Chapter 2 - Fenriz

Another woman will suffer at my hand because of my father; another bride will be dead before she can birth a child for the beast inside of me.

I can feel him stir as I approach my estate; he knows she’s waiting inside, and it angers me. After the senseless death of my third bride, I vowed never to take another woman, and if that meant the end of the Vega bloodline, then so be it.

Another woman cannot die because of this beast; I won’t allow it.

My father says this union will do the Vega pack good since we can extend our reach, but I know he’s only interested in the power it will bring. The decrepit mansion he was in is just for show; my father is greedy and wants to make money at all costs.

“Fenrisúlfr,” Andreas calls me by the birthname I hate. My father named me after a monstrous wolf-god of Norse mythology aided in my self-hate.

This beast only knows how to kill, maim and murder young women, and the self-deprecation grows each day.

“They’re waiting inside, but know this; she might not be to your liking.” He says as we walk towards the place supposedly called my home.

I look over at my best friend and Beta with a frown. “Not to my liking? How so?” I ask, to which he chuckles.

“Your beast likes them voluptuous and full, not to mention blonde. This one is not like that at all. You’ll see what I mean.” He says when we come to a stop outside my front door. “They’re in the living room.”

With that, he opens the door and leads me inside.

This scent is different, not your average werewolf scent; it smells of sweet cherry blossoms and wisteria. A pleasant aroma that calms me down for some reason but pulls me towards whoever is sitting in my living room.

Andreas walks ahead of me into the living room, and I see four figures; one of which is a sturdy male. “Alpha Fenriz has arrived,” Andreas introduces me, and this is where they turn around.

The Eastern scents now made sense to me; they’re Japanese.

The older male steps forward; he looks perfectly polished in an expensive suit, but I can sense a danger about him even as he tries to hide his tattoos: the slicked-back salt and pepper hair, the scars on the side of his face and knuckles.

This man is Yakuza; I can tell by the way he tries to shoulder the weapons strapped to him.

“Fenriz Vega, it is a pleasure to meet you finally.” He says in perfect English with a faint Kanto accent and steps forward with his arm outstretched. “Kaen Tsukishima.”

I take his hand and give it a firm squeeze while feeling a warmth in his jade scent. As far as I can tell, he isn't a wolf, but there is a primal quality about him; so what did he want with me?

“Can we get to the reason why this union is needed between our families?” I say, not bothering to look at the three females present, but an uneasiness settles in my stomach. The cherry blossom and wisteria scent still lingered, but it wasn’t coming from this man.

He nods. “Certainly. We know the reputation surrounding your family, and if you had to look into my family, you would see that we’re quite similar. My youngest daughter is unwed, and we know she will make a fine bride for a Lycan Alpha of your calibre.”

I raise my eyebrow at his words. “So you know what I am, then?” I ask.

He grins, then his eyes flash a deep amber and gold with slit irises similar to a wild cat. “I do, indeed. You see, we’re not so different.”

I can’t help but chuckle at this and clap his shoulder. “Ah, I see. Well, let’s finish up the introductions and get the marriage underway.” I say, nodding at Andreas, who closes the door behind him and walks over to us again.

Kaen puts a hand on an older woman’s shoulder. “This is my wife, Saeko,” he says, and I take the woman’s hand. Her scent is masked by her husband’s, which is entirely understandable. He’s an Eastern Alpha; I’m sure things worked differently over there.

“And this,” he says as he finally pulls a young girl closer, and the cherry blossom scent overpowers me. “This is my youngest daughter, Umiko and her handmaiden Yui.”

When I lay my eyes on the girl, I see what Andreas means by that she’s not my usual type; she’s completely plain, with jet back hair that reaches her tiny waist, dark hooded eyes which slant upwards, thin lips, a dimpled chin and a tiny, petite body. Her eyes widen at the sight of me, and I see something shift behind her dark eyes as her heartbeat starts to quicken.

She is plain, yes, but it’s not that which gets to me - it’s the slack feeling in my core suddenly growing taut at the sight of her. All the so-called average qualities she possesses are suddenly amplified, and to me, she is the most beautiful person I have ever set my eyes on.

My beast opens its eyes and stalks forward with a wide grin on his face, muttering something quietly in my mother tongue.

“Her name means 'of the sea', and if it is not to your liking, we have given her a Romanised name if you would prefer it,” Kaen says, snapping me out of whatever trance his daughter has me under, and I look at him with a frown.

“Romanised name?” I ask

“Yes. Umiko seems plain to some, and I know certain Americans prefer English names, so we have given her one if you would prefer to use it. Marina, it has the same meaning as Umiko.”

When he says this, I am taken back to Luna Caterina’s vision a few months back:

/“No, but I saw Marina,”

“Who?”

“Marina, your mate?”/

This is when I finally paid attention to the word my beast was uttering, and it chilled me to my very core.

Mate.