Berserkr (boyxboy)

Chapter 8: A Chance

The wallboards creaked ominously as they swayed in time with the whistling symphony of wind, battling against the hearty rain that poured in a torrential downfall upon the tired earth. Though some may have found such a sound soothing, as Vali lay, once again huddled and curled up beneath the furs stacked in the far corner of Einar's empty loft, the Omega could only regard the sound as nothing short of torment.

It had been hours since Einar had last stopped by to deliver this afternoon's rations, and, having been left alone with nothing but Frode and his thoughts for so long, Vali had eventually found himself bored to the point of weariness, so fatigued from doing absolutely nothing he could hardly stand it.

And yet as his mind idled, descending into a spiral of decidedly less fortunate introspections, Vali could not deny the constant force that pricked at the back of his skull, one that continuously compelled him toward thoughts that comprised of any and everything having to do with his Alpha.

His Alpha. His Alpha. Just the mere concept that he now had such a man to call his own was enough to make Vali's cheeks flare with the heat of a thousand suns, the lighter patch of skin on the left side of his face blazing such a luminous pink that it could likely be glimpsed even through the pitch-black darkness of the loft.

And of course, remembering the night in which they indulged within one another's bodies did nothing to quell the fire. In fact, as Vali squeezed his mismatched eyes shut, and visions of sweaty limbs entwined in a fortuitous dance of passion flashed endlessly across his psyche, he soon found himself writhing beneath the furs, thighs pressed tightly together as he attempted to suppress swiftly re-awakening desire.

But as quickly as such inflammatory desires would bubble to the surface, they would soon come to be doused with a crippling typhoon of reality, one that Vali reminded himself of often, whenever the tips of slim fingers traversed along the creamy skin of his disappointingly bare nape.

Why Einar hadn't bestowed him with a mating bite that night was an elusive mystery that never failed to make Vali's heart constrict in on itself, contracting a little bit harder with each dreary beat. After all, it was plainly obvious that Einar strongly desired him, and that his Alphan instincts to protect and provide were stirred at the mere notion of his existence. And similarly, so matter how short their time together, Vali was undoubtedly drawn to his Alpha all the same. But nevertheless, no matter how long he postulated, Vali always found himself coming back to the most basic of queries – why?

On one hand, Vali wished that he would be granted the bravery to simply ask such a question. But at the same time, somehow the fear of knowing felt nearly just as terrifying as being left in the dark.

And so he simply remained, curled up and stuck in an infinite loop of unknowns as he awaited his Alpha's safe return.

The tantalizing scent of Einar that wafted from the furs was a soothing balm for tired eyes, and as he inhaled the vapors, Vali must have dozed off once or twice, as when the low creak of the ladder registered in his mind, the Omega jolted back to life at once.

Kicking the furs from his heated limbs in a scramble of excitement, Vali could barely help the way his body moved without his permission, gravitating toward the ladderwell in an almost instinctual ritual. Vibrating like an eager puppy, the Omega attempted to contain himself as a large, scarred hand appeared from the darkness, pushing aside the deerskin door.

And then, he was there.

In Einar held a torch in one hand, which illuminated the entire loft in an orangey glow as he ascended the ladderwell, blonde hair plastered against his face and neck as he dripped with residual rainfall. Vali stumbled a few steps backward to give his larger-than-life fated additional space when he stepped onto the landing, but before he could get too far, Einar was already placing the torch into the wall bracket and advancing upon him.