Page 9 of Wolf Alliance

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What were the chances that two clan leaders would abduct Accalia in two days? Furious that one of Freigard’s men was carrying her away from camp on his horse, she was anxious to know if Logan was all right. Four other men were riding through the woods beside them. Six had come for her. Had Logan killed one then?

A steady rain began to fall. The chilly drizzle made it even colder. The men in human form wore heavily padded leather armor and were armed with swords and bows like soldiers. They smelled like gray wolves which was another reason she knew they were Freigard’s men and not thieves.

She prayed Erik’s brother was alive after he had fought so valiantly to rescue her. But he’d been way outnumbered, six to one. She’d pulled out hersgian dubhtucked in her belt and stabbed one of the men in the thigh, but he’d moved before she’d cut him deeply. Another of the villains had wrested the dagger from her hand, twisting her wrist painfully.

She’d kicked and scratched and even bitten one of the men on the arm. His leather was so heavily padded, that she doubted she had injured him in the least. Her wolf’s teeth might have torn through it though, had she been able to shift.

The five men rode as fast as they could through the forest, trying to distance themselves from Erik’s camp. The one held onto her so tight that she couldn’t wriggle free no matter how much she tried. She hated them and was irritated with herself for not alerting Erik sooner.

Horses tromping the ground some distance behind them made her pray that Erik and his men were coming for her. Then again, what if the riders were more of Freigard’s men she hadn’t seen before?

The heavy, drenching rain turned to a lighter rain shower, but by then both she and her captor were wet and slippery against each other, and she hoped she could break free still. She didn’t want them to get away with her and she didn’t want Erik to believe she didn’t have the wherewithal to stand up for herself.

She tried to wrench free of her captor’s iron grip. She nearly got free, felt herself slipping from his grasp before he struck her on the side of the head with his fist hard and she saw a sprinkling of stars. If he thought that would make her compliant, he was gravely mistaken. She threw back her arm at him, striking his black-bearded chin with her elbow as hard as she could while she strained to hear the men coming for her.

He gave a harsh laugh. “You think you can hurt me? Freigard will see you dead before you mate with Norwulf.”

She was surprised to hear it as she tried to gain her freedom.

If Erik’s men were looking for her, she knew they would smell her scent. But if they were not aware that she had been taken yet and Logan could be injured, dying, or dead, she had to warn them. She howled, knowing her human howl could carry much farther through the woods than her human’s cry of distress. Besides, her howl made her feel more in control.

“Shut her up,” one of the men shouted.

She was glad she shook him up.

Just then, an arrow flew past her off to her right and hit the rider in the lead in the back. The rider fell from his horse, but the one holding onto her rode on, desperately attempting to outdistance Erik’s men.

Another arrow whooshed past them. Another villain in the party cried out, but he remained seated, slumped in his saddle, his horse still racing forward with the others. Aye! She was so grateful to Erik and his men for coming to her aid.

Two more arrows, one man went down, the horse running still. Another injured man struggled to hold onto his horse. Another two arrows targeted him, and he fell to the ground with a thud, his horse still running with them. Then she was alone with her captor.

“They willna get you back,” the man growled.

She assumed then that these men’s orders were to kill her before she fell back into Erik’s hands.

Then white wolves appeared out of the mist, looking like her saviors.

Horses owned and raised by the wolf packs weren’t afraid of wolves under normal conditions. But snarling, growling wolves caused the horse she was on to rear up. The man fell, taking Accalia with him. As soon as they hit the ground, she grabbed for hersgian dubhtucked in his boot. She yanked it free as he struggled to get to his feet. She jumped away and he unsheathed his sword.

She didn’t stand a chance using a dagger against a sword, especially when the man was as tall as Erik and forty pounds heavier. Before they could engage each other, Erik rode up to her and pulled her onto his saddle, holding her tightly in his grasp, protectively, concern etched in his furrowed brow. At once, she felt safe and was glad for the feeling.

“Are you all right?” Erik asked, looking her over and gently touching the area near where she’d been struck.

She was still shaken by the fall and from the brigand hitting her in the side of the head. “Uh, aye.” She finally reached down and slipped thesgian dubhinto her boot.

The wolves surrounding her captor were still growling, but they didn’t tear into him. Normally, wolves fought wolves, men fought men. Not all shifters honored the code of the wolf though. And desperate circumstances changed all the rules.

One of Erik’s men would kill her captor with his sword. She didn’t have any regrets because they could very well have killed her or Eric or any number of his men, his brother included.

“Your brother,” she said at once.

“He is well, though he should have called out a warning.”

“He was injured while fighting six men!”

“Aye, and he should have called out a warning. They were Freigard’s men?”

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