13. Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Kieran
We have two days of bliss. Two days of waking up in Wulfric’s arms, two days of nothing but kissing, eating, and fucking like rabbits on any surface we can.
When we’re not going at it like horndogs, Wulfric goes off into the woods and disappears for a few hours. He comes back smelling like sawdust, which makes my nose itch but also makes me swoon at the woodsy aroma permeating from him. He never tells me where he’s been, as if wherever it is, it’s a closely guarded secret.
I asked him, jokingly but also a little seriously, if he was meeting some mythical woodland creature to sate desires I couldn’t satisfy. He pinned me to the table and showed me just how insatiable he really was by rimming me until I was begging him to just fuck me already. He gave me what I wanted but only after the bastard edged me for a whole hour.
My mood slowly stabilizes. I have some mood swings, going from highs to sudden lows, and some dizziness still. When my mood drops, Wulfric is there to hold me and kiss me. He doesn’t magically make things better, but having someone by my side who doesn’t think I’m a burden or criticize me for not being neurotypical is… It’s more than I could have hoped for. Wulfric accepts all of me, even the parts I hate the most. Somehow, I went from not being able to stand this guy to wondering how I ever could have hated him. Okay, I know why I hated him—he was kind of a prick with all the growling and kidnapping and mate, grrr, claim stuff.
But that’s not all there is to him. He’s sweet and gentle with a kind soul behind that tough alpha mask he shows the world. I’m so privileged to be the one he’s chosen to share that soft heart of his with.
On the third sunrise, I wake to an empty bed, my body aching from last night’s amazing activities. Wulfric stands nude by the hearth, stirring something in an iron kettle. The motions of his arm make the scars on his back stretch. I’ve noticed them before but never asked about them. I know ulfhednar can heal faster than any human can. When I’m on my back with Wulfric’s cock buried inside me, our animals surge to the surface. His fangs cut my lips; my claws scrape his back. The cuts heal in seconds.
So why haven’t these scars healed?
“Where’d you get the scars on your back?” I ask.
His shoulders stiffen, and I regret asking. He ladles some porridge into a couple of wooden bowls, sprinkling green onions over them and adding a spoonful of butter to each serving. He’s a good cook. Despite the limited ingredients of this time, Wulfric’s meals never lack flavor. Settling into bed beside me, he pulls up the furs and we sit shoulder to shoulder and eat.
He’s quiet beside me, his brow furrowed. I’m about to apologize for ruining his mood when he says, “After my father was killed, my people hungered for blood and I for vengeance. I led a raid on the hunters that still lived, and though we slaughtered many of them, their new leader got the upper hand. He took me captive. I woke up in silver chains that burned my flesh. The leader of the hunters wanted answers about our kind.”
I drop my spoon into my bowl, my appetite fading as I imagine Wulfric in chains at the mercy of the men who killed his father. “What did he want to know?”
Wulfric shrugs his shoulders, staring into the depths of his bowl. “Everything. It became very clear to me he was interested in becoming one of us. He wanted to use our power for himself. I knew if I told him our secrets, he and his hunters could become unstoppable. As hunters, they were already deadly. As ulfhednar, they would destroy us.”
The hand squeezing his spoon shakes.
“I wouldn’t talk. I knew if I did, I might as well execute my people myself.”
“And he… did that to your back?” I grip his trembling arm before I can stop myself. Wulfric flinches at my touch, like he’s back in chains, at the mercy of his captors.
A ragged breath saws out of his trembling lips, his eyes unfocused. Abruptly, he rises from the bed. I feel cold without him pressed next to me.
“I got away,” Wulfric says, but it’s quiet, more to himself than to me. “And what’s more, I killed the bastard. Tore his throat out with my teeth and put an end to their terror for good. That’s all that matters.” He grabs his clothes. “I’m going to bathe. We have been away long enough. I need to return to the village and check on my people. Our people.” He kicks the ashes in the hearth, extinguishing them. “I’ll wait for you outside.”
The door closes behind him and I sit in the silence.
Shit. What have I done? I shouldn’t have asked. Stupid! Why did I ask him that?
Scowling, I lurch from the bed and get dressed, my fingers trembling as I lace up my boots.
My guilt fades and fury takes its place.
I’m not a warrior, but for Wulfric, I would be one.
Wulfric is mine.
No one will hurt him. Not ever again.
Outside, Wulfric has just finished his bath in the hot springs. He rises naked and dripping from the pool and dries himself with a cloth. His wet hair clings long and sleek to his back, and his muscles flex as he tugs on his trousers, then laces his tunic. Tying his hair up, he turns and finds me. Though our eyes meet, he looks right through me like he’s thousands of miles away. Back in chains. Separated from his pack. Hurting.
There’s so much I want to say, but nothing feels good enough. When he turns away, I go to him and follow him through the trees toward the distant smokestacks rising over the village. He doesn’t look at me, doesn’t say a word. He might as well be a ghost as he wars with the demons that lurk beneath his skin.
I don’t want him to fight alone. Reaching out, I grab his hand in mine and squeeze.
The breath hitches in his chest, but he doesn’t pull away.
“I’m here,” I tell him and ignore the voice inside that whispers, But for how long? “Okay? Whatever you need. Whenever you need it. I’m here.”
Wulfric finally looks at me, and something I can’t read breaks through the haze in his eyes. His throat bobs when he swallows, but he stays silent.
Slipping my fingers between his, I hold on tight. “I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”
Maybe I can’t promise that I’ll always be here. Our worlds are simply too different. But for as long as I remain a part of his world, this is a promise I will keep.
No one will hurt my mate.
Not as long as I’m around.
Howls echo over the trees the closer we get to the village.
A chill runs down my spine, the human in me unnerved, but my wolf tries to howl. I barely swallow it down.
Wulfric tips his head back and howls to the pack, and that nearly makes my control over my wolf snap.
“What are they doing?” I ask, rubbing my throat.
He smiles. “Our pack is welcoming us home.”
Our pack. The words fill me with pride and surprise.
As we walk into the village, everything looks the same. But I don’t feel like the same person I was a few days ago, and Wulfric’s people don’t treat me like the outsider who came into their lives. People smile at me, even angle their heads to expose their necks, a gesture my wolf inherently recognizes. It pleases him.
“They’re… accepting me?” I ask, my words low and meant for Wulfric.
“Aye, lad. They’re welcoming you to the pack. Acknowledging you as one of us.”
My stomach flutters with anxiety. “Oh. What is it they expect from me?”
“To stand beside me and lead. To offer me counsel and guide in times of strife. To question my authority if I lead us astray.”
I swallow hard. “What if I…”
“Hmm?” He arches a brow, silver eyes curious and devoid of judgment.
“What if I can’t be any of that?” My worries threaten to swallow me up. “I just became a wolf. I don’t know how to be any of that to you.”
I can’t meet his gaze, worried he’ll only reaffirm my own insecurities. “You will learn,” he says easily. “And so will I. We’ll learn how to work together as a whole. If you decide to stay,” he adds, some of his certainty wavering.
He speaks with such confidence, like he believes in me. I wish I could feel as certain as he does. “You think I can do that? Stay here? Fit in?”
Wulfric nods. “Aye. I do. We will hold an Althing today.”
“What’s that?”
“A meeting. Our kin will come to us for guidance. They will look to us to ease their hardships, and we will make decisions that benefit our pack together.”
A meeting? Oh great. Those already made me anxious enough in my timeline where I already knew how everything worked.
A low chuckle rumbles from his chest. Wulfric takes my hand and squeezes. “You will not be alone. If you like, you can stay silent and observe.”
I’m still undecided as we near the longhouse. There’s already a line of people outside waiting to see Wulfric… and me, too, since I’m an extension of him. The idea of meeting with all these people makes me want to lock myself in our bedroom. Inside the house, thralls bustle around, setting the table with bowls and plates, carrying heavy platters of mead and various dishes to the table. The sight of their dirty, tired faces makes my heart squeeze in my chest. I wish I could help them. It isn’t right.
“Where do the thralls sleep?” I ask.
“We have housing out back for them,” Wulfric answers, his brows furrowing at the distaste surely visible on my face.
“Does everyone in the village own these people?”
“No. Only the wealthy.”
My fists curl at my sides. “If they’re wealthy enough to own thralls, they’re wealthy enough to pay them for their labor.”
Wulfric’s brows shoot up. “Pay them? Is that what you do in your time?”
“A person is always paid for their hard work. It’s despicable not to.” I try to rein in my anger. Wulfric is a good man, but he’s still a man of this time. I can’t hope for him to understand how much slavery upsets me.
Leaving his side, I go and stand by a bubbling kettle. A thrall quickly averts her gaze. “Do you need any help?” I ask, offering her a smile.
She shakes her head rapidly. “N-no, Alpha-Mate. Do not trouble yourself.” She walks over to chop up some rhubarb, then winces. She seems to be favoring her right leg.
“Are you hurt?”
Grabbing a knife, she chops the vegetable into thin slices. “Aye. It’s the gout in my toe. Always acts up when it gets cold like this.”
“Is there anything you can do for the pain?” I know they don’t have any over-the-counter meds in this time, but surely they must have some herbal remedies to ease her pain.
She shakes her head. “I have asked for help, but I don’t believe our overseer ever told Alpha Wulfric.”
Of course not. “Who is your overseer?”
“Brynjolf.”
I would be having words with this Brynjolf. “I’ll make sure to tell Wulfric. What’s your name?”
“F-Freda, Alpha-Mate.”
“Call me Kieran, Freda.” I march back to Wulfric. He’s talking to Helga over a mug of mead. “Did you know Freda has gout?”
Wulfric frowns. “Who?”
I roll my eyes skyward. “Freda! One of your thralls. She has terrible pain in her foot. Brynjolf, her overseer, never brought it up to you.”
Understanding clouds Wulfric’s eyes. “Oh.”
“Why don’t you know the names of any of the men and women that cook your meals and clean your house?”
He averts his eyes. “Knowing their names has never seemed important to me.”
Disappointment tastes sour in my throat. “Because they’re objects to you, right? They’re people, Wulfric. They deserve respect and decency. Why can’t you see that?”
My mate hangs his head like a scolded dog. “What would you have me do?” he says, challenging me with a glare. “They live on my land for free. They have safety from their enemies. A roof over their heads. Food.”
“When the overseer remembers to feed them,” I add, looking with disgust at how thin the thralls are.
Throwing up his hands, Wulfric rises to his feet. “Sorry to be such a disappointment to you, but this is the way of life. If they’re too weak to fight, then the least they can do is serve.”
Shaking my head, I back away from him. “You’re better than this, Wulf. Start acting like it.” Ignoring his frustrated sigh, I stomp past him. Turning to Helga, I say, “I need to help Freda with her gout.”
“Of course.” She leaves Wulfric and me looking anywhere but at each other, then returns with a basket full of herbs. “Here you are.” She hands me some kind of gourd. “Cherry gourd. It can be boiled, then crushed into a paste. If she puts it on her foot, it should help with the pain.”
“Thank you.” Rising from the table, I grab a soapstone kettle and fill it with fresh water from a pitcher on the table. I stew in my annoyance while the water comes to a boil over the fire. Somehow, I have to convince Wulfric that keeping thralls is inhumane. Dropping the gourd into the boiling water, I watch it float around amidst the bubbles.
Someone comes to stand beside me. I don’t have to look to know it’s Wulfric since I can smell him.
“Freda’s condition should have been brought to my attention,” Wulfric rumbles beside me. “I will be having a word with their overseer. Mayhap they are not great warriors, but the thralls are still hard workers, and they cannot work if they are in pain.”
“Can you free them?”
Wulfric’s eyebrows shoot up. “ Free them? I rely on them for their labor. They do the work I myself don’t have the time to do. Besides, for many of them, it is all they know.”
“That doesn’t make it right.” I turn toward him, needing him to understand. “They should have a choice to stay or go and forge a new life for themselves. Freedom is a right we all deserve, no matter what caste we’re born into.”
Moving his jaw from side to side, Wulfric stares into the bubbling water. “This is important to you.”
“It is.” I grip his arm. “Wulfric, I…” The words get stuck in my throat, but this may be the only way he’ll listen—if he cares about me at all. “I can’t be with a man who treats other people like property.”
Wulfric’s shoulders stiffen. A rush of panic flares through the bond connecting me to him but then all feeling disappears. Like he’s shut me out. “This is no simple thing you’re demanding of me.”
“I know. It’s your way of life, but it’s cruel and it isn’t right. If our values don’t align, then I can’t see this relationship working out.”
A muscle in his jaw twitches, like he’s grinding his teeth. “How am I to broach this to my people without causing trouble for all of us? Not everyone would be pleased. Some might challenge my authority.”
“It’s possible some of the villagers have already considered freeing their thralls. Think about the ones you know who treat their thralls more kindly than others. They may be more open to the idea.”
A sigh makes his nostrils flare, and his lips thin to a straight line as he weighs what I’m asking of him. “If I’m to bring this up at the Althing, then we need a plan.”
Hope lifts my sinking heart. “You’ll consider it?”
Dragging a hand through his hair with a sigh like he’s going to the gallows, he says, “I will broach the idea at the Althing. Before then, if you have any ideas, share them with me.”
“I do, actually,” I say, unable to keep the smile off my face. “But I’d rather hear what they need first.”
Wulfric nods, stirring the gourd in the water. Then he adds, “You’re a good man, Kieran. Far better than I am.”
The praise takes me by surprise. Such surprise that I lean up and kiss his cheek, curling my fingers in his hair. “Thank you for hearing me out.”
He grunts but leans into the touch of my lips. A warm flare of contentment blooms in my chest. I like that I can feel how I affect him.
Heart ten times lighter, I hurry out into the yard and go in search of the thralls’ quarters.
An hour goes by while I visit with the thralls. They enjoy the idea of being paid for their work, their faces lighting up with hope at the prospect of building a future for themselves.
When I return to the house, Wulfric is at the head of the table, waiting to meet his people. A feast has been prepared, the table piled with dishes. Sliding into a seat beside him, I grab a flagon of mead and take a sip.
“Did you speak with them?” Wulfric asks.
“I did.” I go over what I learned, watching him with my heart in my throat.
Wulfric sighs. “It seems there’s much to be done.” He glowers into his stew. “How could I have let their living conditions get so bad?”
“Isn’t it the overseer’s job to report stuff like that to you?”
“Aye, and he hasn’t been doing his job.” He massages between his brows. “Neither have I. My mind has been elsewhere. What else have I let slip my notice?”
Seeing him troubled makes me feel troubled, so I lean in and bump my shoulder against his. “Good thing you’ve got me to remind you, huh?” I mean it as a joke, but a soft smile hooks the corner of his mouth.
“Aye. Very good indeed.” He leans in and claims my lips, cupping the back of my neck in a firm, possessive hold that makes me shiver. “It’s fortunate the Norns brought us together when they did.”
“So you’ll really do this?”
“I will announce it at the Althing. The Norns brought you to me for a reason. It’s their way of telling me that the time for change has come. I will free those who want to be freed to do as they wish, and if any would prefer to stay, then they will be paid for their work. I don’t expect many others to follow along. The opposite, in fact. But I will do this. Have I pleased you?”
I kiss him in answer, framing his face between my hands. “So much.” Beneath the table, I slide my hand over his thigh then farther up, curling my fingers over his clothed cock. “In fact, I wish this meeting was over now so we could make good use of this table.”
A low growl rumbles from his chest. “I take it that means you’ll stay with me and I don’t have to tie you to my bedpost.”
My breath hitches as a realization takes hold of my heart. I could have a place here with Wulfric. In my timeline I’m nothing, a nobody, but here? Here in Wulfric’s time, I can use my knowledge from the future to make a difference in the lives of Wulfric’s people.
But more than that… I don’t want to leave Wulfric. As much as I miss the familiarity and comfort of the modern world, for everything the future has, there would be no Wulfric. Is that really a world I want to be a part of?
“Oh, you can tie me to your bedpost any time you want,” I purr into his ear.
Taking his hand in mine, I hold tight beneath the table as the doors open and the villagers come in. Lyall and Gunnar are among them… and so is Anders. Great. My stomach twists at the sight of him. Those green eyes find mine, narrowing in contempt. I still remember him rushing me, claws extended, fangs sharp. He got me in trouble, but everyone still thinks I attacked him, though it seems they’ve forgiven me. I doubt Anders has just let things go.
“All right?” Wulfric asks, no doubt sensing my anger and fear.
Humming, I lift his hand and kiss his knuckles.
The meeting begins once everyone is seated. Wulfric squeezes my hand where it lies on his thigh and says, voice low and clear, “Kieran and I thank you all for helping us celebrate our union. We are aware our mating is not conventional. Outsiders, especially humans, are rare in our pack. But I believe this is a sign from the Norns that the times are changing, and that we must change with them.”
Anders’s narrowed eyes bore into me, his whole body taut and radiating contempt.
“Kieran and I have talked about changes we’d like to make going forward.” He looks to me expectantly, and I realize with a lurch in my stomach that he wants me to speak.
Clearing my throat, I open my mouth, but my brain shuts down mid-thought. “I…” I take a breath and fight through the panic fogging my brain as everyone’s eyes land on me. “I talked to Wulfric about the, uh… the thralls he keeps in his service. Um.” Come on, me. Say something!
“I’m right here.” Wulfric’s voice fills my mind.
Squeezing his hand so tightly his breath hitches, I continue speaking. “People are not property. We all deserve freedom, no matter our status in life. So, from this day on, we will free any thralls in our service. Those who choose to stay will be paid wages for their work.” Whispers spread among the villagers.
Lyall doesn’t look troubled by the notion and neither does Gunnar. “I think that’s fair,” Lyall says. “Keeping men and women in chains has never felt right to me. I’m glad this is changing.”
Gunnar chuckles. “Seems to me our brother’s gotten soft.”
Wulfric growls, but Lyall and Gunnar laugh at him.
Anders continues to glare at me. “First, you’d have us free our thralls, and then what’s next, brother? Shall you have us roll over and take it up the ass from our enemies, too?”
Wulfric grips my hand so tight, I wince. “If you have a problem with my leadership, then speak plainly.”
“Your so-called leadership is a bloody sham!” Anders slams his palm on the table, his claws raking the wood. “First, you take this human as your mate. Then you free the thralls we depend upon for our survival. This outsider wants to change our very way of life! And you’re rolling over and allowing it! You and your foolishness will lead us all to our deaths!”
Wulfric just shakes his head, laughing his disbelief.
Heart racing, I say, “The thralls wouldn’t all leave. If we offer them an honest wage and improve their living conditions, and you know, treat them like actual human beings, many will likely stay to work.”
Anders points a clawed hand at me. “I did not tell you to speak, human ! Speak to me again, and I will—”
Wulfric rises so fast, his chair falls backward with a crash. “Think very carefully about what you’re about to say to him.” The ice in his voice makes me shiver, and Anders’s rage sputters out of him. “Insult me all you wish, but speak that way to my mate again, and I will not hesitate to draw my blade in his defense.”
A rush of warmth spreads throughout my body. My mate. I never dreamed he’d defend me so fiercely. No one’s stood up for me before. All too well I remember the night when he snarled that I would never be the mate he’d have chosen. The shame in his voice had cut right through me. I don’t know why it hurt—I wouldn’t have chosen me either, some nervous wreck who wasn’t good enough for his own boyfriend.
Now here he is, that very same man, ready to draw his weapon against his own brother in my defense. Choosing me. Letting me take up space at his table and govern his people alongside him. Like I’m someone special to him, like I matter .
Anders looks ready to tear him apart for it, and my wolf snarls beneath my skin. Before I can stop myself, I go to Wulfric’s side where I belong, wrapping my arm tight around his waist.
No one will hurt him. Not ever.