Thank you @stellina79 for the song choice.

Fluttering eye lids, a twitch of his finger. Odin's on the couch curled up on his side without a blanket. The fire must have been reloaded sometime through the night because it's giving off a cozy warmth.

Not wanting to wake him, a contemplating thought to go back to bed, but I can't stop staring at him, everything seems so relaxed. Getting closer, a flutter starting in my stomach. The weakness in my thighs is spreading, he causes this tremble with his presence. Closer still I get, wanting to touch the side of his face, the faster edge of breath exhaled out. My finger makes the first contact with skin, his temple to the corner of his closed lid is felt.

FIre races along nerves from that fingertip, up my forearm, down into my lower spine.

An exhaled breath out of Odin's now open mouth, yet his eyes remain closed. The slope of his nose is now felt, before my finger traces down across his top lip, to brush his bottom lip with the pad of my thumb. The jawline's structure is felt like he is the braille underneath my touch, learning the contours of him.

A stretch to wake himself up that carries a sleepy sigh as he shifts himself on his back.

Slowly, oh so painfully slow my hand slides down his neck to rest at the base of his throat. A subtle fingertip pressing into the hollow of his neck.

A harsh breath out from him, an even harsher breath from me. My free hand going to my lips brushing roughly against them, to go down to my own neck pretending that's it's hands feeling my flesh.

His eyes are shut, squeezed painfully shut. There is no halting this.

Getting closer to his neck, eyes can't stop what they covet, the Wild within rising up. Heart hammering in my chest, when my mouth stretches itself open.

Ancient green opens fully with a look of shock as if he's not believing what coming for him.

The strike to his throat comes fast, but Odin is much quicker with his movements as if he anticipated my move before it happens.

His hand going to my jaw, holding it at the hinges, shutting it tight, the teeth of mine buried into my lips, and gums. The Wild fighting his hold, head shaking trying to get out of a grip that is unbreakable.

"Charlie," Velvet voice coming out, the first vibration of sound is with a harshness yet the finishing end is with a soft texture to let me know he's not furious.The hand doesn't leave my jaw until I settle the inside of myself down.

The hand doesn't leave my jaw until I settle the inside of myself down. A trickle of sweat makes its path down the side of his face as if he's just exerted a vast amount of energy expect he's just been laying on the couch. He's sitting on the couch now, with a firm grip on me. My hand going to his wrist, trying to pull it away he applies his other hand and I'm unable to move his grip. His hands locked in some-kind of a weird lock.

He brings my face close to his, sliding our cheeks together. "I'm sorry Odin, I got carried away."

"Are you calmed down?" He says this while his nose nudges at my ear. His lips brush against the bounding pulse in my neck.

"I am." His hand releases from my jaw, only to feel my hair. He's got a touch of a smirk on his face, while his breathing is toning itself down.

"Odin, am I not allowed to touch you?"

"You can touch me Charlie, but I'm a greedy wolf. After a while, I'll want more and more of your touch. I won't be able to stop it....I need to be able to stop it."

"Are we allowed to do things, Odin?"

"Yes, Charlie. We can do lots of things to each other, just not mate, or mark each other till the Ceremony."

"I'm not fully sure what's going to happen at the Ceremony. Can you explain it more to me, so I get an understanding of how this will work? If I understand what's going to happen maybe I can try to calm myself before I put you and me into a situation that can cause you to do things you can't do."

"During the fall, the Claiming Ceremony will take place. An invitation will go out to packs from around the world to come for the Celebration. You will be prepared, your skin will hold all the details of my skin. You will be given a special drink that will make you forget everything about the Ceremony. Luna's of the past have specifically said this is needed. They said it would be easier on the Future Lunas. A drink was made, taking all the knowledge and talent of the healers for this to be accomplished."

"Odin, it won't work on me, and I'm not Luna made, I'm Alpha born."

"I understand this, Charlie. Don't think that this hasn't kept me awake at night. Like I said I'm bringing in your healer Lana to help with the preparation of you. Morvared has agreed with this."

"If I don't agree to this."

"No Luna has ever not agreed."

"I'm no Luna."

"I've also given this much consideration and have planned for this as well." Odin's voice carries the weight of his words.

"What are your plans?"

"Breakfast, for now, plans can wait we have lots of time."

"No, I want to know everything" Pulling myself away from him. Creating a space so I can think properly. He does things to me, his proximity creating such surging wants that it's hard to concentrate on anything else but who he is and what I want him to become.

"The first thing that needed to be done was me marking you as one of the Far North females." His finger stretching out to touch the mark on my face. From the corner of my eye down the length of my cheek to stop at my jawline.

"That night, your father wanted you to kill me right?"

"Yes, he told me to do the honorable thing, the right thing and kill you in your sleep, you were an abomination that needed to be put down. He told me you wouldn't feel a thing. The knife sharp enough to end your life within your dreams. For me to leave you in your bed for your father to find." It's hard to hear this truth from him, from how his father thinks of me.

"Why didn't you?"

"I couldn't Charlie, I know letting you live was wrong. That I was going against the Moon, I just couldn't kill my half and pretend to live a life without you in it." His words hitting against my heart, creating squeezing emotions.

"Letting me live was wrong? So you think I am an abomination?" His mouth closes hard, a press to his lips.

"You're my mate." Sound repressing in the tightness of his throat.

"You didn't answer my question, Odin. Do you think I am an abomination?" My lips now pressed firmly together trying to hide away the tremble. Bracing for it, the word that is already forming on his lips.

"Yes." It's said flatly without any tone of inflection that rises or falls....straight line sound.

The tone of texture changing with varying degree's of green in those eyes that hold onto mine. He doesn't look away, and neither do I, and we hold ourselves still.

It's the opening of ducts that let the salty tears fill the pocket of space just underneath my irises, overfilling, the water has no choice but to drop out one by one. The path zig zagging down my cheek, some touch the corner of my mouth. He watches as each one falls off to land, wetting my nightgown.

He doesn't look away from this, and I can't look away from him, even when my shoulders begin to shake and a sound whimpers out from the back of my throat. He takes a step towards me, I take a step back.

"Don't." A strangled words laced with the pain a heart can feel. It's not your mind that feels the ache, this is felt in the deepness of your heart causing the muscle to squeeze so much it can cause an internal injury to yourself.

"I have never been made to feel such shame until I've come here, I have never felt more like an abomination until now." He flinches from words hurtled to him in pain.

"I want to go home." My voice cries out.

"I won't let you leave." His own voice holds a cry to his sound.

"I will forfeit you as my mate, I will walk a healers path. You can be free to choose someone who is not an abomination." Once the words are spoken out, the wind seems to howl with laughter against the glass of the window.

"Would you rather me pretend, lie to you? Is this what's going to happen everytime you hear something you don't like? You're going to threaten me with leaving, or to forsake me and become a healer? There is no one else for me!" He hits his chest with a closed fist.

"My sister is an abomination, but she is my sister, and I love her. But she is still an abomination to the Moon, to the pack, to my father, to me. But I love her and will protect her with my life." His jaw muscles flexing, shifting within the alignment of bone.

"My father wanted to kill my sister at birth as it's done here. All unfit pups are to be put out for Nature to take, they are a strain on our resources." He says this as a fact of opinion.

"Why didn't your father kill her at birth then?"

Odin sits down as if his legs are weakening, unable to carry a weight that's pressing down on his shoulders.

"I'm going to tell you a story about how my father let Elska live. He came home from a hunting trip, my mother had just given birth to Elska about a week before his return. She had all three of us on the bed together. I can remember it so; clearly, it's one of my first memories as a pup." His eyes are glazing over, he doesn't do this just giving out information of his young years. So I pay attention with what he want's me to understand.

"She had a silver knife in each hand, I can still remember how cold it felt against my skin almost to the point of burning me." He's touching his throat now before he refocuses back on his words.

"She asked him a question, I either mark you tonight in our bed and you let her live, or I take them out first, then I will rip her throat out and allow you to rip mine out after. Either way, I am prepared. That's what my mother told my father to save Elska's life." His eyes focus on me, watching.

"My mother in all those years together with my father never marked him. She told me she knew she would have something this pack thinks is meant to be put out for Nature to take, so she waited and fought against her instincts for years to protect a Future that hasn't even been born yet. When she did have Elska, it was the only advantage she had left over my father. I remember that night being ushered away to my grandparent's house. Elska stayed behind, in the morning when we returned my father held a mark to his throat. My mother never had a Future after that, she told me that she had nothing left to bargain and the three she had was enough."

"Your mother has a strength inside her."

"My mother will always protect my sister and so will I Charlie. No matter what I think about who she is she is my sister, and I love her." He gets closer to me, touching our cheeks together.

"You are my mate, Charlie." Low words whispered into my ear before he pulls himself away.

"I'm going to go for a run with my sister, once she's had a good stretch, I'm going bring Elska back here. It's time you meet her. She's going to help us prepare our first family meal in our house together. Please be kind to her, she's my sister, but she has a different way about her. Also, Charlie, she wants to be around you. She has no friends of her own, and I know that this meeting means a lot to her. She wants you to like her."

"Odin,-"

"Charlie, she's simple in her ways. All she wants is a friend, and I promised her that you're different, that you won't judge her for what she is, just like she doesn't judge what others are."

Odin gather's up several things in his arms before he leaves, once the door closes behind him I breathe out a weighted breath.

Going to my satchel, taking out the leather bound book and green pencil. They look exactly and function like the real thing. Taking a bite from it, thinking to myself if we ever had a Future and it was different would he put it out for Nature to take? I'll need to ask him that question. Another bite of the herb that's hidden within the wooden walls of the pencil, it's a corrosive flavor that seems to kill the taste buds on my tongue. This will be needed to prevent my heat from taking place after he marks me. This will give me time to decide when I or if I want a Future in a pack that considers me an abomination.

It's a quick shower, cleaning myself up. When I do look into the mirror what's staring back is a terrible hair cut, gone so bad. Tufts of uneven hair sticking out in places, extremely short in other places. Taking the clippers that are on the counter, turning them on. I've never used them before so with a leeriness, I proceed to make the terrible cut at least become symmetric, even and extremely short on my head. Now my hair matches Odin's.

Angling my head from side to side, feeling my scalp with my hand it looks better, but I look as if I'ma juvenile male, not an adult female. I look younger with bigger eyes.

Selecting a casual dress, Odin seems to have stocked up on my dresses that I hardly wore in my pack preferring foraging outfits that the knees could get dirty.

Making myself some breakfast, there is homemade granola, my favorite snack sitting in a glass jar, it even has the little flakes of coconut that I love. Looking into some more of the cupboards realizing that a lot of the dry food here is some of my favorites from home. Looking at the chocolate chips getting an idea to make cookies.

The time spent trying to remember a recipe I don't have written down consumes my thoughts long enough to not dwell on other pressing revelations that I'm not ready to face just yet.

When pulling out the last sheet of hot cookies from the oven does the door open and a female that's shrouded in furs steps inside. Odin is next to follow before he closes the door behind him. He takes off the hat I made him brushing off the snow that has accumulated on it. The snow never stopping it seems up here.

She turns herself away from me to shrug off her furs, Odin taking it from her hands that are so translucent white that you see the cords of veins that rope up her arms.

Nails hold the dullness of grey on them, reminding me of my cousin's eyes when they are unhappy. She's dressed in bold, lavish colors that are mismatched. A skirt that touches the ground like her mother always wears, and a flowing top that fits loosely on her body. Brangles on her arm that clink softly when she raises her arms up.

When she turns herself around, it's startling unique the absence of color on flesh.

White thin hair that grows sparsely on a scalp, ghostly skin where the blue veins can be seen from the inside out on her cheeks. What strikes me the most is her light pink eyes that start to darken to a shade of red. I've heard of albino's but never have I seen one before.

"Charlie, this is my sister, Elska." I'm shocked by the sight of her.

"Stop staring at me." Her voice sounds hurt.

"Elska, stop. We talked about this. She's not used to you yet, let her have a look, and we can move on with introductions." Odin's firm voice in her ear.

"It's nice to finally meet you Elska, I've wanted an introduction since I knew Luna Bessa had a female who was my age." Trying desperately not to stare at her.

"It's great to finally meet you as well, Charlie." Her eyes are looking at me, but they don't know where on my face my eyes are held.

She takes a step towards me another, her hands start to reach out until her fingers find my shoulder. Nose flaring out, an inhaled breathed. "I've never smelled someone like you before." Elska saying this while pressing her nose into my neck. Odin gives me a look to just go with it.

Her hands going to my forehead, running over every structure of my face, "You have lovely lips, Odin said you have beautiful lips, now I know what he's talking about." Those fingers linger there over the top of them, eyes looking at Odin who's cheeks faintly tinge pink before he turns himself away from us, going into the bedroom.

Those fingers trail along my neck, collarbone, they trail over my shoulders. Her hands start to trail lower, "Elska-" Odin warns her, hands pull up to rest back on my jawline. Her hand goes to the top of my head before it goes to the top of her head measuring the height of me compared to her. She shorter, by a few inches coming to my chin. She's the same height as Aunt Meela.

"Our first family dinner, I'm excited." Her voice holds an excitement that is bursting out. A smile spread across her face that for anyone else would be off, but for her it suits her. She feels the smile on my face with her fingers I give her.

"You have a nice smile, Charlie."

"So do you Elska," That makes her blush fire red, outstanding color on a white surface. That makes Odin's own lips turn up into an Odin smile.

"It smells good in here, chocolate chip cookies?" Elska's nose lifting up.

"I just made them, they're still warm would you like one?"

"Will they destroy her underwear like they destroyed mine?" Odin's quick words take me off guard, and Elska giggles then start to laugh and laugh.

"Odin was ruined for several days because of those cookies, Charlie. He was so sick. Even Morvared was impressed by your creativity at that age. My mother had to hose him down when he was brought to Uncle Luki's house. The smell was something that I won't forget, ever." Elska starts to laugh again, pulling Odin's chuckle with her.

"I thought you were the wickedest to live, Morvared chastised Odin that he should have been smarter than you. She made him taste thistle over and over again so he could detect it in anything he ate from your hands again. He was wretchedly sick for a few weeks after that. Then she showed him how to combat thistle with our plant. Odin can name off every plant in our territory did you know that, Charlie? Morvared said if he wasn't born male he could have been a healer, such a waste she always says when she passes by him." Elska now taking some things out of the drawers, a big pot, spoons, spices, rendered fat that is held in dark glass jars.

"What are we going to make?" Asking Elska who is starting to work immediately.

"We're going to have your favorite dish."

"What's that?" Not even knowing myself, I have many.

"Stew, your father makes it. It's the only dish you take thirds to. You like to eat it with fresh bread, lots of butter. Odin told me all your favorite dishes."

"He did, what else has he told you." Asking Elska but watching Odin who looks uncomfortable for a moment before his features right themselves properly.

"Lots and lots of things, he says that you like to forage for plants in the most dangerous spots on your territory. He says you like to draw your plants on your belly, and your tongue sticks out to the left side if you're concentrating too hard. He says that your eyes look exactly like a flower that blooms in the springtime here. When you were going to have your first shift, he was very worried about you. He came home after the month and told me that your wolf is savage but cute." Elska odd smile turns itself down slightly, "he was punished for staying away so long."

"Elska enough," Odin's voice sounding stern with a sister he adores.

"So let's make a dish that will remind you of home." Elska takes a pot and puts it on the wood stove on a wire rack, scooping out some lard from a jar, the scent I can't tell what animal it's from. She chips the meat and browns it in the bottom. Odin takes a cookie and eats it with a smile. He tries to touch me, but I pull away from his fingers that make him drop his hand to his side. Through out the food preparation, Odin needs something out of a drawer, and when he goes by me, he lets his arm graze across my back, or hand on my hip to angle me so he can reach around and grab something he doesn't need off the counter. Every time he does this I try to step away from his touch, away from his body, just away from him.

I don't want to touch him, and more importantly, I don't want him touching me anymore. All that keeps revolving in my mind is, abomination, that he thinks that I am an abomination.

When his eyes find mine, I pull my gaze away with an unhappy lip. Elska takes a moment to go to the bathroom. Very quickly Odin's body presses mine into the counter, his mouth going to my neck.

"What have I done so wrong that you don't want me around you at all?" His words scorching the surface of my skin.

"I'm an abomination, why would you want to be around me?" Flinging my stewing thoughts at him.

"You're my abomination, and I always will want to be around you." His words pressing gently into the hollow of my neck, lips linger there before pulling away.

Odin reaches underneath the side of the drawers a space created to house some flat long pieces of wood. He pulls on out, and I realize that they are Leafs to the table.

"Would you mind helping me with the table?" Odin bringing the piece of wood there. "Now pull from that end, and I will pull from my end, and we will stretch it open." When we do this the table becomes three times its average size, he places that leaf in the middle getting another one before we push it securely closed. Elska comes out of the bathroom, she goes immediately to the table feeling it's length with that odd smile of hers. It's as if she smiles but has never actually seen a smile before, it's unique.

Her fingers feel all the edges until they stop at the grooves that Odin put into it.

"Odin, you did a good job with this table. Did you know he hauled the wood from your pack to his? It took him weeks to do. One long piece at a time. He said he wanted to make it out of the best wood. Oak, from a great grandfather tree." My eyes find Odin's and he holds them.

"That tree was going to die, it was just a matter of time. I knew we needed a table a strong table. The tree's life wasn't wasted in death, I used it to make lots of things from its flesh. The bed is from that tree as well, along with the chairs. I still have wood left for other things I;m going to make out of it." Odin says this while I remember the great grandfather Oak tree I was chained to during my heat. He actually went back and harvested the wood so it wouldn't be wasted.

Elska chopping vegetables faster than I can even think of doing. "Elksa you throw knives very well, how did you learn that?"

"My mother first taught me, then Odin and Ryeson."

"You are really good at it, my mother would be impressed by you." Elska actually radiates a warm cinnamon blush throughout her entire body, as if she's never given such praise.

"Odin tells me that your mother is like our mother, very honorable." Finding Odin's eyes try to hold mine, but I look away from him again.

"Your father, no so much." Elska's words rile my fur up, and she immediately holds me close. "I'm sorry Charlie, fathers can be challenging sometimes." She acts as if I don't love my father.

"I love my father, Elska. He's my dad, and I love him." Even though he has done some incredibly terrible things that I don't agree with, he's still my dad, a good kind dad who always put me above himself. Him and me in the afternoons just playing together, without anyone else, our time he called it. A small knot in the back of my throat builds up tight, and tears threaten again.

"What's wrong?" Elska looking for Odin, her whole body starting to shake with mine, it's as if she can detect my emotions without a visual of them.

"I miss my family." Saying it sadly.

"I understand, it must be tough for you to be away from them. Odin should be more understanding towards you." Her stare is hard towards a brother who is not in her direct line of sight until he breaths out then she fixes her vision on him.

During our preparation of dinner, Elska rubs her cheek against mine constantly, she doesn't have any inhibitions of touch. When I talk, she puts her fingers in my mouth. Feeling the muscles that shift my face, her eyes are dead, nothing is moving, no dilation or retraction with the pupil and iris, just a shifting of color dark pink that borderlines red, to a light pink.

After a while, her touch, her closeness into my radius doesn't take me off guard as much. I understand her way about her.

A knock on the door has Odin opening it for his mother, Uncle Luki, and Bryon to come in. They all shed their furs hanging them up on the pegs. All of them look around the house as if they have never stepped foot inside the place before.

"Odin, the table turned out beautiful." Luna Bessa trailing her fingers over the sanded, polished surface.

Bryon stands close to Luki, "Odin you have built a good home." Bryon saying this to Odin who nods his head, but says nothing back.

"Charlie," Luna Bessa pulling me into an embrace, Elska pressing her cheek to Bryon's cheek, but not to her Uncle's she ignores him completely, with a flip of her thin hair.

"Odin, who drew this." Luna Bessa asking while looking at the artwork on the wall.

"Odin did," answering for him. All three of them stare at his pictures that decorate the walls, just a barren wall is left that has no pictures on it. I think they didn't know that Odin could draw, or at least draw that well.

"Mother, where is my male?" Elska asking concerned. Odin never said that she has a male, but I see no mate mark to her neck?

"Ryeson is bringing him." A breath of relief comes out of Elska's mouth.

Another knock on the door, it opens before Odin gets to it.

It's Odin's brother that just walks in only wearing a woolen sweater that is steel grey, with jeans and boots on.

"Where is Warson?" Elska sniffing up in the air.

"Right behind me." When I look through the open door, Alpha Borson is holding the pups hand before kneeling down and giving him a hug goodbye. A kiss on his head. He puts his hands in his pockets, head angling down before he walks away from the house that Odin built.

A small pup maybe three or four years old is running into Odin's arms he picks him up tossing him high in the air as he squeals his delights. Odin catches him throwing him again higher this time that the male's eyes go big, scared before he starts laughing when Odin catches him once again.

"I've missed you." He puts the young pup down on the ground ruffling up his hair.

"I miss you too Uncle."

"Is this her?" The male eyes me up and down in a shy childlike way. His body behind Odin's leg.

"It is." Odin is now eyeing me up and down. From the tip of my head to the bottom of my feet, he lingers over my flesh that is fire hot; even my ears feel warm from what just his eyes do to me.

"She doesn't look like a monster Uncle, Odin. Why did you tell mom you were getting your monster?"

It's hard to hold back the look of hurt that is in my eyes with words that tell me that I'm not only an abomination but a monster as well.

Author's Notes

Two things, first thank you for your reads, staying interested all your comments, votes...means so much to me....Thank you so much.

I did make this a private chapter as well if you want to go to the book, just made the interaction of Charlie and Odin slightly more.