287
Peter
"Sure," he said. "Whatever you want to call him. I guess it just depends on which version of the story you want to go by, though I bet you'll be interested to know that the figure in mythology is supposed to be like a brother to Loki."
I blinked at him. He gave me a nonplussed look. "Loki, father of Fenrir, Jormangadr, and Hel?" He paused. "And the eight-legged horse, but let's not get involved with that."
I frowned. It had been a long time since I'd delved into human mythology, or history for that matter.
"The long and short of it was that they were a powerful species, capable of wielding magic in ways that even witches couldn't. But their power came at a price. They were revered as gods, but they were also feared and hated by many."
I frowned, trying to make sense of it all. "So... what does this mean for me? For my pack?"
Vasil sighed, his expression serious. "I'm not entirely sure, Peter. The fact that you're a werewolf and an aesir is... unusual. Your ancestor would have had to have been infected during the Moon Wars."
I remember us talking about the Spear of Destiny. I couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had settled over me. The memory of the dream I had came flooding back, and I couldn't help but feel like it was a warning or maybe a memory of someone in my history.
I closed my eyes, trying to focus on the last moments of the dream again
It turned back on me with a guttural growl and lunged at me, teeth bared and claws extended. I barely dodged its bite, but it caught me in my other shoulder with its claws. I kicked out, landing a solid kick on the wolf's side and knocking it away.
It came at me again. The wolf's jaws snapped at my throat every time it got close. It tore and bit at me, sending agony through me as I tried to escape and fight back. I smelled my own blood, and I heard voices as if from a distance.
My vision blurred as it ripped a chuck of flesh from my side and devoured it with a hungry growl. I shuddered, slumping against the rock. My vision started to blur again. It felt like the darkness would take me.
Lucy appeared again with a smirk.
"Make it quick."
The wolf charged towards me. Then, I felt something warm and solid in my hands. I looked down, and my vision started to clear. The spear of the Moon Wars appeared in my hands. The patterns filled with moonlight as the wolf lunged at me. Lucy's eyes widened with true fear as I lifted the spear. I thrust the spear forward as she screamed.
"No!"
But it was too late. The wolf let out an agonized howl as the spear pierced its chest, a haunting cry that echoed through the dreamworld.
"The dream."
"The one you had?"
"It didn't come to me… I called it. My family has been cursed, so we can't wield it any longer, but in my dreams…"
"You were just human."
I nodded.
The wolf howled behind me, getting closer and closer. Then, I felt its weight and the sharp pain of its jaws closing around my shoulder. I cried out in pain. My heart was in my throat with fear and pain. It seemed to reverberate through the air, shaking the dream world. I grit my teeth, slamming my elbow back. The wolf whimpered as I knocked it off of me. A surge of power rushed through me.
"Human with full access to my powers."
I could feel its hot breath on my neck, and I knew that it was going to attack.
"Odin is supposed to die at Fenrir's hand in Ragnarok," he said. "And Thor is taken out by Jormangandr."
"A man who only bore sons…" I said. "Do you think if I could learn magic, I could do what I did in my dream for myself?"
"Kill the wolf trying to eat you?" Vasil hummed. "I say that's the goal."
I nodded, my mind racing with possibilities. "How would my entire family have been infected during the Moon Wars?"
"If only one man were alive, it would be easy, wouldn't it?"
I grimaced. "The same man who was struck by the Moon Goddess to allow Blue Moon to reign… I'm beginning to see a pattern."
The Moon Goddess had an agenda even then. "The best way out of this is for me or someone in my family to be able to wield the spear again."
I shook my head, feeling a sense of unease settle in my chest. "But I wouldn't even know where to start. I have a basic magical education, but…"
Vasil's expression softened, and then he jumped up. "You floated over your bed after that treatment. The restraints you have are keyed to the virus. If we can bolster them, then you should be able to work just fine in class."
He smirked and crossed the room. "All you need is an amplifier."
He pulled a box down. "And if it works, I'll be issuing them all to the rest of your heathens as soon as they get back."
I laughed. "Don't call them heathens."
"I call it like I see it. Pick whatever draws you in."
He opened the box, and I looked inside. I didn't know what he meant until my eyes landed on a red-gold ring. I picked it up and felt it warm in my hand. It was intricately designed, with intertwining serpents coiling around each other, their heads meeting at the center of the band. The craftsmanship was exquisite, and I could imagine it adorning the hand of my ancestor, the patriarch of the Black Moon Pack.
As I slipped the ring onto my finger, it seemed to hum with a strange energy, pulsing with a power that I could feel coursing through my veins. It felt like it should have always been there. I looked up at Vasil.
"This ring," I began. "It belonged to that ancestor, didn't it?"
"Probably."
I looked down at the ring again, feeling its warmth against my skin. "How does it work?"
"The ring amplifies your magic and the magic of the other magical artifacts you wear. It should allow you to tap into more of your power until you can access it on your own."
I nodded. "I wonder why he would need something like this…"
"Probably to make the spear even more powerful. Great and powerful treasures usually come in threes."
Bestowed upon humanity…
"Should I be looking for a crown?"
He smirked. "Probably. "
"Do you think they'll accept it?"
"You not actually being a werewolf?" He snorted. "We'll call the pack something else. A Mob."
"No."
"A coven."
"No."
"A clan, then?"
I scoffed. "Workshop it."
I sighed, considering my family. We were a tight-knit group, and we'd been through a lot together. However, the older members of my family were also a proud and traditional group, and they would be resistant to thinking of themselves as anything else.
I'd need proof they could deny, and that would only come through training.
I sighed, feeling the weight of the situation bearing down on me.
"I guess I'll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it," I said finally. "For now, I need to focus on understanding my own powers and what this means for me."
Vasil nodded. "That's a wise decision, Peter. And I'm here to help you every step of the way."
As I left Vasil's office, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. The revelation that I was an aesir was a lot to process, and I knew that it would have far-reaching consequences for me and my pack in the supernatural world. Though perhaps that wouldn't be a bad thing. We could shed the cover we'd been using for so long and stand in the light on our own merit.
After all, if we weren't really werewolves, how had we been trying to turn anyone? I considered that. I would have to manage it carefully, but this didn't have to be the worst thing to ever happen.
As I walked through the winding corridors of the estate, I looked over all the artifacts, tapestries, and pieces of my family's history and tried to draw some courage. A lot of what we knew had to change, but it could be for the better.
I came back to the library to start reading the pile of books Vasil had pulled out. I had a lot of reading to do. And a lot of questions to answer. The journey ahead was going to be a long and difficult one.
Vasil was settled into his seat with a book, and with that, we both fell silent, lost in the pages in front of us.
My phone chimed hours later with a message from Michelle.
I'd love to. After 6? Pick me up at home?
I grinned and replied. Of course.
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