Chapter 6: Chapter 5

Levi

 

 

"You'll be my beta one day, Levi! You have to take more responsibility!" Noah stood before him with his arms crossed and a grim look. He had his long hair tied and looked like a fairytale prince called Mr. Muscle. A bad-tempered fairytale prince. All the young ladies in the pack from sixteen to ninety-nine adored him. All the young ladies and Levi. But at twenty-nine, Noah was too old for the sixteen-year-old boy. And also too much of an alpha. Already his smell shouted 'Obey!' to him.

"I'm sixteen and not Beta yet. What responsibility?", snorted Levi. The two stood at the gate to their village. Levi wanted to go to the market, but Noah stopped him.

Noah squinted his eyes while struggling for patience. "The responsibilities to be a good role model for other teenagers and to secure their respect for you right now! The pack must be able to trust your decisions. It certainly won't if you play tricks on them."

"But pranks are funny!" Levi grinned.

"Not when an angry pack member knocks on my father's door at three at night because her bedroom is full of chickens! And another wolf complains that his chickens were stolen! How did you do it in the first place?"

Burglary was the answer to the question, but Levi just shrugged.

"I have to be able to rely on you!"

"What if I don't want to be your Beta?"

Noah snorted, "And whose Beta do you want to be? I'm the only Alpha who can take over the pack one day since my brother Marko left."

Levi wanted to roll his eyes, but an unpleasant smell flowed into his nose. Humans and horses. Metal. Probably soldiers. None had come to their pack for a month. He turned around and could see their horses coming towards the village. He looked at Noah restlessly. "Go home, quick", he said. "Before they see you and come up with unpleasant thoughts. I help my father with the... Negotiations."

Negotiations. That was a nice word for what was about to happen. The soldiers came either to collect taxes or, if they were unlucky, to steal one or more pack members. Levi hurried home, hoping that once again it was just about the excessive taxes they had to pay to the queen. A witch.

When he got home, his little sister jumped into his arms. "Did you bring me something?", she asked, looking at him hopefully.

"No. I didn't bring you anything, Smilla. I talked to Noah."

"Why not?" Smilla was four years old and, just like Levi, had light blue eyes that contrasted with her dark skin. She had also inherited her mother's curls. Unlike Levi and Abbe.

"Because I talked to Noah and therefore didn't make it to the market!"

"You weren't at the market?" His mother was now standing in the hallway. "Levi! You had this one task. We need new bread and baker Paul won't be back until next week. Your father is still working in the fields. He won't make it. The market is about to close!"

"Noah intercepted me and then we smelled soldiers." Levi lifted his sister up and kissed her cheeks. "That's why I went home quickly."

"Soldiers?" Svea sighed. "I'll make us tea."

"What do the soldiers want?", asked Smilla.

"I don't know!" With his sister in his arms, Levi hopped after his mother. Smilla laughed happily. In the kitchen, Abbe sat with his feet on the table and read.

"I've heard about the chickens", muttered the eighteen-year-old.

"Feet off the table!", reprimanded his mother, but Abbe ignored her.

"Noah should find another Beta. The whole pack is scolding you. Well done."

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Abbe." Levi stuck out his tongue, which Smilla immediately imitated.

"Please, behave." Svea put on hot water and took four cups out of the cupboard. "I feel sorry for Alpha Aksel. And Alpha Nilla! How long has their youngest been gone?"

"About three years", Abbe murmured. Levi sat down next to him, with Smilla on his lap.

"And Beta Frederik's son, Finn. I wonder if he's still alive. He was always so weak. Let's hope that the soldiers only want our money again!" Svea now rummaged through the shelf for her tea and poured it into an old pot of hot water.

Since Marko and Finn had to leave the pack, no soldiers had taken wolves out of the pack. But every time he saw or smelled soldiers, a cold shiver ran down Levi's spine. They had taken Finn even though he was sick and couldn't work. And Marko?

They were both taken to the royal family to serve the youngest princess. The girl had been kidnapped along with her servants and no one had found them yet. Presumably, she, Marko, and Finn were already dead.

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There were rumors that the rebels had planned the kidnapping and that their plan went wrong.

"I'm back!" His father came into the kitchen with heavy steps. He looked sad. "Soldiers were here, along with someone from a noble family. A young wolf was taken away. The girl has just turned twenty. The mother tried to stop the soldiers... It didn't end well."

"Is she dead?", asked Smilla, startled.

"No, but hurt." Her father stroked her curly hair and kissed his wife.

Levi sighed in relief. It hadn't hit his family. Not him.

"So! The tea is ready. Would you like one too, Almin? I'll get a cup quickly!"

"No need!", said Levi quickly. "He can have my cup. I'll go outside a bit!"

"Outside?" His father sat down at the table. "To play pranks again? I just saw some wolves playing wolfball. Maybe you'll join in?"

Levi loved playing Wolfball. It was played in wolf form with two teams each having a ball. Each team tried to steal the ball from the other and protect its own. Not infrequently, Wolfball ended with a friendly, orderly brawl. Also something Levi liked very much. "I wanted to go for a walk... But Wolfball also sounds good."

"Have fun and don't do anything stupid. And if you do, don't get caught!" His father winked at him.

"Almin!", protested Svea immediately.

Levi roamed the village. He quickly found the wolfball-playing wolves. They were Noah's brothers: twenty-seven-year-old Almin, twenty-four-year-old Aaren, and Balder, who was twenty-one. The black wolves played against their best friends. Wolfball was a very rough game. There was growling, biting, and showing teeth. They paused for a moment and looked at Levi. He greeted them, and then went on. They played three against three. There was no room for him.

Finally, his path led to the narrow path to the gorge. He hadn't been here for a long time. His nose tickled. There was a pleasant smell in the air, but it was overshadowed by fear. Someone sang. Levi had never heard such a voice before. The voice was quiet and shaking a little, but it sounded bright and clear. The singer was extremely talented. If Levi didn't know better, he would think it was the tempting song of the mermaids he had heard about.

But then, he noticed the text. The singer sang a song in which were more swear words than he had ever heard. And it sounded like a self-written rant. Whoever sang so enchantingly was afraid and in a very bad mood.

Curious, Levi followed the voice until he saw a boy among the barren bushes. The boy was pretty, with caramel-colored hair. He looked familiar to him. Levi could have listened to him sing for hours, but that didn't happen. Startled, the boy looked up and fell silent. He was chalk pale. "Is everything alright?", asked Levi.

"Would I be sitting here then?", the boy replied.

"I don't know." Levi grinned. "You sang an interesting song."

"Thank you. My own exquisite creation. If you would leave me alone, I’m bathing in my misfortune! I prefer misfortune in solitude to misfortune in togetherness." Although the boy was obviously afraid, he was very eloquent. Smiling, Levi sat down next to him and earned an indignant look. "I also like to do without the company of a Beta."

"I’m Levi! And I like your singing voice! Do you want to be a singer?"

"What?" The boy blinked in surprise.

"Well. A singer. You have talent! What is your name? You look familiar to me."

"My name is not for foreign ears, thank you. I will leave this beautiful valley soon anyway! And I would like to be alone. You know what that means?"

"The beautiful valley?" Levi laughed. "If you don't want to tell me your name, I'll give you one. How about... Karamelli? Short Melli? Like your curls?" The curls attracted Levi magically. He wanted to touch them... However, he did not want to risk being beaten by an unknown wolf. Especially not from such a pretty one.

The boy grimaced. "Did you notice that I'm not a girl?"

"Well, Melli. Why were there so many swear words in your song?"

"Because I feel bad?" The boy sighed. "My name is Mads."

"Mads!" Levi nodded and clapped his hands happily. Of course. He had met the boy here before. But that was a while ago...

Said boy looked at Levi as if he had lost his mind.

 

(So, that's it. I was just running for my life, you remember, and I tried to calm myself down with a fine song that would make my mother's hair fall out, and already I lure in a new problem. Unwanted company.)