Page 7 of Wolf Alliance

The air was brisk and chilled her. She was glad that the fur cloak helped to warm her considerably. She closed her eyes to try and sleep, but she couldn’t stop her mind from conjuring up all kinds of concerns—his people wouldn’t like her, he wouldn’t either, and she’d be faced with mating some other wolf who could be much worse than this one.

She touched the sword at her waist and unsheathed it, prepared to fight any brigand who might come in the night to attack them.

“Doyou think she is sturdy enough?” Erik’s quadruplet brother Logan asked, drinking ale from his flask.

Erik studied her, knowing she wasn’t asleep, drifting off, mayhap, but listening to the conversation most likely.

He hadn’t thought of how she would need something warmer to wear on the journey, mostly because he had decided at the last minute to take her with him—a slight mistake on his part. Though he was certain his men would believe he was testing her in this. But he was not. He didn’t want her to fall ill.

Then again, one thing about being a wolf, if she wasn’t averse to stripping naked in camp, she could have called on her wolf. Then she would have been warm.

“We will see.” Erik hoped she would be and could bear his children without difficulty. He wouldn’t want to lose her at any rate. His concern was to ally with a wolf pack that could expand their numbers. But his wee lads needed a woman’s motherly touch, and he hoped she would manage them fine. Better than his late mate who hadn’t cared anything about them.

He realized he would have to have some of his dressmakers make Accalia some gowns for the time she would be with them. Maybe he should have told her da that he was taking her with him to prepare her for the journey and then stay with his people.

Erik pulled another fur blanket off his horse and laid it gently next to her so as not to wake her. She appeared to be asleep.

“You could warm her, brother,” Logan said.

“I am. As a wolf.” Erik pulled off his fur cloak, shirt, and tartan. Then he shifted.

“If it were me, she would be mine, sturdy or no’.” Logan stalked off.

Erik was sure that if Logan were the chief, he would do the same as him. Logan was as honorable as he and their brother Finlay were. Their brother, Leifson, who had remained behind to rule the rest of their people, was a different story.

As a wolf, Erik curled up next to the lass’s feet. She shivered slightly, and he snuggled closer to share his body heat with her as a wolf.

Several of his men smiled at him and he ignored them. This didn’t mean he was soft where the woman was concerned. Not only were they sharing warmth in a perfectly honorable way, but he was providing her protection, should anyone be foolish enough to attempt to overrun their camp in the middle of the night.

At one point, she drew closer to him, woke, stared at him, smiled a wee bit, and fell back to sleep. He snuggled closer to her, smiling in his wolf way, and then noticed the sword she grasped.

The darknessof the night enveloped the camp. The faint glow of embers from the campfire provided a faint light when rustling noises near the camp alerted Erik. He lifted his head from next to Accalia’s sleeping form, his furry ears twisting back and forth, and listened. Non-wolves couldn't move near the camp without being detected by the pack. With his wolf’s night vision, Erik made out the shapes of his men as they moved toward the source of the noise. Two wore thick, wolf fur coats while the others gripped their swords.

Staying in wolf form, Erik left Accalia's side to join his men while others moved in to guard her. It didn't take long for them to track down the group of five bandits who had planned to raid their camp.

One of the thieves lunged at Erik with a dagger, but he swiftly dodged it. He danced around the red-bearded man, keeping out of the dagger’s reach. His focus remained on the man, his gaze taking the wiry man in, the way he moved with agility and sure-footedness even in the dense bracken.

The man charged him as if he could take on a wolf shifter and win. Angered, Erik raced around him and bit him in the calf. The man fell to his knees. Erik took advantage and grabbed his throat and tore at it. The coppery smell and taste of blood filled his senses.

Once he pawed the man's shoulder and ensured he was dead, he heard sword fighting taking place further away, and momentarily, his brother Finlay caught his eye as he was engaged in a sword fight with another thief nearby, steel clanking against steel. Meanwhile, Logan chased after one who tried to flee. They had to kill these men, unlike the others who hadn’t attacked and ran away. These had been sneaking in to catch them unaware and they couldn’t let any of them live and chance them returning. Not with Accalia under his watch.

Erik found the rest of his men surveying the bodies of the thieves they had killed. Five of them. All had been accounted for. All of his men were also unharmed.

Taking the lives of innocent travelers was a task thieves had no qualms about. But when facing fierce wolves and well-armed warriors, their confidence wavered. It became a whole different challenge for them.

Erik shifted. “Bury them in the bog in the morn.” Then he shifted and headed to a stream and waded into it, washing his coat of any remnants of the man’s blood.

His men soon followed him there and cleaned themselves. He left the stream and shook off the excess water. Then he inclined his head to the men and wolves and loped back to camp.

The air was crisp and cold, carrying the scent of pine and wood smoke from the fire. All he could think of was returning to Accalia and keeping her warm while protecting her.

When he saw her, he was surprised she was awake, standing with two of his guards, her sword in her hands ready for a fight.

“What…what happened?” she asked.

He shifted, not meaning to until she’d asked the question. “We had some difficulty. Thieves were trying to enter the camp. They made a mistake in doing so.”

“They’re dead?”

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