Hel's Huntsman

8 - Please don't give up

Kayson

I chase my brother through the woods, but I can barely keep up with him. As soon as Kailus fled from Mom’s cabin, I took chase. Kailus seemed to be in a panic, which sent me into a panic. Something was wrong, and my brother needed me.

We reach the cliff two miles from home, and I narrow my eyes because there’s a crowd of people.

Orion is lying on the ground, hanging over the edge. Devonte, Orion’s brother, holds Orion’s legs so he doesn’t fall. My uncles and grandfather bark orders to those around them, and Kailus skids across the ground until he’s beside Orion.

“Sas!” My brother screams.

Sas?

‘Something happened to Sasappis.’

‘I gathered that much, Adder!’ I didn’t mean to snap at my Lycan, but way to point out the obvious!

‘Jerkoff!’ Adder snaps, then shuts me out. I’ll worry about my Lycan later; my nephew needs help!

“What the hell happened?”

Viggo comes closer, looking shocked. “We were hunting, and Sas was chasing a wild boar. Something caught Sas’s attention from the left, but he couldn’t stop in time and went right over the edge of the cliff. I tried to bring him back up, but I couldn’t reach him.”

“Why didn’t you teleport and get him?! I’m sorry, Viggo. I didn’t mean to snap.”

Viggo’s jaw ticks. “I tried, Kayson. But for some reason, I can’t. My powers aren’t working, and I don’t know why.”

“Because you’re scared.” I clasp my nephew’s shoulder and squeeze.

I sometimes forget that Viggo is still learning how to use his powers. He has lessons with Fenrir daily. But Viggo has never seen a friend in danger. And, yes, most would spring into action, and perhaps Viggo did. But something blocked him, and he couldn’t help Sasappis. That’s not Viggo’s fault, and I should have been more understanding.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that.”

“It’s fine.”

“Sas, hold on. I’m gonna get you out of this. Please don't give up.”

“Dad, I can’t hold on much longer.”

I rush over to my brother and lie beside him on my stomach. I can sense Orion tiering. He’s holding as tightly as he can to the thick branch, which Sasappis is holding the other end of, but the strain is causing Orion to grit his teeth.

“Don’t you dare let go, Sasappis.”

“Dad, I’m sorry,” A tear falls from Sas’s eye.

“No!” I yell because I can see my nephew’s hands slipping.

“Auntie, no!” I hear Viggo yell just as my mate dives over the cliff’s edge.

I smile as she floats in the air around Sasappis. She winks at me, grabs Sas, and disappears. Everyone clambers to their feet and stares wide-eyed at Hel, who is stroking Sasappis’s cheek.

“You’re okay now. Yes?”

Sas nods. “Thank you so much. You saved my life!”

“Sasappis!”

“Dad!” My nephew runs to my brother, who holds him closely and kisses his head. I can see the relief and fear in my brother’s eyes as he looks to the sky, trying to calm his breathing. “I thought I’d lost you.”

“I’m sorry, Dad. I’m so sorry.”

“Sasappis!” Tama runs through the trees, grabs Sas from Kailus, and sobs while holding him. “My baby.”

“I’m sorry, Mom.”

As Tama leads Sas away from us, Kailus looks at my mate and tips his head in thanks. Hel smiles in return.

Everyone is now looking at Hel. She stands proud, not shying away as some would.

My grandfather is the first to speak. “You saved my great-grandson’s life.”

Hel nods. “It was nothing.”

“Maybe to you. But to us, it was everything. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I didn’t think I’d be able to hold on.” Orion shakes his head at me. “I could feel him slipping, Kayson. My heart was in my throat.”

I clasp his shoulder. “I know, but you did good, Orion. You held on until help came.”

Devonte wraps his arm around his brother’s shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up, man. You did all you could.”

Orion and Devonte couldn’t be more different if they tried. Orion’s biological mother, Ciska, is tall, blonde, and beautiful. Ciska’s mate, April, is Devonte’s biological mother. Ciska and April wanted a brother or sister for Orion, so when he was two, Ciska and April traveled to Lykos to meet with a woman who could perform artificial insemination. That’s not an easy thing to do regarding Werewolves, though Gianna Dalgaard has had many success stories. However, it wouldn’t be Ciska carrying the baby this time. April wanted to experience pregnancy, so they decided she would be the one to have the baby.

Before they left, Davy, a pack member who has been with my dad for more years than even they can remember, joked that a Witch, which April is, should be able to use a spell and get herself pregnant. If it were that easy, Witches everywhere would use the spell to have a baby. The fool!

When April and Ciska returned, they were over the moon. The pack was ready to celebrate with them. The birth of a new baby is something to cherish. However, Ciska informed Mom and Dad that both she and April were pregnant. Ciska couldn’t resist getting pregnant, so they both proceeded with the insemination. They had decided to use the same donor so their babies would have the same father. Devonte and Rafe were born a day apart, and Orion was in his element to have two new brothers.

Orion tries to be a good big brother and show Devonte and Rafe the best way to be. But Rafe can be a little sh.it sometimes.

Can’t all younger brothers?

“She’s pretty special, your mate.”

I look over at Hel, still in conversation with my family, and smile. “Yeah, she is.”

“You’re a lucky man, Kayson.”

I chuckle at Orion. “I am that. Don’t worry; your time will come.”

Orion shakes his head. “I wouldn’t wish me on anyone.” With that, he walks away.

Devonte sighs. “Sorry. He’s not doing so well lately.”

“What’s going on, Devonte?”

“Remember when Alpha sent us into town last week?” I nod. “Orion found his mate, but she rejected him. He ordered me not to say anything, but I had to. I can’t bear that my brother believes no one will ever want him because of who his father was and what he did to Mom.”

I close my eyes and shake my head. This is all we need; a rejected Werewolf can be a dangerous one if the mate bond doesn’t take them.

“Try not to worry, Devonte. I’ll speak with my father and see if he can help.” I smile as Hel slides up beside me and wraps her arms around my waist. I kiss her head as Devonte tips his head and walks away. “Hey there.”

“Hi.” She smiles at me.

“Thank you for what you did, Hel. I could have lost my nephew today.”

“But you didn’t. Try not to dwell on what might have been, Kayson. We need to work on your new powers.”

I close my eyes and shake my head at myself. I am so stupid. There I was talking about Viggo being too scared to teleport, and I forgot that I now have Hel’s powers. I could have teleported down there and brought Sasappis to safety!

“Hey,” With her hands on my face, Hel forces me to look into her mismatched eyes. “Everything is okay, Kayson.”

“But it might not have been. Goddess only knows what would have happened to Sas if you hadn't been here. Fenrir isn’t here, so no one could call him for help. Viggo couldn’t use his powers because he was terrified and froze up, and I didn’t even think about the powers you gave me. What kind of idio.t am I?”

Hel smiles. “You’re not an idio.t, Kayson. Before you and I mated, you could turn back time, among a few other things. But you could not teleport. We’ve been locked in our cabin for four days, wrapped up in one another the whole time. When would we have had time to talk about Godly powers and abilities?”

I smile at my beautiful mate. She’s right; we have been locked in our cabin for days. When she asked me to take her the day she arrived, I couldn’t stop making love to her. I explored every inch of Hel, and she did the same to me. The only time we stopped fuckin.g was to eat, use the bathroom, and bathe together. No one disturbed us, and it was just her and me the whole time.

Every fantasy I ever had came to life within those few days. Hel was everything I ever imagined, and boy, did she teach me a thing or two. We marked one another because that’s what Hel wanted. There was no reason to deny my mate anything when this is it for us; we will always be together.

I stroke the black letters of my name tattooed over Hel’s chest. It appeared right after I marked her. It shocked me because I wasn’t expecting it, which was dumb, I guess, considering the same thing happened to Fenrir when he mated with Winter.

“I love you, Hel. I can’t even describe how much because there are no words.”

“I love you, too, Kayson. Try not to think about what might have happened. Let’s just return to your pack and make sure Sasappis is doing okay.”

I stroke Hel’s cheek before tucking her hair behind her ear. “You have a good heart, Hel.”

“Many would disagree with you.” My mate chuckles sadly. “But as long as you think so, that’s all that matters to me.”

I lean in and kiss her just because I can. I can’t stop kissing my mate. I’ve waited too long to have her lips against mine, so I take every opportunity to do so.

“That is the single most disgusting thing I have ever seen!”

I pull away from Hel, eyes wide, and a growl ripping from my throat!

“Kayson, stop!” I hear Hel scream right before I lunge.