“Should I come? Do you need me?”

“No, this is business that would be better handled by your absence.” Bobbing my head in understanding, I watched Bearen leave.

After cleaning up the mess I had made, I looked around the house to find something to occupy my time. Since nothing fit that category, I went upstairs to my room to change into warmer clothes. I found a blue wool short sleeve jerkin with hood, trimmed in white rabbit fur, white doeskin boots also lined with fur in my armoire. At the bottom on the floor was an intricate wooden box, carved with flowers and birds. The box contained elaborate armbands. Some were silver with aquamarine stones, and others were gold with rubies.

Feeling like I was treading on someone else’s life and not mine, I gently fingered them before selecting a silver armband that had a unique design and sliding it up my arm. I was shocked when I looked at myself in the mirror. Granted, I was wearing my own clothes, but the person staring back at me was a stranger. A cunning, strong hearted woman that lived by clan laws. I swallowed nervously as that image disappeared and I saw myself. A fraud.

Chapter 6

I had been cooped up for three many days, hiding from the world, from my clan and from my father. I grabbed the fur cloak before heading to the central stables. Going around back I let myself into the stable and found Faraway.

Run Fast? He asked.

Yes!

After saddling, we headed out to a field and I let him have his run. It wasn’t long before the sound of pounding hooves could be heard from behind me. Drawing back, I looked over my shoulder and saw another rider riding hell bent towards me.

Faster! To the woods, Faraway.

Faraway ran like the wind and headed into the woods. As soon as we disappeared a ways, I had Faraway slow and I carefully stood on his saddle and latched onto a tree branch that overhung the path we traveled on. Quickly shimmying up to a higher branch, I sat and waited as Faraway waited farther up the path, getting ready to run as soon as the rider drew closer.

I heard the sound of the horse panting and the man curse as he came into view.

Go! I commanded Faraway, who took, off making a lot of noise but never going so far that I couldn’t draw on him for power. We hadn’t fully tested the distance of our bond. When the rider and his horse came into the woods and saw Faraway farther up, the man cursed again and changed direction, heading towards Faraway and me. When he came near my tree, I concentrated and pushed a lower branch farther underneath me down into his path at the last minute, and he hit it with a thud and flew backwards off of his horse. The horse panicked and dashed farther into the woods.

“OHH Stars!” the man cried as he slowly lifted himself off of the ground. His hood fell back to reveal familiar auburn hair and pain-filled green eyes.

“Fenri?” I called down from the tree. “What are you doing?”

“Thalia?” Fenri looked around the forest floor in confusion before looking up. “What are you doing in the tree?”

“Bird watching,” I teased.

“Can’t you see birds just as easily from the ground?” he asked, oblivious to my joke.

I sighed. “I didn’t know who was chasing me and I thought this was the easiest way to find out.” I lay along the huge branch on my stomach, not moving an inch closer to the ground.

Looking up at me with newfound respect, he continued, “That is smart.” Confusion filled his eyes. “How did I fall from my horse?”

“I think you must have hit something.” I said as truthfully as I could, while trying not to break eye contact or betray any hint of a smile. “Why were you chasing me?” I asked sternly, sitting up on my branch, comfortable in the fact that I was still high enough out of his reach.

He looked down at his feet before he looked up at me. “I thought you were running away.”

“Why would I run away? I just got home.”

“Has your father spoken to you yet?”

“About what?” I asked, feeling myself start to get angry. He was dancing around the subject as if I were a two year old.

“Thalia, if you can’t remember then maybe it is for the best.”

“Oh, spit it out Fenri!” I snapped. “I’m not a child that is going to run away.”

“You may have already done so.”

“What?”

“I won’t say anything else until you come down from the tree. I promise that I mean you no harm, but this is ridiculous.”

Sliding back along the branch until my rear hit the tree, I turned and lowered myself down and had a moment of panic as I realized that to get into the tree, I stood on top of Faraway. There was still a good five-foot drop. Gritting my teeth, I let go and felt warm hands encompass my thighs and squeeze as I was caught midair and lowered gently to the ground. Fenri made sure my footing was good and then backed up giving me space. Taking a deep breath he went on.

“Your father just revealed your future lifemate to the elders.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Thalia, you’ve been different since coming back. Your father is worried about the clan succession and about you. You need a strong lifemate that will help you lead the clan after your father.”

“How could he do this to me?” I blurted out, turning my back on Fenri, while I mentally called to Faraway who was around the bend. Fenri went on speaking quickly, trying to convince me.

“Bearen and Rayneld don’t see eye to eye. They’ve had an intense rivalry since childhood. He’s worried that you’ll be banished if you don’t have a husband. He did what he had to do.”

“No! He didn’t. He could have asked me, given me more time,” I shouted, frustrated at my inability to do anything.

“No, he couldn’t. If your father didn’t take these necessary steps, your uncle would have and still could petition the council for clan rights and clan leadership as the strongest candidate. Your uncle would be the clan leader followed by his son, Bvork.”

Biting my lip, I kept myself from commenting in anger as I listened to everything that Fenri said. After he quit speaking I slowly turned toward him.

“Who did my father chose as my lifemate?”

Fenri stood back about six feet from me and he looked nervous as my horse slowly walked back to me.

“He needed someone who knew what happened to you, when you were captured and the experimenting and about your gifts. After all we all saw some unusual things in the pass. What we saw was enough to make us question some of our beliefs. We all took a blood oath to keep your secret.”

“That would mean one of my clansmen that fought in the battle at the pass.” My mind worked quickly as I thought about being bonded to each of them. “Who?” I asked quietly, too quietly because Fenri didn’t respond at first.

“Who?” I said again louder, my fingers curled into a fist of fury and fright.

Fenri slowly met my eyes.

“Me.”

Chapter 7

My heart dropped. I grabbed Faraway’s mane and pulled myself up. Faraway felt my agitation and danced back and forth.

“Thalia, don’t run away again,” Fenri spoke firmly, beginning to show some of his warrior spirit.

Turning Faraway back I spoke out. “What do you mean run again?”

“The night you disappeared was the night I had planned to ask your father to consider me for your lifemate,” he spoke roughly. “You disappeared before I asked him.”