Odin's Prize

Our Table

The back door slams hard; heavy footsteps stretch outward on the grain of wood that my feet can feel the vibrations from.

Shamus walks into the room, not paying attention to my parents, he stands in front of Odin who remains sitting, with ease. The tattoos on his arms draw me to his canvas of art. The way the symbols entwine with all the other pictures leaving no bare hint of skin exposed. Everything on Odin is covered by his history.

Shamus stands in front of my half. He seems to be stewing on something, he's agitated, ruffled up.

"Odin, I'll be coming for my mate." When Odin stands from his sitting position, his shadow covers over the younger male.

"From my brother, I don't expect anything less, Shamus of the North." Odin's words come out even, no pitch of inflection.

"She's been through a lot; it won't be easy for you." Odin stands tall against Shamus who is not entirely done growing to his full height.

"I need to talk to you Odin, I need to know about, Warson, about Elska." When Shamus says her name his cheeks flush, I've never seen crimson on his cheeks before. "Your brother wouldn't say anything about them to me." Ryeson enters inside followed by Paley; he's just as uncomfortable being inside the house as Odin was.

Ryeson takes a few quick steps to stand on Odin's left to face Shamus.

"I'm holding you to what you said, Odin. Nothing changes because she's my mate, brother." Shamus is using the same inflection of tone that Odin used when he called him my brother.

"Shamus, we'll speak together privately about my sister. I'll answer every question you have about her, about her male." The shift of posturing comes instantly to Shamus, he relaxes.

More footfalls come from a different direction, Keegan enters first. He's grown just like his brother, why did I think they would be different somehow. Rushing towards him with a smile spread wide on my face we embrace the other cheek to cheek.

"Charlie," Keegan squeezing me, before putting my feet back on the ground. "Keegan, how are you?" Giving him another hug before stepping away.

"We're good, Charlie." When he says we're good, I think he's talking about him and Paley, but Kalla steps out from behind him. Her hair holds the color of his eyes in the beads at the end of them. Her face has changed since the last I saw her. She is wearing a glowing smile. Looking down at her rounded belly, she holds a male Future inside her nest.

"Congratulations," pressing my cheek to her, when I try to touch the Future she steps back and puts a protective arm around her abdomen. Keegan grabs my hand and places it where the male is kicking. "Charlie would never hurt a pup; she was evil to me growing up but never evil to a pup." Keegan has a teasing tone, but his eyes are stern on Kalla.

"You were the evil ones," throwing a laughing accusation towards Keegan, "you and your brother did evil things to me. You ate Fred one and two, you read my diary, you hide my blanket on me all the time." I can smile now looking back on this, at the time those small acts of War against me met my carefully planned retribution. When I look at Paley he's looking out the window; his focus is on the outside. He won't look in his brother's direction, Keegan doesn't look in his brother's direction either. Kalla's eyes fall on Paley's shoulders, and he walks out of the room quickly, the back door slamming hard behind him.

Looking around no one besides Odin and Ryeson seem fazed by this. I've missed a lot of the what's been happening on the inside of this house, and I need to ask Shamus about all the details before I go back home. My chest tightens, this used to be my home, but now it's just a place to visit. There is hard swallow in my throat before turning around, so I don't break down in front of everyone.