The tense silence was broken by Halley and Noona. The brown wolf and white dog came careening down the hallway, coming to a graceless stop in front of Sten. Halley barked up at her father, whose smile had returned.
“Would you like to get some fresh air?”
It took Astrid a few seconds to realize he was talking to her. “Yes, please.”
***
The aurora was a green ribbon that stretched across the night sky. Since her first night in Canada, the aurora had fascinated Astrid. She’d only seen it in videos and had always envisioned it as being a frenetic light display, ricocheting to and fro. But in real time, it moved in a slow, undulating pace. The purposeful, patternless movements were like a dance, set to the music of artic winds blowing across the vast expanse of the tundra.
Astrid alternated her gaze between the sky and the earth, watching the aurora and the pups. At almost fifty pounds, Noona was hardly a puppy, but she seemed to feed on Halley’s youthful energy. Watching her play with the werewolf pup, she reminded Astrid of the spirited little furball that Ginnifer had dumped on her two years ago, and nothing like the couch potato that spent her days sharing bowls of popcorn and watching Project Runway with Astrid.
The snow was deep, almost up to the tops of Astrid’s boots, but it barely hampered Halley and Noona, who took off running towards an icy hill. Astrid looked to Sten, and then back at the girls.
“Is it safe for them to go that far from the den?”
“There are patrols farther out,” Sten explained. “It’s rare that anything gets this close to the den.”
Before they’d left, Sten had put on a coat and gloves, and then given Astrid a set to match. His hood was pulled up, framing his face in grey fur. He’d tied his long hair into a loose braid, but small wisps of silver had come free to whip around his face.
“Anything? What sorts of things have the balls to come near a werewolf den? Wait, don’t tell me you have yetis up here?”
Sten grinned. “Not that I’ve seen. But there are bears, lynx, and wolverines to look out for.”
“The shifters?”
“No, they know better, but the animals are not as savvy.”
Astrid arched a brow. “Okay, so bears and lynx I get, but wolverines? Aren’t they like, this big?” She spread her arms apart, indicating the size of a large housecat.
Still grinning, Sten took her hands in his, spreading them out twice as far. “More like this, and believe me, you’d much rather run into a bear or lynx. Wolverines are vicious assholes. I’ve seen one kill and eat a lynx.”
“Wow, I never would have guessed that they’d be the terror of the tundra. But I still have a hard time believing that you’d be afraid of an oversized weasel.”
“Not afraid for myself,” he said, nodding towards Halley. “I’ve also seen them kill wolf pups.”
“Oh,” Astrid said, hanging her head.
They followed after Halley and Noona at a slower pace. Snow began to make its way into Astrid’s boots, freezing her already cold toes. The icy wind stung her cheeks, nose, and lips, but she pushed through her discomfort. Being outside, even in a climate that was clearly not meant for humans, was preferable to being back in the den.
“What would you do if I just started running?”
Since every exchange with Sten took a depressing turn anyway, Astrid had given up trying to make light conversation.
“I’d let you run until you tired yourself out, then catch you and bring you back to the den.”
“Because I belong to Erik?”
He frowned at her. “If Erik wants to hold you against your will, that’s on him. I’d bring you back because there’s nothing around for hundreds of miles. You’d freeze to death, if you weren’t eaten first.”
“Sorry,” she said, kicking at the snow. “I know that I signed myself up for it, but it’s such a frustrating situation. I’m a prisoner without a cell. Heck, it would probably be easier if he did keep me in a cell. At least then, I’d know where I stand with him.”
Sten stopped, prompting Astrid to do the same. He placed a hand on her shoulder, gently turning her to face him.
“You don’t stand anywhere with him,” he said, a note of caution in his voice. “Don’t ever think otherwise. Erik will use you until he’s tired of you. Nothing more.”
Astrid gave a hard swallow. “Maybe that’s a good thing. Once he’s tired of me, maybe he’ll let me go.”
Sten gave a slight nod, but she could tell by his eyes that he was only humoring her. He lifted his hand, paused, and then brought it back down to give her a few comforting pats.
“It isn’t that bad here,” he said. “Living without a cellphone or Netflix, it takes some getting used to, but you’ll adjust.”
Now, it was Astrid’s turn to nod. She wondered if he could tell that she was just humoring him as well.
CHAPTER SIX
When Erik died, it would not be on the battlefield, but in his sleep. Unlike most of his kind, who could be awoken by light footfalls or a stray breeze, Erik had always slept like a rock—hard and unresponsive. It was the one vulnerability he couldn’t rid himself of, so he worked hard to conceal it.
While the rest of his pack congregated in the main room, sleeping with one another to keep warm, Erik had to retire to a private chamber farther into the den. Only Sten was allowed to enter Erik’s room, and even his brother had difficulty waking the alpha before he was ready to rouse.
He could always tell when he’d been woken early. His head would feel heavy, and for a few moments, he’d experience a level of disorientation on par with intoxication. Sleep would dig its claws in, trying to pull him back down. Usually, it succeeded.
When Erik woke that night, he felt the familiar heaviness and disorientation, but they passed quickly. His drowsiness evaporated, and within seconds he found himself clear-headed and alert.
He lifted his head and blinked, expecting to find Sten in his room. There was no light, which meant that even with his heightened senses, the chamber was bathed in darkness. He sniffed the air, finding no trace of his brother’s scent. Expanding his senses further, he felt an odd sensation—a pull—as though he were being summoned.
Picking up a pelt in his teeth, he flung it over his back and then padded out of the room. He let the wolf take over, as instincts guided him through the maze of darkened tunnels.
He took a slight detour, stopping briefly by the human’s room. Though her flowery scent lingered, the room was cold and empty.
Erik had left her in the main room, just seconds after vowing to ruin her. He’d debated dragging her back to his chamber right then and there, but had decided against it. He not only wanted to prove his self-control, but also make the female lose hers.
He continued down the tunnel, a low-level irritation stewing within him. Where was she? What was she doing? Why hadn’t he thought to put her back in her room?
Erik stopped short of entering the main room, falling back to wait in the shadows. He watched as the human walked into the room. Sten was with her, along with Halley and the dog. He could tell from the light dusting of snow covering their fur and clothing that they’d been outside. While Erik felt indifferent to this, his wolf’s irritation spiked again. The wolf did not like the idea of her leaving the den without him, especially with another male.
His eyes narrowed on Sten. He was talking to the female, his hand casually resting on the small of her back. Something Sten said made her laugh, and she tilted her head up to smile at him. The wolf did not like the way she looked at him.
Ears perking up, Erik attuned himself to their conversation.
“I actually slept horribly last night,” the human said. In a wry mumble she added, “No clue why.”
“You should try to get some sleep then,” said Sten. “I’m sure you’ll feel a lot better once you’ve had a good night’s rest.”
“I doubt I’ll get much sleep. In fact, I don’t think I’ve slept a full night since I arrived in Nunavut. I get wo
ken up four times a night by my own shivering. What I wouldn’t give for a space heater.”
“There’s no electricity,” Sten reminded her.
Why the fuck did he keep smiling at her?
“Ah, you’re right about that,” she said, snapping her fingers. “I guess that goes hand in hand with the whole no-cellphone, no-Netflix thing. Well, how the heck do you guys manage to keep warm here?”
Having heard enough, Erik shifted into his human form. He caught the pelt on his arm and then fastened it around his hips.
As he stepped into the room, he heard Sten say, “We mostly sleep together. It’s the only practical thing to do.”
“I suppose that makes sense. Anyway, I should be heading back to my freezing sepulcher of a room.”
“You shouldn’t go alone,” Sten said. “Let me…”
Sten trailed off as he noticed Erik’s approach. The human turned to regard him as well, her smile evaporating.
“I will take her to her room,” Erik said, not bothering to look at his brother.
Sten gave a mummer of assent and stepped back. “Rest well, Astrid.”
“Thanks. I guess I’ll see you—”
Erik didn’t wait for her to finish. Taking her by the arm, he pulled her along none-too gently. She put up some resistance, trying several times to tug her arm back. He would have thought by now that she’d know better than to struggle against him.
As they entered the tunnel, she gave up resisting, likely because it was only practical. Her human eyes would not have adjusted to the low light so quickly, and without his guidance she’d likely trip and fall.
Unable to fight against his grip, she opted to complain instead. “You know, that was pretty rude. I was just saying goodbye. Couldn’t you have waited like, five more seconds?”
Erik barely heard her. As he’d been dragging her away, it had occurred to him that he no longer felt the strange pull that had broken his sleep. When he’d laid eyes on the human, the sensation had abated. When he’d touched her, it had vanished completely, replaced with a mild satisfaction.
He understood why he’d woken, and he did not like it.
Controlling his wolf was second nature to Erik. In his youth, he had battled it into submission. The wolf knew that fighting for dominance was futile, and so it spent its days pacing back and forth within him, like a sullen dog that had been kicked one too many times.
Yet somehow, while he’d slept, the wolf had taken over. It had roused him from his bed and, by way of primitive animal instincts, had guided him to the human.
It wanted her, and it was growing impatient.
“Are you seriously barefoot? How can you even stand this cold? And with no shirt on, too? You must be freezing.”
The human was still chatting away, not seeming to need his input to hold a conversation. Erik continued to ignore her, though one corner of his mouth twitched. His lips quickly twisted into a scowl, and he batted his amusement away as he would a tenacious mosquito.
A sharp intake of breath was Erik’s only warning before her feet slipped on a patch of ice. Having been distracted, he nearly fell, but managed to catch himself and the human just in time. On reflex, he pulled her body against his. Her head collided with his chest and then bounced off.
He expected her to whine at him, and was already preparing a scathing rebuttal, but instead she frowned and cocked her head to the side. Brows drawing together, she tentatively pressed her cheek against his chest. Caught off guard, he simply watched her, waiting to see what she would do next.
“Oh, wow,” she breathed, her tone that of reverence.
Taking off her glove, she placed a hand on his chest. Like the rest of her, it was remarkably soft. Though his mind did not know what to make of her sudden affinity for him, his body responded instantly, mouth watering and cock stiffening. The wolf stopped its pacing and pressed against the inside of his chest, as though wanting to feel her touch for itself.
His body tensed as he tried to will the animal away. He pictured his claws retracting, his canines shortening, and his fur sinking beneath hard, human flesh. The mental exercise was always enough to center him and push the wolf back where it belonged. But as the human rubbed her cheek against him, the wolf became frenzied. Instead of recoiling, its claws began scraping at the seams of Erik’s skin.
The human pulled her hand back. Offering up a sheepish grin, she asked, “Sorry, was that weird of me? You’re always so touchy-feely, so I thought it wouldn’t be that weird, but it feels kind of weird now that I did it…” She stepped back with obvious reluctance. “It’s just that you’re the hottest person I’ve ever felt. I mean that like, temperature, you know. And I guess the other way too, but that’s beside the point. How the heck do you stay so warm? Is it because you’re a werew—woooof!”
Erik crushed her against the wall, her breath expelling in a long wheeze. Before she could inhale, let alone protest, he had his arms hooked under her legs. He hoisted her up to align their hips and then thrust himself against her. A sound he didn’t recognize, something between a growl and a snarl, burst free from him. He could not repress it, no more than he could repress his need to touch her, to taste her, and to grind himself against her.
He dipped his head to her neck, taking in her scent where it was strongest. The floral aroma still mingled with his scent from when he’d licked her earlier. It pleased him in ways he did not care to examine, and he felt an overwhelming urge to mark her entire body. For now, he licked her, drawing his tongue up the long slope of her neck. His mouth tingled in response to her sweet taste and his fangs ached with the desire to pierce her.
The human had remained perfectly still, like a cornered rabbit. But when he flexed his hips again, thrusting his hard cock against the space between her thighs, she moaned. During the few sexual encounters he’d had in his human form, Erik had never failed to make his partner cry out in ecstasy. Their noises of pleasure were far more enthusiastic than this one. The sound she made was brief and ended abruptly, as though she were trying to conceal it.
Yet it drove him wild.
He wanted to hear it again. Erik thrust against her, harder this time, eliciting the same short, but restrained sound. It should have satisfied him. Instead, he felt frustrated. He wanted…more. He wanted her to moan longer and louder than before.
Erik instinctively slowed his pace, rocking rather than thrusting. Each time he pressed against her, he moved ever so slightly; up, down, to the left, and to the right, until he hit a spot that had her crying out. Her hips and torso arched into him, as her hands clutched at his biceps.
For a split-second, Erik froze. His mouth was still pressed against the curve of her neck and he could feel his own hot breath on his face. Something pounded inside his chest, and he wasn’t sure if it was his heart or the wolf, struggling to break free.
It doesn’t matter how much self-control you have.
His brother’s words invaded his mind.
You have no idea of the power she’s going to hold over you.
Control.
Erik’s entire life had been about seizing it. He held onto it with an iron grip, reigning over his pack, his territory, and his inner wolf. He had never willingly given anyone control over him, and he had no interest in starting now.
But as he stood there with the human, his head buried in her neck, his hands clutching at her generous thighs, and his cock pressed snug against her pelvis, Erik felt his control slipping away. His wolf refused to be subdued.
Erik lifted his head, holding it in front of hers to stare into her eyes. In the darkness, the brown orbs turned entirely black, making them look big and vulnerable. She shouldn’t have been able to see him, yet her eyes were locked with his. There was no fear in her expression, nor was there excitement—there was only anticipation.
He released her and pulled back. She sagged against the wall, her legs trembling. A flash of disappointment crossed her face. She began babbling. He caught a few snippets “uncalled for” a
nd “manhandled,” but he wasn’t listening. An eerie calm had swept over him, like the moment before an avalanche.
In that moment, he decided that he would not give her control.
But that did not mean that he couldn’t lose control.
Erik placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed her to the ground. She let out a yelp of surprise as she landed on her side, hand and shoulder buffering her fall. He dropped down to straddle her, his claws and fangs elongating. Inside his head, he could hear the wolf howling with its exhilaration. But as he prepared himself to shift, the scent of her blood drew his attention.
As she began to push herself up, he grabbed her hand, causing her to fall onto her back. She didn’t cry out this time, but she did make a disgruntled noise as she glared up at him. However, Erik’s focus was on her hand, which had been cut in the fall. It was a minor wound, but blood trickled from it in a thin line. He sniffed it, and then flicked out his tongue to lick it up.
He groaned. It was by no means the first time he had tasted human blood, but hers was unique. Along with the usual coppery tang was an underlying sweetness that made his head spin. He placed his mouth over the wound and sucked, taking in another trickle of the potent cocktail. The taste of her only served to further incite the wolf.
Erik had fully intended on unleashing his wolf and allowing it to claim her, but now, he hesitated. When he’d pushed her to the ground in his moment of impulsivity, he had forgotten how fragile humans were. If he lost control while in his wolf form, he could easily do her serious harm. He wanted to fuck her and he did not particularly care how rough he was, but he also knew that he didn’t want to damage her beyond repair.
With colossal effort, he resisted the shift. The wolf howled in protest, and Erik worked quickly to distract both man and beast. He knew that once he was inside of her, it wouldn’t matter which form he was in, as his entire being would be focused on release.
Single-minded in his intent, he grabbed her by the hips and flipped her onto her knees. With brisk efficiency, he pulled off her pants and the thin piece of fabric that covered her rear. He’d been able to smell her arousal before, but without the clothing the scent was unexpectedly strong.
Enslaved by the Alpha: Part One (Shifters of Nunavut Book 1) Page 6