Hel's Huntsman

7 - Motherly love

Winter

‘Are you okay, Mom?’

Mom doesn’t turn away from the window when she answers. “I was just watching Kayson. I’ve never seen him so happy.”

I look out of my mother’s front window and smile. Kayson is chopping firewood while Hel sits on a tree stump, watching him. My brother’s muscles ripple each time he brings down that axe onto the wood. Hel bites her lower lip, meaning she likes what she sees.

Do not need to know!

“Where did my baby boy go, Winter?”

I wrap my arm around my mom’s shoulder, and she leans her head against mine. ‘I could ask the same question.’

I understand how Mom feels. She feels like she’s losing her baby, but so do I. Mom had Kayson from a baby, and he stayed a little boy until he met Hel. My Viggo was a baby for such a short time. When Fenrir first told me that Viggo would grow twice the rate of other children, I naïvely believed that meant just his body. But his mind aged at the same rate, and now my ten-year-old son looks, thinks, and acts as though he were twenty-five, just three years younger than me!

I lost my little boy a long time ago. Viggo is a man, and I really should try to separate that from the little boy he should be. But it’s hard when I feel like Viggo missed out on all the joys of childhood.

I can’t deny that Viggo makes me proud to be a mother. He’s strong and smart, and he's everything I hoped he would be. Viggo is kind and caring, and he loves his siblings fiercely. His father is his best friend, and he would do anything for me. I love my boy, but it hurts to let go.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. That was selfish of me.”

‘No,’ I kiss Mom’s head. ‘I just meant that I understand how you feel. I don’t know when Viggo will get a mate, but I hope it’s not for some years to come. Maybe that’s selfish, but to me, he’s ten, not the twenty-five-year-old man he is.’

“My mother used to say that your son is your son until he takes a wife, but your daughter is your daughter all your life.” Mom chuckles. “She also told me how much it hurts when your child finds their mate because they will never need you as they once did. Losing my only daughter to Fenrir was bad enough; then Kailus found Tama, Cree found Narfi and Aether, and all I had left was Kayson.

“Don’t get me wrong, you, Cree, and Kailus are my world. After everything we went through when you were babies, I held you all a little closer. I never thought I’d have another baby after the three of you. I didn’t think I could carry any more pups. But then Kayson came along, and our family was complete. I knew there would be no more children after him, so I smothered him a little too much.”

I laugh while nodding my head. I know Mom loves Kailus, Cree, and me just as much as she loves Kayson. But the bond between them is different. Having struggled to carry him, she became incredibly protective of him. With Hel being away so long, Mom believed she would have her little boy at home much longer. We all knew Hel would return for Kayson, but I think Mom hoped it would be in years to come.

I smile while watching Hel wipe the sweat from Kayson’s forehead with a rag, making him smile. He leans in and kisses her softly. The love in Hel’s eyes for my brother is not something I ever believed I would see.

“She loves him so much.”

I nod. ‘That’s obvious to anyone with eyes, Mom.’ I chuckle. ‘He loves her just as much.’

“I wasn’t expecting the tattoo of your brother’s name to appear across her chest, though.”

I smile. It must be a Norse thing because my name is tattooed across Fenrir’s chest. As soon as we mated, the tattoo appeared. Hel is wearing a low-cut shirt so everyone can see the cursive tattoo she proudly wears.

“What will I do when Kayson leaves with his mate?”

‘Kayson isn’t leaving the way Cree and I did, Mom. He’ll be here far more than the two of us.’

Not that Cree is home all that much these days. He comes home two or three times a year if we’re lucky. I try and make it home every couple of months for a week. It’s not always easy when I have such a large pack to run. Plus, Fenrir and I visit his Realm every now and then.

Viggo would rather be here with the Wild Pack than anywhere else. When we’re here, my son is at his happiest. He was born to be wild, but Fenrir doesn’t allow our son to stay without us. Believe me, Viggo has asked many times if he can stay here with Kayson. My brother and my son are best friends, but Fenrir refuses.

Now that Viggo is a man, I fear he’ll leave us and stay here with my family. Fenrir said that until Viggo is technically sixteen, our boy will do as he’s told. I don’t want to lose my son as much as Mom doesn’t want to lose Kayson. But I fear it’s inevitable.

“It’s natural for our children to find their mates and fly the nest. But I didn’t realize it would feel like this. My mother still has most of her children at home. Thane, Theo, Tyler, Isla, Thorin, Tane, and even Blaze have most of their kids at home. They would,” Mom laughs. “They live in Lykos. Ignore me, darling. I’m just having a moment.”

‘I will not ignore you.’ I hug my mother to me. ‘You have every right to feel the way you do, Mom. I feel the same about Viggo. I know he’s going to leave me sooner rather than later. My boy belongs here in the wild, and one day, he’ll visit and never leave.’

Mom pulls away from me and cups my cheek. “Do you really believe that?”

‘I do. But do you know what? If that’s what Viggo chooses, then that’s okay with me. I know Fenrir wants more for Viggo, but I will never stand in the way of what my son wants. I know you won’t stand in Kayson’s way, either.’

“Of course, I won’t.”

I smile. ‘That’s because you are a wonderful mother, Starr Blake.’

Mom laughs and hugs me tightly. “As are you, my beautiful daughter.”

We both laugh as strong arms wrap around us. “Why are you so worried, Mom?” We look at Kailus. “You still have me. I’ll never leave you.”

“Aww, my boy. I love you.”

Kailus kisses Mom’s head and then mine. “I love you, too. I know you’re hurt that Kayson has grown up. But we all do some time.”

Mom smiles while cupping Kailus’s cheek. “I know, baby. It’s just not easy to let go. Selene paired three out of my four children with Gods. Fenrir and Hel are two of the most powerful there is, and I worry.

“I know how strong Kayson is, but Hel is much older and more powerful. She’s a woman no one wants to mess with.”

I giggle when Kailus rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, Mom, meaning no one will mess with your little boy. Kayson will be just fine. But I think this has more to do with you not wanting to let go rather than who Kayson is mated to.”

Mom groans. “You’re right. I’m sorry, I’m a basket case.”

“No, you’re not.” Kailus smiles and kisses Mom’s head. “You’re a mother who loves her children. You might not want to let go, and you never have to fully. But I know you won’t stand in Kayson’s way of happiness with Hel because you always put your kids and their happiness first.”

“That’s what all mothers do, Kailus.”

He shakes his head. “No, that’s what all mothers should do, Mom. But there are some who don’t. But your children couldn’t have asked for anyone better than you to be our mother. We love you so much. You know that, don’t you?”

“Of course I do, Kailus.” Mom takes my hand, making me smile, as she strokes Kailus’s cheek. “The two of you, Cree and Kayson, are everything to me. We had a tough start in the beginning, the three of us and Cree. It wasn’t easy for me to carry Kayson. But your father gave me the strength to be the best mother I could. You have all grown up with the same values, and I am honored and blessed to be your mother.”

Emotion fills me as Mom pulls Kailus and me into her arms. I love my mother so much. She once told me that becoming a mother was everything she ever dreamed it would be. Nothing she ever did for us was a sacrifice because my brothers and I were her everything.

The moment ends, and Kailus pulls away and looks at me .“Where’s Fenrir today?”

‘He popped back to our Realm to sort something, but he’ll be back later.’

“Dad!” Kailus pulls away from Mom and me as his son, Grayson, runs toward us. “Come quick!”

“Gray, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Sasappis! He fell over the cliff!”

My eyes widen as Kailus takes off with the speed of his Lycan. Sasappis is technically Kailus's brother-in-law, but the boy calls my brother dad. Kailus took his mate's brother on as his child the day he met Tama. Sas also calls Tama Mom, and the boy is so loved.

Mom takes my hand, and we rush out of her house. If anything happens to Sasappis, I don’t know what Kailus will do. But it won't be good.