Page 60 of Blood Fist
“No, no,” Brune reassured him, shaking his head so hard some hair fell into his eyes. It was getting longer. “It’s not you. I’m just surprised, is all.”
And truly, Brune was happy for Niklas. Osmond was a good man, a good alpha. He had good standing in the clan and fought well.
“But I thought publicly asking to court was for omegas?”
Osmond shrugged. “It started out that way. Now itdoesn’t matter.” He looked back over his shoulder at Niklas. “But that’s part of my problem.”
It took Brune a moment to understand. “Ah, the public part.”
Nodding, Osmond tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. “I want to do it right, honorably. Give Niklas every chance to be honest with me. I was going to ask him at the festival but?—”
“He would hate that.”
“Right,” Osmond sighed. “And I could wait until after, but the thought of him going to the festival unattached has my alpha unsettled.” He dabbed at his nose with the back of his hand, wincing slightly. “I thought if I had you and Henroen present, as two alphas he trusts, he wouldn’t feel as uncomfortable but still feel as if he could say no.”
It made sense. Osmond had a much higher standing in the clan than Niklas did. If he were a less kind man, he could use his position to influence Niklas. But with Brune and Henroen present, he could say no and face no repercussions. It was a good idea.
But Brune wasn’t sure it was enough.
Niklas had been his friend since his first day in the army. He helped him through training, kept him from getting into fights, sat with him during his ruts, and held his confidence. He deserved to be happy.
“Do you love him?”
If the question surprised Osmond, he didn’t show it. He just smiled, the dried blood on his face cracking under the force of his happiness. His citrus scent thickened, making Brune’s eyes water.
“My parents died just after I presented. As a lone, unmated alpha with no pack, I was suddenly responsible for little Tia. I had no idea what I was doing. Even though we had only been with the Stone Blade for aseason, Gustall stepped in. He and his mate offered to take in Tia, to care for her at their hearth, while I lived with the unmated alphas.” His lips twisted as he recalled the memory. “It was the right decision—Gustall and his mate are good people. They cared for us like we were family, but I always felt guilty. Like I’d betrayed her.”
Brune understood. Alphas were supposed to protect and provide. By giving Tia to another family to care for, his alpha would feel like he was failing.
“So, when I thought about taking a mate, I knew they would have to be special. Someone who would be willing to accept Tia, to love her like I do.”
And Niklas did. He and Tia bonded quickly. She was often spotted with one hand in Osmond’s and the other in Niklas’s, talking their ears off as they took her out to hunt small fish in the stream or to practice tracking and hunting.
With a start, Brune realized the courting was merely a formality.
“I think I knew the first moment I saw him. Even in the dark, when he wouldn’t meet my gaze, I knew he was special. That he was pack.” He blushed a little. “Um, to answer your question, yes. I love him.”
Pushing himself to his feet, Brune dusted the sand off his pants before extending a hand to Osmond. “I would be honored to be a witness.”
Ridan found himself, once again, on the outskirts of camp. He was standing underneath a sky so clear he could count the stars. Not that his attention was directed upward. Tonight, he was looking at something far closer to home.
Osmond had been nervous when he asked Ridan’spermission to court. At first, Ridan had been surprised. Of all the alphas, he never suspected Osmond to shy away from tradition. But when Osmond explained, he was happy to offer his approval. Niklas would be a fool to say no, and Osmond seemed very taken with the beta. Of all his new duties, he found this to be the least arduous.
Not that he would ever admit it.
Which is perhaps why he was hiding behind a box of supplies ready to be carted to the festival. This was his first courting as chief, and by Artrax’s teeth, he would see it through. No one knew he was here, of course. That would defeat the purpose. So he was hiding like a child avoiding a scolding. After his childhood, he’d grown quite good at it.
Osmond was standing in his finest leathers with a cloak of fur so red, it could only have come from the Long Hunt he took several years back. His hair was combed, pulled back neatly into a little ponytail, and his boots were shined. The man looked nervous, big hands clenching and unclenching as he waited beside a smoldering fire.
Close enough to hear, but not to take part, Henroen and Brune stood similarly. They were also wearing their finest. They’d even risked the cold springs to take a bath, hair dripping down their back where they’d hastily dried it.
Hidden, Ridan took a moment to look his fill. Brune looked good in his new Snap Jaw leathers. Impossibly, he looked taller. Standing beside Henroen would make anyone look small, but Brune looked nearly his equal. His biceps bulged around a shirt that was clearly too small for the new muscles, back straight under the weight of his shield. Even the ridiculous smithy hammer on his belt lookedrighton him.
His blue eyes were bright with anticipation. A different kind of light than they were that night.
I swear the strength of my arm, the beating of my heart, and the shield on my back to you, Ridan Oldsun.
Those words had been on his mind since Brune spoke them. They were overwhelming. Like a task that has grown so large you don’t know where to begin, and thinking of it makes your heart quicken and head pound. Ridan didn’t know what to make of them.