Aisling took her book to the walled garden, but she wasn't really into it. Her mind was all over the place because of her run-ins with the warlord. His being there shook her up and somehow woke up her wolf, which hadn't shown any sign of life since her mate passed away. She couldn't figure out why she was reacting so strongly to him when she still had so much love for her late mate. Was she wrong for feeling this way?
Fenrir was hidden nearby, watching her for a long time. He stayed put, taking her in. The sound of the fountain and the birds singing mixed with the breeze rustling the willows. Aisling looked all caught up in her thoughts, her pale chin on her arm, looking like she was daydreaming. Fenrir was totally struck by how pretty she looked. He noticed the sunlight turning her red hair to gold. Then she looked up, her eyes full of dreams. He felt this pull towards her, like fate was calling him. He walked up confidently.
"You are Luna Aisling," he said, like it was a fact. She jumped, totally caught off guard. "If you know I'm the luna, then you know I'm grieving. It's not proper for me to be alone with a guy," she said. He flashed a cheeky smile. "That's the best advantage of this garden. It's got walls, so we can meet up and no one will ever find out."
"I'll know!" she shot back. "We can't keep doing this." "That's irrelevant," he pushed back. "Why didn't you tell me who you were? We got to be straight with each other."
"There's no 'us.' I thought you got that last time," she fired back.
"Easy, sweetheart." He hushed her, putting a finger to his lips. "Keep it down, or we might get busted and our secret's out." The way he said "our secret" made it sound so thrilling, she couldn't help but blush. Fenrir felt a jolt in his chest, knowing her blush was because he was right there.
Aisling was out of breath, feeling both the thrill and confusion of being close to Fenrir. He watched her, wondering how long it would take to win her over. She sat there, her eyes fluttering down as he laid back on the grass next to her. She couldn't see his face, but his muscles caught her attention, they were big, strong, and tanned, and for some reason, she found them really attractive.
She tried not to stare at his muscles, but she kept looking back, checking out his long hands, the wide palms, and the dark hair on his skin. For now, Fenrir was happy just watching her. She looked amazing to him. Her cheek, her chin with that cute dimple, made her face look like a heart, and he really wanted to kiss her. Her dark red eyebrows would look so alluring raised up if she ever dared to look into his eyes.
"Why did you tell me your name was Freya?" he asked roughly, and she looked up, surprised.
"Freya's my middle name. Aiden, my mate, he used to call me Aisling, and I wasn't comfortable with you addressing me with it!"
He dropped to his knees in front of her, grabbing her hands and making her papers fly everywhere. "Aisling's a beautiful name, I like it a lot!" She was caught up looking at his hands holding hers. Her heart was pounding so hard, he must've heard it. "It means dreams and hopes!"
She raised her brows at his words but still insisted "but I want you to call me Freya," she said, standing her ground.
"Nah," he said. "I'll call you Aisling until you're okay with it." His eyes sparkled as he teased her. "Perhaps I'll call you Freya when I make love to you."
She pulled her hands back fast and slapped him. He actually liked that she reacted so strongly. "I'm just messing with you," he said, his eyes shining. "You don't have to be so uptight!"
Aisling was in the garden, her book forgotten. Her thoughts were tangled up with memories of the warlord, Fenrir. His presence stirred something inside her, something that had been quiet since her mate's death. She wondered why she felt this way, questioning if it was wrong to be drawn to him. Fenrir had been secretly watching her, captivated by her beauty. When he finally approached, he was straightforward. "You are Luna Aisling," he said confidently.
She was startled, reminding him, "If you know I'm the luna, you also know I'm mourning. I shouldn't be alone with a man."
He reassured her with a smile. "This walled garden is our secret spot. No one will find out."
"I'll know," she insisted. "We can't keep meeting like this." Fenrir didn't agree. "Why didn't you tell me who you were? We should be honest with each other."
"There's no 'us,'" she said firmly.
"Keep it down," he whispered, "or we might get caught."
Their tension was clear. Fenrir was lost in thoughts about her, fighting the urge to be closer. He picked up her scattered pages. "What's this you're reading all the time?"
"Amharic," she answered. "Aiden loved these ancient languages." Fenrir was curious and asked her to say something in Amharic.
She looked away and softly said, "ከዚህ ሂድ" (kezih hīd), which means "go away."
He smiled, sensing her playful challenge. They talked about the language, and Fenrir made a bet. "Next time, I'll speak Amharic with you."
"That's impossible," she said.
"If I do, you owe me a kiss," he wagered.
"There won't be a next time or a kiss," she replied.
But Fenrir was determined. "I've never lost a challenge. I'll expect that kiss."
"Don't hold your breath about it," she quickly added.
He laughed. "Come on, I will need some kind of reward," he insisted. Then he asked her about the last time she laughed, touching on her sadness. "You must know how long," she said sadly, filled with memories of Aiden.
She revealed her vow of solitude after her mate's death, seeing their meetings as a distraction. "We must not see each other again," she said.
Fenrir was upset. "I won't let you be alone. Aiden wouldn't want that."
"What do you mean?" she asked, taken aback by his intensity.
Fenrir stood by Aisling, trying to convince her not to give up on life just because she was grieving. "I fought alongside Aiden, your mate. He didn't want you to waste your youth while he was away. Trust me, Aisling, he'd want you to live fully, even now."
Aisling couldn't hide her own doubts. "Do you think so?" she asked quietly.
"Yes, I know so," Fenrir told her. "Aiden wanted a full life for you, he'd go crazy if he thought you were stuck here with his memory instead of living. He'd want you to be happy, to love again, maybe even have a family. The best way to honor him is to take care of his pack."
"I don't even know where to start," she admitted, feeling overwhelmed.
"I promised Aiden I'd look after you and the pack," Fenrir said firmly. "And I'm going to keep that promise."
"But I've already made my vow," Aisling protested. "I can't break it."
Fenrir gave her a mischievous look. "Then I guess I'll have to change your mind in other ways."
Aisling blushed, flustered by his boldness. "That's not right," she said.
"We'll see about that," Fenrir replied with a confident grin.
Aisling was getting tired of his hints. "Enough with your jokes, you giant wolf," she snapped.
Fenrir just laughed. "I may be a giant, but I think we'd fit together perfectly," he said with a wink.
Aisling felt a mix of fear and attraction. She knew she had to guard her heart carefully around him.
Aisling's voice was cold. "Are you done, warlord?" But Fenrir was just getting started. "Call me Fenrir," he said, his gaze bold.
"Leave, please," she asked him.
He let out a sigh. "One day soon, we'll be calling each other Freya and Fenrir in a different setting," he hinted with a smirk.
She got up to slap him, but he caught her wrist, his voice low and serious. "Don't try that again," he warned.
He was actually impressed by her guts, she was brave enough to stand up to him, and he found that pretty amazing.
He picked up her book, flipping through it to tease her, and gave her a cheeky wink.
After he left, Aisling sat there, trying to figure out what to do about Fenrir. How could she get this warlord to back off for good?