Odin's Prize

Beliefs

Longing eyes are lingering on my skin before they reluctantly pull away. Odin rolls on his back looking up at the ceiling; He bangs the back of his head once on the wooden floor. A toned down sigh comes out of closed lips.

Turning only his head to face me, lips puffy, fuller from our kiss. His eye is filled with blood, the vessel burst from his internal pressure.

Tempting lashes blink in my direction, "my greed is more than my strength." The edge of his words tones down sadly. His vision goes back to staring at the ceiling while we continue to lay on the floor, side by side.

Touching the side of his face, he grabs my wrist that has me roll on my hip. Bringing my wrist to his mouth, he kisses the erratic pulse of my artery. He doesn't release my hand or pulls his lips away. He does close his eyes and breathes in deeply. When I take my big breath in through my nose, his raw, unfiltered scent stuns me momentarily. There is a deep richness of the most fertile soil from pores that have dilated completely open has my sharp hormones releasing a barrage of desire his way.

We make no move to get up off the floor just a few inches shy of the bedroom door; we almost made it to the bed.

Stillness has a depth to it, ours is held only on our outward skin. Internally, our movement is trying desperately to slow itself down. A squeezing heart's effort to pulse itself down, lungs that take in shallow, short breaths are fighting to take in the long calming ones. The flush of skin, on Odin's cheek, is fading in a softening blush.

"We should get cleaned up," Odin's the first to sit up, bringing me along with him.

"You look upset, Odin."

"I am Charlie; I'm upset with myself that I can't control my greed, my wants better. How can I become an Alpha when I can't control these basic things?"

"It's only natural what you're feeling. Why fight your Nature?" My sight on that red eye that has deepened blood red since looking at it.

"I have to fight my Nature, Charlie. It's what the Claiming Ceremony shows, that I won't give into my wants, that I can fight my greed, that I have control over myself? If you can't control yourself how are you suppose to lead others? If you give into your wants how are you suppose to tell others to wait? I would be a hypocrite, giving advice that I know nothing about. If I have never walked the hard path, how do I tell others about fighting the good fight? How do I lead if I can't lead myself?" Odin takes a large breath in before standing up, bringing me along with him.

When he goes into the bathroom he grips the edge of the counter, raising his head, he regards himself in the mirror for a long time. He says nothing, but his eyes lock with himself, not pulling away. Letting that breath exhale on the glass, it fogs up the mirror, causing his face to hidden momentarily.

"Would you like to go first?" Odin starts the shower, not looking at me when he speaks.

"No, you go first. You're a lot messier than me." Looking at his pants. He doesn't waste time, starting to undress while I turn my back to him, walking out to give him privacy.

As soon as he steps into the shower, it's quick to get my satchel. Putting the tip of the green pencil in my mouth, biting off a piece, swallowing it down almost whole. By the time I'm done with the entire thing, Odin turns off the shower.

When he comes into the bedroom, the floor's sound stretches with his weight. Wrapped in just a towel, his greed might be his problem, but in this minute, I don't have a problem with mine.

Knees start to shake while my eye-fingers stalk his flesh starting at his ankles, even the top of his feet are tattooed. The webbing between his toes are shaded in black, to turn into an image of a thick silver chain, it starts from the underside of his foot to snake around his ankle as if he's continuously bound tight. A vine is weaved into the chain, leaves sprout out from the chain almost smothering over the image at times.