Mated to the Berserkers: A Menage Shifter Romance (10 page)

As for me, I found my absolution in Brenna’s arms. When I left the cave one night, I felt peace where the rage had been.

The moon shone high in the sky as I left our chambers and our beloved asleep on the furs.

I found Samuel near the prisoner’s pit. On his orders, the pack had doused the bonfire. The Alpha squatted near the charred remains. He rose when he saw me, and indicated that we should keep far away from the pit. If Maddox heard us, he did not cry out or plead for mercy. I wondered if anyone had bothered to feed him.

In silence, Samuel and I climbed the mountain until we looked out on the valley washed in silvery light. The Alpha dismissed the lookout, and waited until the warrior had trotted out of earshot before he took his place on top of the look-out rock. I leaned against it.

Samuel broke the silence first. “Do you remember the day the witch told us there was a woman for us?”

“Aye.” I let my head fall back against the stone. Samuel had been barely human, his control worn thread thin. Unable to shift into the wolf at whim—a fact I’d hid from the rest of our pack. Another moon and I would’ve tricked Samuel into the pit, imprisoning the threat, much like Maddox had when he chained his Alpha up.

“Yseult was so smug. I could barely believe she told the truth.”

“And then ye remembered the village you’d passed through. A dark-haired woman, tall and lovely, who wore a scarf around her neck.” I stepped away from the rock to look up at Samuel. “Ye told me ye followed her that evening. She went into the forest, where she stripped and bathed in secret. And there ye saw her scars.”

“She was mesmerizing. Fearless. I almost took her there.”

“I remember teasing ye, asking why ye stopped.”

There was enough moonlight to reveal the smile playing around Samuel’s mouth. “You asked me if I’d taken a vow of celibacy.”

“Ye were a monk.”

“Not anymore. I don’t know if I fully explained why I left her then, but knew instantly she was the woman the runes spoke of. When I first saw Brenna…”

He paused and I waited.

“I couldn’t take my eyes from her,” he whispered. “I didn’t know who she was, or if she was meant for us, but I felt something. A connection, a reverence. I’d never worshiped truly until that moment. ”

“Why are ye telling me this?” I asked, even though I could guess.

“Do you think we chose wrong? Perhaps the runes—”

“No. The gods are playing a joke on us, to give us a woman we cannae have.” I climbed up beside Samuel, so the moonlit world lay at my feet as well as his. “I’m not giving her up. We will find a way to keep her. We must.”

Samuel sighed, and nodded.

We stood there a long time, waiting for the first crease of red light on the edge of the world. When it came, I blinked like a man awake for the first time. “We need to get back. She shouldn’t wake alone.”

Samuel led the way, but before we came in view of the pack’s bonfire, he stopped.

“When my beast overpowers me, take our woman to her sisters. Give the eldest all the money we have, and make them take Brenna far, far away, to a place we cannot follow.

I felt a chill. He hadn’t said ‘if’, but ‘when.’ “Samuel—”

“Promise me, brother.”

“Ye dinnae know—”

Promise me,
Samuel roared in my mind.

I bowed my head. “I promise,” I said finally. “I will help Brenna escape. But I will search for our true mate. And I will find her, and bring her back here. And she will give us peace.”

Samuel nodded. “Very well.” It was a nice dream to cling to, even if it probably wouldn’t come to pass. “I’ve decided what to do with the prisoner.” His expression told me he regretted what he was about to tell me.

“It’s the only choice,” I said. “We cannae risk him bringing tales of Brenna back to his Alpha.”

“It will be slow. The rain will keep him alive for a time. But he hasn’t had flesh to eat for days, besides his own.”

“We can try to spear him, as Siebold did. Perhaps I will have better aim. Or we can wait until he is weak, then pull him up and kill him.”

“No.” Samuel said. “Leave him to die.”

When the Alpha disappeared into the cave, I lingered to give the news to the pack. I gave orders to let the prisoner succumb to hunger. Fergus piped up.

“Can I watch?”

“No. Samuel wishes to give the wolf his dignity. Set a guard around the perimeter but tell them to keep their distance.” I didn’t add my disapproval of this courtesy.

“How long?” Wulfgar asked.

“Til the full moon after next.” The Berserker strength would keep Maddox alive longer than a man. “By the Thing gathering, he should starve.”

“We can fill the hole with earth, leave it as his grave,” Fergus said. “Isn’t it lucky we had the pit deep enough to hold a Berserker?”

“Not luck.” Wulfgar snorted. “We dug that hole as soon as we laid claim to the mountain.”

“For intruders?” Fergus asked.

“No,” I spoke up. “We built it to hold Samuel.”

*

Time seemed to speed up closer to the full moon. As promised, I went on a raid with a few warriors and returned with three trunkfuls of fine things for Brenna. In addition to her silver torc, I put a ruby pendant around her neck, and silver rings around her wrists. She could barely move without the metal clinking in sweet song. She preferred the gowns to the jewelry. Samuel and I liked her naked best, but for her torc.

As the moon swelled in the sky, Brenna’s ardor seemed to increase to match ours. The prisoner in the pit, Samuel’s fight with the beast, and even the rest of the pack faded in the face of our lust.

Even Samuel showed reluctance to leave our chambers, though he’d been adamant we must continue to bring Brenna before the pack, to train her as our consort. If she was to stay with us long term, she must grow used to being around the wolves, and them to her.

One day, I returned from the hunt and entered our chambers in wolf form. Samuel rose from the dais, where he’d been reading one of his precious books to our beloved.

I started to climb up beside them, when Brenna waved her hands, wrinkling her nose.

“You stink,” Samuel explained.

Sitting back on my haunches, I gave them both a mournful look.

“She’ll pout all day if I let you up here. Or worse, send us off and wear herself out washing the pelts. Never known a woman so obsessed with keeping clean.”

Brenna crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at us both.

Samuel grinned, enjoying himself. Secretly we were pleased that our woman had grown used to our wolf forms. The first time she’d seen us take the wolf’s shape, she’d tried to leap off the mountain.

My tongue lolling out of my mouth, I put my paw on the bed and gave my best doggy smile.

Brenna came off the dais to shoo me. Holding one hand against her nose, she pointed to the door with the other.

“That’s it, little love,” Samuel chuckled as he went back to his book. “Don’t let him back until you’ve given him a good scrubbing.”

I flashed a vicious set of teeth in Samuel’s direction before following Brenna out of the room.

She took me to the bathing cavern, gathering up her dress when I playfully snapped at her ankles.  As always she remained poised and graceful, laying out soap and a washing cloth, along with a longer robe to dry my body. I romped in the water, pretending to ignore her. She sat near the edge of the pool, waiting for me.

When I swam close to her and barked an invitation, she shook her head. I didn’t blame her. She preferred washing a man to a giant, furry animal who tried to lick her face and eat the soap.

That didn’t mean I wouldn’t have a little fun.

I waited until she wasn’t looking at me, then bounded from the pool. Brenna put up her hands in meager defense as I shook water all over her.

She fought back a smile as she shook her finger at me in mock fury. Before I could shift into a man and carry her into the water, she shot to her feet and fled.

Always up for a good chase, I ran after her into the hall. She glanced back, pure mirth on her face, and ran right into Siebold’s arms.

Immediately she jerked back but the blond warrior already had her held tight. I rushed up, snarling, and Siebold released her to face me. His weapon swung up.

“Stop, wolf, or I’ll gut you.”

Siebold’s head snapped to the side when Brenna punched him. He stared at her in disbelief and she glared back, almost falling when I pushed her aside. My wolf snarled even as I felt my gut churn. If I were in human form, I’d warn her to look down or away. The challenge shone clearly in her eyes and Siebold, bully that he was, stepped forward to meet it.  

Samuel
, I called, desperate.

“Siebold,” the Alpha roared, and everyone’s head bowed to avoid his rage.

Siebold inched back towards the mouth of the cave.  

“She met my eyes.” Siebold snarled.  “She needs to be punished.”

I pushed Brenna towards the chamber with my wolf form. She buried her hands in my wet pelt to keep from falling. We left the Alpha to deal with the warrior.

As soon as we entered the chamber, I shifted.

“Brenna, what did ye think ye were doing? Attacking a warrior in his prime?” Fear made me angry. The sight of her striking Siebold, a warrior a half foot taller and broader than her, made me sick with worry. “Ye know the rules of the pack—ye cannae fight for dominance. Ye see a warrior, ye tuck tail and run. Stay behind me.”

I advanced on her and she backed up towards the dais. “Worse, ye know that Samuel is close to breaking. Now he has to calm the worst bully of the pack. He’ll demand ye be punished, Brenna. And we’ll have to do it, or risk letting loose the beast.”

Reaching out, I gripped her around the neck, halting her retreat. Just touching her calmed me. I thumbed her cheek gently. “I ken Siebold is a bully. But no good comes from attacking him. And I can take care of myself. You can trust me to defend you.”

She nodded and I released her.

I linked to Samuel.
What’s the damage?

Stone silence from the Alpha. Whatever was going on with Siebold required his full attention.

That only put me on edge.

Brenna laid a hand over my bare chest, worry crossing her face.

“Ye broke the rules, Brenna. I fear ye must be punished.”

At the quiet acceptance in her face, my anger broke and bled away. I wanted to spank and punish her but now wasn’t the time. She needed to feel safe.

I pulled her into my arms.

“I’m sorry, lass. I will keep my temper. I worry over Samuel, ye ken?”

She nodded.

“Stupid bully. Siebold needs a good thrashing. I’d be glad to have ye hit him, if it didn’t mean danger. It’ll be all right. Samuel will deal with him, and we’ll spank ye and it’ll be over.”

She relaxed against my chest, and I felt grateful that she wasn’t afraid of our discipline. Indeed, from the scent of her heat after we turned her bottom red, she rather enjoyed it. And we always made sure it ended well for her.

I sighed. “I apologize for shouting at ye. What a day.”

She squeezed me tighter and I toyed with her hair, remembering shaking water all over her. “We were having fun though, weren’t we?”

She hid a grin against my chest.

I reached out to Samuel and heard nothing. Probably a bad sign.

When I looked down, Brenna was studying me.  

“Are ye hungry?”

She shook her head. Stepping away from me, she pulled off her dress, then went to the dais and knelt with her bottom pointed at me.

My cock hardened. I went to her and laid a hand on her back. “Ye want this? Ye want me to spank ye?”

She shrugged then, eyes lowered, she nodded.

“You feel contrite for what ye did to poor Siebold?” I teased, and got a disgusted look. I chuckled. “I jest, but it’s not funny. Siebold’s a mean beast. He’ll want retribution. So it’s up to me to take it out on yer arse.”

Lowering her front to the furs, Brenna waved her behind at me. I gave it a sharp slap.

“Do ye like yer punishment so much that ye ask for it?” My fingers sought her folds and slid against the spots that gave her the most pleasure. I waited until her body rocked, fucking my fingers before I took them away, and smacked her again. “That’s it, lass, ye need a firm hand to settle ye, and then give ye pleasure.” I continued, alternating spanking and touching her, enjoying the jiggle of her creamy flesh when I spanked her and the little gasps and pants as I stroked her.

“Do ye like this, Brenna?”

She buried her face in the furs. I stopped and pulled her head back by her hair. It was flushed a pretty shade of pink. 

“Get up.” I tugged her hair until she came to stand before me, quivering with need. I chucked her under the chin. “I don’t think this is truly punishment for ye, is it?”

She shook her head, a small curve to her lips.

“You want a spanking, you need to beg me for it. Show me you want to please me, wee one.”