Bryan watched the emotion on her face. It was like she was battling something internally. Once she agreed, he offered her his arm, and together they walked into the living room. Snow and Minx were both lying by the fireplace. The other two were in the barn.

Snow stood up, and he felt Katrina stiffen next to him. Minx yawned, appearing bored, but he noticed how she kept an eye on them. Except for his family, the wolves had always made themselves scarce around people. He hardly ever had a guest that stayed more than a day, but the circumstances that had brought Katrina were not normal.

“Snow,” he said, calling the wolf to him.

Katrina moved in behind him as the wolf came closer. He couldn’t blame her for being scared. Snow was big for a wolf. If he stood on his back legs, Snow dwarfed him. When Snow stood before him, he looked at Katrina curiously.

A hand up in the air Bryan said, “Sit.”

Snow gave him a look that let him know he didn’t appreciate being talked to like a common dog. After a long moment, Snow decided to humor him and sat down. Bryan looked over his shoulder at the woman who was half hiding behind him. “I promise Snow won’t hurt you. Would you like to pet him?”

“Pet him?” she barely squeaked out the question, and he laughed.

“Yes. Pet him,” Bryan said, as he reached out and petted the wolf to show her it would be all right.

He could feel Katrina stiffen next to him, as she pulled herself to her full height and took a step to stand next to him. Snow must have sensed what he was doing because he put his head down in a rare submissive position and patiently waited.

Bryan watched as Katrina finally reached out and touched Snow on the top of the head. He saw her smile when Snow bumped her hand encouraging her to continue. When she finally spoke, he heard the awe in her voice. “Thank you, for saving me Snow.”

Snow bumped her hand, and when he stood up, Katrina pulled her hand back, a small gasp escaping her. Snow walked around her rubbing himself on her, and marking her with his scent before he bumped her hand again with his nose and licked her.

Snow had marked her as part of his pack. Katrina might not have understood the symbolism of what he’d just done, but Bryan did. Bryan trusted Snow’s instincts better than his own and decided if Snow trusted Katrina, he could too.

That didn’t mean he was going to stop asking her questions. “Minx over there is Snow’s mate. There are two more that are in the barn. When I rescued Snow as a pup, his brother was with him. The two never left, even after Snow was well enough to do so.”

Katrina looked up at him and gave him a smile. “So, you’re often out saving those in need.”

He blushed at her words of praise. When her smile grew, he shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck. “I did what anyone else would do,” he said with a shrug of his shoulder, feeling uncomfortable.

She shook her head. “No, not everyone.”

Bryan cleared his throat. He heard a sound form Arthur in the back room, and he gave her a nod before walking back to him. “He’ll be wanting to eat now.”

Bryan went and picked up Arthur. “You’re about to complain that we are taking too long to feed you, huh, little laddie?”

Arthur let out a sound of complaint that made him laugh. Bryan turned to see Katrina watching. Her face had softened again, and that look on her face made his chest swell with male pride. Bryan could get used to that look.

“Would you like to feed him in bed?” he asked her, as she continued to watch.

Katrina wrinkled her nose, and Bryan couldn’t help but grin. He had an image of her as a child making that face when her mother or father tried to get her to sit still. “Would it be all right if I fed him in the front room?”

Bryan nodded and offered her the baby when he got to her in the doorway. Once Arthur was settled in her arms, he put her hand on his back and walked her to the living room in case her legs decided she had been up long enough.

Once Katrina was settled in the chair, Bryan took care of getting her the milk and even brought a new changing cloth from the one’s he had cleaned. Hopefully, soon the snow would stop, and the merchant would stop by, otherwise, he would need to start cutting up one of his old shirts or blankets.

The snow lasted for a few more days, and Bryan felt his feelings for Katrina grow. Since Katrina had only the one dress, she had started wearing his shirts while washing it. She was adorable, but he knew that she was embarrassed about not having something more appropriate to wear.

The wolves left a few days ago for a hunt, and after the fifth day Bryan felt himself worrying. They very rarely left for longer than three days at a time, so when the morning of the fifth day started, he found himself watching outside for them.

Katrina walked up behind him. When she touched his arm, he smiled down at her. “You’re worried about them?”

Bryan thought about lying but instead nodded. “They don’t usually leave for this long. I’m just hoping that they’re playing in the snow.”

She stood close to him. With Arthur down for his afternoon nap, she had decided to take a bath and had left her hair down. He fought the urge to reach out and run his fingers through it. The light from the window shone off the blond highlights. The more time they spent together, the harder it was for him to keep himself at a distance. Even though she never spoke about her life, he knew she was a highborn lady and not meant for someone like him.

She stood with him at the window, when they heard a carriage coming up the road. “Looks like the merchant was finally able to make it.”

Katrina smiled, her face lighting up. He chuckled as he watched her. “Hopefully he has some cloth or a dress for you and some things for Arthur.”

The smile on Katrina’s face showed her happiness and excitement over the idea of a new dress. Together, they watched the carriage roll up to the house. When the merchant stopped in front of the home, Bryan opened the door to greet him.

The old man’s face lit up when he saw Katrina step out. “Have you finally taken a wife Bryan?”

Bryan shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck, trying to think of what to say in order to keep Katrina’s reputation intact. Before he could reply, Katrina spoke up, “Bryan here was kind enough to give me shelter during the storm.”

The merchant nodded. “It was a bad storm, lass. It was good of him to keep you safe. Plus, there have been lots of attacks on the roads.”

“Do you have any material or dresses that she could use while she’s stuck here? There’s also an infant who needs some clothes as well,” Bryan said as Katrina walked closer to the carriage.

“I believe I have just what she’s looking for.” The merchant opened the back of his carriage and revealed a chest. Bryan watched as he pulled out several different pieces of material and a couple of dresses he had and laid them out before Katrina. “These dresses might be a little big, but with a little adjustment they should fit beautifully.”

As Katrina looked them over, the merchant talked with Bryan, “Have you heard about the attacks on the kingdom? They say Morgana might have killed the King and is now searching for the prince.”

Bryan noticed how Katrina froze when the merchant mentioned Morgana. “Are they sure that the King is dead? What about the Queen?”

The merchant nodded. “They said he was attacked on the way back to the castle after visiting Merlin. The castle has been raided, the Queen is missing, and Morgana is furious that the prince is nowhere to be found. She is searching for all newborn boy babies.”

Katrina had gone still her head tilted toward them. Bryan watched her out of the corner of his eye. “Have you seen anything on the roads?”

“There have been men roaming, looking for something. So far, I’ve been lucky. I’ve seen people with tattoos on their faces; they left me alone.” The merchant frowned as he glanced at Katrina. “You better be careful with that baby. Those men are close.”

Before Katrina could reply, Bryan spoke up, “Katrina has a little girl. We will keep her safe from those men. Who is acting as king now?” Brian asked hoping to distract him.

“The King’s brother has taken over. He says he will find the prince first and raise him to be king,” said the merchant.

Bryan asked a few more questions while Katrina picked out two dresses, material, and some cloth for the baby. While Bryan paid the merchant, Katrina went into the house. After the merchant left, Bryan debated about asking Katrina about Arthur. Is he the prince Morgana was looking for? Had Katrina saved him, or had she kidnapped him? What was he going to do?

When he opened the door, he saw Katrina standing in the middle of the front room. Her hands were clenched in front of herself, as she chewed her bottom lip. Bryan still had not decided what to do. Instead, he picked up the blue material saying, “This will make a nice shirt for Arthur.”

Katrina nodded, “Thank you. As soon as I get home, I’ll pay you back.”

Bryan noticed the small catch in her voice when she said home. He gave her a nod, not overly concerned with her paying him back. He was more concerned with the idea that Arthur might be the prince. And if he was indeed the prince, how did he end up with Katrina? Was she his savior or kidnapper?

He knew the men with tattoos on their faces were the men that had been attacking Katrina. If Morgana’s men were attacking her, had she double-crossed them?

“The men that he said were on the roads, the one’s with the tattoos, do you think they were the one’s attacking you and Arthur?” Bryan asked watching her intently.

Katrina dropped the cloth she was holding. He noticed how she refused to pick up her head and bit her lip as she bent down to retrieve it. Katrina stood back up and put the cloth on the table before finally answering him. “I, umm, didn’t know who those men were, or why they attacked us. One minute everything was fine, and suddenly those men were surrounding us.”

She was a horrible liar. She still refused to meet his eyes. Instead she ran her fingers along the material. Bryan needed to know. “Katrina, did you kidnap the prince? Were you working with Morgana and changed your mind when you were supposed to turn him over?”

Katrina’s head snapped up, her hand going to her chest when he noticed the hurt look on her face. “You think I would work with that woman to kidnap that baby?”

Bryan watched her. “I know he’s not your son, Katrina. You’ve been keeping secrets. I will protect you if you need it, but I need to know from what.”

He watched as she fidgeted. Her fingers were playing with the material as she nervously chewed on her lower lip. Bryan watched as several emotions crossed her face, until finally, she let out a deep breath, her shoulders sagging in defeat.

“I’m one of the Queen’s companions. I came with her when she was brought over to marry the King. We grew up together. When Arthur was born, they put him in my arms and told me to take him to Merlin’s. The King was there with him, waiting. Merlin said he had to help prepare him for what was to come. The King and Merlin told me it was my job to protect Arthur. The King left before we did, and we were attacked on our way back to the castle,” Katrina told him, finally meeting his gaze.

Bryan, was silent, feeling his world getting smaller. He didn’t regret saving her and the baby, but what danger did that put him in? Morgana was ruthless. If she found out that he was hiding the prince, she would attack him without mercy. Is that why his wolves hadn’t come home yet? As he debated about what to do, he watched Katrina study him.

Before he could wrap his mind around what he had just learned, Arthur started crying. Katrina excused herself and left Bryan alone with his thoughts. His head swam, and he took deep breaths, determined to tell her that she should go back home. When he got to the doorway, he stopped in his tracks. The light from the window was shining on them, she held the baby close to her chest, her eyes closed as she whispered, “It’s okay my little prince, I’ll keep you safe. There’s no need to cry.”

The realization that this small woman would be willing to sacrifice herself for this helpless baby meant he couldn’t tell her to leave. “Here, let me try and soothe him,” he said, moving closer.

Katrina met him in the middle of the room, and he could tell by her shaky hands, that she was nervous about what he would do with this new information. Bryan took Arthur into his arms and gently rocked the little guy. As he looked down, he saw Arthur’s green eyes full of tears and his bottom lip quivering.

Bryan held Arthur to his chest making little shh noises as he bounced him gently in his arms; something he had learned to do while Katrina was still unconscious. It didn’t take long for Arthur to calm down. Once he was settled, Bryan motioned for Katrina to follow him out of the room. While settling Arthur on the fur bed on the floor, he could see Katrina pacing the front room.

“With the castle under attack and the King dead you can’t take Arthur back there,” Bryan pointed out wondering what she was thinking.

“I don’t know what to do. I should take him back to his mother… she must be worried. What if she’s hiding and waiting for me to bring back her son.”

Bryan walked toward her, put his hands on her arms and held her still. He waited for her to look at him. She was scared. He could see it in her eyes, so he reached up and brushed the hair back from her face. “Katrina, we have to keep you both safe. Even if she is safe and hiding, your job is to protect yourself and Arthur.”