Page 104 of Manic

I raise my eyebrows, making sure Astrid can see the disbelief on my face. "Are you kidding me? Astrid, you are absolutely gorgeous just the way you are. Any man worth his salt would be lucky to have a curvy goddess like you on his arm."

Astrid shoots me a soft smile but doesn’t say a word as we head inside.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Tor

The heavy oak door ofkirkjaslams shut behind me, the sound echoing through the sacred space.

The air is thick with tension and the lingering scent of leather and motor oil from our recent run.

My brothers file in, their faces etched with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

I take my usual seat at the long table, my fingers tracing the intricate knotwork Magnus carved into the wood.

Runes, my father and our President, settles into his chair at the head of the table.

His weathered hands grip the axe-shaped gavel, Viking runes glinting on its handle.

With a sharp crack, he brings it down, silencing the low murmur of conversation.

"What's so important we have to interrupt dinner to meet?” He growls, his steely gaze fixed on Fenrir.

I lean forward, my heart rate picking up.

This is important, and soon enough my father will find that out.

Fenrir clears his throat, his usual easy-going demeanor replaced by something more grave. "We've got a situation brewing, brothers. One that could change everything for us."

The room falls silent, the weight of his words settling over us like a heavy blanket.

I glance around at my brothers, noting the subtle shifts in their postures—backs straightening, jaws tightening.

We're all on high alert now.

"Don't keep us in suspense, brother," Kraken rumbles from across the table. "Spit it out."

Fenrir nods, taking a deep breath before launching into his explanation.

As he speaks, laying out the details of what transpired earlier, I feel a knot forming in my gut as I wait to hear what my father's going to say.

This is big—bigger than anything we've faced recently.

My mind whirls, anxiously awaiting.

A potential new prospect, one with insider information that could give us a major advantage.

But also one who's putting a target on his back—and ours—by aligning with us.

As Fenrir finishes speaking, the room erupts into a symphony of voices, each brother voicing their opinion on the matter.

I remain silent, watching my father's face for any hint of what he's thinking.

"Enough," He commands, his voice cutting through the noise like a knife. "We need to approach this carefully. Ivar, what's your read on the situation?"

Ivar, our Road Captain, leans back in his chair, his face thoughtful. "It's a risk, no doubt about it. But the potential payoff..." He shakes his head. "It could be exactly what we need to finally get the upper hand."

I nod in agreement, my thoughts aligning with Ivar's assessment.

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