Thinking it couldn’t be a tattoo and that maybe Brand had decided to do something “funny” while she’d slept, Elsa grabbed a clean cloth from the towel rack and quickly held it under the running water in the sink once she’d turned on the tap. She squeezed out the excess and then used the cloth to rub at the mark on her back. It didn’t come off. Next, she used soap as well as water. That didn’t work either. She rubbed hard enough that her skin turned red.
More confused than ever, and feeling slightly worried, Elsa asked in a loud and strained voice, “What the fuck is this?”
Brand opened the door and looked around. “What’s the matter?”
Elsa turned so her back faced him and then looked over her shoulder and pointed to the mark near her right shoulder. “Did you do this as some kind of joke? If this is a real tattoo, I don’t know how the hell you managed to do it without me knowing. I’m not missing any time. I tried washing it off, but it didn’t work.”
He walked up behind her and tenderly touched the mark. Elsa then remembered he’d done that exact same thing while they’d made love earlier. Brand had known it was there, and given how he hadn’t reacted to it, it was no surprise to him.
“It’s nothing to be worried about,” Brand said calmly.
She spun around to face him. “Nothing to worry about? You know something about this, don’t you?”
“Come out to the bedroom and get dressed, and then we’ll talk.”
Brand didn’t wait to hear her reply. He turned and walked out into the main room. Elsa stood there, her stomach knotting as a sense of unease washed through her. What was Brand going to tell her? Was she going to find out he was some kind of crazy who liked to do weird things to the women he slept with? He was too perfect. It just figured there was something he kept hidden from her.
Taking a deep breath, ready to face whatever it was Brand wanted to say, Elsa left the loo and went into the bedroom. She didn’t look at him as she collected her clothes and pulled them on. Once she was finished, she sat on the bed and waited for Brand to begin.
He came closer and looked down at her. He didn’t say anything, just stared into her eyes. The knot in Elsa’s stomach grew tighter the longer he remained silent. She just wished he’d hurry and get it over with. But then as his body blurred, she found herself frozen in place. He grew larger, taller, taking on a form that looked half human and half wolf, his body completely covered in fur. He even had a tail. Her heart raced, threatening to beat right out of her chest, and she broke out in a cold sweat as fear raced through her veins.
“I’m a werewolf, and the mark on your back means you’re my mate,” Brand said in a voice a lot gruffer and deeper than his normal one.
That was it. His speaking to her was enough to unfreeze her. Elsa opened her mouth and screamed, loud and long. She threw herself off the bed and raced for the bedroom door. She’d managed to unlock and throw it open before a large furred hand wrapped around her arm and stopped her from escaping into the hallway. Elsa screamed again, struggling to get free.
“Let me go!” she yelled. “Let me the fuck go.”
The commotion had some of Brand’s friends rushing up the stairs or coming out of other rooms on this level. Elsa was only vaguely aware of them congregating close to Brand’s bedroom door. Fear still had her in its grip. She hit, scratched, and punched Brand’s arm, desperate to get free.
“Oh, Brand, don’t tell me you told her what you were by just shifting into your werewolf form,” said a woman who stood close to Elsa.
“Was the best way. She found Tiw’s mark on her back,” Brand replied, not even showing that Elsa had hurt him in any way.
“Brand, let her go,” said a man who stood next to the woman. He spoke the words as an order.
“If I do, she’ll run.”
“You won’t do that, will you, Elsa?” the man asked.
“The fuck I won’t. Look at him. He’s a werewolf.”
“All the men who live here are werewolves as well.”
That statement just made her struggle even harder.
Another woman came to Elsa’s side and pried Brand’s fingers from around Elsa’s arm. The woman then put hers around Elsa. “It’s going to be okay, Elsa. Brand, or any of the other men here, wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. I’m Maggie, Dolf’s mate.”
“Mate?” Elsa asked.
“Yes, just as you are Brand’s. I know this is scary and hard to understand. I know exactly what you’re going through right now. I found out all about werewolves truly existing in the worst possible way. I ended up being terrified of Dolf and thought I’d never get over my fear of him. But I did and have never been happier. Let’s go downstairs and we’ll do our best to explain everything to you.” As Maggie turned Elsa in the direction of the stairs, Maggie said over her shoulder, “Brand, shift back before you come down.”
Elsa allowed Maggie to guide her down to the lower level and into the living room. The others followed. A quick glance at Brand showed he was once more in his human form. Even so, the sight of his handsome face didn’t have Elsa wanting to go to him. Her legs shook, and she was grateful when Maggie had her sit on one of the leather couches. The other woman sat next to her.
“I guess to start off I should introduce you to the others you haven’t met.”
Maggie pointed out Raed and his mate, Lexi, who held their year-old daughter, Petra. Then she introduced Algar, his mate, Kamryn, along with Wulfric and his mate, Cydney. Maggie saved Dolf for last. “There is one other person you’ll meet. His name is Chris, but he’s not here right now.”
They all looked like normal, happy couples. Elsa never would have guessed all the men were werewolves. She still avoided looking at Brand. If she did, she’d lose it again. Being next to Maggie had quelled some of the fear she felt, but it didn’t mean she wouldn’t get the hell away from them all soon. She’d hear their explanations and then make a hasty exit.
“I’m sure you have a lot of questions, Elsa,” Maggie started. “We’ll do our best to help you understand.”
Elsa cleared her throat. “How is it possible that they’re all werewolves?”
“Maybe it’s best if I answer that,” Raed said. “To start at the beginning, I once was known as Raedwald, the king of East Anglia. Algar, Garrick, Wulfric, Dolf, and Brand were my men at that time. The Anglo-Saxon god, Tiw, the sky father, came to me with his offer of immortality in exchange for my help in protecting mortals from the werewolves sired by Fenris the wolf. The others quickly vowed to join me. Along with granting us immortality, Tiw gave us the ability to shift into werewolves to give us equal footing when we fight our prey. Tiw also marked each of us as his when he placed The White Wolf emblem on the cap of our left shoulders.”
Elsa stared at Raed. “That would mean each of you have been alive for over thirteen hundred years. I learned about King Raedwald in school. They figured the Sutton Hoo site is where you were buried.”
“Yes, we’ve been around that long. As for the burial site, that’s what I intended it to be perceived as. I had to end my old life to start the new one I’d taken on.”
Holy shit, all the men in the room were over a thousand years old, including Brand. “What about your mates? Aren’t they mortal?”
“Not any longer. Once we found our mates, Tiw granted them immortality as well. They also carry the same mark as you on their backs.”
“So I’m immortal now because I have an Anglo-Saxon god’s mark on me?”
Brand stepped closer and answered her question. “No, not yet. The mark means you are mine, and that you have accepted me. When you’re ready, I’ll call on Tiw to make us true mates.”
Elsa looked him in the face. “And you’re ready to do that? After only knowing me for two days, you’re ready to tie yourself to me for all eternity?”
He squatted in front of her and took her hands in his. Elsa had to fight her first instinct to pull out of his grasp. “I’ve known you were my mate for a very long time, Elsa. For seven yea
rs to be exact.”
“What? How? I never met you before until yesterday.”
“Yes, you did. You just don’t remember. You were sixteen at the time and very drunk. You were walking home from a friend’s place. I helped you. I didn’t realize you were my mate right away. All I knew was that you were the only woman who’d stirred my wolf. Then I found myself drawn to you time and time again, and I figured it out. I watched over you all these years, waiting for you to grow up enough for me to claim you. But then you became engaged to Teddy, and I was prepared to let him have you if it was what you wanted.”
Elsa stiffened. That night when she’d been sixteen came rushing back. It had been the first time she’d ever been drunk. She’d vaguely remembered someone making sure she arrived home all right. Now that she thought back to that time, she remembered it had been Brand. That was part of the reason why she’d thought he looked so familiar yesterday. He hadn’t aged at all in the last seven years. He was exactly the same now as he’d been then. She’d also spotted him a few times out on the street. The thought of him following her around for that many years didn’t sit well with her.
She yanked her hands out of his as she gave him a hard stare. “So basically what you’re saying is that you’ve stalked me for seven years.”
“No, watched over you. Protected you.”
“Bullshit. You’re a stalker. People get arrested for that. You obviously already knew about Teddy. How much more of my life do you know? Christ, you already knew where I lived. You were stalking me yesterday. That’s why you were there when Teddy was being an ass.”
“Yes, I was already there. You are my mate. It’s my right to protect you. I’ve watched over you every day since the night I met you.”
Feeling a bit violated, Elsa lifted her foot and kicked Brand in the chest, shoving him onto his arse. She stood and looked down at him. “No matter what I am to you, you don’t have the right to stalk me.” She walked past him. “I’m getting the hell out of here.”
Before she reached the entrance to the living room, a man who looked around her age came rushing in. He didn’t pay any notice to her as he walked over to the men. The look of anxiousness he wore had Elsa stopping. She had a feeling this was Chris, the last member of the household she had yet to meet.
“Ah, guys,” he said, “we have a slight problem.”
“What happened, Chris?” Raed asked.
“We have werewolves at the front and back edges of the property.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. You’re their pack leader. They have to obey you without question.”
“Well, these ones are different. They’re from the pack when Stephen was leader. They’ve decided one of them should take my place. He’s challenged me.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Wulfric said. “Chris has to stay leader, no matter what.”
Raed nodded. “I guess that means we’ll all go out to confront them. Algar, Garrick, and I will take the ones at the back. Wulfric, Dolf, and Brand, you’ll stay with Chris. Keep him covered. He’ll have to fight, or we’ll have more of the beasts challenging his leadership.”
Elsa did not like the news Chris had brought. From the sound of things, she was trapped inside the manor, unable to get away from Brand as she wanted.
Chapter Seven
Brand turned his gaze to Elsa. She still stood at the entrance to the room, looking ready to bolt at any minute. He closed the distance between them and couldn’t help noticing how she stiffened or how her eyes slightly widened while fear lurked in their depths.
He sighed. “You’re going to have to stay inside the house until we’ve taken care of the werewolves. It’s not safe outside right now.”
She gave a curt nod. “Fine, but once everything is clear, I’m leaving. So don’t even try to stop me.”
“All right.”
He stared at her, drinking in her beautiful face. He’d fucked up. Badly. Not only was she afraid of what he was, Elsa was also pissed off with him because he’d watched over her for years. She didn’t understand that it went against everything he was to have left her without his protection. Plus, at least being able to see her every day had kept him from going crazy. If he hadn’t, Brand was sure he would have lost it as the need to claim her as his rode him. Watching over her had given him a small connection to her.
Now he was going to have the big job of winning her over. He should have learned from how his fellow warriors’ mates had reacted when they’d found out. But when Elsa had found Tiw’s mark on her back, he’d gone with his gut instinct and shifted. He was not known as a man who could be subtle. He liked to lay all his cards out on the table, no matter how they affected the people around him.
Brand met Elsa’s gaze. “Before I go out, I have to say one thing, even though you won’t want to hear it. I love you. I have for years. I’ve only ever thought about you as mine. I would never hurt you. All I’ve ever wanted is to protect you, to ensure your happiness. You might think I’m a stalker, but I think of it as showing how much you mean to me. You own my heart and always will. There hasn’t been another since I met you seven years ago, and there never will be. No matter how you feel about me.”
He took a step back and shifted into his werewolf form. He stared at Elsa, letting the love he felt for her show in his eyes. She didn’t move, didn’t make a sound. Brand looked over his shoulder at the others. “Wulfric, Dolf, Chris, let’s go put down Fenris’s get so my mate can go home.”
Without looking at Elsa, he left the room and headed for the front door. The werewolves outside were about to get a nasty surprise. Brand was in need of a good fight.
* * *
Elsa silently watched Brand in his werewolf form exit the living room. Dolf, Wulfric, and Chris followed him. She felt as if Brand had just run her down with a lorry. He loved her. Even though he’d said the words, she’d been able to see it in his werewolf eyes before he’d walked away. Then there was the fact that he’d stayed true to her for so long without her even being aware of him. And that if she decided to leave him, he wouldn’t go to another woman. No man had ever loved her that much.
Raed, Algar, and Garrick left the room and then headed to the back of the house. Their mates went with them. The sound of a long, drawn-out howl caused goose bumps to break out all over her skin. She wrapped her arms around her middle and hugged herself. She really didn’t know if she could handle this strange new world that had been thrust on her. Elsa really didn’t understand it, and it scared her. She’d been given too much information too fast. She needed time to assimilate it all.
Another howl could be heard. Elsa jumped when Maggie came up beside her and touched her arm. “Come sit down, Elsa. You’ll be more comfortable.”
Elsa went with the other woman and sat on the couch. She noticed Cydney stood at the large picture window, staring outside. “Things are starting to heat up out there,” Cydney said.
“How is Dolf doing?” Maggie asked as she joined the other woman at the window.
“Our guys are whipping those werewolves’ asses.”
Maggie sucked in a loud breath. “Oh, Brand took a nasty hit.”
Elsa found herself on her feet and crossing to the window before she could think about it. The sight that met her eyes had her biting her bottom lip to hold back a whimpered moan. The scene looked like chaos. There were so many werewolves out there she couldn’t tell the good ones from the bad.”
As if she’d read Elsa’s mind, Cydney said, “Our guys are the ones with the swords.”
That’s when Elsa noticed that some of them did indeed fight with swords. She didn’t know who was who, except for Brand. She soon spotted him. His fur was the same color as his hair—pure black.
Despite the anger and fear she felt toward him, Elsa couldn’t stop herself from watching Brand. A part of her didn’t want to see him get hurt. She’d spent two days making love to him, and they’d become close. It wasn’t something she could totally forget.
Soon darkne
ss closed in, and it was harder to see. The only light was from the almost full moon and the manor’s outside lights. Where the warriors and werewolves fought was at the end of the drive, which was a fair bit of distance away. It made it harder for Elsa to follow everything.
But soon only four werewolves remained standing, all of them holding swords. Elsa stepped even closer to the window when a blue fire engulfed the bodies of the downed creatures. Something else she’d never seen before.
“What is that fire?” she asked.
Maggie answered her. “It’s Tiw’s god-fire. It burns the bodies of Fenris’s get until nothing of them remains. The men’s swords have silver mixed in with the steel, which is deadly to the beasts. They bring them down, and Tiw cleans up after them.”
Elsa watched the men shift to their human forms. Then their swords disappeared into thin air, except for Chris’s. He carried his with him as he walked toward the manor with the others.
The men walked into the living room a short while later. Elsa remained at the window as Maggie and Cydney went to their mates. Brand hung back with Chris and didn’t make an attempt to come to her. Not long after that, the other three warriors and their mates joined them.
“They’ve all been taken care of?” Raed asked.
Brand nodded. “Yes. Chris no longer has to worry about them trying to take his place as pack leader.”
“Same with the ones we fought. If there are others who sided with them, they’ll know what fate they met when they don’t return.”
“Can I go home now?” Elsa asked, drawing everyone’s attention. “Is it safe for me to leave the manor?”
Brand looked at her with no emotion showing on his face. “Yes. I’ll take you back to your flat. Let me just go get your bag from my bedroom.”
She nodded before he walked out of the living room. Elsa found the others looking at her. The women wore sympathetic expressions. She had a hard time meeting their gazes.
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