*EDITED*

Thank you so much for all the love this story has been getting
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Chapter 5: Storytelling

Aljana left as Bjarke marched his way over the invisible line she’d set for the pack while I washed, but not before snapping her teeth at him. It amazed me to see her challenge a male twice her build, but the actions of bared teeth seemed more playful between the pair than serious, for neither went for the other. Katrin he greeted with gentle respect, his hand on the curve of her bump as they met cheek to cheek. I thought I even heard him murmur a thank you in her ear.

Katrin patted his arm and turned to me with a mischievous smile, and I froze when she grabbed my arms and leaned in to press her cheek against mine.

I froze, unsure of what to do.

She hummed as she inhaled my scent, stroking my arm as if to settle my fur. I found myself copying her actions, nuzzling into her as I breathed in the floral sweetness of her scent.

"I'm glad I could help you,” she murmured, her voice soft and unthreatening. “If there's anything you ever need, advice, an ear, a friend, you come find me. I’m much less prickly than Aljana, and far more fun to speak to than Bjarke."

A bark of sound left me, and both Katrin and Bjarke stared at me as if I’d grown a second head. They’d never heard me laugh before, and I was so unused to doing so that it even frightened me.
I may be wary of the female’s motives, but it was hard to fake the sincerity in her expression. She cast the Beta a smug look before she left to join her mate; a slim built male who hadn’t once stopped glaring at me. I couldn’t blame him. Even I was surprised they’d let a pregnant wolf near me.

But once more, I was left alone with the Beta.

The male crowded my space before I could react, his fingers trailing up the sleeve of my dress, his other hand catching my wrist to inspect skin still pink from being scrubbed clean. Calloused fingers brushed over my pulse point, sending a rush of tingles over my skin. His eyes raked over every inch of me before finally settling on my face.

“There." Another cursory once over and he nodded to himself, reaching out to finger a lock of damp hair and ignoring my flinch. “Much better.”

I frowned as he continued to fuss around me. He tugged at the waist of my dress and grumbled in disapproval at how much room there was. It didn’t feel like he thought I looked much better. Maybe he saw what his Alpha Female did. A ghost. A female past saving.

“What do you see when you look at me?”

The question stopped the Beta in his tracks. He straightened up slowly, warm brown eyes flicking over my expression with a measure of wariness. Whether he’d heard what his Alpha Female had answered when Katrin had asked the same question or not, he considered it carefully before replying softly, “I will let you know when I see you.”

My brow puckered as my frown deepened.

Bjarke only smiled, offering no explanation. Instead he smoothed his fingers over my brow, trailing them down my cheek until his knuckles grazed the side of my jaw. Heat followed his touch, creeping down my neck, and the whole while, he kept his gaze locked on mine. The urge to tip my head into the warmth of his palm was overwhelming so I forced myself to remain frozen. And I was rewarded with that rich rumble spilling from the male’s chest, even when the sound immediately made me jump back as the realisation I hadn’t tried to slap his hand away or bite a finger hit me.

No wonder he was so smug.

He was getting what he wanted.

Shouting interrupted whatever magnetic force kept me unable to look away from him.

A female voice rang through the air, a male trying to be heard over her. The Beta turned, his hulking frame hiding whatever was happening from view. A whine slipped from my throat as the voices grew ever angrier, my body stiffening as I waited for them to turn to screams, or the sound of teeth tearing flesh.

“He won’t hurt her,” the Beta murmured, tipping his head to glance over his shoulder at me.

I didn’t believe him. Leaning as much as I could without hurting my leg, I caught a glimpse of what was going on.

The pack gave their warring Alpha pair a wide berth. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but the Alpha Female had a finger pointed at her mate, and he stood like an immovable boulder before her, his hands behind his back while he bore her rage. Yet, even from here, I could see the glow of dark blue eyes, and could sense the restraint he was exorcizing.

Anger made wolves do bad things; especially where an insubordinate female was involved. That was what I had learned in life.

When the Alpha took a menacing step towards his mate, a wave of protectiveness washed over me. My skin rippled with the urge to shift, to tear across the grass and plant myself before the female who’d cared for me so gently.

Once more, the Beta placed himself in front of me so I couldn’t see.

I growled a warning, but what was the point? I couldn’t shift. Couldn’t walk. Couldn’t help. And why did I want to? So she’d washed me, she was still keeping me prisoner. She still thought I was a lost cause.

“Sometimes even alphas need reminded of their place.” Bjarke gripped my chin and tipped my head up, chuckling when my gaze refused to follow. “Signy will be very touched when I tell her you would consider throwing yourself in front of an Alpha for her.”

My gaze darted up to his, lips parting to protest that I would think such a thing, but the moment my eyes met his, he smirked.

I snapped my teeth near the thumb hovering above my lips. How did this male do that? Play me so easily? Read my instincts and thoughts like they were written on my face?

“I saw a little glimpse of you there,” he continued, brown eyes raking across my features.

But he didn’t tell me what he saw.
Instead, he moved with the darting precision of a striking snake and swept an arm beneath my knees, scooping me from the ground so the world tipped on its axis. I had no choice but to cling onto him, my head falling to his chest as my arm slid hesitantly around his shoulders. The dress did little to protect me from his touch though, it burned through the fabric as he shifted me a little. I dreaded being stuck in his arms for the rest of the day, but as always, I had little choice.

The Beta nosed the top of my head and inhaled deeply, letting the breath out in a gentle rumble. He didn’t need to say a word for me to understand the slight quirk of his lip as he started walked.

“I’m sure this will be far more pleasant for you now I smell like one of your pack,” I muttered.

“You mean clean?”

I growled and slapped his chest, then froze for the expected retaliation, but the damned male laughed instead. Loud and boisterous, the sound vibrated into me and left me fighting to keep my scowl in place.

Playing along with him was getting dangerous. I was forgetting my place.

"Why is your Alpha Female upset?" I asked, desperate to change the subject.

When he didn’t answer, I thought he hadn’t heard me. Face turned towards the sun, the rays caught streaks of ruddish brown in his dark cropped hair, and flecks of red in his eyes. A few seconds later, I saw why he kept quiet. The Alpha pair swept past us to make their way to the front of the pack, and the air fizzled with static around them. They walked with a good few feet between them as they led the pack towards the pale mountains in the distance, and the pack gave them a few feet of space in turn.

"I've never seen them fight for all to see before; they normally handle things in private. I think they disagree on the best course of action." he finally answered. “You’ve caused a little chaos amongst us.”

I understood what he didn’t say. They were arguing about me. But why, when the Alpha had been the one to decide to keep me in the first place? What had changed his mind? What did his mate want to do that would cause them both to erupt in full view of those they led? Surely an unstable Alpha pair would bring snapping wolves seeking power out of the thickets. But no one in the pack seemed anything other than concerned and quiet as they trailed along with less enthusiasm than they usually travelled. The pack knew who was to blame too if the returned mutters and glares were anything to go by.

"I wouldn't fret. Signy and Jakkon have led the pack for decades, and a Wanderer like yourself isn’t going to change that.”

I shifted uneasily. Once more the Beta was proving my own thoughts weren’t private, and the ease with which he read me was unnerving. It was no wonder he was Beta. How could you think to challenge someone who probably knew your intentions before you did yourself?

Settling into his arms, I tucked my hands on my belly, but prickling skin told me I was being watched. I searched the nearby wolves, expecting to see a scowling face, and not the youthful grin of a small pup skipping to keep up with the Beta’s long stride.

She looked a lot like her mother. A young Katrin. Dark hair had been braided down her back but wild wisps escaped to frame her round face, and she had the same mischievous glint as her mother too.

“Your pabbi will be unhappy if he sees you here. Go play with the other pups,” Bjarke ordered, gentle with his words but firm with the look he gave the young wolf.

Her bottom lip jutted out, but those eyes, I could see the wheels turning. “You will take me hunting.”

Bjarke chuckled. “Do not bargain with me, pup. Off you go.”

“You will,” she said insistently.

A growl sent her scampering to catch up with the other pups, but her squeal was of delight, and when she glanced back, it was clear she’d been expecting him to give chase. Did the best of a warrior often play with the pups? I couldn’t see it. I’d never seen anyone but mother-wolves or siblings play with pups.

Realising that the Beta wasn’t going to give into her wants, the small female cast her gaze to me. I blinked as she lifted a hand and waved, feeling my own lift and my fingers wiggle back at her before I could stop it. She beamed, and a warmth spread through me as I smiled too.

The Beta hummed at the interaction.

"Tordis likes when we get visitors.”

“She is testing her boundaries,” I surmised, knowing there was more to her acknowledgment of me than simply wanting to say hello to a stranger. She hadn’t gotten what she wanted from the Beta, so she pushed, knowing she should be acting as if I was a threat and not a friend to make.

“In part, perhaps, but Tordis is a curious one. She was stuck to Fenna like glue when she first arrived. I wouldn’t be surprised if she came back to find you in her place.”

“Fenna?”

"Fenna is the female who was with me when we found you at the river. Her mate is Orinfaer, the son of my Alpha pair. She and Orin met in the spring when they were both travelling alone. Fenna is from a pack in Scotland, but she came to us with Orin and this is her pack now. She had to learn to carve out a place here too. One day, she might tell you her story, and maybe you’ll learn something from it.”

I rolled my eyes. What if I didn’t want to learn?

However, I did remember the dark haired female, and her terrifying mate with one eye of grass green, and another of evening sky blue. Both of them had a suffocating dominance that most Alpha’s had. Both of them warriors and leaders. She’d spoken on my behalf when her mate would have tore out my throat and left me at the river’s edge. On the night before the pack had left their summer grounds, she’d also seemed as terrified as me when the pack’s storytelling had brought forth spirits from the trees.

"Why are they not here?" Gods, my voice sounded awful to my ears. Today had been the most I’d spoken in. . .perhaps years, and already my throat felt scratchy and my tongue thick in my mouth.

"They've gone to visit the pack Fenna grew up in to see her family. Then they might travel a while together," he began. "They're a suited pair, both a bit restless in nature and in need of time to. . .heal. . . before being bound to the pack and the responsibilities that come with it. They'll return before winter is at its height when they'll be needed for The Hunt. They’re lucky they’ve been allowed so much freedom when they should both be shadowing Signy and Jakkon, especially as Orin has much to learn still, much more than Fenna." He cleared his throat and shifted me in his arms. “Don’t tell him I said that.”

The way he spoke about them both with such affection, it was clear he considered them more than just packmates. I wondered what it would be like to feel for someone in that way.

"Why is he behind in learning?"

"For someone who is so against packs, and claims they hate us, you want to know a lot. I might be mistaken in thinking you are trying to learn what is true for yourself for once.”

“No. I’m tired of the silence. If I must resign myself to being your captive, and I can not run in fur, then I will speak to you.” I sniffed. “Even though Katrin swears you are useless to have conversation with.”

Bjarke guffawed, his whole body lurching so that I had to dig my nails into his arm to stop me from sliding precariously.

“So?” I pressed.

Amusement drained with a heavy sigh, and Bjarke’s features softened with sorrow.

"Orin lost someone. He spent most of time life looking for them, away from the pack, and ended up getting a little lost himself along the way. Fenna helped him find his way back."

“Oh.” I didn’t know what I was expecting, but a swell of empathy made my gut twist. “Someone from the pack?”

He nodded, his jaw ticking.

Orin wasn’t the only own who felt this loss.

“That is. . .very sad,” I murmured.

Both of us fell into the silence of our own thoughts after that grim topic.
I couldn’t help but wonder if somewhere out there, someone felt how the pack did about the kin they’d lost. If someone mourned me. Looked for me. Remembered me.

I squeezed my eyes shut and fought to remember the faces of my parents, or any family, but came up blank. It had never really occurred to me that I must have come from somewhere; that I must have had a mother and father. Unless they were dead? That would explain how I’d ended up alone in the wild.

Those torturous thoughts only grew more clawing as the rocky mountains loomed above us. Fluffy clouds veiled the peaks from view, the ragged rock gleaming nearly white in the blazing sunlight, with no sign of life. No trees. Just small dark patches of hardy shrubbery. Only the toughest of animals would dare call this place home.

A narrow pass cut between the ridge, offering a way through for travellers instead of having to risk the probably deadly climb over. If I’d been on my own, I would have missed it. The pale rock acted as an illusion, hiding the entrance from untrained eyes. Being carried through it felt very much like being carried closer to my fate, because I wasn’t sure I could find the pass myself even if I managed to beat the snow that would bury it. My body tensed, panic swelling like fluttering wings in my belly, the air becoming so hot and heavy, I felt as if I couldn’t breathe it in.

Instincts that once more screamed for me to run made a muscle in my injured leg twitch, and I was almost grateful for the pain that broke off my spiralling. Reaching for my leg, I attempted to rub the ache away, curling into the Beta as if his warmth might help.

“I thought you were asleep,” a cheerful voice said from beside my head.

I craned my neck to see Madden, his hand already in the pouch strung to his belt to pull out his herbs. Their smell made my stomach roll, but the agony slowly burning a fire up my limb was worse, and I would appreciate the woozy effect they had. Just as Madden lifted his hand to offer me that relief, Bjarke stopped him with a jerk of his head.

I knew what was required. Knew what the Beta was trying to push me to do, to get used to; voicing my needs. Or showing my own weakness.

"Can I have some of the herbs, Madden?" I asked quietly, forcing out the words, “My leg really hurts.”

Both he and the Beta stared at me as if I’d spoken a foreign language. They’d expected me to grumble first. Well they got what they wanted. I was tired of fighting them.

I shifted uncomfortably, watching as the two males shared a look over my head. Dread settled over me.

Of course. I should have known better. Now I’d finally given into them, they were going to deny me to prove a point. Madden returned his hand to the pouch, then held out an open palm towards the Beta, showing about half the amount I usually got of the horrid mulch.

I didn’t care why. Just as long as it would still knock me into a world where I didn’t have a care in the world.
I chewed slowly, oblivious to the sour taste, and ignoring the two males pleased I was no longer fighting and scratching as they forced the pain relief past my lips.

It worked quickly. The ache of my leg became a dull throb, and all I could hear in my head was a loud fuzzy sound, like when one got close to a thundering waterfall.

Head lolling on a weak neck, I stared up at the towering walls of the mountains on either side of us, and the small streak of sky, bright blue now the sun had chased away cloud and fog. Cold air was pushed through to bring goosebumps to my skin. Skinny shadows like outstretched fingers streaked across from brambles hardy enough to cling to small patches of soul, or maybe it was the herbs playing tricks on my eyes. Maybe it was the herbs causing an oppressive weight to blanket over the pack who walked closely pressed together.

Conversation trailed off the deeper in we ventured, until it stopped completely, the last word bouncing around the rock in an eerie note. Adults ushered the pups into the middle, away from the steep grey sides of the mountain, and even the Beta’s arms tightened around me.

No, it wasn’t just me. Everyone could sense it, whatever it was. An ancient presence lingering in the shadows.
So many footsteps and padding paws stopped us from being silent, accompanying us with a constant drum-like pounding. Curious, and unafraid thanks to the inability to form a coherent thought, I reached out behind my head so my fingers trailed along the rock, scraping across grit and sharp edges. I swore I could feel that rhythmic beat pulse beneath my hand, as if the mountain had its own heart beat.

That sobered me up quickly.

A breathy whine slipped from my throat as I snatched my hand back to press closer to the male carrying me.

"What is that?" I whispered, my voice distant to my ears.

The Beta laughed lightly at my reaction. "It's just the sound of us walking. These mountains have been known to distort all types of-"

"It's dwarves," Madden interrupted with a wide grin, leaning in closer.

"Dwarves?"

Bjarke gave the healer a scathing look.

"There are stories about these mountains, but there are stories about many places, it doesn't mean they're true." But Bjarke must have seen my curiosity, my need for distraction, for he cleared his throat and continued, "It's said, that deep inside the mountain, are caverns and tunnels that span the entire range, and these are where the dwarves of old hid themselves away when humans became too many. They're ruled over by a High King whose age is older than these very rocks, and who served the gods in making weapons like Mjölnir, imbued with magic and made with unmatched skill. That thumping you hear, if you believe the stories, is the sound of them hammering their anvils, or digging for gold deep beneath the mountain, and the cold breeze is from the air they funnel to cool their forges.”

Something about the story felt familiar. I knew the name Mjölnir, though I couldn't say why. I grasped at strands of memory, but like always, they slipped away. Someone had maybe told me it before, during one of the few peaceful nights with fellow Wanderers where legends were shared around a fire.

"Do you believe the stories?" I asked.

He scoffed and shook his head. "Maybe there was such a thing as dwarves once, but if there were, they're all long gone now. All that lies here is an echo.”

"Well, I believe the stories!" Madden put in, cringing when his voice rang out too loud. He lowered it considerably when the pack turned glares his way. "My father swears he saw one of them when he was patrolling the territory up near one of the caves. He said the dwarf stood upon an overhanging rock, surveying the land to the East, wearing armour of glinting gold, and patterned leather. He had a long white beard, and wielded a giant spear tipped with pure silver, with a hammer hanging from his belt. He looked right at my father, and my father tucked tail and ran all the way back to my mother.”

"Pfft. Your father also swore he conversed with Odin and saw visions of Ragnarök," the Beta retorted.

I covered my mouth to hide my grin, swallowing to stop a giggle.

Madden cast an indignant look towards his friend, but then he shrugged and winked at me. "My father does like to eat one too many mushrooms. . .but I believe he saw something out here. It took him two full days to tell my mother what had frightened him, and when he finally did, I'd never seen him look as shaken as he did when he described that dwarf to us."

Whatever they all believed, whether the stories about this place were just stories or not, everyone seemed afraid to make too much noise.

A shiver went up my spine.

"Are you cold?" Bjarke murmured.

I shook my head, keeping my eyes glued to the picture of the bear on his chest, too frightened of what I might see in the crevices looming above. The patterns on his skin moved with every step he took, rippling as if they had a life of their own. I didn't realise my fingers were tracing the runes circling his bicep until he growled. It wasn't a frightening sound, there was no warning in it, nor anger, but for some reason I felt my cheeks flushing and I dropped my hand back to my lap. I shouldn’t have done that. It was far too familiar.

"Not much further to go now.”

I nodded absentmindedly.

I could see the other side of the pass. Felt the rising panic again. Once we were on the other side, I would be trapped. At least I knew what to expect from life with Valdis. Life with these wolves was too confusing. Maybe if I kicked up one last fuss, threw my all into attacking just one last time, they would see taking me with them was folly. That I’d be better left right where I was to fend for myself against starvation. . .or dwarves. . .

A flurry of red skirts in the corner of my eye, and the Beta came to a sudden halt.

“Alpha Female.”

"Bjarke," she answered, and I could feel her gaze sweep over me. "Come walk with me."

Curious, I tipped my head to see the female marching through the throng of the pack, and she expected us to follow. My own hesitations didn’t matter. Nor did snarling pack members who disapproved of me being at the front. She was making a statement at my expense.

My arms flailed as I tried to sit up, my hand pressing flat against the Beta’s chest as if to slow him down. I could tell he was as uncertain as I was, his arm stiffening under my knees, eyes keen and alert, his head tipping to catch every sound. He was aware of the pack’s disapproval. However, theirs meant nothing when the Alpha leading the way stopped on the spot and swung his head our way with a thundering snarl.

"She doesn't get to walk up here with me.”

The Beta widened his stance and lowered my legs towards the ground as if preparing to shove me out of the way. I frowned up at him, my heart hammering in my chest. He wouldn’t throw himself between me and his Alpha, surely? If he did, it appeared the Alpha have to get past Signy first, and even Aljana who slowly crept along the rock to stand slightly behind Bjarke.

Disbelief hit me square in the chest.

This was no game. No thought out scene to confuse what I knew about packs. The glowing eyes and snarls were gritty, all too real. Signy’s fingers flicked over the handle of a knife sheathed in leather strung to her belt.

"She will not be walking, Jakkon, so put your claws away,” she said. “Bjarke is second in command, he should be by your side, and I’d rather have her up front with us so if she looks back, she sees the might of the pack and not the way to perceived freedom.”

My lip curled, but a sharp pinch to my arm stopped a growl from escaping. Brown eyes with flecks of ruby met mine, their depths holding a warning that made the hair on the back of my neck prickle.

Making a sound, especially one of threat, would snap the high-strung tension tightening in the air around us.

"Signy, my mate, my female, let this go. You're only trying to fool yourself with this female-“

“So you would call me a fool in front of our wolves before you allow an injured female seeking guidance to be by your side?”

A ripple of power flowed from the Alpha. Dark blue eyes took on a lightening hue as he took a few slow, purposeful steps closer. “You are no fool, that is why I don’t understand this. I am giving her the chance at redemption, but I will not allow shortcuts because you seek to fill an empty space you feel. She is not pack. Bjarke is her charge until she proves herself.”

The mated pair postured much like they would in fur, teeth snapping, fingers curled as they appraised each other. Bjarke had said they tended to keep their disputes private, but I was certain one of them was about to shift, and finish this as wolves.

My hand tightened around the Beta’s wrist, partially to steady myself. He didn’t offer his usual rumbling support, but his warm hand came down on my hip, and feeling the strength of him behind me did settle my hackles.

“Jakkon.” The name ground from Signy’s throat, her own power swelling so the small space became suffocating. “I will forgive you for what you’ve just accused me of only because I know you too have found that old grief waking again.”

I didn’t understand a word of the strange riddled conversation, didn’t understand what made Jakkon suddenly so stricken, pain creasing his face. The tension somewhat dissolved, allowing me to finally take a breath, but it followed him as he turned on his heel and continued on.

Nobody else moved.

"When we arrive home, Beta, I want a word with you in private," Signy called over her shoulder.

Bjarke nodded, swinging me back into his arms to walk next to her, and the pack slowly fell in behind us.

I couldn’t stop staring at her. She was lithe, and tall, but in no way muscled like Aljana, yet I would not want to challenge her. I was beginning to wonder if the imbalance of power between an Alpha and his mate really was, if not false, not quite as I’d been told. From what I knew, an alpha would have taken his female’s throat if she spoke out of turn, never mind prepared to challenge him in front of the pack.

And not only that, but it had been Jakkon who’d ended up backing down.

Gods, did I admire her?

Yet, where I saw her victory, Signy only looked weary. Thin pink lips were pressed together and her gaze was distant, something like guilt haunting her expression.

“Thank you,” I murmured, voice slightly hoarse, but she heard it, and like the sun appearing through the clouds on a rainy day, her sadness was blinded by a bright smile. Emerald eyes twinkled as she reached out to stroke her hand over my hair.

"You are most welcome, Little Fighter.”