Shadow

Raedwulf Dolph

Aeral Torbet led me into the grand hall. His children dutifully following me, my mate among them. There are many tables set up, but we go to the front table. Torbet sits at the head, with his mate beside him and me on the other side. I see my mate try to take her normal position in the middle of her brothers.

“Aeral, my mate is to sit with me,” I tell him, drawing the attention of all the Torbet siblings.

“Of course,” he snaps and a servant moves her chair to be at my side. Slowly, Idonia moves to stand beside me. Her father sits and then I do, followed by the rest of the family and then the Viker. “How long will you be staying?”

“As long as necessary,” I state looking at my mate. She stared at the table, her hands neatly folded in her lap. It was obvious, at least to me, that she’s uncomfortable with the situation. She accepted me, drank my blood as per our ritual. She even still wore the cloak that I draped over her shoulders. Something was wrong still though, I needed to speak with her privately about our plans. First I needed to show Torbet and his pups all the formalities necessary. “I’ve never been this far north before. Your isle is the closest to the Shadowlands, correct?”

“Yes,” my mate answers before anyone else can. She looks up at me with an irritated tone, “The northernmost part of Theris is shroud in darkness for most of the year.”

I nod at her, silently thanking her for her words. “And you, Aeren Eske, have you seen a shadowbeast?”

“I’ve killed one, Khanel, it is a rite of passage on Theris. Your mate has as well.”

I look at the tiny, black-haired creature beside me. Shadowbeasts are thought to be the most fearsome things around. Nothing like the beasts that are inside us, not like a lycan. They are dark, ruthless, and nearly impossible to track let alone kill. My father always said that Theris’ lycans are the strongest, best-trained Viker around. I heard shadowbeasts are common in their northern parts, but to have their pups kill one as a rite of passage is crazy by many standards.

“You have?”

“I am the daughter of an Aeral, my job is to serve at the wishes of the Khannun and protect my Isle. Killing shadowbeasts is what we do,” she replies in a trance-like state.

“You’re not just the daughter of an Aeral,” I remind her. “You’re a Khanelea, a future Khanea, and my mate.”

“Yes,” she smiles tightly. “Of course, Khanel.”

“All of you have killed shadowbeasts then?”

“No,” the Aeralea replies. “Only Eske, Egil, and Idonia are the only ones who have reached that level.”

“And what about you, Aeralea, have you killed one?”

“No, I was raised on Sacole. I’ve never even seen a shadowbeast.”

The evening continued with my mate barely speaking. Most it was the Aeral, Aeralea, and Aeren who spoke to me, all trying to get on my good side. They asked about my parents, my siblings, and my home Isle of Bethlianna. I told them of my travels searching for my mate, but of no future plans. None of those plans could be finalized until I could speak with Idonia privately.

After dinner, a servant of their home took me to my chamber. Before I even entered I stopped the servant. “Where does Khanelea Idonia sleep?”

“In the northern halls, your greatness,” she informs with a small nod.

“And where are we now?”

“The eastern halls, your greatness.”

“Take me there,” I order her. She bows again before starting again. We go down a flight of stairs, across the great hall, then up another one. She takes me to a door with a crescent moon engraved in the mahogany wood.

She knocks lightly on the door, “Madam Idonia?”

“Khanelea,” I correct her with a growl. “She is a Khanelea.”

The door opens to reveal my mate, her hair is draped over one shoulder as she stood in a white nightdress. My beast was growling in my head, wanting us to hold her, kiss her, and have her under us with her legs wrapped around my hips.

“Go, Ragna,” she says and the servant leaves. Idonia lifts her head high before speaking to me. “Khanel, what brings you here?”

“You,” I answer, tilting my head to the side. “We need to talk.”

“Enter,” she opens the door fully for me. Her room is soaked in her scent, honey and flowers. The door closes as she sits beside the fire. “You never game me your name.”

I nod my head in understanding. We give out names and lineage to our mates to assure them of our strong bloodline. So I kneel before her, “Khanel Raedwulf Dolph, son of Khannun Kol Dolph and Khanea Rika Dolph. My closest relations call me Rae.”

“Who calls you Rae?”

“My mother, my two closest Viker, my siblings, and hopefully you.”

“I can call you Rae?”

I reach forward and touch my hand to her cheek, “You’re my mate.”

She stands and walks to the window. “I never asked for a mate.”

“You accepted me,” I growl, standing and following her.

“For my family’s sake. Don’t think for a second I actually want you.”

My beast roars, grabbing her arms harshly and pushing her back against a wall. Her entire body is pressed against mine and our eyes bore into one another. She’s afraid. I can see it, I can practically smell it on her. My eyes darken as she struggles against me.

“No,” I order her, forcing her against the wall more than she already is. My body presses into her, feeling her warm body through the white nightdress. “You’re mine.”

“I’m no one’s.”

I growl, my fangs extending before I press my lips to hers. Biting lightly on her lower lips as I do so. Her legs clench together as I continue to kiss her. One of my fangs scrapes on her lip and blood comes out. I suck on them, drawing the blood into my mouth.

When I pull back, blood falls from her lips. Her fangs as prominent as mine.

“You are mine, Idonia. I don’t care how long this takes, but I will have you as my mate and Khanelea.”

“What if I refuse?”

I press my hips to hers, watching her gasp slightly. “You won’t, not when I’m done with you.”