Page 27 of Wolf Alliance

Thorfinn came up, saw his da, his eyes growing big, and he dove down again as if he could hide from being in trouble with his da.

Erik sighed and saw Hendrie break the water, who panicked to see his da. “’Tis all right to shift if the lass allows it,thistime.” Erik started to strip off his clothes as the other two boys came up for air this time.

Accalia surfaced with another brown trout. Her eyes were huge when she saw Erik naked on the boat nearby before he shifted and leaped into the water.

Finlay laughed. “You are undoing his chiefdom little by little.”

Logan took the fish from her, but she didn’t dive this time. The boys looked tired, and Erik thought it was time for them to return to the boat. He assumed Accalia could fish longer, but the boys were still young.

Then Thorfinn came up with his first fish, smaller than anything she had gotten, but he could barely lift it, and she took it from him and offered it to Logan. He shifted and said, “Did you see it? Did you see it?” He was shivering and quickly turned back into his wolf.

Erik joined them, carried Thorfinn by the ruff, and lifted him a little to the boat. Taking his cue, Logan pulled the young wolf aboard.

Then Hendrie came up without a fish, but Erik hauled him to Logan to help him get the lad into the boat. Johnne rose to the surface last, no fish either, and Erik assisted him to Logan. The boys remained in their wolf forms, shaking excess water from their coats all over Logan.

Erik didn’t believe Accalia could have lifted the boys to Logan, but he was amazed that she had caught ten good-sized fish.

Treading the water, he shifted and said to Logan, “Take the boys back to the keep. They need to shift, dress, and warm up. We’ll go back in the other boat.”

Accalia swam away from Erik and headed closer to the other boat. He thought she might be planning to get out too, but she dove under and brought up another fish.

He had never thought about fishing as a wolf in the loch using boats to store their catch. Fishing in rivers and creeks was a common mission, but not as a wolf in a loch after diving off a boat. He was amazed at how well she was doing. Then he saw two of the men in the other boats strip and shift and dive overboard. She had started a new way of fishing for the clan. They would have fish for their next meal.

He caught several of his own and saw her paddling near the boat. He was afraid she was getting tired and needed help to get into the boat.

He offered up the last fish he had caught to Finlay and shifted. “Are you ready to go in, lass?”

She nodded.

“Let’s get the lady into the boat,” Erik said.

Finlay helped her climb aboard and she sat in the boat watching Erik. Feeling competitive, he wanted to catch more fish than the lass had. But he wanted to return her to the keep so she could warm up.

He could stay with the men in the other fishing boats but preferred returning to shore with Accalia. She was a bundle of contradictions and astonished him at every turn. But she had livened his life up by leaps and bounds.

He climbed aboard the boat, and she studied his dripping wet, naked body before he began pulling on his shirt, and then his kilt and belt. “Homeward,” he said.

Finlay began rowing.

“The lass caught more fish than you, aye?” Finlay said, rubbing it in.

“Aye. We have a new way to fish, thanks to the lass.” Erik was beginning to believe she was invaluable. Not just a pretty woman who would give him an alliance if he mated her. Most importantly, she was winning his sons over and showing them affection that his deceased mate had never shown them.

Once they beached the boat on the shore, Accalia jumped out of it and raced up the hill to the castle. Erik climbed out of the boat, mounted his horse, and galloped after her. When they arrived at the inner bailey, Erik dismounted and headed into the keep after Accalia.

She raced through the keep to the stairs and up to her guest chamber, though she hadn’t used it last night. He wanted her in his bedchamber tonight. He never expected to feel this way about the lass, but he couldn’t get the vision of her out of his mind—both as a woman and as a wolf.

Wolves didn’t court for months or years. Once they recognized the attraction between them, the connection they had that went deeper than any human’s because of their heightened senses, he knew she was the one for him. Not only because of that, but because of how she treated his sons and the staff.

He reached her guest room and knocked. She didn’t answer. He opened the door, believing she wasn’t there, but he had to be sure before he looked for her elsewhere. He wanted her to know he wanted her in his bed tonight. When he opened the door, she was standing there naked and she screamed.

He stared at her naked beauty for a moment, her beautiful breasts, her rosy perked nipples ripe for kissing, the thatch of blond curly hair hiding her feminine treasures, her long golden hair, wet and curling in tangles over her shoulders. Then he smiled.

“Apologies, my lady.” But his words didn’t sound much like an apology to his ears. He couldn’t help himself. Accalia intrigued him like no lass ever had. He shut the door and stood on the other side, anticipating her departure from her quarters. He needed to address their living arrangements and inform her of his expectations.

He waited and waited. What in the world was she doing in there? Patience wasn’t his strong suit. He knocked on the door again. When she didn’t answer, he felt annoyed. This time, he didn’t throw the door open. What if she belatedly came to the door and he hit her with it?

He slowly opened the door and found her dressed in a shift, sleeping under the covers. She was glorious whether she was awake or asleep. Fishing as a wolf must have worn her out. For the longest time, he watched her sleep, already wanting her in his bed in the worst way.

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