Between Gods and Lycans

4 - Who is she?

Viggo

“Is she alright?” I ask Orion as he grabs his mate’s face.

I don’t know who the fuc.k that woman was, but she had to have been a Witch or an Elf to do what she’s done. No one else but the Gods could have healed Maddie as that girl did.

“I don’t know,” Orion hisses. “Maddie, talk to me.”

“Where the hell did that woman come from?” I snap at Ricky, a member of my grandfather’s pack, because he’s the one standing close to me.

“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “Kit, Grayson, and Rafe found her in the woods and brought her back with them. She hasn’t spoken since she got here. Even Alpha Kai couldn’t get anything out of her.”

“Orion,” Maddie sniffs. “I can see you.”

“What?” Orion gasps.

My eyes widen in disbelief, heart hammering in my chest. Maddie’s once white eyes are now suddenly blue. Shi.t, the girl actually did heal Maddie’s eyes!

“What the fuc.k is going on?” Devonte, Orion’s brother, mumbles. “How is this even possible?”

It shouldn’t be possible. Maddie’s eyes were damaged beyond repair, so she’s always said.

My grandparents are staring at Maddie with wide eyes.

“I can see you!” Maddie sobs louder, her body shaking as tears stream down her cheeks. She grabs Orion’s face between her trembling hands. “Oh, Orion. I don’t know what happened. Someone grabbed me, then there was pain in my head, but when she let go, my eyes were healed.”

The girl didn't let go of Maddie on her own. I physically pulled her away from Maddie myself.

When I arrived, the first thing I saw was that woman, hands gripping Maddie’s head hard, and Maddie screaming her lungs out in pain.

What was I supposed to do?

I couldn’t stand by and do nothing. No one else seemed to be able to get close to the woman. A shield surrounded her, keeping people away. Shi.t like that won’t work on me.

Maybe I shouldn’t have thrown her across the pack grounds. But it was instinct. All I could think about was protecting Maddie.

Maddie is a good woman. She came to Orion blind because of her adoptive mother’s abuse. Many would ask why one of us God’s didn’t heal Maddie’s eyes. The truth is that my father forbade it. He said that it wasn’t our place to meddle with what was meant to be. I argued with him, of course I did. But you don’t go against Fenrir without serious consequences. Sadly, that meant Hel listened to him also. Hel said that Maddie was happy. However, if she asked for help, then it would be given. But Maddie never did ask; she just got on with life.

But this strange woman turns up and does what no one else could or would?

What the hell?

“Somebody wanna tell me what the fuc.k this is about?”

Everyone turns to look at my great-grandfather, Cree. He’s holding the woman I threw in his arms. My eyes widen because she looks dead.

Shi.t, did I kill her?

A cold dread claws at my stomach.

That wasn’t my intention!

“Dad,” Grandpa steps forward. “Is the girl okay?”

“Does she look okay to you, Kai?”

My grandfather shakes his head. “I’ll check on her in a minute. But that young woman did something no one else would or could.”

“What are you talking about?” Cree demands.

“Dad, that girl restored Maddie’s vision.”

Cree’s eyes widen in shock. He looks at Maddie now, embracing her three sons after seeing them for the first time. He then looks at the woman in his arms.

He grits his teeth. “So, you’re telling me that this young woman, a stranger to the pack, one who has no voice, did something remarkable, and was slammed against a tree for it?”

I sigh. “That was my fault, Grandpa Cree. I thought she was attacking Maddie. I acted on instinct.”

"And you killed her!" he yells.

My gut drops. “She’s dead?”

Cree snarls at me. He looks at Maddie and smiles. “Sweetheart, I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you. You look just as I imagined you would.” She giggles.

Cree chuckles at her words.

Maddie then sniffs as Orion’s mothers, Ciska and April, rush over, wanting to know what’s going on. The pack will be partying tonight to celebrate this miracle.

‘You,’ Cree’s voice fills my head. ‘Come with me.’

I don’t argue. I follow him, as do my grandparents.

Cree leads us into the medical cabin and lays the woman down on the bed.

“Grandpa Cree, I’m sorry.” I insist. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

He rounds on me just as my grandparents walk through the door and close it behind them.

“I understand you thought the girl was causing harm to Maddie. I get that you acted on instinct. However, you are Fenrir’s firstborn son, Viggo. You have strength unmatched. You literally threw the girl a thousand feet! I know that isn’t far, considering, especially with how powerful you are. But I saw her little body slam against that tree, breaking her in two!”

I swallow hard, my throat tight with guilt. I don’t know what to say to him. I honestly didn’t mean to kill the girl. I didn’t mean to throw her that far, either. It’s no wonder she’s dead!

Kai steps toward the bed, pressing his hands on the girl’s chest. As the grandson of the Moon Goddess, Grandpa Kai has the gift of healing. However, if the girl is already dead, then even he won’t be able to help her.

What the fuc.k have I done?

Golden light floods the girl’s body. A snapping sound fills the cabin, and I wince. Her back is healing, but the sound goes through me.

Suddenly, she bolts upright, eyes wide and face contorted in agony, her mouth open in a silent scream.

Is she truly mute?

I heard Cree say she had no voice. Kai said she wouldn’t speak, but I didn’t think he meant completely mute!

Her eyes are wide, and her chest heaves as she tries to breathe through the pain. She flinches as she looks at my grandfather. Kai sighs and steps away from the bed.

Why the hell wouldn’t the girl be terrified after everything she’s endured?

I feel a tight ache in my chest just looking at her.

She looks at Grandma Starr, then at me, and finally, her eyes lock on Cree. Her eyes flare with recognition and relief, a hopeful smile trembling on her lips. She leaps off the bed, wrapping her arms desperately around Cree’s waist.

He looks taken aback. However, he wraps his arms around her as she snuggles into him.

“Something you wanna tell me, Dad?” Kai asks, raising an eyebrow.

Cree rolls his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous, Kai. I’ve never met this woman before. Where did she even come from?”

“You’ve never met her,” I snort. “Yet she’s clinging to you like you were her mate, or her father.”

Cree ignores me. “I’ll ask you again. Where did she come from?”

Grandma sighs. “Kit, Rafe, and Grayson brought her to us earlier. They found her in the woods. She can’t speak, and she doesn’t seem to understand anything anyone says. So, I’m guessing she can’t understand English. I didn’t get any sense of danger from her, so we let her stay until we could figure out where she came from.”

Cree nods. He takes the girl’s arms in his big hands and pulls her away from him. She looks up at him with a smile on her pretty face.

“I wonder who you are.” He muses. “Can you not speak?”

The girl blinks. She definitely doesn’t understand English.

She suddenly taps her throat, as if she were trying to tell us that she can’t talk at all. Then she points to her head, then to Cree.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” Cree says apologetically.

My great-grandfather was a wonderful Alpha in his day. So, the older pack members have told me. I wasn’t alive back then. But I do know that he’s compassionate and has a heart of gold. That’s not to be mistaken for the man who will cut you down in less than a second if you cross his family.

I look at the way she’s dressed, and I wonder… “Can you not speak?” I ask in Old Norse. The girl is dressed in Viking Maiden wear as if she were about to be married.

Her eyes widen as she turns to look at me. She shakes her head and taps her throat again.

My grandmother gasps. “She can understand you.”

I nod. “I don’t think she’s from this time, Grandma.”

“What are you talking about?” Kai snaps.

I breathe deeply through my nose. “She’s dressed like a Viking Maiden. Actually, she dressed like a bride. I think someone sent her here to save her from an unwanted marriage. I’d need to ask her some questions to get to the bottom of it.”

“Then ask her,” Cree tells me.

I nod.

I look at the girl, her eyes darting everywhere. “Did someone send you here?”

She nods. She points to my grandmother, then uses her hands to mimic rocking a baby before pointing to herself.

I nod. “Your mother?”

She nods vigorously.

“She sent you forward in time to save you from an unwanted marriage?”

Again, she nods.

My grandfather quietly tells Cree and Starr what I’m saying. Kai is a demigod, and he can understand every language there is because of that fact. He could have asked the girl these questions if he’d thought about it. My grandmother can understand what’s being said to a degree, but she’s always found Old Norse difficult to get a grip on. Most do.

“How do you know my great-grandfather?” I point to Cree.

The girl points to Cree, then to herself. But I don’t get what she’s trying to tell me.

“Is he your father?” I ask, even though I know that’s not possible.

The girl laughs silently as she shakes her head.

Kai hisses that I’m a fool, and I chuckle.

“Do you think you could write down what you need to say? It would make it easier for me to understand.” I say.

The girl sighs and shakes her head. She mimics writing with her hand and shakes her head again.

She can’t write.

Great.

Understanding someone who can’t speak or write isn’t easy.

The door knocks, startling the girl, who runs to hide behind Cree. He furrows his brow and looks at me.

I shrug because I don’t have a clue what’s wrong with her.

Kai yells for whoever is on the other side of the door to enter.

Davy walks in. “Sorry to interrupt, Alpha.”

“What is it, Davy?” Kai sighs.

“Everyone is wondering how the girl is. I just arrived back from the hunt to find out Maddie now has her sight. I gotta tell you, that was strange. Anyway,” he chuckles. “They told me what Viggo did,” he shoots me a hard stare.

I fold my arms over my chest and raise my eyebrow. I don’t give a shi.t who he thinks he is. I am Viggo Fenrirsson. He’d stand no chance against me. I suppose everyone in the pack thinks I’m a monster now. But they know they would have done the same thing. Okay, they wouldn’t have thrown her as far as I did, and she probably would have been fine. But still!

“The girl is fine, Davy. You can tell everyone that.” My grandfather says, tipping his head as if to tell Davy to leave.

Before Davy can leave, the girl cautiously moves around Cree. Her eyes widen as she stares at Davy, then she swallows nervously.

Davy furrows his brow, eyes locked on the girl as if he were trying to figure something out. “Wait,” he whispers. “It can’t be.”

“Davy?” Starr says his name softly, but he doesn’t answer my grandmother. His eyes haven’t left the girl yet, and her eyes are firmly glued to him.

“Davy, do you know this woman?” Cree asks, stepping forward.

Davy looks at Cree and asks, “Don’t you?” He turns to Kai and Starr. “Or you two?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Kai snaps. “Do you think we’d be trying to figure out who she was if we knew?”

Davy shakes his head. “Your sister named her.” He says, looking right at Starr.

She furrows her brow. “Excuse me?”

“Vampire Queen Esme,” Davy says. “She named her.”

“I am so confused,” Starr says, shaking her head. “What’s going on, Davy?”

Davy doesn’t answer. He steps deeper into the room, moving closer to the girl. “Do you recognize me?”

The girl doesn’t answer.

“She can’t understand you,” I tell him. “She was sent here from the past. Norway hundreds of years ago, if I’m correct.”

Davy shakes his head. “That’s not possible, Viggo.”

“Well, it’s true.” I shrug. “I’ve spoken to her in Old Norse. She understands that, but not English. She said her mother sent her here because of an unwanted marriage.”

Davy runs his hand through his long hair. “I guess I got it wrong.”

“Got what wrong?” Cree asks.

Davy swallows hard. “I thought she was my sister for a moment.”

“What?” Starr gasps.

We all know that Davy’s sister went missing when she was a little girl. No, correction, her mother stole her and was never found. Believe me, Davy’s father searched the world for his little girl. He was gone for over two years before he returned defeated.

“Do you know this man?” I ask in Old Norse.

The girl looks at me and nods, tears filling her eyes.

“Is he your brother?”

Again, she nods and sobs silently. No noise has left her throat since she woke up, proving that she is mute.

I’m shocked by what she just nodded to. She’s Davy’s sister. Scott’s daughter.

Shi.t!

“What were you saying to her?” Davy asks.

I look at him. “I asked if she knew you and if you were her brother.”

His eyes widen. “What did she say?” He whispers the words.

“She said yes.”