Again, trepidation grasped him within the recesses of it’s steel claws as he wondered if it was wise to tell Thistle this. He had no guarantee that she wouldn’t run after Nerian to kill her the second before he even finished speaking. It wasn’t as if the woman could help going into heat although continuing after him the first time he’d told her no could have, probably, been avoided but Ragnar wondered if Thistle really needed to know that. While he didn’t want her to go tearing after Nerian for something she biologically couldn’t help he was trying to find some sort of solution between the two women that didn’t include his polygamy idea. Nerian had explicitly stated that she wouldn’t have minded but it wasn’t Nerian Ragnar had to please here because it wasn’t Nerian he was helplessly in love with. He was fond of her, sure, but it was Thistle that he had given his heart too and that brought with it a whole new level of commitment for the once libertine Viking. In reality, he wanted Thistle to stop hating Nerian and being jealous of her at every turn of the road not even for his own sake but for the Priestess’. She didn’t know that it was he by telling Thistle that Nerian had admitted to being in love with him, had driven that wedge of ‘never going to be friends’ between the two women, accidentally, when Nerian had admitted to him that was all she wanted. Was to be Thistle’s friend (guilt trip from hell, anyone?).
“Please understand I’m trying to fix what I did wrong, here. I should have never told you that Nerian admitted to being in love with me. I did because you’re my wife and I want to be honest with you always, Thistle, but I have created a chasm of impossibility between the two of you and she doesn’t even know it. All she wants is to be your friend, wife,” Ragnar spoke with a deep breath, glimpsing down at his paws and then to hers as if he were comparing their jump in size. “That is why she helped you with your garden back at the Ridge.” Ragnar figured that maybe if he started off with that she might keep it in mind when he told her what was coming next.
“The Priestess is in heat, Thistle,” Perhaps it would be better if he left out the part of her trying everything in her power to seduce him. “I know because we came across each other marking the borders. And before you even think about moving an inch from where you’re sitting,” The platinum Northman warned her, border lining between husband and alpha. “You should know that nothing happened. I did not take her. In fact, I walked away. For you. Because of you. So can you please stop worrying that some other female is going to come and take me away from you because it’s not going to happen. I told you I gave you my heart. That was not a lie. And it never will be a lie.” He couldn’t be sure if Thistle still feared it but he had his suspicions. And Ragnar wanted her to realize she had him, wholly to herself, before this ugly thing ended up killing what they did have. Which he was trying his hardest to prevent.
