Page 15 of Mated to the Wolves

“It was a shock to me as well,” his lips twitch.

I lower my hands into my lap, interlacing my fingers. “This has to be a misunderstanding.”

“It’s not.”

“She’s here.” My uncle steps in with a long white-haired woman behind him.

Dressed in a rough-hewn dark blue dress she has a Fenrir necklace. Runes drawn down her bare arms; she’s an awe-inspiring vision.

“You’ve returned.”

“I didn’t have much of a choice.” Sarcasm drips from my words.

“We all reap what we sow. The wheel rolls around and everyone gets a turn.”

Her words spark my interest. “The wheel of the year?”

The woman has always intimidated me. With eyes so pale they look translucent; her aura is off-putting. Her power surrounds her like an invisible barrier.

“Yes. But of life as well.” She beckons me. “Come. Join me at the fire.”

I rise, casting an inquiring look at the Alpha.

“Go,” he commands.

Stepping outside, the cedar smoke from the fire ring of stones fills the air.

The Volva opens the brown bag on her hip and pulls out a mixture of herbs. Pitching them into the fire causes the flames to grow blue and jump higher.

The strange blend tickles my nose and makes my head muggy.

“This will allow us to speak with the gods who created us.” How can so much power fit into such a tiny body? Thin and wizened, she’s petite and barely five-foot-six.

Raising her arms above her head, she begins a shuffling dance around the flames. Dizzy, I sink onto a log around the fire.

Humming she spreads the smoke around with an ash wand. I’m rocking to her rhythm when she pauses in front of me.

“The least will lead when the blood moon rises. Daughter of Fenrir will awaken and decide the

fate of the pack.” Her voice is hollow.

She’s a vessel for something more powerful than the human shape can contain. Thunder rolls in the distance and lightning flashes overhead.

I feel the truth in her words as magic passes through me. My eyelids drift closed.

I slip into an altered state of being. Lost in the recess of my mind, I’m surrounded by darkness.

A bright light falls over me. I turn slowly, finding myself in a cavern.

I follow the torches lining the wall.

Darkness lifts, and I see a circular section of light. I quicken my pace, speeding toward the exit from the stagnant space.

Fresh air drifts across my face. I tilt my head toward the moon standing out in the cloudy sky. Craggy volcanic rock covers the surface.

White bell-shaped flowers spring up through the cracks in the ground. The pleasant aroma of mint and chamomile mixed with a hint of lavender soothes my nerves.

Carefully making my way over the uneven surface, I follow my gut and travel to the left with the ocean on my right. Dark waves froth up and kiss the land.

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