Torn between Wolves & Myths (Book 2)

"When Freya searched their bloodlines to awaken the mate bond and find them more power, she found something she hadn't meant to release."

"I know you were told the story, but there are some things that the others don't know." Her father said, before he turned and started to walk again. Liv followed immediately, listening to her father who continued the story.

"When Sisters accepted their wolf, something was buried inside of them. It was the same thing that killed the other female's that rejected the wolf. Freya was curious and pulled on the thread that awakened the power in them. The sisters suddenly got picth black eyes and hair and when they used it, their veins turned black. It was poison for anyone who was touched with it and they would die a horrible painful death.

My mother had gone to Freya asking what she had done to them. The answer was that they had gained the power of pure Essence.

It was the Essence of the wolf that hadn't been mixed with a host.

The Essence resided in any who's a shifter, but because it was inside the wolf it wasn't deadly once the wolf was joined with the host. The only way a shifter could use the Essence was to bite another. It's the poison that comes free.

Because the power was only the Essence and not the wolf itself, it was deadly poisones to any who would come in contact with it. Even worse than when the poison comes free with a bite.

My mother and aunt had to learn how to control it in the same way a Moonblood needs to learn how to control and use her powers.

It wasn't without problems, but they got it done. The Ulfhednars gave them the name Essens.

They found their soulmates soon after. That's where everything went wrong. The Essence was highly linked to emotions. Whenever they would become too much, it would lash out. Their mates often got the brunt of it, but it didn't kill them because they shared a bit of the power from the Sisters, at least not instantly."

"That's how they died." Liv spoke as she connected the dots in her head.

Her father nodded. "Even though the Essence didn't kill them instantly, it took a bit of their life everytime they were hit with it. My father died when my mother gave birth to me. He was hit with the Essence when the pain and her emotions got too bad."

Liv looked horrified at het father. "The same time my first cries filled the room, my fathers life left him."

"Oh my gods." Liv breathed in horror.

"My mother never forgave herself for killing him and soon after she followed him, not being able to bear life knowing she killed him and robbed me of my father. I know she never wanted to leave me behind, but she was too afraid of the same thing happening to me.

My uncle didn't die during Ulf's birth, but it wasn't long after that the Essence took him as well."

Liv didn't know what to say. She knew the story about the history, but there were definately some key parts left out of it.

"I thought that the power died with them, but when you were born and that same power lashed out, I knew that it now forever resided in our bloodline.

Your mother thought that you were cursed, but I knew different. We made the decision to keep the fact that you are an Essens from everyone. Not knowing what it meant that you had both the power of a Moonblood and an Essens."

Liv looked at her hands as she thought about everything her father had told her.

"The Lycanthropes have never heard about the Sisters being Essens either, have they?" She asked as she looked back at her father.

"No. Neither have the Ulfhednars talked about them being Essens after they died. They believed it to be a darkness on their memories."

"Why would it be?" Liv asked. "They were the first to become and Essens, the fact that no one knew what their power could do is not their fault."

"No one ever saw it as their fault, but our beloved Royals turned out to be-"

"Weak." Liv finished as she gulped.

"Weaker than they expected." Her father corrected. "They were more powerful than any other Ulfhednar, which made many believe that they were invincible. The reality was that they were still mortal and that was a slap in the face for many."

Liv looked at her hands again and focussed on the darkness that has always been inside of her. As she did she saw the locks of her hair turn black before the veins in her fingers started to turn black

A powerful feeling came over her. One that she had felt a lot when she lived in the human world.

Her mother had always told her to suppress the darkness, the Essence, and to never let it come forward. She had tried to listen, but when she lived in the human world, working jobs that scarred her for life, it was sometimes so much easier to let the Essence come forward and take care of the job without having blood coating her hands.

"You've been using it."

Liv pulled herself back from the Essence and looked at her father as her eyes, hair and hands turned to their normal color.

"I have seen how my mother controlled it and if I am sure about one thing it's that your control over it is a lot stronger. It's not as tied to your emotions as your Moonblood powers are and your Moonblood powers aren't as tied to your age as they should be. The two are tampering each other, making things possible that haven't been before."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Honestly, I don't know."

Hoping for a different answer she sighed and dropped her head.

"Is that why you are sorry, for not telling me?"

"Partly." He said, before he stood a bit straighter. "But my mistake is to never have told you to use it."

Her eyebrows shot up as she looked at him. "We believed it to be something bad, that you being an Essens was the worst thing to happen to you. We couldn't have been more wrong. You using it when you lived in the human world was proof of that."

She swallowed as she held his gaze. This was not something that she had expected.

"How did you know I've used it in the human world?"

He gave her a small smile again. "I have seen flashes of your life whenever I walked these frozen lands."

She gave him a small smile as well before she wrapped her arms around herself. "What have you seen?"

Her fathers smile fell. "Everything you are thinking about right now."

All the bad stuff that had ever happened in her life.

"I'm sorry you went through all that." He added.

"It's not your fault." She answered as she shrugged.

"Sometimes it feels like it." He answered as he took a few steps forward and stopped on the ridge of the hill they had been walking on.

She walked up next to him. Her mouth fell open as she looked down and saw the village. She remembered this picture from when her parents had brought her up here.

"You have the luxury to choose who you want to be. Where you want to belong.”

“How will I choose?” Liv asked as she looked at the valley before she met her mother’s gaze once again. “When the time comes, you will know.”

The houses were as far as she could tell still intact and there were enough to house everyone who came with her.

"You have had your whole life to believe that you are a Lycanthrope Moonblood, but the truth is that you are also an Ulfhednar Essens. Besides that you are also and Alpha and Princess. We always believed that you would one day have the luxury to choose who you want to be, but destiny always has a way to tie us in a knot. Yet, I still want to give you a choice, although I have a feeling you don't need it." He said as he turned towards her.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she looked at the wide expanse of the territory.

Her fathers territory.

Her territory.

This was her home and she was the Alpha of the Greenland pack.

Her father had been the King of the Ulfhednar and she is now their princess. One hell of a powerful one too. She had used the Essens powers in the past, but always thought she needed to keep it hidden. Now, she was going to use them, with her fathers blessing.

Pyry had been right. She had found the meaning of her darkness here.

Her name was not something she needed to be ashamed off. No, from now on she was going to wear it with pride.

"You are right, I don't need it, because I have already made it."

Her father smiled at her once more. "Welcome home, Alpha Kerra Livana Greenland."

A pulse went trough the territory, before howls filled the air.

She turned around as wolves ran towards her at high speed. They yipped in happiness as they circles her before they ran down the hill. Her pack was happy to be home.

She laughed as she looked at them, before she turned to her father, only to find that he had disappeared. Liv looked around her but there was no sign of him left.

The smile faded as the alone feeling set in her chest.

"I'm always here, Moon, remember that."

The words echoed through her head, making her smile again.

"This place is beautiful." Ben said as he walked up next to her.

"It really is stunning." Rev added. Making her smile at him as well.

"So, what now?" Doc asked.

"We regain our strenght, train and once we are ready we take out Rafe and get our prince back." She said with confidence.

Doc smiled at her as he bowed. "Min dróttning."

She smiled at him as well before the three of them followed her pack down. Streams of wolves ran past her, excited to be in the place her father, their king, had called home.

Yet she missed one wolf.

"Looking for your mate?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, where-" She stopped talking as se realized what Ben said as her head snapped towards him.

"What did you just say?"

He chuckled as he saw the color drain from her face. "He's where you spend most of your time when you lived here." He said with a wink before he walked away.