Page 31 of Wolf Alliance

“Any number of she-wolves would die for the chance to be in my bed.”

“Then you must no’ disappoint them.” She knew he was bluffing because none of the she-wolves who might want to be in his bed could have the potential of allying with another clan chief. She didn’t believe he would do that to his sons either. Though she believed Beathag might still cause trouble for her. Or at least try.

“I dinna want any of them in my bed. Only you.”

“But you assigned me a guest chamber.”

“Which you didna sleep in last eve. And things have changed between us.”

“Nothing has changed between us,” she said, though that was far from the truth. His kiss had opened a new level of intimacy between them, and he had been acting differently towards her since she had been doing so well with his sons. “I am still your guest. We'll leave it at that…for now.”

“Your da didna tell me how difficult you could be.”

She finished her soup. “He didna tell me how difficult you could be either. Besides, I do have other options.”

“Oh? Pray tell me what your other options are.” He took a bite of his bread, looking like he wasn’t worried about the prospect.

She curled a lock of hair that had come loose from her braided hair around her finger. “A Welsh prince.”

Erik barely bit back a smile, the rogue. He pointed his piece of bread at her. “Your da mentioned him to me if you brought him up but said the prince lived too far away to make a mutually agreeable alliance with him.”

She snatched Erik’s partially eaten bread from him and took a bite. She wanted to ask him about his mate, but she thought he was being honorable not to speak of her disparagingly probably because he had loved her and for the sake of their boys.

Then she changed the subject since that approach hadn’t been helpful. “Mayhap we can challenge the boys in archery. Or walk the horses, something to teach them skills they need to know as they get older.”

She had it in mind to teach them how to track people and animals while the boys wore their wolf coats. It was an important skill to learn, and she wondered if they had been taught it, or self-taught.

“Archery then, but you willna hand a bow off to me to teach them the skill tomorrow. They do know the rudiments, but none of them are very skillful at it. I will have my archers teach them.”

“They can instruct me too. I know how to use the bow, but I can always use further instruction.” She thought Erik didn’t look entirely happy with her.

She suspected it had more to do with her not sleeping with him than with them practicing archery on the morrow.

9

Erik ate another slice of bread and pondered how to convince Accalia to sleep with him. Every time he was around her, the ache in his loins grew. He couldn’t believe she had so much spice and distracted him from all his tasks. He wanted her for his own in the worst way.

As much as she was making headway with his boys when he hadn’t been able to since their mother had died, he felt more and more like she was the one who should be his mate. Not only because they needed a mother, but she had a way of helping them to see their worth and he was impressed with her innate ability to do it.

Here he had believed she had to prove she was worthy of joining the pack and matinghim. Now he thought he would have to prove to her thathewas worthy of her love! He couldn’t believe how upside-down his world had gotten once she came to stay with them.

“I…want to say how much I’ve enjoyed the time spent with you. I hope you are feeling settled here, and not like I tore you away from your family without anyone to object.”

“I’m enjoying my time here with you, your sons, and others.”

“And staying here.” He didn’t ask. He didn’t want to learn if she wasn’t sure about staying here with them.

He was amazed at how she showed them so much affection when their mother had withheld it from them. He could envision all that would lead up to Accalia having bairns with him and loving them.

He eyed the minx. He couldn’t believe Accalia would steal his bread from his plate, shocking and amusing his whole pack. He knew they had been watching to see how he would react. After getting over the initial shock—no one would ever dare to steal food from him—he had wanted to laugh.

She didn’t look in the least bit guilty either. Like she was amusing herself at his expense. She gave him a little smile. He smiled back. If anyone else had done that, he might have taken them to task, but with her, he wanted to congratulate her for winning another round of challenging him.

He glanced at the boys eating fish soup and bread and observing them. He wondered how they had viewed Accalia stealing his bread. They better not try to do that to him themselves.

He noticed they no longer quarreled or threw food at each other or the dogs. The wolfhounds had moved off to another table where younger bairns were accidentally dropping some of their food, as little ones were known to do. His lads were clean and he appreciated her help with that.

“My bed is more comfortable,” Erik said to Accalia, still trying to get her to acquiesce and join him in his bedchamber.

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