Isabel's Choice

Chapter 8 - Lars

Place and time: same as in the last chapter

When we are finally outside, Ayn takes a deep breath. It seems to be useless to grounding her, her body is still tensed, fists shaking next to her hips.

"Mom, by the Goddess, I have a lot of questions!" I also exhale, trying to lean against her shoulder, but she shifts her weight away from me. Her green-speckled eyes are staring blankly at the River that shines carelessly in front of us.

"Mom, are you ok?" I ask, expecting her to lie through clenched teeth like she always does to me and my brothers, whenever we inquire about her well-being.

But she cannot even be bothered to deceive me. She looks at her pendant watch and whispers distracted:

"I also have to get some answers, Lars. Do you want to wait here or do you want your orange card?"

"Luna, I don't think you should be going anywhere right now," I address her from the Beta role I am holding this afternoon, but my grip on her is weak, the one of a pup worried about their mother. She easily wiggles herself out of it and she immediately rises into the afternoon sky that glows like molten glass.

"Fuck, mom, where are you going???" I yell furiously at her concealing cloud, which just floats faster towards the River. "Kari will kill you when you come back," is my final threat, hitting uselessly the empty air.

I walk towards the huge park in front of Finn's villa and collapse on a bench. My revenge on my mother for her careless escape will be cruel. It is not I who will wait for her at the River Border, but the Alpha I am planning to summon. By text message.  I can do cruel, but apparently not brave when it comes to confessing my failure as a Beta.

My note is read quickly, but there is no reply for a few minutes. As I am getting ready to follow up with a specific question, just to check if Kari's phone is still working or if he slammed it into a wall, a sunshine-filled voice startles me:

"Lars? Oh Goddess, it really is you, Lars!" Raya's hug is inappropriate enough to make my wolf growl at her. She is fast to take a step back, her obsidian eyes watching me questioningly from under her fringe. Last winter, when I was here for my secondment, Lighting didn't protest when she kissed me, so this is new for her.

But last winter my soul and my brain were free because I hadn't yet met Isabel. Even if my mate is bound to Owen, my beast is of the opinion that she is still ours and we must not defile the nascent bond by touching another female.

"Hi, Raya," I bow to her politely, arms crossed on my chest. „How have you been?"

"Based on your wolf's mood, I am going to say better than you. I heard you came with your Luna - where is she? "

"Probably breaching your dad's borders somewhere!" I exclaim, frustrated.

„Are you her official escort?"

I nod silently and Raya grins like a husky hyena:

"You are so fucked."

I cringe at how vulgar those words sound when uttered in her childish voice.

"Where did she go?"

"Good question, young female. Maybe she went to smite her mentor who was allegedly bonded to your grandfather?"

"What?!" Raya doesn't have a wolf yet, but when she's shocked, she can snarl quite like one.

"Oh, don't feel bad," I comfort her, my words swimming in uncontained sarcasm. „Your parents didn't know either...But Raya, I don't want to spoil the interesting dinner conversation you'll have tonight," it's my turn to grin mischievously at her.