Page 64 of Elf Shot

"I want to thank you again for going to rescue him," Alruna said. Layla jumped and quickly spun about so she wouldn't ogle the hunky man show in front of his mother.

"You're welcome, but thanks really aren't necessary. He's my…Arne," Layla fumbled, not knowing exactly how to classify him.

Alruna raised an ashen brow. "Can I ask why you still haven't agreed to mate with him? You two are very comfortable, and it's obvious your bond is strong."

"Arne is amazing. It's me who's unsure," Layla replied. She sipped her beer, smiling at the honey and herbs taste layered into it.

Alruna began to chop up some fresh red tomatoes. "What are you unsure about?"

"Whether or not I would be a good mate for him. I'm human, and he's an elvish prince. Don't you want him to bind himself to a princess? Or at least one of your people?" Layla asked. She needed an outsider opinion because Arne was too good at arguing how perfect they were for each other.

"Elvish mating is similar to how it is with Ulfheðnar. Only people that are going to strengthen the clan are chosen as mates. Fate has decreed that you are Arne's mate, so it must mean you will strengthen our people," Alruna replied. She stopped chopping. "Although, I think Arne would have argued with the Norns themselves if they had dared suggest someone else is his mate. Whatever force decides such things, he's always known it was you."

"Did you know with…with Vili?" Layla was pushing her luck, but she still had to ask. How someone so noble and kind like Alruna could end up with Vili was a mystery to her.

Alruna started chopping again. "I did love Vili. I think a part of me always will. When we first met, I thought he was one of the dark elves. And when he finally revealed himself and I knew the horror he had inflicted in his never-ending animosity with Asgard, I panicked and attacked. I chose the life growing inside of me. I chose to protect Arne over whatever I was feeling for Vili. I didn't want my son to be another weapon in his war. The day I left…my hair turned white. Leaving him, even though it was the right decision, was the most traumatic experience of my life."

Layla swallowed down the lump in her throat. "And you wonder why I'm scared to mate with Arne. I never want to inflict that kind of pain on anyone."

"Arne isn't his father, and you are a good woman, Layla Ironwood. Don't let my experiences cloud your judgment in this." Alruna tipped the chopped vegetables in a bowl. "I don't regret mating with Vili because I got Arne. He is the best of both of us. He has Vili's power and beauty and none of his malice."

Love and protectiveness surged, and Layla's hand clenched into a fist. "I won't let Vili take him again. Arne deserves better than to have his memories and free will stolen from him."

"You know, the best way you can protect Arne is to mate with him," Alruna commented.

"What do you mean?"

"Arne is a man grown, but Vili is his father and has a claim over him. There is a magical power in that. It's why he could overcome Arne's mind so easily," Alruna explained. "The only bond stronger than blood is a mating bond. He would belong to you and no one else."

Layla sipped her beer and thought over her words. She wanted Arne to belong to her and vice versa. "I don't think I deserve him," she admitted, barely more than a whisper. Alruna wiped her hands before coming around Layla's side of the counter. She placed her hands on Layla's cheeks, a cool and gentle touch.

"Sweet girl, we all feel undeserving of love, but that's why we must take hold of it with both hands when we know it's true. Yes, my marriage and bond failed, but I would still do it again, knowing what I do now. The moments we had together are still precious to me. There is nothing more pure and powerful in the world than this kind of love." Layla's eyes filled with tears, but Alruna wasn't done. "I have seen more than once your strength and bravery, your clever wit and how happy you make my son. You are everything I prayed to Freya that my son's mate would be. You deserve the world, and you certainly deserve him. Mate him, Layla. Make our family feel complete again."

Tears fell down Layla's cheeks, her heart too full to handle the acceptance that Alruna was offering her. She gathered Layla into a hug that smelled of sweet berries and something maternal that she couldn't identify. Layla couldn't remember the last time Kenna had hugged her.

"Now," Alruna said, pulling back. She wiped the tears off Layla's cheeks. "Let's get some places set and food dished up, hmm?"

26

Arne never thought something as simple as eating dinner with his mother and Layla would cause so much joy. He loved watching them together, the way Layla would light up when she learned something new about the elves, or the way his mother would give him a pleased and fond smile when Layla wasn't watching. He had hoped that they would get along, but now he had hope they would one day become friends.

Layla had been fascinated with Alruna's loom when she showed her how to use it and had admired the paintings she had done. His mother may have been a queen, but she was a creative soul, and every part of her house reflected that. Layla loved it all.

The darkness in you will crush her light one day, Vili's voice whispered insidious poison in his ears.

Arne's power thrummed in his fingers. No, he had believed Layla when she had said his god magic was potential… and he could do whatever the fuck he wanted with it. He would ask Kian about how he could learn how to use it the next time they were together. Maybe then Arne would stop feeling like it was Vili's magic and start believing that it was his own.

Layla's hand hung onto Arne as they walked through the dark forest and back to his house.

"It's so quiet here. There's no roaring of cars in the distance or shouting sisters or training hunters," Layla said, pausing by the lake and closing her eyes. "I don't think my head has ever been this peaceful."

"You might learn to miss the noise after a time," Arne replied, unsure if the elves lifestyle would suit such a modern woman.

"If that happens, we can always go and visit Oslo or something," she replied. "That's why you keep the apartment there, right?"

Arne nodded. "When you have such a long lifespan, it's important to stay connected to the world and its changes."

Arne opened the door to the house for her before turning on the fireplace. It was a cool night, and he always loved to have a fire burning.

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