Chapter 138: Are The Brothers Worthy?
A pang of guilt gnawed at Lara’s heart. She was an impostor. A soul of a stranger in another’s body. Yet, what choice did she have? The blood running through her veins was that of a Norse, and the men before her — proud, strong, and bound by loyalty — believed she was their sister. She had to embrace this new reality and claim her place among them. However, she wanted to test them. She needed to see if these brothers were worthy of her trust — if they were as formidable as their reputations suggested. Trust wasn’t given freely. It had to be earned.
She recounted the rest of the story: their escape, the river crossing, and their accidental entry into Mount Roca, where they met the hermit who sheltered them for two years and became her master. She told them about the human traffickers — Hook, Scarface, Brutus — and the ten men who’d guarded them.
She observed the brothers carefully, their faces flickering with disbelief and darkening rage as she finished the story.
"Brutus drowned while chasing us," she added, a slight, satisfied grin tugging at her lips. His death had been poetic justice.
She gave them names but kept Hook’s whereabouts to herself. Not yet. Her current skills wouldn’t be enough to take him down — not without using underhanded means, and that felt too easy.
No! Hook deserved to suffer for the lives he’d ruined. He deserved a fate worse than death.
"How did you survive in Mount Roca?" Gideon asked; his eyes were wide and full of disbelief. "Even with a master, how could you fend off the predators that lurked in that mountain? The stories say that once you enter, there’s barely a chance you’ll come out alive." His eyes, wide and questioning, locked onto hers.
Lara shrugged. "Perhaps luck was on our side." She met his gaze, her expression unreadable. "That, and I worked hard to hone my skills."