Chapter Thirty

Nothing is impossible. The word itself says ‘I’m Possible.’

—Audrey Hepburn

 

PENN WALKED BACK to their family quarters with his mother in silence. He felt like he was nine and in trouble. But she closed the door and hugged him; she could no longer contain her excitement.

“Mated.” She’d tried to hide her happiness from everyone else. Penn knew it was due to the grim circumstances the rest of the pack now faced.

“No shame for you, Momma. And did you hear him? You could mate a Bellum? You’re eligible. You never could mate another Mitchum. This changes things for you too.” By her look of shock and the light blush on her cheeks, the idea hadn’t even struck her yet.

“You first, Penn, tell me,” she said, and Penn unbuttoned his shirt.

“It happened just like Iver said, but then he left, and I woke up with this.” Penn showed her the mark, and she swallowed hard.

“He marked you as his,” she said quietly.

“Elias said it spells out ‘Ivarr’ in the first language and ‘Iver’ in the old language. Warrior, archer, Pillar, and his intended mate. But Elias said it would change to ‘eternal mate’ if I accept his offer.”

“If?”

“I don’t even know him,” Penn said. “And he bit me!”

“What does your Wolf say?”

Penn scratched his neck nervously. “He says we’re mating the Angel of Death, but yeah, he hasn’t confirmed it yet. But I think he’s our mate.”

She bit her lip. “Then it is so.”

“I don’t even know him,” Penn repeated.

“Then go—go get to know him.” And she practically pushed him through the door, Penn shaking his head, and locked it behind him. Then she opened it again, giggling, and said, “Oh, wait,” and tugged him back in.

Penn watched as she furiously began packing his things. She handed him bags and backpacks, and by the time she was done, her old rolling suitcase. She looked over the moon as she wiped her hair from her face and waved him on.

“Go on, and don’t come back until you need me for the ceremony.” She grinned and was happier than he’d seen her in so long. Penn kissed her cheek and hefted his bags.

This time, it was a longer walk as Penn wasn’t sure what was in store for himself.

A mate.

He’d always wanted to be mated. He’d thought it impossible.

A male.

Penn’s eyes widened as the thought dawned on him. Odd, it hadn’t before, but now, as he had time to think about it… A male mate indeed. And what a male. Penn felt the heat in his cheeks as he imagined what that would be like. He would definitely be taking another cake to Ryan and Thomas very soon. He had questions. Suddenly, so many of them.

*

PENN STOOD AT the hillcrest and glanced down on the Chindi Cave. There, Iver sat on a chair that hadn’t been there before, an empty chair next to it, and waited. No snow now, just green grass and wildflowers everywhere. The place no longer appeared haunted or dark. Iver looked up from his chin-in-hand position and then stood, smoothing out his robe and smiling up at Penn.

“Huh,” Penn said and smiled back.

And still, Wolf was quiet.

Penn’s hands were full, or he’d have waved, but Iver headed up as Penn headed down, meeting him halfway and taking three of the bags.

“Your things?” Iver asked hopefully.

“Yes,” Penn said and took him in as he followed Iver down the hillside to the cave.

“My siblings have been busy,” Iver said nervously. “They wouldn’t let me go inside until you arrived. I suspect Britt and Hanne have made some changes to our cave. No doubt, Sven had a hand in it as well. I don’t know what we’re walking into. But I did bring your things back with me. They’d taken them.”

“Okay.” Penn didn’t know what to say. He was so freaking nervous; his face was now on fire.

Iver laughed. “I’m nervous too.”

“Great,” Penn huffed, but he should have figured. “You won’t read all my thoughts, will you?”

“No, but I can feel that one rolling off you,” Iver said and stepped back for Penn to go through the passageway first. They both heard the giggles and the whisps of disappearances as they stepped inside.

“That’s a remodel,” Penn said in awe as he took in the clean cave and furnishings fit for men and at least one god. He looked over at Iver, who seemed just as shocked.

“Mating gift,” Iver said.

“Is it bigger?” Penn set his bags down and stepped towards a new entrance at the back.

“Sven,” Iver confirmed. “He can create land, change it.”

“I’d say, there’s a whole other section of cave in here.” Penn noted a kitchen, dining, bath, and small room in the back that could be an office. Penn pointed at the latter.

“I have to work from somewhere,” Iver said as if he approved. “That’s my old desk.”

“That stuff out there?” Penn had found a heavy door and opened it. And he closed it right back. “So, that’s all your furniture in the front?”

“Some of it, some is new. What’s behind this door?” Iver reached over Penn’s head and pushed. “Oh.”

Iver coughed and turned redder than Penn. “That isn’t my furniture in there.”

“Well, it’s not mine.” Penn touched his hot face, feeling the absolute embarrassment he could no longer contain.

Iver threw his head back and laughed. When he sobered, he motioned to the door. “Let’s see what they’ve done,” he said, and Penn pushed open the door and went in.

“Masculine,” Penn coughed out, taking in the rustic but enormous bed and furniture so heavy it made a statement.

Iver opened another set of doors and found a closet with clothing Penn guessed was his and a half-empty side clearly for Penn’s things. Penn watched as Iver moved on and opened a final entry to a bathroom, which Penn couldn’t even begin to describe since he’d never seen anything like it before. Nothing was over the top, but far more than the modest things Penn had grown up knowing. He snuck another peek at Iver, who seemed to be feeling just as awkward as Penn felt.

“My siblings have wished me mated for millennia,” Iver said. “They are all mated.”

Penn gave Iver a sympathetic look, knowing that history already. They’d learned it as children.

“Shall we?” Iver started and indicated the empty side of the closet.

Penn swallowed. “Yes, alright.”

Iver headed back to fetch the bags with Penn following. “Your siblings were generous and thoughtful for providing us with this home,” Penn said. “I will want to thank them.”

Iver seemed pleased as he picked up two bags, and Penn gathered the others. They returned to the bedroom, unpacked Penn’s things together, and put them away.

“You are pleased then?” Iver asked.

“Yes. I would have lived in the cave as it was, but this is much nicer,” Penn said.

“I would have as well.” Iver began hanging Penn’s clothes next to his own, appearing happy as he did it.

It made Penn relax and see Iver differently, reminding him of what Ryan had said. Penn opened a drawer, then another, and added his things. It all seemed so natural as the initial awkwardness began to settle.

“I thought we might—” Iver started and shook his head as he closed the closet door. He turned and faced Penn. “I thought we might get to know each other by traditional courting, so you can—” Iver paused and seemed to search for words. “—decide if you’ll consider my offer to be your mate.”

Penn bit his lip. “My Wolf said you are my mate.”

Iver said, “Mine too. He bit you. What else did your Wolf say?”

Penn dropped his eyes as he admitted, “He’s gone quiet.”

“I see. Then courting tradition and mating stages would be the proper start. Your Wolf is wise.”

Penn examined the room again, and his cheeks went to flames right on cue at the sight of the bed. He stared at the floor. “I’ve never.”

“Nor have I,” Iver said.

“Ok, then. Are you hungry?”

Iver beamed as he motioned Penn out of the room and followed. “I am always hungry.”

“We have a refrigerator in a cave,” Penn said, searching around and wondering where in the world the electricity came from.

“Ja.” Iver began opening the rustic cabinets and looking inside at what was there. “None of this is mine. I don’t know where anything is.”

Penn laughed. “I guess we will figure it out as we go.” And he opened the door to the small refrigerator and stared inside at all the food. “Oh, man.”

Iver peered over Penn’s shoulder. “Britt and Hanne. You can cook?” he asked hopefully.

Penn pulled things from the shelf. “I can. That doesn’t mean I do it well, but my mother taught me, and she’s a talented cook and baker.” Penn handed Iver a cut of meat. “So this will be our home?” Penn wanted to confirm.

“Yes, along with twenty acres, ten to the lake and ten to the east on Mitchum land, ten from each pack. We won’t hunt or farm this land until the Tribunal has concluded. But this cave has always belonged to Sven since we were children. Before the Native Americans, before the Steele family. We played here as children. It was one of many places we disappeared to.”

Penn chopped vegetables as he listened to Iver’s history. “So was it never an ancient burial cave?”

“No, the Native Americans have burial grounds not far from here, on the forestry lands, but they knew of us and warded others away from this place. It does hold their magic still,” Iver said. “Outside and around this stone. Something Sven traded with them to do. I don’t know what, but he was very fond of the tribe here. That was many years ago when he was a child and how he met his mate.”

“I can feel it, like a warning,” Penn admitted.

“Good, then other Wolves can too.”

“So you’ll live here year-round?”

“If we are mated, I will live here with you unless you want to live somewhere else.”

“I like it here.”

“As do I, but much of that will be decided after the Tribunal. For now, this cave—this is ours,” Iver explained as he loaded wood into the sizeable woodburning oven’s firebox.

Penn added vegetables with the seasoned meat Iver had placed inside the pan. Penn put their dinner in the oven and glanced around the kitchen. Still old-world, but now with a pump sink and cabinetry. It was nice, much like everything he was already used to from his own home but with some improvements—simple lighting and modest but sturdy furnishings.

“I would like to meet your mother.”

“Yes,” Penn said, then frowned. “I’d like to introduce you to my two best friends, but…” Penn shook his head. “Maybe it’s not the best time.”

“No, perhaps in time,” Iver said and looked away.

“I am sorry for the war. I am sorry for the part I played in it. I know you absolved me, but I still feel saddened and horrible over it all,” Penn said.

Iver took a step closer to Penn. He traced a finger down the two long scars on Penn’s left cheek and then pulled away. “One of my brothers did this to you. And the other scars.”

Penn swallowed. “He was killing me. Another fighter saved me from him.”

“War,” Iver spat out. “It’s a terrible thing to be good at.” He sighed. “One of your friends then.”

Penn nodded.

“I agree. After and in time,” Iver said.