I toyed with Jerrik’s chest hair and glanced at the clock. It wouldn’t take long to reach the location I’d arranged with Lucy, which left us some time to cuddle. Reveling in the moment, I snuggled into Jerrik and ran my fingers down his side. The lower my hand strayed, the quicker his heart beat, a response that almost convinced me to forgo meeting Lucy and initiate the next round. I contemplated it, until my fingers ran over a section of ridged skin. I lifted my head and glanced down, noticing an old scar that wrapped around his side in the shape of what looked like a wolf’s mouth.

“What happened here?” I asked.

Jerrik didn’t bother lifting his head. “An old injury.”

“Obviously,” I chuckled. “But how did it happen? Werewolves don’t scar unless wounded with silver.”

He shifted his weight and rolled onto his side, hiding the scar. “I wasn’t always a werewolf.”

I nodded. He’d mentioned that before, but I hadn’t been able to ask about it, even though I’d wanted to. I met his troubled gaze. Darkness lingered within his eyes, hinting at something unpleasant.

“Hey.” I leaned toward him and brushed my mouth against his. “It’s all right. You don’t need to tell me.”

He lingered over my mouth, teasing me with the promise of another kiss before leaning back on his pillows. “I’ve actually never told this story to anyone. But I like you.”

Wow. The simplest statement, but one that left me reeling. Hoping to lighten the mood, I quirked a brow and said, “You like me, huh?”

“The moment I spotted you at the club, I was intrigued.”

I rolled my eyes. “Who wouldn’t be? I’d just deep-throated a chocolate penis.”

His laughter shook the bed. “That certainly helped.”

“Men.”

“Women,” he said with a playful scoff. “Hey. You were the one deep-throating the damn thing. Don’t blame me for looking. Still, though. I do like you. I care about your wellbeing. And that’s more than I’ve let myself feel for anyone in a very long time.”

All right. Not the direction I’d expected this conversation to head. I snuck him a glance, my teeth worrying at my bottom lip. I’d never given much consideration to relationships. I’d braved a few flings, but they’d never been more than passing fancies. My life was always too busy for that sort of stuff. I didn’t love them and leave them—like my dear friend, Lucy—but I never stuck around past a certain point, either. The moment things grew serious, I bailed. I had my reasons. Gabriel, for one. Whoever I dated would have to put up with him. And so few of my pack were willing to try. Those who did, I had to wonder about their motivations. Did they actually like me? Or was it the idea of what I could offer? Those sorts of concerns had long since put a damper on my dating life. It’d always seemed best to cut ties before they hurt me.

But Jerrik?

I didn’t want to cut ties with him. And I certainly didn’t get the feel that he wanted me for the status. The man had spent his entire existence avoiding the pack. And from the sound of it, he could have easily killed my father and taken over as the alpha. But he hadn’t. He’d let Gabriel live. So, if his motivations weren’t political, then what the hell was he doing here? What did he want from me? These questions had my pulse racing.

Jerrik pushed the hair back from my face. “You okay? Your heart is pounding.”

I forced myself to swallow, then nodded. Talk about freaking myself out. But I needed to calm the eff down. He’d said he’d liked me—not loved me. Two very different things. “I’m fine. Don’t mind me. You were saying?”

He studied my face. Lord knew what he found, but eventually he continued. “I didn’t lie when I said I can’t recall my birth year. After time, things start to get muddled up here.” He tapped his head. “But there are some things I can’t forget, no matter how hard I try. And I doubt I ever will.”

“Like when you were changed into a werewolf,” I surmised. Few in our pack had been forcibly changed. Gabriel had long-since implemented laws to protect humans from that. To change a human without consent equaled a death sentence.

“That, and other things,” he murmured. “Unlike you, I was born human. Oddly enough, I still remember how that felt. I hadn’t realized at the time how incredibly mortal we were. My people believed in gods and the mystical, but we had no concept of eternity. And I’d certainly never wondered about werewolves. Back then, there were only two things I cared about: my friend, Leif, and my wife, Tove.”

“You were married?” Not sure why that surprised me. He’d led an entire life before meeting me. Hell, he’d probably led twenty. Not that it stopped the green-eyed monster from rearing his head.

Jerrik chuckled and pulled me against him. “Almost a thousand years ago. Doesn’t even feel real anymore. Tove and I had known each other since childhood—it’d only seemed natural to marry. Leif I’d met a little later in life, but he quickly became my brother. So, when our people banished him from Iceland, and he decided to travel west, Tove and I agreed to go with him.”

Wait, what? I pushed up onto my elbows and stared down at Jerrik in astonishment. “Are you talking about Leif Erikson? Your best friend was Leif Erikson?”

Jerrik simply smiled. “Are you going to let me tell my story?”

I blinked, then eagerly nodded.

“Eventually, we came across Greenland, and Leif decided to make it our home. We lived there quite happily. Tove gave me two beautiful children: a daughter we named Eira, and my son, Baldr.” Sadness chased across his face. “Unfortunately, a few years after Baldr’s birth, a fire ravaged our little colony. I managed to save Baldr, but I lost my wife and daughter.”

My chest tightened. And just like that, the green-eyed monster vanished. “I’m so sorry.”

Jerrik caught my eye and smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “It all happened a long time ago. But at the time…” He shook his head. “It felt like my entire world had come crashing down. I felt like the gods had betrayed me. Leif eventually suggested that we sail back to Norway, and I agreed. Anything to leave that damned place. I packed up Baldr and we left. I found myself hoping for a new beginning in Norway. Leif certainly found one. While there, he converted to Christianity, and he convinced me to do the same. I was so mad at Odin for taking everything from me that I didn’t think twice. I thought maybe this new religion would be better. Little did I know the gods were listening.”

I froze. “What?”

He ignored my question and continued onward. “Leif and I set out on the ocean again, but we didn’t make it back to Greenland. Instead, we found Vinland. I was ecstatic. I never wanted to return to Greenland. And here was a new land, a new beginning, a new God. What more could I want?”

The hard edge to his voice told me this story was about to take a darker turn.

“Winter passed, and in the spring, Leif suggested we return to Greenland, but I refused. I hated that place. Hated everything it stood for and everything it reminded me of. So, I told him I would remain behind with my son. The night before Leif set sail, I left Baldr with him, and I went for a walk. I needed a few moments to collect myself. To prepare. I never imagined saying goodbye to my brother. I looked up, and I remember seeing such a beautiful full moon. I prayed to my new God to help me find peace and the strength to begin anew with my son.

“But before I could finish, I spotted movement atop a nearby hill. At first, I couldn’t make it out, but eventually, the silhouette of this beast took shape. Its hateful eyes blazed in the darkness, and as it stalked toward me, it snarled, and I could see its massive fangs. I remember thinking it had to be Fenrir—son of Loki. My people’s stories had often spoken of the massive wolf who would devour Odin whole. But those were just stories, right?”

Jerrik exhaled and paused for a moment before continuing. “No, this was more than a story. This was proof that the gods my people believed in existed. That Fenrir existed. The wolf attacked before I could so much as call for help. And it wasn’t quick or painless. He dragged out every agonizing second. In that moment, I knew. This was my punishment for turning my back on Odin. For forsaking him and all the other gods. My only hope was to try and die honorably so that Odin would choose me for Valhalla. But I knew my chances were slim. I’d betrayed him. Why would he take me now?

“When the beast finally retreated, I was left staring up at the stars. I waited for death to take me, and while I waited, I picked out all of Tove’s favorite constellations. Except, with every passing breath, my heartbeat grew stronger. The bite marks began to stitch closed and my broken bones mended. The sun rose, and I’d survived.”

I took Jerrik’s hand and ran my thumb over his knuckles.

“That morning, I told myself that Odin had taken pity on me and given me another chance. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t waste it, that I would do right by him. I didn’t realize how far I’d strayed, but it took me the entire day to reach the village. The moon rose just as I found Leif and Baldr. He’d delayed his launch until I returned. But before I could speak, a terrible pain swept over me. I screamed in agony and dropped to the ground, writhing in the mud. It wasn’t until my bones began to snap and twist beneath my flesh that I realized Loki’s son had tricked me. And when I rose on four legs, my face the mirror image of the same beast who had attacked me, I knew he’d cursed me. Loki and Fenrir had turned me into a monster.”

A deep-set pain chased across his face. “Overcome with rage, I lost control. I tore through the village, murdering everyone in sight. I couldn’t stop, could barely think. And once the sun rose, when I became myself again, I found the face of my sweet son staring up at me with empty eyes. Dead.”

A tortured sound escaped my lips. Jerrik glanced my way, then lifted his hand and wiped the tears from my cheeks that I hadn’t felt fall.

“Jerrik…” I whispered.

“It was a long time ago. But now you know. The scar on my side was the only one that didn’t fully heal over, the first bite when Fenrir attacked.”

Jesus. It explained so much. No wonder Jerrik hated and killed other werewolves. To him, we were monsters. He was a monster. Whoever had attacked him had literally broken him. I leaned down and smoothed his hair back. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think the gods were punishing you. I think you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And you stumbled across a sadistic werewolf.”

“You weren’t there.”

No, I wasn’t. And I knew I’d never convince him otherwise. “So, that’s why you became an assassin? To rid the world of monsters? That’s all we are to you, right?”

He slid his arm around my back and pulled me close. “Not you. You’re not a monster.”

It all made so much sense now. He didn’t think of himself as one of us. And we weren’t his people. Tove, Baldr, Eira, Leif, they were his people. And they were all dead. He’d traveled alone for centuries, never part of a pack, never witnessing the love and devotion we possessed for one another. And then he’d met Gabriel with his submit or die attitude. I couldn’t imagine surviving a thousand years of such solitude.

“I’m so sorry that happened to you,” I whispered. “I wish I could go back and change it.”

He kissed my brow, then swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood. “You and me both. But we need to get going. I’m sure Lucy is out there waiting for us.”

Right. Lucy. Benjamin. My problems didn’t seem so bad in the grand scheme of things. I had my father, my best friend, my pack…and now I had Jerrik. And he had me. Maybe he’d been alone for the past thousand years, but that all ended now.

I followed him into the bathroom and watched as turned the shower taps. Together, we stepped under the spray, and I felt a strange new sensation overcome me. An overwhelming need to care for and protect him, not that he needed it. I wanted to drag him back to bed and kiss him senseless until he forgot every bad thing that’d ever happened to him.

Huh. Guess that meant I liked him, too. And this time, I had no desire to bail.