Gyda Lionrock thinks her visit to Asclan Peak is for one reason and one reason alone-to procreate and finally welcome that child of her own. She could have never guessed she would also leave something behind inside the mountains, but it was her hear...
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I followed the orc as he guided me through the mountain hallways.
It was growing colder the further we walked, and my skin instantly became covered in goosebumps. I wasn't feeling cold, though, and that wasn't only because the orc had draped a thick blanket around me to keep me warm. No, this heat came with the nerves rushing through my whole being. My hands were clammy, my face sweaty, my chest pounding, and my knees shaking.
I was nervous ever since I'd arrived at Asclan Peaks, but my anxiety only became worse after he'd called me by my name. It was the first time I heard a man say it. It was the way the word had spilled from his lips, his voice so low and hoarse.
"Gyda..."
Right after he'd selected me, Betsy had written down our names and I learned my mate for the night was called Orvar. Orvar the orc. I felt it had a nice ring to it.
I was still so surprised and somehow gloating that he—the orc leader himself—had chosen me.
Me.
Why me?
My heart was pounding so hard that I wondered if he could hear it as we walked through these long, damp, musty-smelling tunnels.
Of course, what had happened to Olivia had been quite the shock as well. Orvar hadn't been wrong for doing what he did, because she deserved it, but I could only imagine how badshe must feel right now. I remember her teary eyes after she realized what she'd done, so I still believed she wasn't purely evil.
"This is my place," Orvar said as we stepped through a round archway and into his room.
It was small, enough for one person. Just like the other rooms I'd seen, this one came with painted walls and a hanging burning torch. But there was one big difference: this room had a hole in one of the walls, like a small window, equipped with wooden shutters that were wide open. Fresh air blew inside and it smelled a lot less musty and moldy in here.
I took a large breath as I scanned Orvar's place.
There was an enormous bed, carved out of stone, covered with sheets and thick, fluffy fur pelts. A wooden bench and a large square-shaped rock passing for a table were enough to fill the room.
"It's a nice place," I said.
He hummed in agreement and turned around, then grabbed a leather curtain that hung next to the archway and proceeded to tie it up in front of the passage to give us some privacy.
As he was busy tying the knots, I took the opportunity to observe him.
He truly was enormous. His arms, neck, and legs were easily double the size of mine, and I wasn't a petite lady. His back was like a v-shaped brick wall. His feet were huge, with sharp, pointy toenails. They could almost be called claws, just like his fingernails. Only his right middle finger seemed to be without a nail and I wondered why.
