Page 53 of Wolf Alliance

“Are we taking the boys with us on the wolf run?” Isobel asked.

“Aye. ‘Tis important for them to feel they can do this with their da. The last time, archers attacked us, so they need to prove they have what it takes to run with us.”

“I so agree,” Bessetta said.

“Ja, that’s the way of our life and the best way to prepare for it is to prove ourselves worthy,” Isobel said.

Accalia could only imagine the hardships that Isobel had gone through while growing up. Accalia had to admit she was torn between wanting a lovely wolf run with the two packs and the boys feeling perfectly secure,andthe chance to take down more of Freigard’s men should they try to fight them further.

But before she went on the run with the other wolves, she went to speak with the boys in private.

Their room was as neat as when she had first moved everything out of the chamber and the boys hadn’t once complained about wanting their things back. She suspected she had kept them so busy that they were worn out when they returned to their chamber at night, retired to their beds, and playing with toys didn’t cross their minds. She figured it was time to return their toys to the room.

She wasn’t sure what they had been doing while she had visited with the ladies, but as soon as she walked into the room, she dismissed the nannies so they could take a break, and the boys ran to give her hugs.

“We fed all the horses,” Hendrie proudly said, looking up at her, his eyes bright with pride.

“And cleaned out their stalls,” Johnne said, wrinkling his nose.

“And walked them too,” Thorfinn said, all eager to tell her how they were sharing in doing chores at the castle, waiting for her praise.

“My, you have been busy.” She didn’t want to praise them for a job they would normally do without any thought of praise, but she couldn’t help herself and hugged them. “Well done.” They beamed with joy. “You are coming on a run with us as wolves tonight.”

“Aye!” the boys shouted.

“Your da and the other pack wolves and your own will run together. Should we have any trouble with any brigands?—”

“We willna cower and whimper,” Thorfinn said.

“You will stay with the ladies and me, and we’ll all get low to the ground to protect ourselves. As wolves, we canna attack the arrows, if they fight that way again. And if they are on horseback, we stay low, away from the sweeps of their swords.” She would leap up to unseat a rider, but she didn’t want the boys doing that. They were too little. “I want to speak about tonight.”

“You mean when you sleep with Da?” Thorfinn asked.

“Aye. You do understand about a mating, right?”

They waited to hear what she had to say about it. As soon as she mentioned it, she realized she had bitten off more than she could chew. She had thought they knew all about it!

“All right, well, wolves mate for life. Your da and I are going to sleep together, but we’re no’ going to mate. No’ tonight.”

“He will kiss her for sure,” Thorfinn said to his brothers.

“Aye,” they both said.

“But you will be our mother?” Hendrie asked, his voice hopeful.

“We will see.”

“He better want you to be our mother,” Thorfinn said, sounding angry, as if he would have to persuade his da if he wasn’t already convinced.

Their da wasn’t the holdout. Accalia was, but she didn’t know how to explain it. “I believe with all my heart that it will all work out.” But she was beyond pleased that Thorfinn and his brothers wanted her to be their mother and tried to hide the sudden tears glistening in her eyes.

“Aye, we knew it would,” Thorfinn said, assuredly, his brothers agreeing. “Did Da get mad at Beathag or you for the wolf fight outside our chamber?”

“Your da was mad at Beathag. She had no business attacking me first. All right, well, let’s go for a wolf run, shall we?” she asked.

They immediately began to strip off their clothes.

“I’ll meet you downstairs.” This had been a fun day for them all. She hoped tonight wouldn’t be filled with danger.

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