Chapter 24
Ulf
Elina is passed out on the big bearskin close to the fire, and I watch her closely as I prepare to leave. Her eyes flickered open for a brief moment when I placed her there and held a bottle of water to her lips, but they fell shut again once she had finished guzzling water.
The drums are slowing and softening, but they won’t completely quiet until we leave—keeping her lulled into calmness as long as possible. I hope she’ll remain fast asleep for the rest of our journey. She’s been through more than enough and given plenty to be mine—and part of the group.
The ritual to initiate her into the group is not quite over yet, but tonight’s events secured the sacred bond between us, making her irrevocably mine.
Now I’ll carry the rest of the weight for tonight, doing my part to prove that I can protect and guide her as I vowed—bring her the rest of the way to the top of the mountain.
My backpack is light since I’ve already brought all the things we’ll need to the shelter on the summit earlier today.
I only carry some water, a little food, and an extra blanket in case Elina wakes and needs sustenance or more heat.
And of course, Elina’s lip balm, which I know she can’t live without.
After putting on my pants, boots, and backpack, I wrap the big bear skin around her and secure it with a belt around her middle, then lift her into my arms. I wore the skin when I waited for her; now it’s providing her with warmth while she waits for me to finish the journey.
Asbjorn is standing to the side, watching closely. A worried expression deepens the faint lines across his forehead—visible despite the paint covering his face in a mask that renders his features unrecognizable.
I give him a firm nod—a thank you and a promise to take care of her.
I want to go to him and hug him. Let him hug her one final time before we go off into the night.
But it’s just her and me now. He said his goodbye before he delivered her to me, and letting him interfere after our sacred bond has just been forged would be disruptive and inappropriate.
So I settle for a nod, turn my back on everyone, and head up the steep trail leading further up the mountain.
I know this trail like the back of my hand, and I’ve been preparing for this part for months.
But no matter how many times I’ve trodden this path or how much strength I’ve built in my muscles, this mountain is a challenge at night with a grown woman in my arms. She weighs next to nothing, but as I walk the steep terrain, the weight and the responsibility become significant.
My muscles strain, my breath shortens, and my mind hones in on the responsibility of bringing this precious woman safely to the top.
But the sleeping woman in my arms doesn’t feel like a burden.
She feels like purpose. Finally, I have someone to protect—someone who relies on me.
I relish every strained step and every labored breath, and when I reach the summit twenty minutes later, I feel more alive and stronger than ever.
I place her on the many skins covering the cot made of woven willow in the shelter Asbjorn and I made when we were fifteen and have kept in good shape over the years.
She stirs a little, eyes flitting open in the darkness under the thick layer of birch bark, spruce boughs, and forest debris that shelters us from the weather.
“Where…?” she blinks repeatedly, scanning the place, voice thickening with worry. “Am—Are—Who—”
“Shh. It’s me, Ulf,” I reassure, stroking her hairline. “You’re safe. I’ve got you. Just close your eyes and let me take care of you.”
Eyes adjusting to the darkness, she finds my gaze. “Ulf,” she whispers, surprised and confused, but also hopeful. And that small twinge of hope warms my heart more than anything.
“Yes. It’s me. Your master. Your protector. You’re mine now, Elina,” I remind her.
“Yours?” she asks, still deep in subspace, not quite understanding.
“Mine,” I say with a surge of fierce possessiveness, curving my hand around her cheek.
I lean close, imbuing the full meaning and importance of that word into her with a serious look that she reads through the shadows.
I can tell the impact is strong from her sharp breath and the way her gaze softens.
“Yours,” she whispers, this time a statement rather than a question.
“Mine.” I seal my word with a kiss, connecting our lips in a soft but firm promise. I don’t move, I just keep my lips on hers, letting them speak all the things I need her to know. I’ve got her. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll forever protect her.
“Sleep, sweet Elina,” I whisper when I finally break the connection.
Her eyes are heavy, blinking repeatedly. Then they fall shut. I lie beside her, cover us both with the big bear skin, and enclose her in my arms. She feels good, my little deer, as she softens and melts into me, warm and naked, chest moving slowly with her deep breaths.
I still can’t believe I finally have her—that she’s mine. That she submitted and said yes after everything.
Staying away for four weeks was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
And I’ve been through some grueling things.
Marching hundreds of miles through the untamed Arctic wilderness, working twelve-hour shifts in screaming wind and salty spray for weeks, fighting against time to shut down a gas leakage that could take the lives of my men.
I was terrified that Elina would move on and that the deep connection we had would turn out to be just a flimsy flicker of infatuation, after all.
For weeks, I stayed in the shadows, watching her from a distance—hiking in the woods, going about daily errands, and interacting with people at the farm.
All I had to go by were those small glimpses and the updates I got from Asbjorn.
Seeing and hearing that she was doing well was as much a relief as fodder for my fear.
I’ve never felt as anxious as when I decided to show myself to her.
It was a spontaneous decision, born from the agonizing need for resolve.
But the moment I lowered the hood on my sweater, stepped into her line of sight, and she saw me, I knew my instincts were right.
Her reaction to me was so intense and spontaneous that there was no doubt left in my mind.
It was pure, deep instinct that drew her to me, just the same way I was drawn to her.
It was a natural reaction that couldn’t be contested with words or action.
It took everything I had not to run after her when she dropped her basket and bolted out of the store.
But it wasn’t the right moment to claim her.
I wanted to do it the right way. I wanted her to say yes to me beneath the open sky, between the swaying trees, on sacred ground.
I wanted her response to be as natural as the weather.
A response from deep within her beating heart—no thoughts or logic interfering.
Just her most natural self and her deepest desires.
Part of me worried that she’d reject me—that she would want time, or maybe even choose the safe option.
Asbjorn. The man who doesn’t bring her whole world into spinning storms of yearning.
But it was just the human fear in my mind speaking.
Deep down, I knew I was on the right path, and she was too.
And how beautifully she proved me right. That moment when she dropped to her knees before me and said she belonged to me took my breath away.
Now she’s finally mine, and I intend to do everything in my power—right or wrong—to keep it that way.