Take her. Rolf came to me with the girl in arms. When I hesitated he proffered her impatiently. I am the best scout. I will investigate this without alerting any potential enemies. We need to know what the Corpse King is doing.

We need to run. I would not advocate retreat, but wisdom told me what would keep our mate safe. We must keep her safe, at all costs.

We cannot run until we know where the danger lies.

I am too dangerous right now, I protested. The tips of my fingers itched, ready for the Change. If the rage took over, I’d become a monster, complete with dark fur and claws. My vision would turn red and my mind would blank. The last time it happened, I woke up in a field of slaughter. Everyone around me was dead.

I would not reject the gift the goddess had given me, but I did not deserve a woman. I could protect her from any foe, but couldn’t protect her from myself.

I cannot, Rolf. I might lose control.

Then you should take care of her. You said it yourself: she soothes the beast.

He unloaded his light burden before I could argue more. With a shake, he transformed into a wolf.

Take cover, stay there. I will return.

Clasping the woman to me, I hunkered down behind a boulder on the side of the road.

I reached out to my warrior brothers using the pack bonds. Where are you?

Their voices came faint and fragmented across the bond. The Corpse King routed us… run...

Gritting my teeth, I linked to the Alphas.

Thorbjorn? Daegan, the second in the pack, responded, his voice flowing down the connection like heady mead. Strength flowed into me. The Alphas could share their power with the pack, or draw power from the lot of us. They could communicate with us all using the pack bonds, which is why we agreed it was better for the Alphas to remain safe back at our mountain home, rather than come on the raid.

Besides, they had their mates, and the rest of us were eager to find ours.

Something is wrong, I told Daegan. The holy man who kept the orphans did a spell to alert the Corpse King. I fear he will stop us from taking our mates.

Understood. Get away from the abbey. Stay away from the main roads. I will tell the others to go into hiding. His voice wavered as a great force shook the bond. A cold wind, pushed by an unseen hand. Only one being we knew had power to disrupt the pack bonds.

The Corpse King.

I shuddered as pain spiked through the bond. Whether the attack came on my end or on Daegan’s, I did not know, but it didn’t matter. Head throbbing, I couldn’t link to him any further. Understood, I managed before the connection fell away, gnawed by the teeth of a spell.

I cradled the woman closer.

Rolf? I winced, but the path to my warrior brother remained strong, worn and comfortable after many decades of use.

I heard. Rolf replied. I’m almost to the village, but something is wrong here. Do not bring the woman this way.

With a sigh, I hunched down to wait. The woman made a little noise of protest.

“Hush, sweet one,” I whispered, and her whimper subsided. I nuzzled her closer. How long had it been since I held a woman? Longer than I could remember. She was so soft and warm, her scent sweet. I never believed I’d hold someone like her in my arms.

“Why are you doing this?” She kept her eyes downcast, and her voice wobbled. Sage, she said her name was. An herb. She smelled like a garden, flowers, and honey. Underneath her thin garment, her nipples pebbled in the cool night air. I could so easily tear her shift away, and bare her secrets.

“You belong to us now,” I told her, rubbing her arms to smooth away the goosebumps. She submitted, bowing her head. I wanted to cuddle her close, breathe her in until her scent surrounded me, tell her she was safe, now and forever.

“I don’t understand,” she muttered.

I tipped her face up to mine. By the moon, I could not resist her. We were in the middle of escaping, and I wanted to kiss her, lay her down and pleasure her. She was a blend of innocence and determination. She’d remained calm in the face of danger. There were not many men who could do that.

“You need not fear, Sage.” I tested her name, when she raised her head, the beast roared inside me, triumphant. It paced inside me, starved for any bit of attention, any acknowledgement.

“Please, let me go,” the woman whimpered.

I gathered her in my arms, letting her scent enfold me like a shining cloak. “Hush, dear one,” I murmured, and felt her still. “There’s an evil being after you, and we vowed to rescue you, as we rescued your friend Hazel.”

She sucked in a breath. “Hazel?”

“Yes, your friend.”

“She’s alive?”

“She is mated to my friend Knut, a great warrior.”

“How can this be?” she breathed.

I placed a finger to her lips. “All will be revealed, sweet one.”

She trembled under my touch. I pressed a hand to the side of her head, holding her against me and sheltering her at the same time.

Mist pooled thick in the road. It stirred and seemed to come alive, skating across the path to chase us.

Hurry, Rolf. The weather turns.

It is not the weather. It is the Corpse King. We should be away from this place, quickly.

The wind stirred the trees, carrying a rotten stench. The scent of the Corpse King’s undead servants. He must have sent the draugr to reclaim the spaewives.

Thorbjorn, run! They are coming up the road. Draugr. The Grey Men. I can sense them.

I scooped Sage up into my arms and strode towards the forest. No one will take her from us. No one.

Should we fight them?

No, if there is a fight she may not survive it. We must keep control, and keep her away from the Grey Men. We must hide. I crashed into the woods.

Something happened at the village. I smell death, and blood.

Get out of there, Rolf.

His reply came very faint. I will stay and fight… you must escape with our mate.

I slowed my pace, kicking a rock out of my path. Rolf, you must come. I am not leaving without you.

The rage takes me, Rolf’s voice came thick with the Change. Remember our pact. Keep her safe.

Cursing, I raced through the woods, hunched over Sage to keep the branches from whipping her. Water, I needed water. The Grey Men would not cross a flowing river. Flowing water snuffed out the magic that animated them.

My link with Rolf frayed, but I did not stop reaching out to him. Escape with us, you fool, or I will pay a skald to sing a song of your cowardice all over this island!

Coming…

With a satisfied grunt, I broke from the trees. Ahead, moonlight glinted off the wide, flowing water. Mist followed us as I skittered down the ravine and plunged into the river.

The woman gasped and squeezed her arms around my neck. When I reached the bank, a spit of sand and river silt in the middle of the current, she came alive.

“Help,” she screamed, her voice carrying across the river. Her body went rigid in my arms as she sat up straight.

A line of men appeared on the top of the ravine, marching down to the river we just crossed. The Corpse King’s servants.

“Hush,” I growled. “They are the enemy.”

She cried out louder, waving her arms. I carried her to the end of the spit, as far away from the Grey Men as I could get. We were right in the middle of the wide river, but too exposed.

Hurry, I sent to Rolf. They are coming.

Mist poured over the ravine, following the Grey Men, consuming them. I cursed. This was a foe I couldn’t cleave with my axe.

A roar shook the air, and my heart leaped at the call. Fur grew on my arms and my nails lengthened to claws, in answer.

I set Sage down and she scrambled away, only to gasp, “What is that?”

Rolf paced on the river bank, in monster form.

“My warrior brother. He fights to protect you.” My own throat clogged with the Change.

My vision winked out and surged back, red. Each time it blinked away and back, I stood several feet closer to the fight. The beast was taking over. I would never be free.

The woman appeared in front of me, her face pale in the moonlight. She backed away, the whites of her eyes showing, horror written on her face.

“What are you?”

I reached for her and she recoiled. “You’re a monster,” she gasped.

“Yes,” I told her. “but you needn’t fear. You are safe from all enemies, for we are the biggest monsters you will ever meet.”