Page 47 of Wolf Alliance

“I propose we travel to your home with the boys and wed. I love you and no other she-wolf will do. What say you, Accalia? Can you live with a wolf like me and love me like I know you do the boys?”

Erik looked so hopeful she would say yes.

“Are you trying to get me in your bed tonight?”

He smiled. “Only if you wish it.”

“We will see.” She was considering it when he confessed his love to her.

But she still didn’t want to sound too eager until she’d had a chance to speak to the boys about their da and her and how they would feel about it. She wouldn’t ignore how she wanted to be with Erik in a mated way, but she wanted the boys to know she cared about their feelings.

“’Tis an aye,” he said, smiling down at her.

She loved how self-assured he was and felt he was right this time. “What is planned for after the meal?”

“Practice sword fighting,” he said. “Alasdair and his brothers always spar with us when they visit. ‘Tis a good way to learn our strengths and weaknesses against others in a different pack when normally we only practice with those in our pack.”

“True. Then Bessetta and Isobel and I can practice.”

Erik looked a little surprised.

“I believe Isobel is a warrior at heart. I’m sure Bessetta and I will learn some good fighting techniques from her,” Accalia said, “right, Bessetta?”

“Oh, aye.” Bessetta had been eating her meal in silence until now, but Accalia noticed she’d been leaning in her direction, attempting to overhear everything she and Erik had said.

Had Bessetta heard him profess his love to Accalia? Probably. He hadn’t spoken for her ears only and she only realized the great hall was quiet compared to how it normally was. She glanced at the boys and saw them watching her with elevated interest.

Erik leaned over to speak with Alasdair and Isobel about the sword practice while Bessetta said to Accalia, “You didna profess your undying love tohim.”

“I wish to speak to Erik’s sons first.”

“Aye, I see your point. You would be a good mother to them.”

“I’m surprised Erik didna mate you,” Accalia said.

“Me? Nay. He is like a brother to me. We dinna have the wolfish need to mate and procreate with one another. I’ve seen the boys misbehaving at the meal before and knew they were a holy terror at bedtime. But they are so well-behaved and I dinna believe it had to do with Erik or they wouldna have misbehaved before. And clean? They are spotless.”

Accalia smiled. “I didna believe in miracles before I started to lay down the law.”

“Better you than me. I wouldna have known where to begin.”

“Threatening to send them to the dungeon helped.”

Bessetta laughed. “You never cease to amaze me. I wouldna have thought of that.”

After the meal, everyone dispersed from the great hall to do chores, or to walk out to the inner bailey to begin sparring with their guests. The lads went with them too, the wolfhounds following them out.

Accalia didn’t want the boys to feel left out but wanted to learn pointers from Isobel since she was an Icelander and had trained differently than her people. She and Bessetta took her aside while the men were getting ready to spar with each other.

“Would you teach us some of your swordsmanship?” Accalia asked.

Isobel smiled brightly. “I will be happy to.”

“I…hate to ask, but can we practice some with Erik’s lads? I dinna want to leave them out,” Accalia said.

Isobel smiled at Bessetta, and she shared the same expression with her. “I will be honored, as long as they dinna feel fighting a woman isna as satisfying as fighting with the men.”

“They couldna wait to beat me,” Accalia said.

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