Alpha Arvin

As the sled passed the outer markers of the Coven’s lands, Selena stepped out from behind a tree. Makya halted the sled not far from her.

“Selena?” I asked. “What are you doing out here?”

“Checking the wards, girl.”

I looked back at Makya, “I will be fine. Thank you for the ride.”

“You sure?”

I climbed out and nodded. “I need to ask questions anyway.”

“Well, ring the bell tomorrow and I will come find you.” Makya mushed the small team and disappeared down the road.

“Nice lad, that.” Selena said from behind me.

I spun to find Selena standing right behind me. “Ah, Selena. You said you were checking the wards. Would you be willing to show me?”

Selena eyes me speculatively. “You have rarely taken an interest in the craft. Has something changed to peek your interest? Some spark of power?”

I debated how much to tell her. She was the matron I trusted the most, but that only meant a notch more than not at all. “My eighteenth birthday is almost here. I figured if I am going to be on my own soon, I need to learn some of these protection spells.”

“On your own? Doubtful. Away from the coven, probable. In any case, who am I to begrudge the curious. Come.” Selena walked over to the tree she had been working on. etched into its bark was the glyph of the triskele triple spiral overlaid with a triquetra. “These marks, do you know them, Eileen?”

“Of course. The Triskele and Triquetra. Together they are a shield of protection.”

“Very good. But carving such is not enough to activate them. The living tree plays host to their power for one but they must also be blessed by Brigit.” Selena closed her eyes and her hands formed the sign of the horned lord, and crescent moon. A faint glow formed before she forced her hands forward as if thrusting energy at the tree. A tiny ball of light passed between her palms and dissipated into the bark, energizing the triskele.

“How often do you charge them?”

“How often? Well, when ever we are expecting unknowns such as Mr. Bodolf. My cousins may think him a handsome saint sent from the mother herself, but I reserve judgment. For your sake, I pray the three-faced mother shows her will to you, and makes your transition smooth, child.”

Selena trudged off down the trail, leaving me watching after her. I may be about to join the ranks of the adults, but they would always treat me as a child. I made my way to the manor but stopped short when I saw four large black Ford Bronco’s parked out front. Up here in the frozen north, it was rare for anyone to drive. Anyone coming from distance normally would fly in to the small runway just on the far side of the village.

I opened the front doors to find the house bustling with what felt like the whole coven. Ladies dressed in fine gowns moving to and frow as if it was some old time party, and more men than I had seen at once in my entire life. Black suits drifted through the halls and leering stares followed me through the halls. I just wanted to crawl into a hole and hid.

Just as I was about to dart up stars to my room, one of the men grabbed my arm.

“You are a bit rough, but might do for a snack. How old are you?

“I am a minor, hands off.” I barked. Thankfully he let go, a bit of a frown on his face.

“By the smell of you, that will not be much longer. I can wait, little pup.”

I ran to my room and locked the door. I did not know what kind of men my aunt had invited to our home, and frankly I was not sure I wanted to know.

A nock sounded at my door and I froze, not willing to entertain whoever might be trying to come in. the lock clicked and aunt Rhianna came in.

“Girl, why are you not dressed? I told you to be ready!”

“Aunt Rhianna, who are those men?”

“They are Mr. Bodolf’s men. They are here for dinner for one, and also- well dear, the matchmaker thinks you might make a good pairing with Mr. Bodolf so we need to see how you to get along. After your birthday, he may well bless you with a ring.”

“Aunt Rhianna, you cannot be serious. You really think I would just agree to marry some man who comes calling?”

“Its not like that child. Mr. Bodolf and his family have been friends of the coven for years. His father fought in the war with your parents.”

“Then why have we never spoken of them or seen them around?”

“That is for another time. Now, I had a dress made for you. Put it on and come down to the party.”

“Must I?”

“If you want to eat tonight, you with join us, and you will be courteous to our guests. They are potential allies against the Druid should he rise again. As for anything else that may develop, I suggest you at least meet the man before you pass judgement on him. If you don’t want him, your cousins are already frothing over him. You are only in line for him because Angus called your name first.”

I was about to swear off dinner but by stomach decided to voice it’s protest loudly. I suppose I would need food at some point being that Makya and I didn’t eat much on the trail today.

Aunt Rhianna grinned. “I will see you shortly then. The dress is hanging up.”

I groaned as she closed the door and turned to see what new hells I was in for with this dress. Hanging in the closet was a dress I had never seen before. I had heard stories of my mother wearing such a dress but those where rare.

The dark blue top cut low from the shoulders and was edged with silver stars. The neck line met in the middle with two opposing crescent moons. Glittering stars adorned the sleeves and across the hip line where a black floor length skirt flowed out. Across the collar bone would sit a band of fabric with silver glyphs of power. The celtic shield knots capped either end and a Triquetra adored the middle.

If I had to wear anything, this at least was a beautiful dress compared to what I had feared she would have dressed me in. I quickly showered and cleaned off the trail grim before pulling on the dress. My hair was its usual mess but there was no help for that.

As I stepped out onto the landing at the top of the stars, the crowd below hushed as guests began to notice me. I flushed. I don’t normally turn heads. There are not that many heads to turn this far north and I am normally covered in furs and a weeks’ worth of trail grim.

A subsonic growl began to fill the room, almost painful to my ears. I looked around, and saw eyes burning with lustful hunger staring at me from every corner. Suddenly, as it a wipe cracked, they all stopped and took a step back. The uniform action caught me off guard, but not nearly as much as the man who stepped from the crowd.

Mother above, save me. Six foot, three, slick dark hair in a black suit and a red dress shirt, damn this sex god was going to be trouble tonight. I could already see my cousins ogling him. I guessed he was in his mid-thirties with a short cut beard.  The others in the room seemed to defer to him. He must be Mr. Bodolf.

He looked up at me with eyes that looked black as coal. While others might smolder in their depths, to me, they burned like brimstone.

Cursed. That is what pulsed through my veins at the sight of those eyes.

“Eileen, I presume. Please, join us for dinner. We were about to feast.”

That rich voice. It called to me, my body wanting to go to him. It was as if I was beyond my own control. My feet started down the staircase, the whole hall tracking my every movement, like a pack of predators who had sighted their prey. 

When I reached the main floor, he held out his arm to me.  “May I escort you to the dining room?”

It was a question, but it left little room for debate. I simply nodded and took his arm shyly.

“If you have not already guessed, my name is Arvin Bodolf. Your aunt was gracious enough to host my and my men for the evening.”

“What brings you to Venetie?” I asked breathlessly as he pulled out a chair for me next to the head seat.

“I have some business to attend to. But that is a complex topic. Please, I would like to hear about you my dear.”

His words rolled off his tongue like honey. I didn’t want him to stop talking, his voice was so pleasant to listen to. “I lead a fairly boring life. I trap and hunt. What do you do for a living? You must do something well to afford such a suit and those cars out front.”

“I have a rather nice cattle ranch in southern Alberta province, right on the Montana border. I keep around 800 head of cattle there with as many as 6000 that we raise from calves each year for meat. In total, I believe we now run about 70,000 acres of land all said and told.”

I balked at that number. Huge swath of land indeed. “All that just for cows?”

“Naw. My men also help farm part of the land. Some of it is hay, and we process other animals as well. Some we keep as natural forest. Its good for everyone to have a place to hunt and get out in nature. I am sure you can appreciate that.”

I could indeed. I could also appreciate the food that was now in front of me and began forking some of the venison onto my plate. Aunt Rhianna cleared her throat catching my attention.

“Guests, we thank the three-faced mother for bringing you all here to join our coven in this feast. I pray that Cernunnos blesses us in this meal and that he blesses each of you over the coming year.”