FREYA
Throughout the day, Freya helped to cook a feast for that night. Vistra had insisted that fresh mead be opened and all musical instruments be in their best shape.
A few times, Freya had gone into the edge of the woods or open clearing to look for herbs and mushrooms to add to the feast. More than once, she heard a massive creature prowling nearby. That would send her scampering back to the safety of the camp.
It wasnât the Vargar in their wolf skins she was afraid of. Sheâd gotten used to them. But Ivar was still out there. Vistra had people looking for him.
Vistra had told Freya more than once how sorry she was about Raga. She felt responsible, because her brother had led the attack. She thought Freya wanted revenge.
But Freya couldnât dwell on revenge. This new alliance was one of peace. She had to make the peace last.
Family was incredibly important to the Vargar, but so was loyalty. Vistra seemed as though she was ready to kill Ivar herself. Freya didnât know how Cain felt about his uncle or the situation. They hadnât interacted much, so she doubted he would be aware of her hatred of Ivar.
By the time the sun was setting, the entire camp smelled like a mesh of different roasting meats over small fires in the middle of camp. A massive bonfire was in the final stages of being built, and Freya could see Cain with a few other men splitting logs with their axes.
His muscles were so beautiful when he worked.
Cain didnât wear a top as he blistered the massive chunks of wood into a neat pile. The power he radiated throughout the smooth and controlled actions had her core clenched tight. She felt warm in her belly.
âClose your mouth before you start to drool, little bird.â
Her new friend Lorraine had caught her staring. She sat next to Freya. Lorraine had gray eyes and auburn hair and was someone Freya had taught to gather the local berries. They were of similar size, and many of Freyaâs new clothes had been gifted from her, including the long and soft green dress Freya wore now.
Freya stiffened and went back to tearing apart the mushrooms sheâd foraged earlier.
âDonât puff your feathers at me, dear. Everyone can see it.â Lorraine picked up a mushroom and sniffed it before throwing it back in the pile with a grimace.
âI donât know what youâre talking about. Adaryn donât eat a lot of meat.â
âMy stars, you can play coy with me all you want, but donât think youâre fooling anyone. My cousin is as thick as a rock if he hasnât noticed by now as well.â Lorraine looked over at Cain and chuckled. âWho would have guessed the bird and the wolf would actually end up liking each other?â
â~Like~ me? Heâs barely talked to me.â
âHe thought you were terrified of him. You looked terrified. He was covered in blood. You canât blame him for keeping his distance. He thought heâd be getting some high-society lady who wouldnât ever get her hands dirty. Of course he likes you.â Lorraine leaned back against the log Freya was sitting on.
âHas he said something to you?â
âI ran with him this morning, but we didnât talk. In our fur, we donât communicate the same as we are now. Itâs apparent by his actions how heâs feeling. Our kind are more tuned in to body language than your lot. The ones you came with were all stiff with their noses upturned.â She poked the end of her nose and scrunched it up to enunciate her point.
Freya giggled. âItâs good to know Iâm not stiff, but that doesnât tell me how heâs feeling. By your laws, heâs already my husband, and I donât know him.â She threw the last torn mushroom into the bowl with the rest.
âBut by your laws, heâs not. We canât go back to the mountains until your people come have their ceremony under the moon.â
âItâs what all couples do. My mother and father had theirs under the red harvest moon, and before that, the king and queen had theirs under a summer moon. They told my sister and I that the colony had partied the entire night.â She sighed, remembering hearing stories with Raga when they were just little nestlings still covered in downy feathers.
âWell, you can forget those gilded birds. Weâre going to celebrate for weeks at your joining with Cain. This is a once in a lifetime event. Iâm positive it will be a happy union. Youâll talk to him tonight.â Lorraine patted Freyaâs hands reassuringly. Then she strolled away with a smirk.
Sheâd been wondering all day where she and Cain stood. Since heâd returned from his run in the woods, Cain had been moving around the camp nonstop. Vistra had been right that he was full of energy. From helping to skin a beast for the meal, carrying around casks of mead, or chopping wood, he hadnât stopped.
Freya was too nervous to approach him. Hopefully, he didnât still think she was afraid. She had a number of friends here now, and she was busy helping put together the big meal. So it wasnât like she was avoiding him.
She hoped he knew that.
***
Lorraine came back later with her sister Amaya. They stood in waiting with their arms behind their backs, eyes wide with mischief.
This made Freya nervous. She was finishing up adding herbs and mushrooms to a small roast rabbit.
âDo you think sheâll fight us?â Amaya looked to Lorraine.
âThereâs no way she can take us at the same time.â
They stepped forward.
âCan I help you with something?â Now she was getting anxious at the two she-wolves stalking toward her.
âWe have something for you to wear tonight, but weâre not sure youâll wear it without someâ¦encouragement.â Amaya hid what was in her hands.
Freya began to back up away from the Vargar sisters.
The two of them were wearing the equivalent of a few Adaryn scarves. Her face paled at the thought they had something similar in store for her.
And she was right.
The sisters used their height and warrior strength to wrestle Freya back to the tent where they encouraged her to try on a Vargar dancing dress.
She found herself in a small blue dress that exposed her arms, legs, and back. Amaya had braided all of Freyaâs platinum hair into a crown atop her head. Every inch of her feathered back would be exposed tonight, and sheâd been trying not to do that around the wolves. Especially not around Cain.