Chapter 27: Dealing with Aurik

FREYA

Cain and Freya sat at the head table with Vistra awaiting the approach of the Adaryn. Five wolves were surrounding the ones who had come, guiding them to the crowded tables and fire pits on this cold afternoon. From where she sat, she could tell there were at least two Valkyrie, one noble, a palace guard, and a royal.

It was Aurik.

Most of his form was hidden behind the Valkyrie guarding his front, but she would recognize the tips of those golden wings anywhere. Her chest clenched when she recognized it was him strutting into the camp with his entourage. She tried to plaster on a smile, but it felt like her chest was being crushed under heavy stone.

It was a relief to see Alvyna, but she was afraid of what Aurik might say or do to ruin her new life here. What if he was here to take her back?

The closer they got to the head table where she sat, the more anxiety built up in her chest. Freya was holding her breath. She hoped they would turn around and fly away.

As if he could sense her turmoil, Cain leaned in closer and placed his arm around Freya’s shoulders. The warmth of his presence was quick to calm her, and she eagerly leaned into him.

Cain didn’t know about anything that had transpired between her and Aurik. She knew he wouldn’t be happy if he did know. It might be better to wait until this whole ordeal was over to tell him. Possibly after they’d gone back to the pack’s territory in the mountains it would be safe to tell him all the things she wanted him to know.

For Freya, that friendship had turned sour, and all of those happy memories were taken over by that one night when her life was flipped upside down. Aurik had crossed the line when he had so casually professed his love. As if that was the sure-fire way to get her to bed, the same night, she was told she was being given to another. She realized she could never forgive him. She could no longer call him a friend.

All she felt now was anger. Angry that her sister had been taken from her, angry she’d been given away, and angry that Aurik had tried to take advantage of her. He was no kindly royal, and he was no true friend. There was a surge of revulsion overcoming her to think of how she’d trusted him and looked forward to spending time with him.

Freya knew now that she didn’t need Aurik. He never would have been what she needed.

Freya had started to tremble. The closer the Adaryn got, the more she started to shake.

“Pretty bird, I don’t know why you’re so angry, but I have to say I like how it looks. Fierce little thing could make any warrior listen, with a face like that,” Cain whispered into her ear.

Freya realized how tense she’d become. She turned her face to Cain and gave him a big smile while patting his hand that was resting on her shoulder.

“The royals and nobles aren’t my favorite. I’m not fond of them.”

“You don’t like them enough to shake with the passion of someone ready for a fight? Remind me not to get on your bad side.” He chuckled just loud enough for Freya to hear it.

The sound brought a small and genuine smile to her lips.

It was at that moment that the Adaryn stopped before the head table. Aurik and the noble stepped forward.

Freya stood close to Cain. His mouth hovered over the skin of her neck and her cheeks were hot. She knew she looked happy to be with him.

When Freya looked back at the flock, she saw the rage in Aurik’s golden eyes. He swallowed hard.

She could see it in his eyes. The anger, jealousy, and regret. Even though he tried to look unmoved, she could see the whirlwind of wild thoughts swirling behind his eyes. Freya had been his friend long enough to recognize how he felt.

“I don’t like how he’s looking at you,” Cain growled softly into her ear.

She felt his fingers curl around her shoulder possessively. “Well, I’m sure he doesn’t like me either. Look at him with those gold wings and I have none. He probably hopes you’ll still eat me.”

“What he doesn’t know is I already have, and I intend to again. Who knew the little bird would be so delicious.”

She felt Cain’s hot and wet tongue dart out and lick the sensitive spot of skin under her ear. Freya shivered and had to bite her bottom lip to stop the little moan that threatened to escape.

“If he keeps looking at you like that, I’m going to pluck his feathers out,” Cain growled.

Freya couldn’t help the giggle that burst past her lips at Cain’s whispers. Deep down, she knew he was serious.

The sound of her laughter drew the attention of every pair of eyes in the flock standing before them. Alvyna had a knowing smirk, although she still looked warily around at the Vargar they were in the presence of.

“Ah, Aurelian, we are honored by your presence here tonight. If you are here to check on our little one, you can see she is perfectly healthy. And happy, if I might add.” The wolf-mother gestured toward Freya held tight against Cain.

Freya tried not to grin too much. She couldn’t seem to control her smile while Cain was so close.

“You are correct in your assumptions, Wolf-mother. We have come to inspect the wellbeing of Freya Mourning. To ensure all aspects of this peace agreement remain intact, of course.” Aurik held his head high, as though he was the most important individual in the vicinity.

“Of course,” Vistra said. “However, you may now refer to her as Freya Fargrim. Our couple is already mated and there are no qualms about the relationship. I think we will have a very bright future.”

Freya was aghast at how openly Vistra had just proclaimed the very recent change in her relationship with Cain. Yes, they had mated, but not everyone needed to know.

Every Adaryn standing before them looked a bit taken aback. For them, the wedding under the full moon was what counted. They needed to have their little ceremony and send away their outcast so they could fly into their happy future. Nobles would turn their nose up at consummation of a relationship before the ceremony.

But Aurik was more than taken aback. He had his brows knit together and it was a look of disgust and rage. But something else under that. Heartbreak, perhaps?

“Indeed, Freya Fargrim it is. May I speak with her a moment just to be sure she is well?” It seemed to take all of Aurik’s control to drag his eyes away from the holes he was burning into Cain.

“Oh, certainly. I’m sure the little bird would love word of her family as well if you can enlighten her.” Vistra’s eyes were narrowed at Aurik now. Vargar were perceptive of body language and expressions. There was no way she hadn’t noticed the way Aurik was looking at her heir.

Cain saw it too. His hold on Freya had tightened. He didn’t want to let her go. He might not think that Aurik was jealous, but it was a look that threatened his new mate in some way.

“I’ll be all right, Cain. You can let me go. Besides, I need him to tell me if there’s any news on my mother.” Freya placed her hand reassuringly on Cain’s arm.

He only tightened his grip. “Freya, I will rip his feathers out if you come back to me upset.” His jaw was set tight, and his muscles were tense.

“He’s just a stuck-up bird. I’ll be all right.” Freya gave him a peck on the cheek to further soothe him.

“I just got you in my arms and I’m supposed to let you go with only a little kiss? No, that won’t do,” and Cain placed his hands on either side of Freya’s face before pulling her into a deep kiss.

Freya was breathless when he let her go, and Cain had a victorious smirk on his face that he made a point of throwing at Aurik. He had marked his territory for all to see.

“Cain, I’ll be right back.” She caressed his cheek as she stood and made her way around the table to the Adaryn group.

Alvyna placed a gentle hand on Freya’s shoulder. Her greeting was subtle, but friendly.

Freya made her way to Aurik’s side. He put his arm out for her to take, but she acted as if she didn’t see it. She didn’t want to touch him.

Alvyna and the other Valkyrie stayed behind with Councilman Grouse to engage in polite conversation with Vistra. The two royal guards followed behind Aurik and Freya as they walked.

Aurik seemed to be leading her in the direction of the line of trees. It made her anxious to think he wanted to be out of sight as they spoke.

And she was correct. He walked them into the forest, telling the guards to keep their distance. But once she thought they were out of sight far enough, he kept walking farther into the woods. His wings ruffled in agitation the farther they went, as though he was thinking of what to say.

Freya knew it would most likely be something she didn’t want to hear. Whether it was news of her family or something more personal. She wasn’t ready. Would never be ready to interact with him again.

He stopped to lean against a tree. It was like he needed the tree to support himself.

Freya was the one who needed the support now. Seeing him practically mope made her angry.

Finally, he brought himself to his full height. “Your mother appears to be doing better from what I’ve been told. Not by much, but she’s eating on her own. The physician told me she goes out to sit in the sunlight now as well.” He had his hand covering his face as he spoke. Like he wasn’t able to bring himself to look at her.

It made her feel a ton lighter to hear that her mother had improved. This was a relief. Was her mother lucid enough to notice she wasn’t there?

~Was her mother improving because she wasn’t there?~

She wasn’t able to think about it. She was just glad that her mother was still alive.

Then Aurik turned his piercing stare on her. Those golden orbs burned holes into her while his nostrils flared, and his chest heaved.

“So, you actually let that beast have his way with you? I thought you were better than that, Freya. You could have been so much more than this!”

“Let him have me? Well, first of all, I was given to them against my wishes. Second, I fit in better with them than I ever would have in your world,” she spat back.

“You could have fit in with me! We could have been happy together, Freya. Oh, my love, my sky, you could have been my queen when I took the throne. You could have sat at my side and been the mother to the future generations of Aurelian. We would have been beautiful together,” he approached her with his hands out.

She wondered if she’d read him wrong. Maybe he really did have feelings for her. He ~had~ danced with her in front of everyone. And the shock on his face when he learned she was the one to be given away seemed genuine. Maybe he could have found a way to marry her and elevate her.

She wobbled for a moment. Then she shook her head. “You would have been the king mocked for generations if you had gotten your way. And you want to know something else? I would have been miserable!” Freya threw out her arms in frustration. But it felt good to get this off her chest. To let him know how she felt.

“That’s not true. You would have been respected. The colony would love you, just as I do.” He took another step closer.

Freya heard something rustle in the underbrush. A chill ran up her spine and ruffled her feathers. More than ever, she wanted to go back to the Vargar camp.

“You don’t love me. I just make you feel important. Take the flightless bird under your wing and prove you’re the superior prince the colony loves, and oh how they’ll respect you ever so much when they learn of how you made the broken thing feel normal.”

She spat on the ground at his feet.

“You can go back to my father and go back to the king and tell them I’m perfectly fine here. No, I’m happier than I’ve ever been. These people, they respect me. I’ll never regret turning you away.” With finality, she turned away from him and walked back to the campsite.

The Adaryn didn’t stick around for long after that. The sight of golden wings flying away started to bring back a sense of relief.

***

Once the birds were no more than specks in the sky, she had taken a deep breath and slumped down into her seat like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

“Are you all right, little bird?” Cain reached out to caress Freya’s cheek.

“Yes, I am all right,” Freya grabbed onto Cain’s wrist to hold his hand in place against her face.

“I am asking because it’s apparent that you aren’t. You were tense all afternoon. It would mean a great deal to me if you’d tell me why.”

Freya hesitated before moving Cain’s hand into her lap where she began to trace patterns into his wrist. It was time to tell him about Aurik.

“The prince.”

“He’s the reason you’re so uncomfortable?” There was a hint of a snarl in his tone.

“He saved my life once.” She looked into Cain’s blazing red eyes. That wasn’t really what was bothering her, but she might as well start there.

His brows shot up in surprise at what she said before contorting into a look of confusion.

“I had fallen from a tree while hunting. I would have died if he hadn’t caught me. At the time, he’d offered friendship, saying he wanted to get to know me. I was naive enough to believe him.” She looked into the darkening sky in the direction the Adaryn had left. Her tone was wistful yet sad as she recalled what was still a recent memory.

“Aurik Aurelian. The Prince of the Adaryn and heir to their throne. I was naive enough to believe that he wanted to be my friend when everyone else looked at me with disgust because I lack the prominent feature of our kind.” Freya rolled her shoulders as if she could still feel the wings on her back that had been lost to her as a child. “Then, the night it was announced I was going to be brought to the Vargar, he decided he wanted me for himself.”

Cain erupted into a low growl. She could see his inner beast’s turmoil in his darkening eyes. Freya gave him a gentle pat on the hand.

“As you can see now that I’m here, things didn’t go as the prince would have liked. I realized that he didn’t truly see me as a friend, but as someone he could use for his own needs. Not only was it now my duty to aid in forging this alliance, but I wanted no part in what he had to offer.”

“I should have ripped his feathers out when I had the chance.” Cain snarled and pulled Freya from her chair and into his lap. “You’re mine now. I won’t stand for some pompous bird making you feel uncomfortable. You’re a part of this pack and I will protect you from that vulture, just as any of us would.”

“He won’t harm me. Aurik just feels entitled to anything he takes interest in. I just happened to be the young woman he saved in the woods. I was an easy target. His friendship helped me get through my sister’s death, so I suppose I should be grateful for that. I still miss her every day. But I’m glad I’m here now, with you.”

“I can be glad he saved your life but still hate him, right?” Cain nuzzled into Freya’s neck.

A blush spread across her cheeks. “Of course that’s how I feel. He needs to do some maturing before he’s fit to take over the Adaryn throne.”

“I’ll put him in his place when I’m the alpha,” Cain promised. His fury was still rolling off of him in waves.

“We need to be on good terms for the alliance to last, Cain. Our union might not be enough to keep another war from starting. There are those like Ivar with too much hate in their hearts to see a future without war. We are merely a symbol of the alliance.” Freya was finding it increasingly hard to focus as Cain began kissing along her jaw and neck.

“You’re right, little bird. Just promise me that you will let me know when you are faced with someone as unbearable as him in the future.”

“I will. It does feel good to tell you. Now it seems as though it was a long time ago.” Freya had never talked about it with anyone, and it seemed important that Cain knew of her past relationship with Aurik.

“Don’t agonize over the past anymore, please. I want you to be happy with us… With me.” Cain’s voice was husky.

Freya turned from watching the camp to look into his hooded eyes. There was an unspoken connection between them. Something that had started fast as they fell hard into each other and was growing at an alarmingly quick rate. They both wanted what was developing in this connection.

“I might be able to find happiness with you, Cain,” Freya teased as she gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. “I just might.” Yet she already knew she was.