Chapter 6

LYRA.

  

    The war was over and we won!     

The last of the northerners that couldn’t escape were captured and taken as prisoners.

    As I stood in the silence assessing the aftermath of the battle, the smell of blood hung in the air,and the chaos from hours ago was evident.

   I looked up and in the dim light emanating from the moon and saw Thane walking towards me.

   He looked a bit disheveled from earlier this morning but so does all of us. Thane’s contribution in the fight has helped us win the war and as much as I didn’t want to admit it, he is a remarkable young man.

    His contribution to our victory was undeniable and I couldn’t ignore the spark of admiration that had flared in me.

“Are you alright?” He asked with concern gesturing to my wounded arm as soon as he came up close.

“It’s fine,” I replied giving the wounded arm a short glance. A straight cut running across my left arm. It didn’t seem so deep but I knew it needed treating.

  “I could help you get it cleaned up,” Thane offered.

Is he usually this good natured or is all this just to put him in my good books?

 Concerning his solitude for help. It has now become paramount for me to offer my help, at least as gratitude for his show of bravery today.

  “It’s alright, I’ll have someone check it out tomorrow,” I replied trying hard to sound very nonchalant even though my insides were getting weirdly overwhelmed.

I was just about to leave when Thane grabbbed me by my uninjured arm almost pulling me closer to himself.

 A gasp escaped my mouth as I stared at him dumbfoundedly.

What was even more shocking was how I wasn’t getting offended by the bravado of this man.

    His eyes burned with a spark of fire that I’ve never seen in a person and as I continued to look into them I suddenly felt flustered.

   “I’m sorry,” he finally said and pulled back releasing my arm.

“But you shouldn’t go to bed without having that cleaned,” he said in a low and husky voice.

I accepted his offer of help and he did a good job bandaging my arm.

Although for the rest of the night we didn’t say much to each but there was a heavy tension hanging in the air like a mist between us.

   I began to notice physical features I hadn’t noticed before in him.

His beautiful grey eyes and thick brows.

The way the veins in his large biceps protruded as he tentatively wrapped the bandage on my arm.

His gentle yet firm touch and the spark that lit in me when his fingers grazed my arm. 

The air was thick with tension and too many a time I find myself stealing glances at Thane, taking in the sharp edges of his jawline and his nicely carved nose.

  Thane is by all means a very good looking man and I could understand the attraction but what I couldn’t understand was the insane feelings I was developing.

  “You’re pretty good at this,” I said trying to break the silence that was threatening to tear me apart.

 He looked up and our eyes met and for a moment we just stared at each other.

“Let’s just say I’ve had my own fair share of injuries,” he eventually said and that made me wonder what kind of life he had lived.

Damn! I wanted to know everything about him. His struggles, his pain, triumph…every bit of important detail.

We said good night in the existing awkward situation and I went to my quarters.

  Falling asleep seemed hard as my thought’s ran a marathon. From the victory against the northerners to the alliance I was going to offer Thane and to Thane himself.

Eventually I fell into the gentle hands of sleep.

THANE.

  It’s the next day and also the day that I’ll be returning back to my own clan with or without Lyra’s promise to an 

aid.

I woke up feeling a mix of emotions. Excitement,nervousness and a little bit of sadness.

  As much as I wanted to stay and explore the connection I felt for Lyra, I knew I needed to leave.

  After consuming the sumptuous meal that I was served, I began to prepare for my departure.

Seeing Lyra again was all that occupied my thoughts.

I so badly wanted to confess my feelings to her last night but it just didn’t feel like the right time.

  And I was also scared of getting rejected but either ways, I’ll eventually have to let her know how I feel about her.

It is not in my nature to be gullible.

Even my wolf couldn’t contain the excitement whenever she came close.

  Stepping out of the tent,I came face to face with Dion who seemed rather surprised seeing me all set.

  “Alpha Lyra would like to have a word with you,” he announced eying me conspicuously.

  I nodded and followed him with anticipation as he moved across tents until he stopped at the largest one.

The sound of clanging steel and the heavy smell of smoke lingered in the air reminding me of the battle we fought yesterday.

Dion shook his head gesturing for me to go inside and I did.

  Lyra was sitting on a large chair and had changed from last night’s outfit.

    Her blue eyes dazzled in the dim light.

She looked regal with her hair tied back as a ponytail revealing the sharp angles of her face.

“Thane,” she called out even before I reached her.

“Allow me to thank you again for your valuable support on yesterday’s battle. The entire Vikings clan is grateful and to show our gratitude we would be happy to offer you the reinforcement you seek.”

  I felt a surge of excitement and relief at her words.

The reinforcement was exactly what my clan needed right now and I’m glad that she found me worthy of her alliance.

“You’re so kind. Thank you Lyra,” I responded with a hearty smile trying to conceal the excess excitement I was feeling.

 Lyra nodded with a hint of smile playing on her lips.

“We’re happy to help. Our army will reach your clan in four days time and will be ready for battle whenever you are. 

We can only pray for victory.” 

Lyra stood up and gave me her hand to hold in the old custom way after a resolution.

I stood up as well taking her hand in mine. It felt warm and I couldn’t help but cradle.

  “Thank you Lyra, this means a lot to me and my clan,” I said. My voice sounded kinda husky to my own ears.

Staring into her eyes, I could have sworn I saw a faint glimmer of attraction in them.

“I’m glad we could come to an agreement,” she responded not breaking eye contact.

My hand still held hers. I didn’t want to let go, didn’t want to break this moment but I knew I needed to let go before it becomes weird.

Finally with a reluctance that bordered on pain, I pulled away and took few steps backward.

“I’ll be seeing you again,” I said and she smiled and nodded.

After giving her a last glance, I left the tent and made for my horse that was tied to a tree close to the tent where I pulled up in.

The ride back to my clan seemed to take a longer time prolly because my mind was occupied the whole time.

I tried to push thoughts of Lyra away focusing on the battle before us.

We would need to start making strategic plans as soon as I arrive and have men stationed on the forefront of our camp to avoid any more surprise attacks.

“Are we to trust this your new formed alliance with the Viking Alpha? The Vikings are never known to associate with others,” Stephan stressed in the meeting room after I got home.

“She has my trust,” was all I said as a reply.

Stephan is a smart man who sees forefront more than anyone else but sometimes it bothers me how pessimistic he could be.

He obviously doesn’t like the new alliance with the Vikings but what choice do we have?

“Her army will arrive in two days time and we shall immediately prepare for attack. Meanwhile the warriors that are supposed to guide the entrance to the camp should be doubled 

and instructed to be extra vigilant. We can’t afford to let our guards down. Not even for a moment.”

Stephan nodded obediently but I could still tell he had his doubts.