Torsten’s Gamble (Sons of the Wolf #2)

Prologue

“I’m in love with Sven.”

As she made the very personal admission, Aife fell onto the bench next to Cwenthryth, who was feeding her newborn daughter, Sanna. Being married to Steinar, who was none other than Sven’s older brother, her friend was the perfect person to confide in.

“Are you really?” Cwenthryth sounded cautious.

“How can I not be? Have you seen him? Isn’t he the most appealing man?” Aife insisted when her friend remained silent. She didn’t look anywhere near as convinced—or excited at the prospect of becoming her sister-in-law—as she should be.

“He looks just like my husband, so, of course, I will tell you he’s an exceptionally handsome man. But I—”

“But nothing.”

Having arrived in the village only a year ago, Cwenthryth could not know that Sven was not the first, or even the second or third man Aife had fallen for over the years.

And this was really why she was the ideal person to discuss this with.

She would not judge her or remind her that she had once claimed to be in love with Thorfinn—and Haakon.

Yes, the list was rather long… Unfortunately, over the last few years, Aife seemed to have developed a habit of being attracted to men who were already in love with someone else and only saw her as a friend.

Sven was no different—for now. But that would soon change.

She would woo him because unlike the others, he was not involved with anyone special.

On the contrary, he seemed to go from conquest to conquest, which meant that she could easily be the next one.

And once she was in his bed, she would make sure to stay there, and burrow her way to his heart. It seemed as good a plan as any.

“You do know that he doesn’t seem ready to, er, settle down, for want of a better word,” Cwenthryth carried on, placing a kiss on her daughter’s head. “You might find it hard to convince him.”

“I know that.”

But no one was ready to settle until they met the right person, were they?

What mattered was that he, at least, didn’t have someone important in his life already, someone she could never compete with.

Aife was tired of being alone, of being asked when she was going to find someone.

At first it hadn’t bothered her, since the question rarely betrayed malicious intent, but she would soon enter her thirtieth year.

All the friends she had grown up with—the female ones at least—had found someone who made them happy. Why not her as well?

Aife raised her chin.

“I’ll find a way to gain his interest, don’t you worry. You married Steinar when everyone was convinced he would never marry again. Mark my words, I, too, will end up married to one of Wolf’s sons.”