The witch frowns. “I’m sorry but only his mate’s presence can soothe him now.”
Despair makes my heart sink like an anchor. No, Anders may have been a bastard for years, but he’s still my family! I can’t lose any more of my pack.
I grab hold of his cloak and wrench him close. “Quiet. Turn around and walk. Try any fancy magic tricks, and you’ll regret it.”
“Arlo!” a voice echoes from up the road. A man races toward us, blond hair mussed from the wind. He smells like another wolf. How does he know the witch?
“Goodness,” Arlo says, eyes widening, “Looks like Ulfheim is open for tourists, huh?”
Panting, the man stumbles to a halt before us. My claws come out, prepared to defend our territory from this unknown wolf. “You’re ulfhednar. I can smell it. But I don’t recognize you,” I say.
He raises his hands, armed with neither claw nor blade. “I’m Anders’s mate. Is he here? I need to speak with him.”
A shock ripples through me. If this is true, then he could help soothe my brother’s berserker rage and save him. When I glance at his neck for a mark and find only pale, un-marred skin, the tentative hope inside me dies. “You do not bear his mark! You will not have entry.”
Arlo says, “Hold on, Guthark.”
“Gunnar,” I growl, more irked than I should be that he can’t remember my name given the circumstances.
Arlo gives me a soft smile that threatens to defang my frustration. “Sorry. I’m a bit distracted by your rugged good looks. ThisisAnders’s mate.”
Heat runs down the back of my neck. What’s this fool going on about? Rugged good looks, my tail. This could all be a trap by the TTA, and I must protect what remains of my pack. Yet as I stare down into ash-brown eyes holding mine with unwavering sincerity, my hesitation fades.
Trust him,my wolf whispers.
I can’t remember when he last uttered words of guidance and not rage.
There’s no time. Anders needs help, or else he will be lost to us.
Gods, do not take another family member from me.
For what feels like the first time in ages, the gods hear my prayers.
Jamie manages to soothe Anders’s rage. As I watch my brother shift from his monstrous wolf form and fall into Jamie’s arms as a man, I can finally draw in a breath. Anders will be okay. Jamie got to him just in time. I close my eyes tight as they sting.
Thank you.
Wulfric hides a grin behind his fist. Lyall’s smiling broadly despite the blood on his clothes from where Anders chomped on him like a hunk of venison. I avert my gaze from my brother and his mate, scuffing my boot in the snow. It feels as if I’m intruding on an intimate moment.
Beside me, Arlo exhales and smiles. “Thank Freya. I really didn’t want to have to do anything drastic like we usually do with berserkers.”
His shoulders sag, eyes half-lidded with exhaustion. He’d used some of his own blood for the ritual to contain Anders during his rampage. Though he’d assured me with infuriating confidence, and flirting, that he wasn’t in pain, he looks as if he could collapse at any moment.
“Welcome back, Anders!” Arlo staggers, swaying on his feet. “Whoa. Feeling a bit dizzy… all of a sudden…” Every muscle in my body tightens like a bowstring, ready to catch him. His eyes roll back, his knees buckling.
Those brown eyes have barely closed before I’ve got him in my arms, shielding him from the impact with the hard, cold ground. Carefully, I lower myself to one knee, fingers buried in soft golden hair. He’s so still, lips parted, every muscle limp. He’s vulnerable, defenseless. I must protect him.
Strangely, the sting of saltwater caresses my nose, as if I’m out at sea watching the waves churn and the gulls chase the horizon. What is that? How can the ocean smell so close?
Unless… is this smell coming fromArlo?
It is.
He was hiding his scent, but when he collapsed, the spell must have worn off.
Why does he smell like this? Like childhood memories, fishing at sea with my father. Days under the sun, rowing until my arms ached as I raced my brothers. Salt on Leif’s lips when I kissed him for the first time. Somehow, Arlo’s brought all my happiest memories to life when I thought grief and loss had buried them.
He’s…
