PREPARATIONS for their departure took longer than anticipated. Upon inspection of the massive foreign vessel, Erik decided to have their remaining two ships hoisted on the deck and tied down. The ship would require a crew of up to 30 to sail it.

In the year since their arrival, Erik had only lost two of his men, so that left him with only 4 men to sail the other two ships. It was impossible, so this was their only option. Unfortunately, this delayed their departure by nearly four days, but, on the dawn of the fifth, they sailed for home.

“I missed the sea,” Utgar called, staring out at the endless waters from his place at the helm.

“Come the first storm, you’ll be cursing her once more.” Gunnolf snorted, earning a roar of laughter from the men.

“Shut your fucking mouth before I stick my cock in it!” Utgar shouted back, his laughter joining the others.

Erik smiled to himself as he made his way down to inspect the crew’s work. The men of the Winter Islands were natural born sailors, but the next 2 months on board would be a test of both their strength and will. Erik had decided to take a longer route back home, completely circumventing the Northern Pass. According to Sven, the Alpha’s message to Duncan had been delivered directly into the Wolf King’s hand. As the messenger, the Beta was allowed to leave unharmed, but any clue as to Duncan’s next move remained unknown. Not that Erik needed the insight. He already knew what the self-proclaimed king planned to do. It was doubtful that Duncan had rallied his forces so quickly, but Erik refused to take the chance. As a result, they’d added 5 weeks to their journey. The seas were rougher to the East, and, as always, the weather remained unpredictable.

Luckily, the vessel they were aboard was built for extended journeys. And though they weren’t as sleek and fast as Erik’s ships, they offered a kind of luxury he and his warriors were not accustomed to. Used to sleeping with his men below deck, Erik hadn’t expected to find living quarters on the vessel. There were three separate rooms for the captain, offering far more space than any one man needed.

Erik allowed Anatoly to set up in the smallest of the three rooms, which was likely used for storage. There was obviously no bed, but there were plenty of furs for him to lay out on the floor. Ariyan would, of course, share the bed chamber with Erik, but outside of their coupling, the Alpha intended to sleep in the remaining room. The bed simply wasn’t large enough for two, not unless Ariyan slept in his arms. And since that was an undesirable prospect for both parties involved, Eric decided to sleep in the room the captain used for planning and navigation. It was filled with maps, journals and equipment. If his sister, Danica, were still alive, she would have reveled at the chance to explore the small space.

The painful twinge in Erik’s chest was a reminder of all he’d lost. He would return to an empty home; the rooms and halls forever silent. He was the last of his bloodline; every one of his kin a victim of Duncan’s war. But the time for mourning was over. Never again would Erik allow his people to fight a war they had no part in. He would find a way for them to survive without these false kings.

THE first month came and went. Erik’s men were accustomed to being on the seas, and the excitement of returning home after a year away was enough to keep their spirits high. A portion of the silver and gold they’d taken from McAlister had paid for a seemingly endless supply of food and ale. And with a small kitchen aboard the ship, they were able to eat hot meals instead of dried and salted meats. Erik had never been a fan of the great bulking ships the foreigners built and sailed, but after experiencing the luxury first hand, the Alpha was already considering rebuilding a portion of his small fleet. All in all, the journey thus far was quiet and uneventful.

Ariyan, however, was not built for sailing. Anatoly was doing everything in his power to keep the boy from wasting away, but it wasn’t until their third week on the ship that Ariyan was finally able to keep his food down. Add the close quarters, and their only view that of an endless ocean, and Erik wasn’t surprised Ariyan wasn’t faring well. It was to the point where the men were taking bets on how long the boy would last until death or the madness claimed him.

On this particular morning, Erik was in his room examining the maps left behind by the previous captain. They were unlike the maps he and his people used; more intricate and detailed. He ran his fingers across the strange lettering, so curious to know what it said that he almost went to Ariyan for assistance. Deciding against it, he went in search of Anatoly instead. He’d just climbed to his feet when the first wave crashed into the ship. It sent Erik slamming against the nearest wall, books and scrolls scattering everywhere.

Erik was moving before he could think about what he was doing. He raced down the narrow hall, bursting into the sleeping chamber. He was relieved to find Anatoly and Ariyan huddled together and braced against the wall. Everything but the bedding and Ariyan’s trunk was bolted in place. Erik managed to grab the chest despite the ship being thrashed about, practically throwing it into Anatoly’s room. He did another quick scan to make sure there was nothing else that might accidentally crush his mate, then turned to Ariyan.

“Do not leave this room,” he commanded. With that, Erik slammed the door shut and raced up to the deck.

The scene before him had Erik’s heart pounding mercilessly in his chest. The sky had opened, unleashing its fury upon the ocean. Sheets of rain poured down, mixing with the salty spray of the ocean. The winds were starting to pick up, churning the waters into a frenzy. Utgar was barking out orders, but most of his words were swallowed up by descending storm. Cursing under his breath, Erik fought against the violent rocking and rolling of the ship as he made his way to the helm.

“It hit us like a hammer, my lord!” Utgar shouted to Erik. “The clouds have been gathering for days, but we’d hope to sail around the worst of it!”

Erik moved to take the wheel, sending Utgar to fetch the rest of the men. It was all hands on deck, but even then Erik wasn’t sure if they’d survive.

OVER the next week, their journey was plagued by pockets of unpredictable weather and violent seas. When it appeared the worst was over, Erik directed Utgar to change the crew rotations in order to allow the men to rest whenever possible. Ale followed freely once more, and the tension in the atmosphere of the ship dissipated. When Erik finally retired to his room, he slept like the dead. He’d told Utgar to wake him for supper, but his second-in-command must have sensed the Alpha’s need for sleep.

Once the cloud of exhaustion had lifted, Erik thought back to the night of the first storm. He couldn’t explain why his first instinct was to make sure Ariyan was safe. Or why he’d gonna out of his way to make sure the boy stayed out of harm’s way through the days that followed. Truth be told, he’d paid very little attention to his mate since they boarded the ship. He had no desire to fuck the boy in between the violent bouts of seasickness, so he’d left Ariyan to Anatoly’s care. But the second he’d felt the first tremors of the storm, his only thought was to make sure his mate was safe.

It was disconcerting to say the least. Erik cared nothing for the scrap of an Omega. And with war almost certainly on the horizon, Ariyan’s death would be inconsequential at best. And yet, in the midst of the storm, Erik’s need to protect his mate was undeniable and overwhelming. For days, he and his men fought to keep the ship from being swallowed whole, and always Erik’s thoughts remained with Ariyan. He would never admit it out loud, but he was beginning to think there was an aspect to his mating that he could not control; a part that his wolf would not let him ignore…

                                                          

ARIYAN leaned over the bed post and hurled into a half full bucket.

“Breathe Ariyan,” Anatoly said quietly. “Just breathe.” Ariyan breathed, but the scent of the sea filled the boy's lungs, and it just put him back over the bucket.

Anatoly grabbed a cool cloth and placed it on the back of the young omegas neck. Over the past few weeks it seemed that he’d done nothing but vomit and sleep. The few precious cognizant moments the Omega had were spent with Ariyan sleeping, and Anatoly testing different remedies to cure him. Anatoly tried everything, from foods to herbs and medicines, but finally they settled on an oil extracted from ginger roots he bought in Thira. It was the only thing that took, and Ariyan was growing steadily stronger by the day.

Anatoly watched as the boy’s sickness finally subsided. Ariyan laid back against the pillows and closed his eyes once more, desperate for an uninterrupted sleep.

“Drink this.” Anatoly lifted Ariyan’s head, and fed the liquid to him slowly. The boy’s lips were pale. It would have worried Anatoly, but the color was an improvement from the previous sick blue.

“Guh,” Ariyan frowned his face in disgust. “It taste like piss,” Ariyan croaked. Anatoly let out a light chuckle. Despite Ariyan’s pallor, the Omega still had fight in him. Anatoly thought he would lose him several times, but Ariyan kept pulling through.

“It’s an elixir. Filled with the nutrients your body has lost.”

“Still taste like piss,” Ariyan croaked lowly as Anatoly tipped the cup back into his mouth once more. After Ariyan drank the entire cup, he leaned back and sighed out exhausted. The Omegas fragile form had enhanced his sallowness, and the dark rings under his eyes. The sickness had caused Ariyan to lose all the weight he’d gained back on the journey to Thira.

Although Ariyan still looked sick, there was a relieved smile on his face as he stared at him.

“What?” Ariyan suddenly asked. Anatoly shook his head.

“A fortnight ago you had the look of death upon you,” Anatoly whispered. “I was convinced we would lose you.”

It was true. Anatoly dreaded each morning he woke, praying Ariyan didn't fade in the night.

“Heh—” Ariyan shook his head. “You have a knack for the dramatics, old man.” Ariyan joked. Anatoly smiled before he shook his head, replacing the cold compress.

“You’re right,” he answered quietly. Despite his worry, Ariyan seemed as though he wasn’t surrendering in the fight for his life just yet.

“Won’t you tell me one of your stories, Anatoly?” Ariyan closed his eyes, chasing sleep once more.

“Of course.” He told Ariyan the story of how he and his mate met. He was younger then, sixteen to be exact. A naïve Omega, the youngest of his siblings, completely smitten by the soldier that came to work under his father. His future mate was going to replace his father as the second in command for a new Alpha. A boy named Einar.

“I pretended I wasn't interested, but Maven didn’t take no for an answer. He asked my father for my hand when I was seventeen.”

“And what did your father say?” Ariyan asked smiling, his eyes half lidded.

“’Hell no.’” Ariyan let out a light snort and Anatoly smiled. “I was young. Too young. But Maven was being transferred to lead the troops in Karmaria. So, he told my father he would come back for me. I didn’t see him again for ten years. He wrote, but the letters were far and few in between. I was twenty-six when he finally returned to his post, and I’d had more than one offer from more than one Alpha.”

“But you waited for him…” Ariyan finished the story. “You waited for him to come back.”

“I did,” Anatoly replied. He sighed, basking in the palpable nostalgia of it all. “Maven was as intelligent as he was handsome, and an exceptional strategist. My heart grew softer with the years between us. He waited till I was finished my studies and then asked my father again. By then I was old for unmated Omega, and Maven’s station was secured as Einar’s second in command. My father gladly accepted and we bonded.”

There was a silence, but Ariyan was awake. He was staring at the base boards on the ceiling, seemingly contemplative.

“I wonder what’s it’s like…” Ariyan said quietly.

“What what’s like?” Anatoly asked.

“To love…” Ariyan said before he rolled to his side and closed his eyes. “To love and be loved.”

Anatoly pressed his lips together. He didn’t have an answer for Ariyan. It was difficult to explain the emotion, and even if he’d tried it would sound nonsensical. After all, love was a nonsensical thing.

Ariyan and Erik were not in love. As it stood they barely tolerated one another, but that hadn’t stopped the Alpha from barging in to Ariyan’s room at the start of the turbulent seas. Erik had rushed to Ariyan to ascertain the boys standing with a wild, yet determined look in his eyes.

Perhaps it was instinct.
Perhaps Erik’s wolf had taken over in the moment of supposed danger to his mate.
Perhaps the relieved look Ariyan had when Erik came back to his room unharmed meant nothing.
Perhaps he didn't see the young Omega, sneaking peeks at the sleeping Alpha that night.
Perhaps Ariyan’s comment about love was the remnants of a sea sick mind.

Maybe Anatoly had imagined it all…or perhaps…perhaps there was something more.