turn the corner around the elevator, panic moving over me in a tidal wave caused by my wolf and the previous memories of everything that had happened with men like him.
Well, there were no men like him, to be fair.
A sharp gasp came from my lips as a large hand came around my wrist in a solid grip, tugging me back as I not so subtly slammed into Tore’s chest. I had barely made it a few feet. How the heck did he grab me so fast?
I winced at the pressure on my old bruises there while at the same time leaning into him. My fear ebbed away once I was pressed up against him though, my wolf sniffing him and seeming to calm down as if we recognized him. How odd.
“Don’t run from me,” he grit out, his voice hard and at the same time almost rough. “Please.”
My eyes flickered up to his, my wince growing at the tight hold on my wrist as I saw guilt in his gaze… and fear.
Why was he afraid? Oh man. I had no idea what was going on right now.
“Can you let go of my wrist?” I whispered. His fingers instantly released, his other hand sliding around my lower back as I cradled my wrist against my chest.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked, alarmed. I jumped as he tugged my arm forward again, making me wonder if this guy knew how strong he was.
I swallowed as he pushed up my sleeve, and I realized very quickly he was going to think that the bruising there was from him.
I could hear Julian saying something about being ‘more careful,’ or something to that effect.
“Did I do this?” Tore asked, his voice edged in true panic and guilt. Something that was beyond overwhelming, considering this man was already filling up my space, even without his extreme emotions.
“No,” I answered immediately, but his eyes were still stormy and filled with flashes of lightning. My other hand moved up to press his jaw so he would look at me, my wolf and I not liking how upset he looked. “You didn’t do that.”
“Didn’t do what?” Julian’s voice was harder and edged in far more dangerous of a tone. I would have jumped at it, but I knew that no side of Julian would hurt me. I had absolutely no reason or proof to believe that, but my wolf, who I usually trusted, was completely at home with the man.
Tore… not so much. It wasn’t his fault. It was just his energy that was scaring me, or had scared me. I was already feeling a bit better around him. It was like the closer I got to him, the more I touched and scented him, the less threatened I felt.
“She has bruises all around her wrist,” Tore murmured, looking torn up and furious about it at the same time.
“Who did this to you, preciosa?” Julian asked softly, almost too soft. I couldn’t read the expression on his face, and that worried me a bit. I shrunk in on myself, not knowing how to respond fully.
I finally managed to answer, both of them waiting. “Gerald. He was angry about me putting on nail polish.”
Oh yes, Effie, tell them how weird your life is. Which it was, clearly, for the record.
I was starting to realize that my life had been a bit weird, and it was unsettling. Julian—and now Tore—kept reacting to the things I said as if they were oddities, and it made me both frustrated that I didn’t understand why and angry that some perceived wrong had been done to me.
“Who the hell is Gerald?” Tore demanded.
I hesitated, not knowing how to label him. “My adopted father?” That sounded like a question, but I wasn’t positive how else to describe him besides ‘Gerald.’
A microwave beep had me jumping. Julian muttered under his breath, going back into the kitchen, and Tore wrapped his fingers tighter against my waist, his grip almost too tight but at the same time oddly reassuring.
I continued to meet his gaze as a deep rumble broke from his throat, a weird connection jumping between the two of us and making my entire body break out into shivers.
I really wish I understood what was going on between the two of us, because this wasn’t normal.
“You promise I didn’t hurt you?” he asked softly, his voice still filled with worry.
There was a softness between us that he hadn’t had at first, and I both loved it and found it confusing.
I could see truth radiating from him, and as I nodded, he let out a sharp exhale, intertwining our fingers and gently leading me towards the kitchen island.
I let out a small surprised sound when he lifted me onto the top of the island and leaned against the marble surface next to me, Julian rounding it before placing a plate of what appeared to be mini pizzas next to me.
And I did mean mini, for the record. It was like they had fit all the ingredients you would expect on a frozen pizza onto a tiny bagel. It was actually rather adorable.
“She’s a bitten wolf,” Tore observed, worry crossing his face.