The Wolfskin Series

MERA

Mera shot up as she heard a loud masculine scream.

It came from the bathroom. She ran to the bathroom and pulled the door open.

As soon as she saw Mitch naked, she yelped and turned around. Seeing her brother like that was one of the things she just didn’t want to see.

“What the fuck, Mera! Why would you suddenly run in here?” Mitch yelled from behind her.

“I heard you scream!” she yelled back without looking at him.

“What do you mean? I didn’t scream. Why would I be screaming?” Mitch said.

Mera didn’t understand. She could have sworn she heard a scream.

Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair.

“Maybe you dreamed it,” Mitch said.

Maybe I did, but why would a male be screaming in my dream?

“Now, get out so I can take a shower,” Mitch said as he pushed her out of the bathroom, closed the door, and locked it.

She walked back to her bed and lay down. She glanced at her clock and saw the red digits forming 10:35.

She sighed and thought about the scream.

It must have been a dream. There’s no other explanation.

EDVIN

“Goddamnit, Edvin,” Ken yelled as he got up from the ground.

Edvin laughed at his brother. “Dude, that was the worst attack you could have done in that situation.”

Ken growled at him, which caused Edvin to laugh even more.

“What do you expect at 09:50 in the morning?”

Edvin didn’t stop laughing.

Ken leaped at him and pushed him against the wall with a hand on his throat.

Edvin yelped at his sudden attack. He looked into Ken’s eyes and saw they had turned amber.

His wolf was close to the surface.

Edvin closed his eyes and allowed his own wolf to rise. As he opened his eyes, they also turned amber, and he started to attack Ken.

He punched Ken’s lower abdomen, which caused Ken’s grip on his throat to loosen. He reacted and pushed him away.

Ken stumbled backward. They both growled.

Ken leaped at him again, but Edvin evaded him without effort. Ken ran straight into the wall and fell backward on the ground.

Edvin quickly got on top of him and grabbed his throat. He pushed a little so Ken was forced to stay down.

“Killing each other again?”

Edvin looked at the door and saw a male with ginger hair and blue eyes. He was wearing jeans, a plain black T-shirt, and combat boots.

He was just as muscled as Edvin and Ken.

“You know us, Aksel.”

Aksel shook his head and snorted. “Sadly, I do. Let him go, Edvin. Alpha needs us.”

Edvin got off Ken. They both grabbed their shirts and walked after Aksel.

“Any news about him?” Ken asked.

Aksel sighed and shook his head.

Ken also sighed as he put on his shirt. “Seriously, doesn’t he want to be alpha or something?” Ken asked.

“Dude, you know he’s a complicated guy. He’s been through a lot,” Edvin said.

Aksel looked at him. “And we haven’t? That day changed us all, Edvin. He’s the alpha’s son. He needs to grow up and take his place. Yes, he was broken, but he needs to move on like we have.”

“Seriously, have we moved on?” Ken asked.

Aksel and Edvin looked at him.

“Luna still reminds us of it every year, and every time she does, I feel like I did that day.

“We let it happen, and now it’s something that will haunt us. It’s only natural he’s reluctant to take his place as alpha,” Ken said.

Aksel sighed and didn’t respond.

The three walked in silence toward the office and walked in.

Alpha Adrien looked up from his notes and removed his glasses.

“Alpha,” the three greeted.

“I’m organizing a search for my son,” Adrien started.

Aksel, Edvin, and Ken looked at each other briefly.

“It’s been three months. He needs to come home and accept or officially reject the position,” Adrien said.

He stood up from his desk and looked out the window.

“I’m putting you three in charge of the three search parties.”

He turned back to face them.

“You won’t stop until you find him and bring him back, understood?”

The three stood a little straighter and nodded.

“Where will each of us start?” Aksel asked.

“You will start at the western border of the pack. Edvin will start at the eastern border and Ken at the southern border. I will appoint my beta, Viggo, to search at the northern border.

“You will start at the edge and continue for as long as it takes. Don’t cross territories or kill any rogue—”

He stopped.

The sound of a bloodcurdling scream filled the air. It came from the northern side of the forest.

“Go,” Adrien commanded the three, and they ran out of the pack house and toward the scream.

MERA

After breakfast, Mera went upstairs and took a shower. She remembered Synne talking about the market, and she was excited they had a craft market every year.

She had always loved crafting things, and drawing was one of her favorites. Even though she could barely move her arm, she could use it to draw, and she was forever grateful for that.

After a short shower, she got out and dried herself. Her eyes went to the mirror.

The scars on her arm were the first thing she noticed, and immediately the image of ripped-open Kelly appeared in her head.

The scars covered her entire right arm, shoulder, an area of her collarbone, and her shoulder blade.

Her hand was basically unharmed, besides some small scars that were barely visible from a distance.

She looked at her abdomen and saw the claw marks on her right side.

An image of the wolf cutting her appeared in her head, and a tear slipped out.

She shook the images out of her head and dried her tear.

The time for feeling sorry for herself was over. She needed to move on; she wanted to move on.

All the crying she’d done had never helped, and she didn’t want it anymore.

She walked into her room and dressed in some black underwear, blue jeans, a blue top, and a black pullover of which the torso was see-through, and the sleeves weren’t.

The scars on her shoulder blade and collarbone were visible, but they weren’t obvious.

She brushed her golden-blonde hair, which reached her lower back, and decided to let it hang loose.

She looked at herself. Her dark-brown eyes were almost black. She had all the right curves, and she was happy with her body.

She grabbed her combat boots and put them on before she walked downstairs.

Her mother was sitting at the dinner table, drinking her coffee as her father finished his third breakfast.

“I’m gonna go to the market. I have my phone, so if you get there, you can let me know!” Mera yelled at them as she walked to the door.

She heard her mother chuckle. “Sure, sweetie, have fun!”

Mera smiled at her mother before she walked out of the house and went to the village.

It didn’t take long before she arrived, and she was soon surrounded by people who were all in a festive mood.

She smiled at them and felt like she belonged already.

She walked in the direction of the square and saw the stands.

There were kids running around handing out flyers, and others were sitting at stands and crafting.

Some were drawing, others were sculpting, there was also pottery, and some were making wicker baskets.

If there hadn’t been signs they were living in 2020, she would have been sure she was living in the Middle Ages.

A kid ran toward her.

Mera smiled at the boy that stopped in front of her.

“Are you new here?”

She smiled at the boy’s question. Mera crouched down so she was at the same height as he was.

“I am,” she said.

“Where are you from?” he asked her.

She had to give it to him—he was curious.

“I lived in America before moving here.”

“You’ve come a long way, then.”

She got up and looked at the male behind her. Mera smiled and saw the resemblance between him and the boy.

They both had light-brown hair, gray eyes, and the same nose. The male was built strong, and she could see the muscles underneath his shirt.

“I’m Viggo, the mayor’s deputy, and that nosy little boy is my son, Ruben.”

“I’m not nosy!” Ruben said as he stomped his foot on the ground.

She smiled at the boy before looking back at Viggo.

“Esmeralda. You can call me Mera.”

“Nice to meet you, Mera.” Viggo smiled and held out his hand for her to shake.

It was his right hand, and she knew it would hurt to shake it.

She clenched her jaw and shook it anyway.

Every move she made hurt, and she had trouble not showing her pain.

“Are you okay?” Viggo asked.

She smiled at him as she released his hand and massaged her arm. “I’m fine. My muscles ache a little.”

Actually, it hurts a lot, but he doesn’t need to know that.

He nodded in understanding.

She felt someone pull at her shirt and looked at Ruben. Mera crouched down again.

“Why are you here?”

She smiled at Ruben’s question as she heard Viggo sigh.

“My dad is the new doctor here. He had to move here, and so did we,” Mera explained to the boy, who nodded.

“Are you a wolf too?”

Mera looked at him in surprise as she heard the question.

Viggo immediately grabbed his son.

She got up and gave him a questioning look.

“He thinks we are all humans with wolf spirits. They are learning about the Ulfhednar in history class, and he’s taking it a little too literally,” Viggo said as he lifted his son in his arms.

“The Ulfhednar?” Mera asked, a little embarrassed at not knowing much about the history and myths of Norway.

“The Ulfhednar were a group of specific Vikings. They were fierce, even more than the normal Vikings. Some said they were insane or psychopaths.

“They were from Norway and originated from ancient Norse religious rites.

“Every time they went into battle, they would dye their skin black, wear wolf skins, and even howl. At those times, they were more wolf than human,” Viggo explained.

She had never heard about them before and was fascinated by the story. It was almost a werewolf story without the humans actually turning into wolves. Or they did but not with their body.

Mera looked at Ruben and smiled at him.

“No, I’m not a wolf.”

He gave her a sad look and nodded.

She smiled at Viggo, who smiled in return.

He looked over his shoulder and sighed.

She looked past him and saw nothing that would have drawn his attention.

What is he looking at?

He looked back at her as he placed his son back on the ground. “I have to go. It was nice to meet you, Esmeralda.”

She smiled and nodded before he turned and walked to a large house, probably the city hall.

She saw three males run toward it with someone in between them.

Viggo also started running, and they all disappeared into the city hall.

What’s happened?