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Pale blue eyes. Golden eyes.
I paused.
Golden eyes.
Golden.
I threw my arms around his massive neck, digging my fingers into his coarse fur and burying my face until all I could smell was his musky, woodsy scent. “It wasn’t you.”
The moment the words left my lips, a dam broke inside of me. All the tension left, and warmth spread. Hot tears leaked down my cheeks. “It wasn’t you, Fen.”
His body trembled, and in a blink, his furry wolf shape was gone. Strong arms pulled me in for a tight hug and he collapsed to the ground. “Fuck… Astrid, you have no fucking idea what those words mean. Aya said… that I didn’t do it. And I wanted to believe her. I didn’t want to believe anymore that I’d gone feral and killed you, of all people. That guilt ate me alive for so long.”
I tightened my grip around his neck. “Why do I always have to be the tiebreaker so you’ll have faith in yourself?”
His grip tightened—almost too tight. “Because you always saw the best in us.”
I did. That was a truth I knew, and it was part of the person I was now. It was part of the reason I became a therapist. I wanted everyone to see the best in themselves.
My pulse slowed. How much of my past life influenced my current life without me knowing? Was I really that different from that person then? Were she and I really different people?
Aya shifted behind us. “Tyr.”
I pulled away from Fenrir to watch him approach. Fen and I both rose, with me blocking him with my body as much as my short self could. Tyr still held his axe, and while I could see the conflict raging in his eyes, I wouldn’t allow him to attack Fen, should he try. I was also aware of the tense stances Aya and Kirby took.
Tyr didn’t stop until he was practically on my toes. My gaze flicked between the two as they stared each other down. Then Tyr shifted his attention to me. “What were the differences?”
I blinked.He wants to know… Oh!Of course. He’d gone centuries hating Fenrir. Just claiming he’s been wrong the whole time wouldn’t change anything. Hell, I should have expected him to ignore my claim and still try to kill Fenrir.
But he respected me enough to hear me out.He’s always respected what I had to say.I took a calming breath.
“The wolf that killed me was smaller. It also was leaner… no…” I squinted, trying to parse out the memory. “Emaciated? It wasn’t healthy. But the telling sign we should have noticed right away were the eyes.”
I held Tyr’s gaze. “That wolf had golden eyes.”
Tyr’s jaw set. The conflict in his eyes still raged.
“The blame falls partially on me,” I said. Both men opened their mouths to protest, but I silenced them with my hand. “Tyr and I both incorrectly identified the wolf. Regardless of how exhausted I’d been, I still made that mistake of reacting before taking in the situation. I let my guard down, and I will own that.”
I softened my gaze as I looked at Tyr. “And I understand where you stand. I won’t invalidate everything you’ve felt over these centuries. Even if they were based around incorrect information, no correct information had come forward until now to change things sooner. But, knowing what I do, I’m not going to stand down.”
Tyr stared with intense, almost intimidating intensity. Almost. “Please step aside, Valkyrie.”
I wouldn’t. Not when I couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t attack Fenrir.
“Astrid.”
He grunted when I refused to waiver. “How is it that you’ve become even more stubborn in this life?”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Kirby said.
I chuckled.Dad and Diego would think so, but that’s another matter.
Tyr sighed. “Please, Astrid. Trust me this once.”
My lip twisted. His pleading did not help this resolve of mine.Not fair.
Fenrir tapped my shoulder. I looked up at him and he gestured with his chin to move.
