Filed to story: Luna Riannon and Alpha Brayden Novel
“Tyr, what the f*ck?” he growled, trying to free himself, but it proved impossible. He tried to reach his wrist to get the beads… only to realise his mistake.
“Tyr?” he roared, the sound echoing through the tall walls of the cave.
“I am sorry, Rir.” The God of War was unusually quiet. “I had no choice-“
“What did you think?” Vidar walked out of the darkness, and Fenrir realised the gravity of the situation. “That Tyr is really your friend? He was just watching you because it was an order! You have no friends!”
“Release me!” Fenrir demanded, struggling against the strange chain that was so thin and yet prevented him from moving
Vidar’s boot landed harshly on his face.
“Do you even realise how much work that was to submit you finally? So many creatures had to take part. We had to repeat werewolves and create werecats, werebirds, werebears… all just for you. So that Gleipnir could be made.
“
“Gleipnir?” Fenrir met his rival’s gaze and got hit in the stomach.
“The chain that bound the monstrous wolf,” Vidar explained. “The sound of a cat’s footfall, the roots of a mountain, the claws of the bear, the breath of the siren, the feather of the birds and a maiden’s hair. As a special courtesy to you, we used Astraea’s strand to bring you down. I hope you can find some solace in it because nothing else will ever happen to you. This is where you stay to rot forever. Forever!*
PRESENT TIME
This was so clever that if he weren’t absolutely furious, he would probably complement Salome on the idea.
Gleipnir, the chain that held him prisoner once, was the only thing able to contain him. Temporary because he already broke it once, and he would do it again. And yet it would hold him here for quite some time.
Anger coursing through his veins, he tried to concentrate on reaching the state just like back then.
It seemed like hours had passed, but he still had no results.
This was when an ethereal glow illuminated the void, and he saw an elegant figure appearing right before him.
“Long time no see, Fenrir.”
SOLACE
Astrea watched the people surrounding her with anger written all over their faces. Their fury was palpable, and the worst part was that she couldn’t even blame them for it.
She was the one at fault; she knew it very well. Maybe not directly, but she was the reason for what was happening, and it was eating her from the inside out.
Yet it did break her heart a little that, once again, she was an outsider, the odd one out. She allowed herself to live in happy bliss, thinking she had finally found a place she could call home for just a few hours.
Now, the heavy reality of her situation sunk in.
She would never belong anywhere.
Astrea was thinking of what to do when her eyes met a pair of dark ones, and everything became clear instantly.
Salome was smirking. SMIRKING!
Shall we kill her as a farewell gift to Solace? Nova suggested sarcastically. They would do so much better without her! Just saying.
When did murder solve any troubles? Astrea tried not to let emotions take over her.
I can’t stand when such people win, the wolf grunted.
There is no world where we allow ourselves to be set up like that and let the person at fault get away with it, Astrea assured her.
This was the main thing she learned on the Firstborn Island. You let them walk over you once, and it would never end.
“That’s her fault!” Someone shouted, pointing at the newcomer again. “Everyone in Raja died because of her!”
“We should kill her for this!” Some man insisted. “My son is dead thanks to her! She ruined our lives!”
“Kill her, and you will join him!” Kara crossed her hands over her chest, stepping before Astrea as if to shield her.
Her unnervingly calm voice was not mistaken for a sign of weakness, so a few people took a few steps back.
“Let’s remember the rules of Solace for a moment.” Devoss tried to calm everyone down with his usual carefree expression. “No murders allowed! No physical fights! You know what the punishment is!”
A wave of disapproval rippled through the crowd. They really wanted her blood.
Astrea noticed Warg and Bash running from another corner of the square towards them, but she couldn’t tell yet if this was good or bad. If Kara and Devoss were on her side and Salome was clearly against her, both Warg and Bash remained a mystery.
“She deceived Fenrir!” someone suggested bitterly. “We need to throw her out of Solace!”
“Good riddance!” another supported the idea. “Let her join her people!”
Astrea’s patience was growing thin by the minute. They didn’t know what they were talking about.
“I did not deceive Fenrir!” she announced loudly, making everyone quiet as she raised her hand to draw attention. “I came from the South, yes, but Fenrir knew everything there was to know about me. Who do you think your King is?”
That was a powerful argument. They may not have trusted her, but they had no doubts about their King. That gave Astrea the confidence to go on.
“On top of that, I had no idea Solace existed, and I didn’t ask to be brought here. Fenrir did it because of an accident on the border of Raja, and I was not aware until I woke up here. But I don’t regret anything. I am happy I ended up in this place and got to meet you all. This was a life-changing experience. All that being said, I have no part in what happened in Raja. I didn’t know about it and-“
“Shut up!” An older woman growled at her. “We all know that there was a breach here in Solace! For the first time ever! And we know that you were there! You brought the enemy here! You are at fault!”
“Now the Southern army is probably marching here!”
Someone from the back added!
Astrea clenched her fists
“It’s true that I knew the people who breached Solace, and I was there when it happened!” She breathed out and prospered to tell them everything. It couldn’t get worse anyway. “But I didn’t invite them. I didn’t help them! | didn’t know it would happen, and when I found out… I chose to fight for Solace! | killed two spies out of three with my own hands and almost died in the process! This was why Fenrir believed me! He saw it with his own eyes!”
She could tell that people were not so sure anymore, but most were far from convinced. After all, words were just words.
“It’s true!” Kara confirmed, and they seemed to believe her more. “I was there as well.”
“Not to mention that I couldn’t help anyone to get in!” Astrea decided to give them some harsh facts. “All the intruders had bead bracelets on, and before this morning, I didn’t have one. It could be literally anyone but me!”
She raised her wrist to demonstrate the beads Fenrir gave her just a few hours ago, and finally, everyone got quiet.
“See?” Kara pointed at the jewellery piece. “Fenrir trusts her, and he knows everything! Why are you still questioning her?”
“This-” Salome became pale as she pushed through the crowd. “Who gave it to you? So many-“
The witch’s lips trembled uncontrollably, but Astrea did not feel sorry for her. Not anymore
“The question is,” Devoss was smirking, “who did have access to those other beads? Salome, dear, do you have any idea?”
The witch’s head snapped to him defiantly as she regained her composure.
“For starters, you did, Dev,” she replied unemotionally, rolling her eyes to demonstrate how unbothered she was by the subtle accusations.
“And who else?” The fox’s lips curled.
“Look,” Bash stepped forward. “That’s not important right now. We have an army moving towards us, and Fenrir is missing.”
“And whose fault is that?” Devoss arched his brow, making the blonde guy frown.
They all knew more than they were telling her.
“Their leader would stop at nothing to get what he wants!”
The witch interrupted him again. “We need to work on problems at hand!”