Dandelions don't die [Ongoing]

SEVEN - Vidar

Homecoming and bruises

Vidar had not been looking forward to the day of their return to the Den. The reason for it wasn't that he didn't like to be home, because he did. He liked to not be on the road, to not always have to be on the look out for threats and dangers. At home life was predictable.

But that didn't change that he disliked the days when he and the other men from the pack came back. He didn't like that people got overemotional. He couldn't understand how the others turned into sappy fools upon seeing the women. It made him feel left out and often slightly awkward.

Gone were the strong, feared men of the King's Guard, reduced to lovesick puppies.

Donahue had a theory for Vidar's dislike of homecoming day. But Vidar was certain, that he wouldn't change even if he had a mate to come home to. For Vidar's age it was unusual to not be mated at least once but to him it had never felt right. Everyone that he had considered sharing a bond with in their pack, had already one if not more mates. The bond he could get would be imbalanced and he wasn't settling for being second best for his first mate. 

Thus, he stayed unmated. And since he couldn't say that he was lonely at night, he hadn't felt the need to change the situation.

This time however, homecoming was different. Sure, the women attached themselves to their mates and the men smiled and shared kisses but the atmosphere at the Den felt different. Vidar could feel it and he noticed that the other men could feel it as well.

Something had changed in the time they had been away.

Donahue's loud voice made Vidar stand taller on alert. He was their leader and his word was law in the pack. And if he was displeased, like he sounded now, then it was Vidar's task as second in command to find the reason and get rid of it.

Unfortunately, the reason seemed to be a small slip of a woman standing next to the door to the kitchens. 

Vidar cursed himself for having lowered his guard already mere minutes after returning to the Den and not having noticed the blonde haired female right away. He listened with one ear to Glenna explaining something about the small woman working for them, since the previous servants had turned out to be thieves and that she was their old general's friend. But he was mostly watching the female, who stared at Donahue in blatant fear.

That she was human was obvious. No shifter would be this afraid without real reason.

She was small, even for a human. In Vidar's mind, someone like her wasn't made for the physical work required at the Den. But still Glenna had apparently hired her, which was confusing. Glenna had hired servants with unknown backgrounds before to help share the work load while the men were away with the King, but they have all been shifters before. Never before had they hired a human.

It wasn't against the law or anything but for practical reasons it was much easier to hire a shifter. They understood chains of order and pack structure and they were physically much more capable.

Vidar watched Donahue stalk over to the little woman, like he normally would stalk around a prey when hunting as beast. 

As if he needed to frighten her even more. Vidar wouldn't be surprised if she soiled herself in fear.

"A friend of Thomas', you say," Donahue growled and Vidar watched the female's pupils dilate in fear. 

She was actually trembling. 

Donahue froze in his tracks and Vidar became even more alert. His body was ready to jump and shift. He saw Donahue's nostrils flaring and Vidar followed suit, trying to identify the scent that had put his leader on edge.