For The Love Of The Wolf

by Harmony Raines

  “Seb!” she exclaimed.

  “Yes. I was talking to his father today. About how you ran into a bit of trouble in the village, and how Seb had to protect you from some ruffian. It seems Seb would like to offer you his protection permanently.”

  Alissia could not believe it. How could Seb have told such a load of lies?

  “Marry Seb?” Alissia wanted to make quite sure she had not mistaken what her father was saying.

  “Yes, that's what he wants, seems to think that you are keen on him too. I know he's a good match.” Her father's words were almost unbearable to hear.

  “I can't.” She took a deep breath, “I can't marry Seb. I'm promised to someone else.” There she had said it.

  “Promised to another? Who?” Her father looked as if someone had slapped him across the face.

  “The “ruffian” that Seb said he protected me from this morning.” Alissia was so angry with Seb for describing Till that way to her father.

  “A commoner!” Shock covered her father's face.

  “Yes. A commoner. But he will look after me better than Seb ever could,” Alissia said firmly.

  “Think about what you're saying, it's all very well having a crush on someone. It is another thing to want to spend the rest of your life with them. How is he going to support you, what about your friends?” said her father.

  “It's not a crush, father. I love him. He is the only one for me. I can't explain it, it's just right.” There was no use trying to hide her feelings, this may be the only chance she would have to convince her father about Till. “And if my friends don't like it, then they are not my friends at all.”

  “Alissia, you don't realise what you're saying. All of your life you have wanted for nothing. You would be giving it all up.” Her father was trying to make her understand the enormity of what she was saying.

  Alissia walked over to him, she reached out for his hand and clasped it between both of hers. “Father, the only thing I cannot give up is you. Please do not make me choose between you and Till. At least meet him, you will like him, he is a good man.”

  “Alissia.” He reached his other hand out cupping her cheek with it. “I just want you to be happy. Your mother made me promise I would do everything I could to ensure your happiness. You will never lose my love. We raised you to be kind to everyone, no matter their background.”

  “Really Father, I don't care about anything as long as I have your love, and Till.” She put her arms round him, and he held her close.

  Bending his head, he whispered in her ear. “I think I would be more likely to disown you if you had married Seb, but you understand I had to ask.”

  Alissia hugged him tighter. “Thank you. I understand.”

  “It's just...you have been preoccupied recently, and I wondered if you were in love. You look so like your mother, when we first met, she used to wear the same expression. When Seb’s father asked about you two getting married, I assumed it was him, and that you were putting it off because of me.”

  “Well you were half right. I have been putting it off. Till has been very understanding, but we have argued about it today. He thinks I am ashamed of him, but I'm not, I simply didn't want to upset you, so soon after....” Alissia's voice trailed off, unable to form the words about her mother's death.

  “Don't worry about me; I have plenty to keep me busy. To be honest seeing you happy and settled would put my mind at ease. I worry about what would happen to you if I were not here.”

  She understood his concerned. Alissia's mother had died so suddenly, and sometimes at night, she would lie awake worrying that the same thing might happen to him. However, she knew she had Till, and would never be alone.

  “Nothing is going to happen to you father, and you will not get rid of me that easily, I can visit often.” She hugged him again, and then pulled away from him.

  “It's too late to go and tell Till now, can I go first thing in the morning?” She paused. “You are sure?”

  He nodded, and her face flushed with excitement, and relief. It had been so much easier than she had ever hoped. In a way, she had Seb to thank for pushing the situation, but she was never going to let him know, she thought he would be cross enough when he heard she was going to marry Till.

  “Will you tell Seb's father, tell him I'm sorry?” Her father was good at that sort of thing, where as Alissia was not too tactful, and would probably do more damage.

  “First thing in the morning. Now, let’s eat, I'm starving.”

  He took her arm, and they made their way into the dining room. The table was set, and they spent the evening talking more than they had done for some weeks. Alissia realised just how much of a burden her secret had been, now there were only good things to look forward to.

  It was early when Alissia went to bed, she wanted to get up as soon as she could, and find Till the next day. She would try her grandmother's cottage first, if he was not around she would go to his family home, she had a rough idea where it was. If Till was in the area he would catch her scent, and meet her as soon as he could. Alissia could not wait to tell him, for everything to be back to normal between them, she hated the fact that they had argued, especially when it all seemed so stupid now.

  ***

  It was a beautiful morning. Alissia had breakfast with her father and then put on her red cloak. After kissing her father goodbye, she took some food from the kitchen, before setting off through the gates.

  Her father said he would go first thing and break the news to Seb's family. He thought it was a good idea for her to be out of the village for the day, that way Seb could not come and try to change her mind.

  Although he did not say anything to his daughter, he was concerned how Seb would take the news that Alissia was going to marry someone else. He had thought about putting off breaking the news for another time, but the look on Alissia's face made it quite plain the wedding would be sooner rather than later.

  Alissia walked quickly through the forest to her house. This was how she was trying to think of it now; after all, it was where she would live with Seb when they were married. They would both be close enough to their families, but far enough away that they would have their own privacy.

  As she walked she could not feel Till's presence, she assumed he would be hunting this morning, probably trying to forget their argument from yesterday. She carried on to the cottage anyway, she would leave a note telling him she was going to try to find his home, just in case he arrived there after she had left.

  Lifting the latch, she went inside, everything was how she had left it yesterday, no sign that anyone had been there. She stood for a while lost in the memory of their love making the day before, her stomach fluttered at the thought of him.

  Alissia decided to wait for a while, it was still early in the day, Till might still come past this way, so she busied herself cleaning the little house, imagining what it would be like to live there with Till when they were married.

  He had been so patient about the whole thing she could not wait any longer to tell him, so she finished up and decided to go and find him. She knew the general direction, and hoped he would pick up her scent and track her down himself.

  Alissia opened the little wooden door and went outside, turning to make sure it was securely latched, and then she went down the steps. As she looked down to the tracks her feet had made in the new snow, she noticed there was another set of footprints, bigger than hers.

  They led up to the steps, but then they went off around the cottage, she was sure they did not belong to Till, he wore soft shoes to cover any sound he might make when hunting. These looked like heavy boots, the sort that the villagers usually wore. Those who could afford them, anyway.

  Alissia looked around, but could not see anyone. She thought about following them to see if she could find out whom they belonged to. But why go looking for trouble? On reflection, she decided she had more important things to do.

  With one last look around, she set off, but it was not
long before she had the uneasy feeling that she was being watched. It was not the same sensation she had when Till watched her, this felt different. Alissia kept walking.

  It was not too far to the village, perhaps she would be better to go back, and wait until another day to see Till. Maybe he would come to the village to find her instead. She really did not want to put it off, but as she walked, she caught a glimpse of something in the trees in front of her. It stood too tall for a wolf, and Till would not hide from her in human form. That was not part of their game.

  Alissia did not want to leave the path, if she got lost she would be in trouble, it would also give away the fact that she knew someone was out there.

  “Steady pace, don't look around too much,” she kept saying to herself, keeping her head down a little, using her peripheral vision to keep a look out.

  When Seb walked out in front of her, she was surprised. Not so much that he was there, although he rarely left the village. It was the way he had been hiding behind a thicket of bushes, waiting for her, that caused her to be on her guard.

  “Seb! You made me jump.” Alissia kept her voice normal, walking round him to carry on down the path.

  He stepped in front of her again, barring her way. Alissia stopped.

  “My father is expecting me back. He'll be worried if I'm late,” she lied.

  “That's strange,” he said. “You father came to our house this morning and said you were off out for the day looking for your boyfriend.”

  Cold seeped into Alissia's veins, a chill brought on by his voice. It was plain he had not received the news well.

  “Yes, that's right. I met him at my grandmother's cottage.” Another lie. “He'll be following along soon; he is coming to meet my father.”

  Seb grabbed her arm, pain jolted through it, he was stronger than she thought. “Don't lie. I saw you in that hovel, there was no one else there.”

  Alissia was shocked to find out he had been watching her. She had not seen him, but it did explain the footprints outside the cottage. She had never really felt afraid, except at the thought of losing her mother, or Till, but she did now.

  Seb had always struck her as an idiot, spoiled, always getting what he wanted. The fact that she was the thing he wanted, and then lost to a commoner, had not been taken well. It was clear from the look on his face that she had better act carefully, and not antagonise him.

  “Seb, why don't you walk me back to my house? We can talk about it there.” Alissia did not think for a moment he would agree to this, but it was worth a try.

  “I don't want to talk about it, Alissia. You think I'm just going to take you home, and wait for that common thug to take you away from me!” It gave her no satisfaction to know she had been right about him not accepting her invitation.

  “Please, Seb. Think about what you are doing. If you let me go home, I will not say a word about any of this. I know you don't really want to scare me,” Alissia said, in one last effort to get Seb to see sense.

  “And let you and that thug get married? I am saving you Alissia. Can't you see that? I'm saving you from making the biggest mistake of your life.” Seb was leaning over her as he said this, and Alissia could tell he believed what he was saying. Now she knew she was in terrible danger.

  Seb held her arm tighter, and began to propel her forward. She dragged back behind him, trying to slow him down. She was trying to weigh up her options, there were not many.

  She either went with him, and tried to escape if she could, or she tried to make a run for it now. In the end, she decided to wait until they were closer to the village, and then try to get Seb to release his hold on her, and run home, if she could.

  Just as she had made up her mind that was what she would try to do, he left the path, and headed off into the forest.

  “Where are you taking me?” Alissia asked.

  “Somewhere where we can be alone for a while. By the time I'm finished with you, he will not want you any more, and you will be only too happy to be my obedient wife instead.”

  Alissia could not believe what she was hearing, but she knew Seb meant every word. He wanted his own way, and as usual expected to get it, whatever the cost.

  Alissia decided there was no time to wait, if she wanted to get away, and make it home, she had to make her move now. Summoning all her strength, she made her free hand into a fist, and swung at Seb's head.

  The force of the impact hurt her hand, but it had the desired effect of making him loosen his grip for one moment. It was enough for her to pull free and start running for the village, but her skirts slowed her down. Alissia knew Seb was close behind her, and he reached out for her, catching hold of her red cloak.

  Although she tried to keep going forward, the cloak pulled at her neck making it hard to breathe. Alissia reached up and tried to unclasp it, pulling it forward to get the metal clasp to give. Success, the red cloak fell to the ground. However Seb had managed to grab hold of her arm again, pulling her sharply round towards him, halting her escape.

  “You little bitch,” Seb spat, fury written on his face, blood dripping from a cut above his eye where her fist had connected with it. He raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face.

  At first, she was too shocked to react, but as the feeling waned, it was replaced by the knowledge that she was in danger, and that the only person who could help her was Till.

  She threw her head back, and as loud as she could, shouted his name. The last thing she remembered was the sound of it echoing around the forest, and then the world went black as Seb struck her again.

  Chapter Four

  Trill was out hunting, lost in thought about his argument with Alissia. It had been stupid. He had been stupid. He knew very well why she had not asked her father. Now she was upset with him, and it would be hard for him to tell her he was sorry. Not without going to the village, and he hated going there.

  He sat watching a herd of deer, waiting to catch one that was lagging behind the others. It was not going to make it through the rest of the winter, and would be an easy kill. Till usually hunted younger ones, their meat was better, but his heart was not in it today.

  After it was done, he would make his way home, then go onto Alissia's cottage, not that he had much hope of her being there. He thought it would be a couple of days before she calmed down.

  It was the first time he had seen her so angry, and now he thought about it he knew it was because she wanted to be with him. He had hurt her feelings at the mention of her being ashamed of him. Till knew she loved her father and did not want to lose him, and that was what might happen when she told him about their plans to marry.

  The deer moved into position, Till shifted, poised ready to pounce. That was when the sound came to him through the forest. At first he thought it was in his head, he had been thinking of Alissia all morning, and his mind was playing tricks on him. However, the deer reacted too, head up and alert to danger, and then startled enough to run away into the safety of the thick undergrowth.

  Till leapt off the rock he had been perched on, shifting in mid air, before racing off in the direction of the cry. As he ran he became aware of another wolf at his side, his brother had heard it too, Till's name shouted so loud it had filled the forest. A cry of such fear it had made creatures take flight.

  They raced down the hill, a third wolf joined them, this was what wolves did. They looked after the pack. His brother's knew that Alissia was part of the pack, even if it was not official yet.

  As one they moved through the trees, heading for the place where they were sure the sound came from. His two siblings tried to calm him, ease the panic that was filling his mind. If something happened to her, because of that stupid argument, he would never forgive himself.

  As they neared the place, Till picked up her scent, so familiar to him, but it was wrapped up with another's. It took only a moment for Till to separate the two, he knew the other scent belonged to Seb.

  His anger grew, his mind clouded by the bloo
d that pumped through his veins. He would rip Seb's head off, tear at his throat until he was dead if anything happened to his mate. These thoughts magnified when he saw Alissia's red cloak on the floor, and the blood that stained the snow next to it.

  His brothers circled the cloak, studying the footprints that were scuffed in the snow. Only one set of footprints led away. Seb was carrying Alissia now, the combined weight making him sink further into the snow.

  The blood is not her's, brother, it belongs to the other. It is fresh; they are not far and will be easy to track.

  Thoughts and images passed between them as if they were one when they were in wolf form. Till could feel them trying calm him, and he knew he would be better use to Alissia if his temper was under control. So he let their feelings wash over him, he absorbed their composure, putting on the mantle of the wolf again. A wolf hunts for a purpose, with cunning not with emotion, this is what he needed to do.

  As they were about to set off, sounds of other people coming along the path met their ears. Too far away to be seen, but the wolves could hear them. They were from the village, and the voices they could hear talked with concern. Till realised the village was close enough for them to hear the scream too, and these men were coming to look for Alissia.

  Till it would be better for the villagers to find Alissia for themselves. They can deal with the man. If we kill him, there might be questions. And repercussions.

  It was true, Till had been taught from when he was very young that it was better to keep the knowledge of their pack to themselves. They shared it with their mates, which was why he had told Alissia. Nevertheless, he had waited until he had been very sure of her before he showed her his other form. If the villagers tracked Seb, and it would not be hard, because Seb had done nothing to conceal his tracks, and they found him with a torn out throat, it would give the presence of wolves away.

  I cannot just leave and do nothing.

  We will track them. Go to the cottage, get some clothes and join the hunt with the men. If you are quick, you will arrive back here at the same time the men do. Help them track Alissia, we will make sure no harm comes to her, and perhaps we can slow the pace of the man who has your mate.