This time, the word wasn’t even framed like a question. Viggo rolled his eyes.
“If he’s scared, back off and don’t touch him.” Viggo kept his hand on Bjorn’s arm, waiting for a small nod before continuing. He was making the rules up as he went, and he really hoped he wasn’t missing anything obvious. “If he tells you to stop doing something, you have to stop doing it. He’s allowed to say no.”
Bjorn curled his lip, clearly disagreeing with the rule, and though Viggo understood why – a subordinate member in a pack didn’t have a right to outright refuse orders – allowances had to be made for the fact that Sebastian was human.
“Bjorn,” Viggo warned, letting his wolf rise to the surface. His voice deepened, a warning rumble building in his chest, and his nails lengthened and sharpened into claws digging into the flesh of Bjorn’s bicep.
“Yes,” Bjorn said, reluctantly nodding his understanding and submission. Viggo pushed his wolf back down and relaxed his hold on Bjorn’s bicep.
“Good. He’s human, and we want him to be happy. That means treating him like a human, not like a wolf. Understand?”
This time Bjorn nodded without curling his lip, apparently seeing the sense of what Viggo was saying.
“Those are the important things,” Viggo said, patting Bjorn’s bicep. “If I think of anything else, I’ll let you know. Now, do you want to go up and meet our human?”
“Yes.” Bjorn licked his lips, his impatience making him trip from foot to foot like a child that needed to pee.
“Follow me,” Viggo said. He gave Bjorn a stern look, making sure that his husband understood that he wasn’t allowed to rush ahead. He made his way to the stairs, Bjorn following hot on his heels, ignoring the whine in Bjorn’s throat begging him to walk faster.
Climbing up to the second floor, Viggo led Bjorn down the hall to the bedroom, opening the door and turning on the light. He turned, placing his hand flat on Bjorn’s naked chest, and gave him a stern look.
“Wait there.”
Bjorn took a deep breath and clenched his fists, his whole body practically vibrating with anticipation, but he stayed still when Viggo turned back around and walked into the bedroom.
Viggo made his way over to the bed, taking a seat on the edge of the mattress and putting his hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. He gave the boy a gentle shake, smiling softly at the way Sebastian’s nose scrunched up and he curled his face into his drool-stained pillow.
He was deep asleep. Viggo almost felt bad for waking him, but with Bjorn in the state he was in, there was no other option. He shook him again, a little harder this time.
“Sebastian, wake up. There’s someone I want you to meet.”
Sebastian turned his face, blinking his eyes open and looking confused and adorable. He scrunched up his forehead and moved to sit up, getting tangled in his blanket before pushing it off and sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
“What time is it?” he asked, wiping his mouth and chin with the back of his hand. “I’m sorry I fell asleep. I-”
Sebastian froze, his words coming to a halt like someone had pressed his mute button. He was staring at Bjorn in the doorway, his eyes wide, looking like a rabbit suddenly discovering a dire wolf lurking outside its cage.
Viggo cleared his throat, drawing both Sebastian and Bjorn’s attention. He smiled, trying not to let his nerves show. “Sebastian, I’d like to introduce you to my husband. Bjorn.” He turned to Bjorn. “Bjorn, come say hello to our new human. Sebastian.”
8
SEBASTIAN
Sebastian stared at the giant man looming in the doorway, shocked at the sheer size of him. He was enormous, just shy of having to duck his head to get through the door, with muscles even bigger than Viggo’s. He was also shirtless, his bottom half clad in a strange pair of rugged leather pants that came up past his belly button.
“Bjorn, come in and say hello.”
Sebastian turned to Viggo with a sense of alarm, scooting closer when the giant hurried into the room.
How could someone that big move that fast?
“Careful,” Viggo cautioned, giving the advancing menace a stern look. “Take it easy, Bjorn.”
Viggo sounded like he was giving commands to an overly excitable dog.
Bjorn slowed, walking up to the end of the mattress, leaning against the bed and studying Sebastian with naked fascination.
He was remarkably handsome – if you ignored the unkempt nature of his long, blond hair and wild beard – with high cheekbones, icy blue eyes and a distinctive nose that wouldn’t have looked out of place on an ancient Roman statue. He wasn’t the kind of guy you’d see in a fashion magazine, too rugged by far, but he would have fit right in on the poster for an action movie.
