Tears blurred her vision as Gisela made her way out of the alpha's house. She wanted to be alone to cry her heart out and at the same time she wanted someone to comfort her.
Suddenly strong arms rested on her shoulder and spun her around.
"Forgive me child." Gerald Faire's voice wafted over her as he pulled her into an embrace. She sobbed against his chest.
"I swear to you Gisela I would look after you for as long as I live. You will want for nothing."
Gisela stayed in his embrace and cried until the tears stopped falling.
Once her calm had returned, Gisela gentle extracted herself from the hug. Nodding gently to him, she turned around and walked away.
The following weeks went by without incident, Gisela threw herself into her work. She rose with the sun and worked until she was past the point of exhaustion. Late at night she crawled into bed limp from exhaustion and fell into deep, dreamless sleep. Soon the pack began to prepare for Renard's joining.
As the healer it was Gisela's duty to attend to the females about to be joined for five days before the ceremony. It was a task she dreaded and anticipated in equal measure. On the first day she had walked in on Renard and his mate to be sharing a passionate kiss and all her anger had returned so suddenly she screamed. But just laying eyes on Renard again was enough for her heart to remember just how much she loved him.
She hung on every word he said to her, clutched shamelessly to any opportunity to meet with him.
Gisela had though that on a normal, she'd hate whoever became Renard's mate in her stead but she found herself liking Astrid more and more. Had they met under any other circumstance, the two would have become best of friends. She'd been shocked when during their first moment alone together the woman had apologized to her for usurping her as Renard's mate and in the same breath warned Gisela that she would never forgive or overlook her mate having an affair.
They formed a strained sort of friendship over the first three days together and this allowed Gisela to preform her duties with relative ease. Most of the time she was just grateful to be in the home where she had fallen in love with Renard and be so close to him, the rest of the time she was irritated by the constant reminder of what could have been.
On the fourth day she was summoned to the alpha's study.
Gisela knocked tentatively on the thick oak door before she stepped in.
All at once a wave of nostalgia washed over her, she'd made so many memories in this room as a child, good memory she'd always remember fondly, most of which had been centered around the man seated behind the table before her. The gentle way he looked at her was proof that he too was thinking about a time when she'd been a little girl, and he'd been like a father to her.
Gerard Faire nodded towards a chair and Gisela sank into it.
He cleared his throat.
"Gisela Fontenay, a man has approached me recently, he wants to welcome you into his family. He proposed a joining between you and his son."
The silence was deafening.
Gisela shook her head, she'd never considered mating with anyone if he wasn't Renard. She looked across the table and Gerard shook his head.
"I'm afraid little one, it wasn't up for negotiation. Unless you've forgotten, you were meant to perish with your traitorous father."
Gisela flinched, but held her tongue. Utilizing her silence, the alpha continued.
"You were spared on the promise that you would become a part of my lineage. That is no longer possible and certain people have become, restless. Need I say more?"
Gisela looked the alpha in the eye as she spoke.
"You promised you would care for me."
"This is me caring for you Gisela! The man who asked for your hand is an elder in the pack and a distant relative of mine. The people are willing to accommodate you if you consent to marry into his household. Refusal will cost you your life!"
Gisela responded calmly. "You'd think they would value me after all I've done for them as healer "
Gerard's reply came from between clenched teeth. " Make no mistake Gisela, our value for the healer is the only thing that has kept you alive for this long. Do not forget that we can always anoint a new healer."
Rage flashed behind Gisela's eyes. "Then why haven't you done it yet, alpha?"
"Do not tempt us child!"
Gisela inclined her head in a show of subservience. To disregard the alpha is to curse the moon. Keeping a tight leash on her temper Gisela repeated the mantra.
Gerard spoke again after quietly observing her for a while.
"You are to be joined under the same moon as my son is joined to his mate. You may leave."
Gisela rose, it took every ounce of self control she possessed to not slam the door shut as she exited the study.
Tears stung her eyes as she marched back to the Astrid's quarters.
THE SKOLLHEIM
Theobald wrapped his scarf tighter to ward off the chill. It was an awfully cold night.
Fenrir had grown increasingly restless over the past months and everyone did their best to stay out of his way. Luckily for all of them his fickle moods didn't affect the running of the pack, the boy had possessed the foresight to appoint heads over various regions of the packs territory.
The air was chilly, so being outdoors was rather unreasonable, yet something beckoned to him and he walked deeper and deeper into the debate forest. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a woman sitting before a purple flame. He cautiously approached her, his eyes fixed on the flames.
"Who are you?" He asked when he was close enough to feel the warmth of the flame, which was a little too much. The woman's face was hidden beneath a cloak, all of her features were hidden beneath it. But she couldn't hide her scent.
Theobald's eyes bulged as he registered the scent.
He fell to his knees
"Elsbeth?"