Isabel's Choice

Chapter 7 - Lars

Place and time: Kari's pack & Finn's pack (Norther River Border), about two weeks later

In the last two weeks, I have barely slept. Coincidentally, my unusual insomnia started right on the day I met Alpha Owen and his mate.

My true mate, I whined to Sven that night. My brother was more shocked than I that a female could just choose a male on account of their position. Of course he was, his Alejandra had been waiting for him patiently and chastely for more than three years. By all accounts, Isabel didn't even wait for me for a day.

"Talk to Kari," my brother suggested, his proposal so reasonable that I even considered it for a few brief seconds.

My father was an excellent Alpha. He was in fact too good of a leader, one that deserved to hold the minds of other powerful wolves and not spend his time managing Pass Street One.

His pressure on me to find my mate was light, but I did feel guilty about being the one thing standing between him and the Shifter Council position. And, whereas Kari was a bond believer through and through, I was afraid that even he would recommend me to reject that female who was bonded to another and perhaps look for a more trustworthy chosen mate.

I didn't talk to him and I made my brothers swear they wouldn't either. Eino agreed without protest, but Sven, who shared an apartment with me, and heard me pacing on the balcony night after wretched night, was about to rat me out.

"At least ask mom to give you something to sleep!" He screamed at me and this advice I was quick to follow.

I asked Ayn as casually as I could if she could prepare me some remedy because I had trouble sleeping. She interrogated me about what stress was keeping me awake, I mumbled that I didn't know, maybe I was just having trouble adapting to the change in the seasons. I loved winter and was never excited to see the plateau ditching its snowy blanket.

Ayn mentioned sometimes practicing the craft helps to release some energy, thus unwittingly providing me with an idea of lying to her.

"You are right, maybe I should practice more. Now with the Alpha training completed, but no mate by my side, I have quite a lot of time. Do you think you could find somebody to train with me?"

In the last years, I had been quite dismissive of her suggestions to grow my powers. I always argued that I needed to grow Lightning first because as Alpha I would be relying on my wolf and not my Waverider core. Consequently, what I had in terms of magic powers was just enough to annoy my brothers and do party tricks for impressing girls.

Thus, hearing me volunteering to train on the Witches' Plains, justifiably led Ayn to raise an eyebrow at me:

"Why?"

"I thought about what Sven said, you know, that I will never get wings. Maybe with more exercise, I could...."

I felt bad to use my mom's soft spot for our magic side, but training was a valid reason to cross the River, and the closest ferry started from Owen's territory. If I was lucky I could maybe, just maybe, see Isabel again.

My mom said she will speak to the Alpha and then make some calls, but that, in the meantime, she would be delighted to practice with me.

***

So here I am today, trying for the tenth time to spawn a water tornado to my mother's liking. Like the previous nine times, however, an angry snow blizzard wraps me. The only good thing about it is that it muffles the terrible curses which escape my lips.

Ayn sighs and lets her head hang low for a second as if my failure would be hers. She then takes a deep breath and encourages me:

"Come on, Waverider, one more time. Unshield your core."