Page 59 of Heart of the Wolf
He stripped her of her defenses, removing the layers that safeguarded all her hopes and fears, leaving only brimming emotion in its wake. Almost too gently, his knuckles nudged her chin, forcing her to hold his gaze, as if sensing she was on the brink of pulling away.
“Thor honors those who maintain order and protection.”
“I maintained nothing. I was selfish. Cruel. Blinded by my own resentment.”
“Is that what you think, kona?” he said, his harsh words cutting through her like a dull blade, making her wince. “Do you think so poorly of me that I would put you in that position?” The pad of his finger pressed to her lips, silencing her interruption. “You will listen. Was it just you who suffered at your father’s hands?”
“No. But that had nothing to do with my decision. I only—"
“You are not listening,” he admonished, ceasing her self-loathing. “With your father gone. Will those people struggle?”
Unlikely. Year after year, more than half of their stores went to the clans. If those people didn’t have to give that up yearly, they would thrive. She still couldn’t reconcile how her father had been so heartless. How many people had he inadvertently killed with his thirst for power?
Whenever she thought of her mother, all she remembered was her warmth, her kindness. How her auburn hair billowed in the breeze, and how her eyes sparkled like crystallized gems.
Maybe her father had dimmed the light in her mother so much that she didn’t have the strength to fight off the sickness that took her when Brielle was still young.
“No,” she finally answered, blinking away snowflakes from her lashes.
“If you willed it, I would have let him live. Even if it would have pained me to do so,” Leif said. Closing his eyes, he pressed his forehead to hers. “You protected more lives than you took today. And most of all, you protected yourself. Do you understand?”
With surprising gentleness, his large hands cupped her throat, sliding back to her nape. He leaned back far enough so she could see his eyes glittering in the awakening moonlight.
There would be many decisions she would have to make in this life, and not all of them would be easy. Inretrospect, this choice hadn’t been difficult at all. She knew in the thrum of her heart what path she needed to follow.
Sometimes, death was inevitable, and she would be the one to cause it. Even if most of her life up to this point had been spent fighting against death.
All she hoped was that she would have the wisdom to know when to give the command and when to stay her hand.
Now, as the snow fell around them, the only person she had to answer to was herself. She feared she would lose her caring, warm heart. The one she had inherited from her mother, and that one day she would wake up as a twisted visage of her father.
Heartless and incapable of love. Her nails scratched along her forearms.
Nothing could have been further from the truth. It was because she loved that she made those choices.
Leif had once said her heart wouldn’t allow her to hurt him. Deep down, she knew he was right. The choice she made today was because of how much she cared. How much she loved Leif, her people, and herself. She huffed a disbelieving laugh, braids spilling over her shoulders. Slowly, she pressed a tender kiss to the corner of his mouth.
Everyone had faith in her. And now, she had to have faith in herself.
“I understand, Úlfr.”
“Good girl.”
The rich rumble of his praise tasted sweeter than honeyed fruit. A soft moan fell from her lips, her head resting on his chest. For a minute, it was as if the entire world faded away, and only the two of them existed. Brielle wanted to linger in the space where it was only them a little longer.
“Can we sleep here? Your wolf and the fire should be enough to keep us warm.”
The full moon had risen, bathing the meadow in silver starlight. Constellations twinkled overhead, telling stories of the gods. Stories that spoke of their blessings and of their peace. Here, Brielle and Leif were alone. Free from expectation and duty, only bound to serve one another.
Brielle now understood only a fraction of the weight Leif carried.
All she wanted was to curl up with his wolf and remember the night they spent together in that cave. The moment her life changed. Everything brought her to this future with him, and she would be forever thankful to Freyja.
Before, she had to suffer the consequences of her actions alone. If she made a decision that resulted in someone dying, no one was there to wipe her tears or comfort her.
Now she had Leif.
“You want to sleep with my wolf?”
