After a few days, the wolves finally came home. Bryan was feeding the horses when Snow walked into the barn and dropped a hand at his feet. Bryan picked it up and noticed the marking. It was similar to the facial tattoos on the men that had been hunting Katrina and Arthur. Snow and the other wolves must have run into a group of them and killed at least one of them. When Bryan crawled in bed with Katrina that night, he debated about telling her. When she curled up in his arms and tilted her face up for a kiss he pushed it from his mind and gave in to the need to make love to her.

Katrina responded to his every touch and mirrored them with one of her own. He loved the way she seemed to get bolder each time. Bryan loved her curious nature and she learned quickly what pleased him. Katrina seemed to enjoy pushing him to the point where he couldn’t hold back anymore, and he would take her. They both tried to be quiet for the baby sleeping in the room and she often either buried her head in his neck to muffle her scream or just bit him hard on his shoulder. Bryan had never let a woman bite him before and he found himself deeply enjoying it.

Bryan smiled, his chest puffing up with pride at her flushed cheeks and smile playing on her lips in the aftermath of taking her. “I would like to take you to visit my sister soon. You can stay there while I build us a bigger home.”

Katrina’s eyes lit up when she mentioned staying with his sister. But her shoulders sagged and she bit her lower lip before she asked quietly. “What will your sister think about… us?”

Not understanding her question at first, he frowned. She gave him a look then her eyes glanced down at his naked chest and he smiled. “Do you mean because I’ll be sleeping in your bed, lass?”

The light by the fire was enough for him to see the blush on her cheeks and he chuckled, nuzzling her. “My sister will jump to the conclusion that the baby is mine and demand I marry you before she disowns me. If that doesn’t work, she will follow me around the house and hit me with anything she can find.”

Katrina smacked his chest. When he chuckled, she frowned and tried to squirm out from under him. “Lass, you really don’t think I plan on keeping you as my mistress? When we get to my sister’s, the preacher will marry us and we’ll keep Arthur’s identity a secret. He’ll be our son.”

The look on Katrina’s face let him know she wasn’t as pleased by the prospect of marrying him as he thought she would be. When she pushed on his shoulders, he obeyed and let her push him off her. He didn’t understand why she was so upset. They had already slept together, she obviously enjoyed it. She was living with him, the only logical thing for them to do was marry. Protecting both her and the baby from being ostracized and adding protection to the infant that was being hunted, seemed like the right thing.

Katrina rolled away from him he followed her, touching her shoulder. Bryan was surprised when she stiffened under his touch. “I will not marry you.”

Bryan was confused by her response. Katrina had been a virgin, so he knew she was not the type of lass to sleep around. She had been saving herself for her husband, which should be him. She agreed to stay with him and they were sleeping together, she should be happy he told her they were getting married.

“You will marry me,” Bryan said, his voice coming out harsher than he meant.

He watched as Katrina turned her head and glanced at him over her shoulder giving him a look that let him know she was not going to budge. Before turning her back on him, she pulled the blankets up to her shoulders and dismissed him.

Bryan rolled onto his back, confused, as he watched as the firelight played on the ceiling. Katrina should be happy he was going to marry her. Bryan turned and looked at the back of her head and the blond hair on his pillow. He doubted she would appreciate that he was smiling at her. Even though he had no idea why she was suddenly mad, he still found her adorable.

He waited until he saw her body relax and heard her breathing even out. Bryan curled up behind her and wrapped his arm around her, wanting to hold her before he fell asleep. Katrina sighed and he felt her wiggle closer to him. Kissing the back of her head, Bryan smiled as he finally drifted off to sleep.

The next morning Bryan awoke just as Arthur started to make happy noises from his bed. He was a happy baby and slept most nights without waking up. He knew from his younger siblings and his sisters’ new baby, that it wasn’t always the case. Looking down, he saw Katrina lying across his chest. Her leg was tucked between his, her hand on his chest and he couldn’t help but notice how small she was compared to him and how she fit him perfectly.

When Arthur started making more noises, he slid out from underneath her. Bryan picked up Arthur who let out a happy squeal. Bryan glanced at the bed, before walking out, admiring the vision that Katrina made with her hair across his pillow as she slept.

After cleaning and feeding Arthur, he laid him on his fur bed and watched as he cooed and made noises to get Snow’s attention. Arthur kicked his feet as if trying to get the big wolf to stop pretending to be uninterested.

Bryan thought over the events of last night. Katrina telling him she wouldn’t marry him wasn’t an option. He knew she cared about him. Her telling him no made no sense. Any woman in her circumstances should be happy he wanted to marry her. What was she thinking?

Having sisters, Bryan thought he understood women. They were all happily married and glad to have kids of their own to raise. Katrina telling him no threw him for a loop. Hearing a noise from the room, he saw Katrina standing in the doorway.

“You should have woken me up,” Katrina said as she stepped into the room noticing how Arthur kicked happily as she approached.

She bent down and picked him up, giggling when he grabbed her face. He tried to give her a big open mouth kiss and Katrina made a smacking noise while she let him. Bryan watched. He knew she was a lady and probably had little interactions with babies before this, but she seemed to grow more at ease every day.

Bryan stood and walked over to her then reached up to brush a stray blond hair back from her shoulder. He noticed the way Katrina tensed a bit at his touch and how she bit her lower lip. Bryan wanted nothing more than to kiss that lower lip.

Bryan opened his mouth to say something, anything, to ease the tension between them. Suddenly, Snow and the other wolves sat up at attention. Snow’s lip curled, exposing his fangs as he growled and walked to the door.

All the wolves followed and Bryan went to the window to watch outside. He couldn’t see anything but trusted them enough to know they had picked up on something. Bryan carefully opened the door, and the four wolves ran out, taking off into the woods so fast they were a flash of fur and then gone.

Bryan closed the door, and Katrina remained standing where he had left her, holding Arthur close to her chest. “What is it?”

“I don’t know, lass, but we have to be prepared,” Bryan said, grabbing her arms and gazing into her eyes. “I don’t know what’s coming, but I need you to promise me you’ll listen to me when I tell you to do something, lass. Can you do that for me?”

Katrina nodded and Bryan gave in to the temptation that was before him and kissed her deeply. Arthur squirmed between them, letting out a sound that let them know he didn’t appreciate being smothered. Bryan kissed the top of his head before letting her go.

Bryan led her to the back of the bedroom. Moving the chest, he showed her a small bolt hole. “This will get you out and into the bushes. If I tell you to leave, you go this way and try to go straight. There is a hill with a cave that you can hide in until I find you.”

Katrina nodded and he tried to give her a smile. “Get a bag of things ready for you and Arthur just in case.”

With a nod, Katrina went back to the front room. Bryan went to his chest of drawers and pulled out a small dagger. It was his mother’s; his father had given it to her so she could protect herself when they traveled. His sisters each had their own and they had given it to him hoping he would give it to a woman when he decided to finally settle down. She might not have agreed to marry him yet, but she would, and now seemed like a good time to give her this to keep her safe.