The Fenrir Saga - Part I

Chapter 14

--- Hild ---

"Ok. It's your turn, B," I said and smiled. "If you want to."

She nodded.

"I think I have to."

We were out for a walk with Harry, our loyal companion. The sun was warming, and birds chirped in the air. Harry did not need us for the walk, but his presence felt safe. It was an odd feeling to be this relaxed.

B continued:

"So, I grew up in a pack, but since my dad was a bit... far out there... we lived in a house at the edge of pack territory. My Mom and Dad loved each other deeply, but he had issues with his temper and was often absent. He said he had some important things to do, but I don't know."

It was a lovely day, and we soon strolled along a river. The scene was serene and calm, and I felt an odd sense of peace.

"So, apparently, he was furious when Mom got pregnant with me and almost tried to kill her before I was born. It was crucial for him not to have a girl." 

She sounded bitter now. "So you can understand how disappointed he was when I popped out."

I huffed in annoyance. Men.

"Anyways, when I was seven or eight years old, my Mom once, only once, suggested that they should try for another pup, and they got into a fight, and he... he... killed her. I don't think he meant to, but it was what happened. She fell down some cliffs and... died."

Her voice was a whisper at the end, and she tilted her head a bit as if pondering over her Mom's death for the first time.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, B," I said, stopping to ensure she was alright. She smiled meekly.

"It was a long time ago."

Quietly, we continued our walk, with Harry in tow, sniffing every straw of grass he could find. B found a stick and swung it before Harry, only rendering an insulted look back. When she threw the stick for the retriever to fetch, he blatantly ignored her and continued sniffing. He sure was a charmer. 

She sat down on a patch of grass, and I joined her.

"Then it was just him and me. He loved me a lot but worried about me more than he loved me - does that make sense? As I got older and became a teenager, I was not allowed to meet with others, not allowed to have friends, especially boys, and he started going on his stupid travels again, leaving me alone for months at a time. Thank Goddess, my uncle sometimes came to check on me."

She paused, gathering some courage. I waited patiently, having all the time in the world. Obviously, it was a hard memory for her to process. 

"My Dad had been gone for months. Tom was the youngest alpha son, and we attended the same high school. He was my age and nice. We didn't talk much, but he wasn't as standoff-ish as everyone else. I liked him," she said with a smile that vanished as she continued. "We weren't even close friends. He had just started to say Hi and stuff like that. And it was maybe the third or fourth time he walked me home. But he was... somewhat of a friend. My only one."

Her voice was now agitated as if she defended herself against accusations no one placed upon her.

"This day, he took my hand. I thought... perhaps he was my mate. It is not that we know such things until we are older, but I have heard that sometimes you can sense them earlier. Anyway, his friends caught up with us, and then things escalated. It ended with him almost forcing himself upon me, like to prove something to his friends... and that is when my dad shows up," she said, rubbing her forehead.