Vindicated by Bella Klaus

Chapter Eighteen

It took the healer another twenty minutes to fix my sprained muscles. Once the pain subsided, she rubbed her hands and gazed down at me with a smile. “No shifting for another hour, all right?”

With a nod, I gave her a bark of thanks.

Afterward, Umber brought me a bowl of water. He updated me on developments within the village square while Fenrir stood on the other side of the healer’s tent, then he barked out instructions to Eagon and Randel.

I glowered at his broad back as people brought more and more casualties to the empty cots. Fenrir hadn’t said a word to me since smashing the phone because he knew that I would forbid him to surrender.

“Are you avoiding me?”I asked through our link.

“Thinking,” he said.

“In case you haven’t noticed, that’s something you can do out loud.”

Our link fell silent, and I lowered my head to the bowl of water.

“Still hungry?” Umber asked.

I raised my head to meet his brown eyes.

Umber frowned. “Alpha will think of something. With all that knowledge he’s got about higher magic, he’s bound to come up with a solution.”

Suppressing a whine, I gazed at the yellow eyes reflecting back at me through the water. Umber didn’t know Fenrir the way I did. His first instinct was always to sacrifice himself for others. One just had to look at what happened with the cave.

As soon as the healer deemed me well enough to leave the tent, Fenrir, Randel, the twins, and I all walked through the broken square, passing crews of rodent shifters I recognized from Nivalis Row.

The sun hung lower in the sky, and it felt like at least two hours had passed since I’d first arrived. Debris lay piled on the sidewalk, along with pieces of the hotdog van.

“Are you ready to talk yet?” I asked.

He exhaled a long breath and shook his head.

I got it. Believe me, I understood the need to be left alone to lick one’s wounds. Fenrir was a strong leader in battles and emergencies, but he didn’t seem to be so great when it came to saving himself.

It felt like three o’clock right now. At this time of spring, the sun rose at six-thirty, giving us nine hours. I exhaled a weary breath. Nine measly hours to work out a plan to save twelve hostages from the Sixth Faction of Hell. Nine measly hours to factor in a way to infiltrate the lair of a vengeful goddess without getting ourselves killed or condemned.

“All right then, do you have any idea of casualties?”I asked Fenrir.

“Mole shifters are burrowing though the earth to see if anyone got buried,”he replied.

We continued to the end of the square. A tow truck pulled a car whose wheels were struck in a crevice that stretched several feet down the asphalt.

Fenrir brushed his hand through my fur and stared down at me with sad eyes.

“Time’s running out, and I’m giving you until we reach our room. Then you and I will discuss this face to face.”

He nodded.

I let him have this brief moment of silence, and continued through the streets and around the tall hedges that bordered the alpha’s compound.

What were our options?

One, to do as Queen Hel demanded and rescue Fenrir once we’d secured the hostages.

Two, to enact an impossible rescue mission guaranteed to fail.

Three… I exhaled a long breath. Lunaris had paid taxes to the Supernatural Council. We were entitled to the support of their enforcers. But those people were even more two-faced than Queen Hel. We couldn’t take the risk of being double-crossed.

I was desperate to shift back, but the healer needed me to remain in this shape to finish healing. The rest of the walk home was a blur, and by the time we stepped through the threshold, the scents of freshly baked bread and roasted chicken wafted through the hallway. Randel and the twins headed to the dining room, but we went upstairs to our suite.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind us, I nudged Fenrir’s hip. “Ready to talk?”

He turned away and scowled. “You said it yourself. My sister’s demon forces will overwhelm us—”

“And that’s why you’re going to hand yourself over?”I said.

“Would you have me let those villagers die?”he snarled, still not making eye contact.

I glared at the side of his face. “Then what?”

Fenrir stared at me out of the corner of his eye. “What are you talking about?”

“Do you have an escape plan? Are you going to figure one out between now and sunrise? Have you even thought about us?”

“That is all I’ve been thinking about,” he growled. “After I enter Hell, you could summon me through our bond—”

“How do you know your sister will hand over the hostages?”I snapped.

“Lydia—”

“Don’t Lydia me.”I bared my teeth in a snarl. “Not when you shut me out for the entire long walk back to our room.”

“I don’t have a choice. Hel will kill those hostages if I don’t surrender.”

My tail swished from side to side. “She might kill them anyway.”

He crouched, so our eyes were level, and placed a hand on the side of my muzzle. “When I’m gone, the pack will need a strong alpha.”

“What about our relationship?”My voice broke, even though the words were coming straight from my heart. “Don’t you think I need you?”

He averted his gaze. “If you come with me, she’ll keep making a spectacle of your death until I can no longer stand to keep you alive. Stay here, and I will find a way back to you.”

“No.”

Fenrir reared back. “Lydia?”

“We’re together now or never,”I said, trying to force his hand. “We need to work out a plan to defeat Hel. After that, we’ll deal with Marchosias.”

His features hardened. “In the two-thousand years I’ve been under her control, I’ve never found a permanent way out of my prison.”

“Until now,”I said.

Fenrir’s hand wrapped around the back of my neck, and he placed a kiss on my head. “Shift.”

“Why?”

“Because the hour the healer gave you to set your muscles is over. And because I want to have a conversation with the woman I love.”

My chest tightened. That flying ball of Marchosias’ magic had told me I wouldn’t be able to shift back. I would have dismissed that as bullshit, just as it had lied about losing the ability to breathe fire, but the wretched thing had carried out its threat to kill my friends.

With a deep inhale, I rose off my haunches and focused on my human form. Shifting took a heartbeat longer than usual, but I found myself kneeling on the ground with a curtain of blue hair over my face. The tension in my muscles loosened, and I finally exhaled.

Fenrir helped me stand and placed both hands on my shoulders. “You need to be strong for everyone while I’m gone.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and leaned my head against his shoulder. “We need to be planning a means of subterfuge, not surrender.”

A knock sounded on the door. “Lydia?” Phina’s voice shook. “Your mum says everyone’s having lunch together, and they need you and Alpha to come down and explain what’s going to happen with the hostages.”

“Ten minutes,” I murmured.

As Phina’s footsteps disappeared down the hallway, I pulled back to meet his eyes, which shone with a sadness that mirrored the sorrow in my heart.

“Let’s discuss this decision with everyone else.” I placed my hands on his chest. “Maybe they’ll have a few ideas for how to save the hostages and bring you back to Logris.”

Fenrir hesitated for a moment before grunting his approval.

“Thanks.” Raising myself on my tiptoes, I pressed a kiss on his cheekbone.

Sometimes, Fenrir was too noble and self-sacrificing for his own good. I wanted to save the hostages, but I didn’t think the price for their freedom should be the man I love.

Hopefully, Mum, Phina, the Owens, and the rest of our inner circle might help him change his mind.

When we reached the dining room, entire roasted chickens, bowls of salad, and platters of vegetables lay untouched. Everyone sat at their usual places—the twins at Fenrir’s left and right, with Randel and Eliza at their sides. Next were the Owens, then Mum and Phina, who sat at my left and right.

Fenrir paused in the doorway and wrapped an arm around my waist. I exhaled a ragged breath, my heart aching. Maybe he was memorizing this sight. Because if we didn’t find a way to save those hostages without Fenrir sacrificing himself, this would be our last meal together as a family.

It was strange to think of them that way, after such a short space of time sharing a household, but I’d started to feel like we were getting close.

Sunlight streamed in through the window on the far left of the room, lighting up Fenrir’s seat. I glanced at it for signs of Grog or some other apparition, but all I found was the garden.

The men stood, followed by Eliza and Mrs. Owen. Phina shifted in her seat as though to get up, but I waved a hand.

“You didn’t have to wait,” I murmured. “But it’s appreciated.”

Mum stared up at us through watery eyes. “It’s been a trying day for us all. Come in and have something to eat.”

Fenrir took his place at the head of the table. I sat opposite, even though I ached to be at his side, but Fenrir’s decision to hand himself over to Hel wasn’t just about him and me—it was about the pack that needed him.

I had to make him understand that he had formed bonds with us all.

The mingled scents of chicken and roasted vegetables filled my nostrils, making my mouth water. At a time like this, I should have lost my appetite, but I had depleted all my energy and my stomach ached from digesting itself.

I cleared my throat. “Fenrir and I need some ideas for freeing the hostages without him becoming a prisoner.”

“Lydia,” he growled. “What’s more important is keeping everybody safe.”

Mr. Owen raised his hand. “Master Mozos called to say that there wasn’t a breach in the wards. The magical barriers keep out intruders but allow residents of Lunaris to leave.”

“When that thing burrowed through the ground, it let our people fall through the wards,” Fenrir snarled.

“And straight into the demons’ arms,” I said.

Mum set down her knife and fork. “There is a bright side. If those demons hadn’t been lurking beneath Lunaris, our people would have fallen to their deaths. At least now we can come to their rescue.”

My brows drew together. “Do you have any ideas?”

“We could send in a decoy,” she replied in a small voice.

“Explain,” said Fenrir.

“Some shapeshifter faeries will take on any job, no matter how dangerous, as long as the price is right.”

“You mean send down an imposter?” I leaned forward in my seat.

“Why not?” Mum raised a shoulder. “With a hair sample and an extract of Alpha’s magic, we could fool them for long enough to complete the hostage exchange.”

I turned to Fenrir, my brows raised. “What do you think?”

“That’s only postponing the problem.” He picked up an entire roasted chicken and put it on his plate. “Hel will try something else.”

Umber slammed his fist into his hand. “That’s why we need to defeat her.”

Eagon, who sat opposite, nodded. “We’ve worked out how to merge our bodies together to create one wolf. Point us at her, and we’ll take her out.”

“She’s a goddess,” I said, my lips thinning. “It’s going to take more to kill her than your fangs at her throat.”

“But we can slow her down enough for Alpha to make the killing blow.”

Everyone, including me, turned to Fenrir to gauge his reaction. He finished chewing his mouthful, picked up a bottle of beer, and took a long drag.

“Say something,” I murmured into the bond. “They’re willing to risk themselves to have you stay.”

Fenrir set down his pewter mug and made eye contact with each of the twins before saying, “You wouldn’t get close enough to Hel. She surrounds herself with demons.”

“What are their powers, Alpha?” Phina asked.

“Apart from being incubi, they act as her muscle.” Fenrir tore off a chicken leg and took a large bite.

“When they came to drag you to Hell, we were outnumbered,” I said with a sharp nod. “But with enough strong fighters—”

“The answer is no,” Fenrir growled.

“No to the decoy as well, Alpha?” asked Mum.

Fenrir set down his drumstick. “I don’t mind risking a faerie’s life, but none of my shifters will be hurt in this venture.”

For the next several moments, a tense silence spread through the dining room. Even though nobody spoke, the atmosphere was heavy with gloom. My blood boiled, and I clenched my hands into fists, raging at his stubbornness.

“Lydia will revert back to being the pack’s sole alpha.” Fenrir turned to the twins first, and then to Randel. “And I expect you to support her through any challenges to her leadership.”

“That’s not going to happen,” I snapped.

He raised his brows. “Explain.”

“Because if you’re going through with this plan to sacrifice yourself, then I’ll be at your side.”

Fenrir parted his lips to protest, but I raised a hand. “You won’t let Hel kill me. Having me there will give you the incentive you need to make sure we both return to Lunaris.”

“If anyone can beat a Demon Queen, it’s Lydia,” said Umber.

Eagon turned to me and grinned.

“That is out of the question,” Fenrir growled.

“Then let’s unlock your power,” I blurted.

His eyes flashed.

Randel cleared his throat. “Alpha?”

“What?”

“Some of us have been meaning to ask…” He coughed again. “Well, there have been rumors flying around the pack and amongst others in the village—”

Fenrir’s eyes narrowed. “Yes?”

“That you are the Norse god,” my former beta said. “All the signs are there. The Norse alpha and his shaman sacrificed Lydia’s wolf to you. She came back to life and then your statue disappeared the day you took over the pack…”

Randel’s voice trailed off, and he shrank into his seat.

I glanced around the table. Mum knew the truth, as did Phina, and I expected she told Mr. and Mrs. Owen and swore them to secrecy. Fenrir hadn’t made a huge declaration on the day he had announced himself as the pack’s new alpha, but any wolf could see that he stood above the rest.

“Yes,” Fenrir said. “I am he.”

Randel glanced from me to Mum, to his mate, and then gulped. “That would explain why the Queen of the Sixth Faction is so determined to extract you from Lunaris. I understand that you’re related.”

Fenrir nodded. “Your point?”

I sat straighter in my seat, hoping Randel could talk sense into Fenrir. Right now, my mate was so determined to protect me that he wasn’t even thinking about the pack, the village, our future.

Randel turned around on his seat to face Fenrir. “Gods are stronger than demons.”

“When they’re at full power,” he replied.

“And I already know of a way to restore Fenrir’s magic,” I blurted.

Fenrir shot me a quelling glower across the table before turning his attention back to Randel. I narrowed my eyes. Why was he so determined to subject himself to what would probably be torture?

“Are there any others who can help us even the battlefield while you defeat your sister?” Randel asked.

“What about your father?” I said. “Your stepmother, your brother, and Surt. They’ll all have a grudge against Hel.”

“Who’s Surt?” Phina whispered.

“A giant who lives in Fenrir’s fireplace in Hell,” I replied in a low voice.

Fenrir set his tankard on the table and stood. “Enough.”

I shot out of my seat so quickly that the dining chair crashed to the floor. “If you’re determined to do this, I think everyone should get a chance to explain the difference you’ve made in their lives and how leaving will affect them.”

He pressed his lips together, chest rising and falling with rapid breaths. A growl reverberated through our bond. “Why are you doing this?”

“Why are you giving up?”

“Can’t you see this is the only way to keep you all safe?”he said, his voice weary. “Hel would delight in causing you pain.”

My shoulders sagged and all the bluster left me in an outward breath. The first time Hel had strolled into Fenrir’s home, she had claimed to be wearing the pelt of his friend. Meeting his gaze across the table, I said, “That doesn’t mean we can’t try.”

Mum cleared her throat. “May I go first?”

“Yes.” I swept my arm toward her. “You should.”

Mum rose to her feet and stared at Fenrir with damp eyes. “I’d started to lose hope of justice for us and a better life, and when my only daughter got murdered, I was ready to die.”

I placed a hand on my chest and took shallow breaths. Surely if he understood how many people needed him, he might reconsider.

“When you gave Lydia another chance at life, I thought it was too good to be true.” Her voice broke. “Nothing good ever happened to us. But when you declared her your mate, it was like every dream I’d had for my daughter had come true.” Mum bowed her head and lowered herself to her seat.

Fenrir’s brows drew together into a frown.

“I’ll speak next,” said Eagon. “Umber and I grew up in this house, thinking we were destined to be the next alphas. Then Beowulf challenged Dad, Mum killed herself, and we lost everything.”

“All the people who used to be our friends started treating us like dirt,” Umber muttered. “Then you and Lydia came along and got rid of the omega rank. Wolves are more equal now.”

“Not just wolves,” said Mr. Owen. “Neutrals have a place within the pack, and you’ve included other races in positions of importance. Lydia started these reforms but you continued them when you took over.”

I fixed my gaze on Fenrir. “You see the difference you’ve made?”

His features tightened, but there was a crack in his mask of determination.

Eliza raised her hand. “The speech you gave about having one mate really made some of the others start thinking. More people are settling down because there’s no such thing as a harem.”

“Please stay with us, Alpha,” Phina said. “It’s not just Lydia and the pack and the village that depend on you. What about the Norse and all the shifters living in the Human World who need a new home among their kind?”

Fenrir bowed his head and rested his clenched fists on the table. Everything about his posture, from his hunched shoulders to his tight biceps and his heaving chest, suggested he was about to explode.

“Let me unlock your power,” I said through our bond. “If you’re worried that you’ll be stuck as a giant wolf, then I’ll spend the rest of my life as a demon wolf and still be your mate.”

His head snapped up, and he stared at me across the table through eyes that glowed with the intensity of his emotion.

I held my breath, hoping our words would sway him.

“All right,” he said. “If Lydia has a way to unlock my power, I will try it.”

All the air in my lungs whooshed out in a breath of relief. “Thank you.”

“I will gather a team to help me confront Hel, but you will remain behind these wards.” He pointed a finger at me for emphasis.

“Of course,” I lied.

My wolf barked her agreement. There was absolutely no way in Hell we would allow Fenrir to confront his sister with a bunch of people we didn’t trust.

He rose from his seat and cast his glance over the table, making sure to address each member of our inner circle. “Thank you, all. I will free the hostages and hope to return to you victorious.”

“We’ve got to work something out before Queen Hel wants to make the exchange.” I stood and followed him to the door. “There should be enough time to help bring out Fenrir’s power, but if we don’t finish in time, we’re going to need a shapeshifter to take his place.”

Mum also rose. “I’ll start calling faeries.”

“Thanks.” I stepped out into the hallway.

“You ambushed me,”Fenrir growled through our connection, his gaze boring into the side of my face.

I placed my hands on his chest. “Because you still haven’t learned your lesson from the cave.”

“Which is?”

“You’re more to us than a pawn who can be exchanged for prisoners.”I slid my hands over his shoulders and around his neck. “You’re an important part of this family, this pack, this village. If you’re not here to lead us, who’s going to bring about your vision of a super city that protects shifters from all over Europe?”

“You are more than capable—”

“I’m just a mortal who wants the best for my village,” I said out loud. “Whereas you have a vision for the whole of Logris, and you care for all those shifters out there that we haven’t even met.”

Eyes softening, he leaned down and captured my lips in a soft kiss. “What happened to giving me your complete and utter obedience?”

“I never agreed to that.” I kissed back. “You just got distracted by my performance on the battlefield and decided you didn’t mind a warrior mate.”

He chuckled. “Maybe so, but there’s a downside to mating with such a feisty female.”

“Well, you’re stuck with me now. And it looks like you need someone like me to keep you out of trouble.” Releasing his neck, I looped my arm around Fenrir’s and marched him across the hallway. “Come on. Let’s free your wolf.”

“You know what to do in Midgard?” he asked with a frown.

“I freed your human side. It’s just a matter of doing the same with your wolf, right?” I peered at him out of the corner of my eye.

Fenrir’s brow furrowed. “You did, but this situation is a little different.”

“How?” I pushed open the door that led to the basement. The stairwell lights flickered on, illuminating the narrow space.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“Beneath this building is a lower level that stretches under the lawn and under the guesthouse.” I descended the steps two at a time to match his longer strides. “They used to make me mop it out after heavy rains. If anything goes wrong, it’s large enough to fit an enormous wolf.”

Fenrir’s steps faltered, and the muscles in his arms stiffened. “And if I lose my human form?”

I turned to meet his expressionless features. “Why are you bringing this up again, when we’re going to be mates, no matter what?”

He jerked his head away, his chest rising and falling with rapid breaths. “This form you love so much might be the prison my sister created to bind my wolf. If you unleash my power, I might lose my memories of our love.”