Her Mythical Warriors (Book One)
Chapter Two: Shadows

Wolfric watched his Psychi and her mother walk into the schoolyard. He knew his little one would spot him. Which proves she is not an Empty Vessel. She has a soul, and it is his. Well, for now, until she replaces her other Warriors and chooses.

Wolfric shook his head as his heart broke. He cannot think of that; she is too young right now. Once she is of age, they will travel together and replace her other Warriors, then she will choose. He knows she may choose someone else, no matter how much he loves her already. But that will not stop his love for her.

He sat in the shadows and watched the school. Soon Akira’s mother will come out. He needs to replace a way to get her attention without being seen near her. He watched the Havent, who is his Psychi’s mother, walk through the gate, and head his way. It is now or never.

Wolfric shifted back to his human form and made a sound he knew she would hear without getting an officer’s attention. He watched her look around, then head toward where he was hiding. Once she was in the alley and no one could see them, he stepped out of the shadows.

“A Shadow Walker, very impressive,” she said, watching him.

He snorted. “As impressive as your own Warrior?”

She shrugged. “What do you want from my daughter? If it is money, name your price. But please do not take her from me. I don’t think my Warrior will fight for her.”

Wolfric scoffed, “I don’t want anything from you or your Warrior.”

“Then please, what is it you want?”

“I want to be in my Psychi’s life. But your Warrior seems to be against that.”

She scoffed, “my daughter isn’t anyone’s Psychi. She is an Empty Vessel.”

Wolfric moved so fast she squealed when he stood in front of her. “Believe me when I say your daughter is NOT an Empty Vessel.”

Temple blinked up at the large man. He is much bigger than any of her Warriors were. She sniffled as memories of her Warriors flooded her mind. Apollo had not been her first choice—he had been her last. And after her other Warriors had died, she had taken him.

She had had no choice. She had hoped Apollo would change once their child was born. But when Akira was born an Empty Vessel, he had become even crueler. He had wanted to have her killed on the spot, but she had begged him not to. She is their little girl. She had promised the next one would have a soul.

But they have not had another child. There is still time. She knows if they do not have another child, he will kill Akira. That is why she is still with him. She knows if she leaves him, he will replace them and kill them both.

“How do I know you are not lying to me?” she asked.

Temple stared at the man who claimed to be her daughter’s Warrior.

He smiled. “I saw her soul in her eyes.”

Temple held back her hysterical laughter. That was part of what convinced everyone that her daughter has no soul. Akira’s amber eyes are so dull that everyone has no choice but to believe she is soulless. But this man says he sees it.

Temple sighed and looked behind her, then back at the wolf. “No one will believe you.”

He shrugged. “I seriously don’t give a fuck who believes me. She is my Psychi, and I will protect her. Even from her father.”

Temple shivered, remembering last night.

“Why is it that a powerful Havent such as yourself is with this tyrant and lets him beat your child? Why don’t you stop him?”

She laughed. Which made Wolfric’s hackles rise.

“Do you think me so cruel that I don’t try to protect my daughter?”

He shrugged. “I know he beat her last night.”

She nodded. “And I tried to stop it.”

He snorted, and she moved her hair away from her face. He stared at the mark on her cheek and neck.

“I got between my daughter and the belt. You do not want to see my back. Or do you?” she asked as she replaced the hair to cover her face again.

He shook his head. “Then why do you stay with him?”

She sighed, “he will replace us and kill us.”

Wolfric took a step back. Even a Warrior who has not been chosen as their Psychi’s mate would never kill her. He will love and protect her until the day he dies.

“Where are your other Warriors?”

Temple sniffled and looked behind her again. “Dead,” she whispered.

Wolfric growled. That made sense—he bet this Warrior was not her first choice as a mate.

Temple looked back at the Direwolf. She could see the understanding in his eyes.

“Why is it such a big deal to your Warrior that your daughter be a Havent?”

Temple looked down at the ground, then back up at the Warrior. Her daughter’s Warrior.

“Because I am a descendant of Brynhildr.”

Wolfric sucked in a shocked breath. Brynhildr is the most powerful Valkyrie in Mythology history. She was not just a Valkyrie—she was also a Shield Maiden.

“Are you a Valkyrie?” he asked, watching her.

She shook her head. “No, I did not get that power. There has not been a Valkyrie for a long time. My Warrior hoped that our daughter would get that power or at least something from my ancestor. But when she was born empty, he flipped, became harder, angrier, meaner.”

“Your daughter isn’t empty,” Wolfric said, placing his hands on her shoulders. “She is full of power. It is just hidden down deep. I think if she replaces all of her Warriors, it will wake the power within.”

Temple nodded. At last—hope. “I can’t let her search until she comes of age.”

Wolfric smiled and nodded. “I will stay in the shadows until she comes of age, then take her from here.”

Temple felt a tear slide down her cheek. Fifteen more years with her beloved daughter. Then Akira will belong to her Warriors.

“Okay, Warrior. When she turns eighteen, I give you permission to take her away from here.”

~⚔~

Akira looked in the shadows as she sat in the grass alone during playtime. No one ever wanted to play with her. Empty Vessels are rejects. She hates school, but her daddy makes her go. If she cannot have magic, she can at least use her brain.

She heard panting and turned around to replace her Wolfie sitting in the shadows. She stood and ran to him. His tail wagged as she wrapped her arms around his massive frame. He is such a big puppy.

“They won’t play with me,” she said as she turned to look at the other kids playing.

Her Wolfie growled, and she giggled.

“Talking to yourself again?” a girl asked as she walked up behind Akira.

Akira turned to the girl and frowned. “No.”

The girl laughed, “my mommy and daddy say that you’re below sewer sludge.”

Akira blinked. That is mean, right? She heard her Wolfie growl and smiled. He will protect her.

“Why are you smiling?” the girl asked as others gathered around them.

“Nothing,” Akira said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Akira felt her Wolfie sniff her hair and giggled.

“She’s crazy and not worth it,” one of the other kids said, pulling the girl away.

Akira watched the shadow of a tree branch sweep up and trip them as they walked away. She laughed so hard she fell on her bottom.

The kids looked around and tried to figure out what had happened. They looked at the girl sitting on the ground, still laughing, and shook their heads. She could not have done it; she is an Empty Vessel.

Wolfric’s wolf smiled as he watched the children try to figure out who had tripped them.

“That was fun,” Akira said, scratching his fir.

Wolfric looked down at his Psychi. She is the most adorable little girl he has ever seen. He will have fun protecting her for the next fifteen years. Then they will travel and replace her other Warriors.

He will miss having her to himself, but he knows sharing her can be fun too.

~⚔~

-Ten Years Later-

Akira laughed and tossed her Wolfie another bite of her lunch. Life has not been the best, but with Wolfie at her side, it has been better. Her father still beats her and her mother. But Wolfie always makes it better. If only he could stop her father.

Five more years and he can take her away from here, away from her father, away from these mean people.

Still, no one believes that she is not soulless. Even after ten years of Wolfie arguing with the council, they will not believe that he sees something. Because no one else does.

He does not know it, but she has followed what his human side does when he is not with her. She knows that he has seen the council many times about her father. Still, no one will believe that her father is capable of beating his Havent. And no one cares about the pitiful Empty Vessel.

Akira smiled at her Warrior. She had looked up what it all meant when she was eight. It means that she has a soul, and it belongs to her Wolfie. And four other Warriors, and when she turns eighteen, Wolfie is taking her to replace them. Then she will choose which one will be her mate, and the others become her bodyguards.

“Lunch is over, Akira, come inside!” a teacher shouted at her.

Akira waved to her teacher, so the woman knew she had heard her, then turned to Wolfie.

“See you after school,” she said with a wave.

Wolfie nodded his massive head and watched her return to her classroom.

~⚔~

Wolfric watched his Psychi walk back into the building and sighed. Ten years, he still has not been able to convince anyone that his Psychi has a soul.

He waited for Akira to get out of school, then stayed in the shadows as he walked her home. She was growing into a beautiful woman. Wolfric had been shocked when he had found out she was three when he had first met her and not one or two as he had thought.

She was so small, and she still is. She is smaller than any of the other girls in school and gets bullied a lot for it. But not as much as she does for being an Empty Vessel.

One day, she will show everyone her true powers.

~⚔~

Akira crawled into bed later that night and stared up at the ceiling. Five more years of being in the same house with her father, and then she will be on an exciting adventure with her Warrior.

She heard her door open and lifted her head to see who it was. She almost cried when she saw her father enter her room. What is he doing here? The only time he comes into her room is when he punishes her. But she has not done anything wrong. She was good today; she even got an A on her spelling test.

“You’re old enough now, Akira,” he said as he sat on the edge of her bed.

No use in pretending she was asleep. He had seen her eyes were open.

Akira swallowed before she asked. “Old enough for what, Papa?”

She saw the smile on his face, and her heart skipped a beat. What does he want from her?

“Since you’re no good for anything else. I have decided that you will pleasure me when your mother is asleep.”

Akira blinked. Did she hear him correctly? “But…,” she did not get to finish what she was going to say.

He moved so fast she cried out. He covered her mouth with his hand and whispered into her ear.

“Don’t wake your mother.”

Akira continued to scream against his hand as his other hand moved under the blanket and down her pajama bottoms and panties. She tried to crawl away from him, but he held her to the bed and roughly played with her…

“Apollo.”

Akira cried harder when she heard her mother’s voice.

Apollo pulled his hand from his daughter’s pants and turned to Temple. She stood in the doorway, completely naked. His cock jumped, and he grinned.

“Come give me that baby you promised me,” she said, curling her finger for him to follow her.

He stood from the bed and looked down at his daughter. “To be continued,” he said to her with a growl.

Apollo turned from Akira and followed Temple down the hall to their room.

Temple sighed with relief when her Warrior followed her. She had woken to him missing in their bed and followed his scent to their daughter’s room. When Temple had seen what he was doing, her world had crumbled. She needs to get her daughter out of this house.

Temple screamed when Apollo slammed her onto the bed, and she hit her head on the headboard. She doubted that was what the thing was there for. But it was not the first time he had slammed her head into it. She has tried to turn him in to the council, but no one believes that a Warrior would treat his Psychi in such a manner. And they did not give a shit about her daughter.

She is an Empty Vessel that should have been killed at birth.

“How dare you interrupt me,” he growled into her ear, holding her head against the headboard.

“I—I am sorry. I thought that you would like to try for a baby again.”

He snarled in her ear, then slammed into her so hard she screamed in pain.

“You better give me a son this time!” he snarled as he fucked her hard.

Temple closed her eyes and cried. At least her daughter is safe, for now.

~⚔~

Akira cried into her pillow as she listened to her father abuse her mother. Her mother had saved her this time, but what about next time? Will she be on time?

Akira closed her eyes and tried to drown out her mother’s screams.