by Lee Savino
She sucked in a breath, tensing and pulling away. I smacked the side of her hip. “No, arse up. Naughty lassies get their bottoms fucked hard.”
Happy haze gone, she struggled and tried to crawl away. I gripped her hips and pulled her back.
Samuel came to crouch in front of her, lifting her hair from her face and speaking softly,
“You’ve done so well,” he crooned. “You know we’d never truly hurt you, right? But this is ours to claim.”
He glanced up at me and I nodded, continuing to spread oil on my own cock, and smear it over her tiny pucker. “You’ve taken the plug just fine. Daegan is using plenty of oil on you and himself. He’ll slide right in. It’ll be tight, but we’ll make sure it feels good. And we’ll love taking you there. You want to please us, don’t you?” His hand slipped under her, playing with her breast. She arched her back further, pushing into his hand and presenting her lovely bottom to me at the same time.
Ready, I set my cock at her rear entrance, admiring the sight of me against her pink cheeks, mottled with the marks I’d give her.
“I’m going to take ye now, Brenna. And one day, Samuel and I will both claim ye.”
Gripping her arse cheeks, I held them apart as I pushed in, waiting until she relaxed to inch forward. My own breathing grew labored as more of her sweet flesh swallowed my cock.
“Och, you’re a grand sight.” I squeezed her hip and she shuddered and clenched around my member, I gasped and saw stars. Samuel chuckled at the string of happy curses that fell from my lips.
“Time for yer reward,” I slowed my thrusts. Leaning over her flushed back, I reached under and played with her slippery lower lips, finding the little hard nub and circling it gently.
Brenna squirmed, but Samuel and I held her in thrall, forcing her to take her pleasure with my cock in her ass. She didn’t struggle very long. All the sting and heat combined to make her one very aroused woman.
Her arsehole fluttered around my cock, almost squeezing the life out of me. My mind soared, but I grabbed her braid, using it as a leash to pull her back on me.
“This is how we’ll fuck ye, whenever you disobey. Naughty lass,” I tugged her hair and heard her gasp. The squelching around my cock told me she was more aroused than subdued. “Ye won’t mind our commands? Verra well. We’ll fuck ye into submission, and tie ye up so ye can never leave.”
“How is it?” Samuel asked. “Tight?”
“Any tighter and she’ll snap off my cock.”
“Think she can take faster?”
“Only one way to find out. She’ll take whatever we give her, and more.” I tugged her braid, pulling her head back. “Won’t ye lass? Ye forget yer place, we’ll remind you.” I sped up, scything in and out of her. “Yer place is on yer knees, taking our cocks.”
I guided her up, holding her so I could bounce her up and down as fast as I wanted her to go. She reached back and hung on to my shoulder as I thrust up into her, again and again. Samuel knelt before her, plucking her nipples.
“Soon you’ll take both of us,” he promised her. “One in your cunt and one in your ass.”
“Would ye like that, Brenna?” I asked.
Her orgasm rocked her body. I climaxed with her, gripping her tight. My teeth found her shoulder and bit down gently. From the way her body shuddered, I knew her pleasure went on and on.
*
Two days later, I walked down the mountain path at the end of my patrol. A group of wolves stood around the fire, waiting for a giant boar to finish roasting.
My ears pricked up at the sound of Siebold’s voice.
“Stupid cur.”
I came around the rock to see what was going on. Siebold had his hands around Fergus’ throat.
“Siebold, let him go.”
The warrior growled but released the little red wolf, who gasped and wriggled away. “Why? You want to fuck him? Your woman doesn’t satisfy you?”
I ignored the Viking’s taunts.
“Admit it. Your beast isn’t satisfied with sex without pain. It wants to mark her. The flogging just gave it a taste of what could be--”
“Let it go, Siebold.”
He fell silent, and I started to walk away when I heard him comment to another warrior, “Now if I had that dumb bitch I would do what it took to make her scream—”
I cleared the space between us in a second. I leaped and my body hit his, sending him staggering. The blond Viking was broader and taller than I was, but I was quicker.
Warriors scrambled out of our way, pulling away the logs they used as seats to give us room to fight.
The beast clamored to break free and I let it. My spine cracked with the Change. Hands turned to claws.
Siebold shifted, half beast himself, his features contorting and elongating into something between a human jaw and a wolf’s maw. In a second, he was sprinting my way. He leapt and I fell to my back, kicking his body when it would land on mine, sending him feet over head away from me. I bounded up and faced him just in time for him to make another pass.
Teeth like blades snapped close to my face. I saw an opening, and raked my claws across his back. He bellowed, arching backwards. Before he could turn and face me, I tackled him, driving him to the ground.
I wanted him to hurt.
Gripping his blond hair, I ground Siebold’s face into the dirt. He was too pretty. I could fix that.
The beast within fought for dominance. My world started to turn black, void of all color but the red pooling on the dirt in front of Siebold…
“Daegan, enough.” Samuel ordered. I felt a whisper of my Alpha’s magic wash over me, and jerked up to my feet, away from Siebold. Anything to avoid the humiliation of being forced to shift into full wolf.
Siebold made snuffling noises as he tried to rise. With a snap of my jaws, I roared at him to stay put. He flattened himself against the ground, pleasing the beast enough for me to gain the upper hand.
Claws like knives sprouted from my fur clad fingers. My stomach lurched, sick with self-disgust.
I stalked past Samuel, into the cave to find our beloved.
She wanted to stay as our consort? I’d show her the monster I really was.
I found her in the garden. My snuffling grunts alerted her. She looked up and went white. Rising, she paced to the far side of the chamber, setting her back to the wall and taking a deep breath before she looked me in the eye.
I knew what she saw—black fur, a man’s standing form, a beast’s paws. I was neither man nor wolf, but a creature of nightmares, with Siebold’s blood dripping from my claws.
The pulse fluttered in her throat as she took in my misshapen form, and fought her fear. She didn’t run—there was nowhere for her to go. She didn’t scream because she could not.
The hair on the back of my neck prickled. Samuel spoke from behind me.
“Let me help you, Daegan.”
I whined, a brutal, broken sound.
Brenna’s fear fell away, replaced by pity. I hunched over, paws covering my face, and felt Samuel’s order waft over my body, straightening my spine. Muscle and bone responded, fur disappeared. I stood a man, but I kept a hand over my face until I felt our woman’s gentle touch. Brenna tugged my hands down and cupped my face with her own. Nothing but acceptance shone in her eyes. She sealed it with a kiss.
At the touch of her lips, the last of the Berserker rage fell away.
“Come, Brenna,” Samuel said in a rough voice. “It’s time for you to understand what we truly are.”
I let her lead me into our bed chamber. We lay together on the dais with Brenna between us. I held her lush body, while Samuel faced her.
“The magic gives us many things,” Samuel told Brenna. “Longer life, the ability to fight, to heal. But the beast lurks forever in our mind, waiting to take hold and drive out our reason. That is the gift, and the curse.”
She glanced back at me. I nodded. My speech was slow returning from the beast’s grip. Any sound I made would be an anima
l’s grunt. I was too ashamed to utter it.
“We thought we were doomed, until the witch told us of you. We have no right to ask you to stay, but we do.”
“You should leave us, lass,” I said. “The beast takes over quickly. If we ever lost control—”
“If I ever lost control,” Samuel corrected. “For it is likely to be me.” He touched Brenna. “If that happens, Daegan has orders to send you away.”
She frowned and shook her head.
“Yes,” I captured her face in my palms. “It is for the best. You will live a long life without us.”
She pointed to each of us and then to her heart.
“We love you too, beloved,” Samuel said. “And as long as you love us, we will always be with you.”
*
The moon waxed as we settled into the hottest month of the year. A weight lifted off me, now that Brenna had seen my Berserker form, and knew if Samuel ever lost control, she must run.
Our plan to accept her as one of the pack continued as we allowed her time off the mountain. Together we enjoyed the spoils of summer.
One afternoon, I was speaking with Wulfgar at the firepit when Fergus rushed up with the first horn of mead.
I tasted it and found it good. Wulfgar agreed with me.
“Bring a barrel of that to the Thing,” he advised. “A good mead goes a long way to soothing tempers.”
“Any more word from the Red Pack?”
“They complain Berserkers are on their land.”
“Siebold?” The blond Viking had made himself scarce since Brenna had baptized him in meat broth. After our fight, I expected to hear he’d been holed up with a village woman or three, until his beast broke free and needed someone to clean up the mess.
Wulfgar shook his head. “Not our pack. Ragnvald’s. They complain of the new pack. They seem to think it’s our duty to rein in Ragnvald’s warriors. That is why they want Samuel at the gathering. They think he will be willing to take over this second Berserker pack.”
I scoffed. “The Red Pack is so spineless, they want us to do their dirty work for them.”
“They hate us,” Wulfgar stated.
“They hate the taint. They hope we will fight Ragnvald’s Berserkers, and wipe them out. Or they do the same to us.”
“Perhaps we should make peace with Ragnvald.”
“A little late for that. His second wastes away in our pit.”
Wulfgar didn’t try to argue that we should let Maddox go. It made sense to use the tattooed wolf as a bargaining chip, but he couldn’t be allowed to live. He knew too much. Letting him go would put Brenna at risk.
Wulfgar tossed the rest of the mead back, and started to hand the horn to Fergus, who’d listened to our political chatter with wide eyes and sharp ears. A raven landed on Wulfar’s outstretched arm, and let out a squawk.
“Thor’s balls,” Wulfgar ducked and swore. The raven disappeared in a puff of smoke, and we all ducked and swore with him.
“What sorcery is this?” Fergus pointed to the place the bird had been. Beneath the smoke lay a scrap of birch bark, with black marks scrawled on the white surface. I crouched and picked it up.
“Damn witch.” After ordering Wulfgar to be on the lookout for Yseult, I trotted the message to Samuel. During his time as a monk, he’d learned to read.
“She’s coming to visit by the full moon.”
“Does she know more about our true mate?”
Samuel shook his head. “My guess is she has some information for us. She’s sending an emissary ahead of her. We should expect him soon.”
The next day, an old man climbed the mountain. Berserkers dogged his steps, but didn’t stop him until he reached our fire, and stood before Samuel, who lounged on a great rock in a loincloth, looking like a barbarian king on his throne.
The old man had a long, grey beard and a cloth wrapped around his head, covering his right eye. Samuel stared at him a long time before nodding to me.
“Who are ye?” I asked for Samuel.
“Yseult calls me Odin. Like him, I gave an eye for wisdom.”
The Viking wolves who were watching grew unsettled. They were likely to believe a blind old man called Odin really was their god.
I rolled my eyes. Yseult playing tricks again.
“What is your business here?”
The man spread his hands. “Yseult bade me come. She said you would give me food and shelter, in return for my services.”
“What services does a blind, old man offer?”
The greybeard smiled and spread his hands. “I am going to teach your beloved to speak.”
*
It took another night and day before we allowed the old man near Brenna. She approached curiously, stopping when I caught her arm.
“Hello, Brenna,” Odin said, using his hands to make symbols in the air. He repeated his greeting, motioning slower.
Samuel and I watched in fascination as she mimicked his gestures. After greetings, the greybeard pointed to things in the room, naming them out loud and with a gesture.
After a few days, she’d mastered this new game. Samuel and I practiced along with her, but we learned more slowly.
“Did you speak like this with anyone?” greybeard asked.
Yes. My sister, she signed back. The one closest to me in age.
“Sabine?” I asked. I knew her sisters’ names from reports of the wolves who checked on them from time to time.
Brenna looked at the floor, as she always did when we spoke of her family. Yes.
“Leave us,” Samuel ordered the greybeard. Wisely, the man called Odin obeyed.
“Brenna,” I crouched near her, to meet her gaze. “Do ye miss yer sisters?”
Yes.
“Do ye wish to see them?”
A pause, then she shook her head. It is easier if I don’t.
Samuel and I exchanged glances.
“Do ye wish to leave us?”
Her gaze jerked up at that. No. She indicated, and I felt relief. But she didn’t leave it at that. I would miss you more.
With a growl, Samuel crossed to her. Tugging her head back by her braid, he claimed her lips. “Then you are ours, lass. Forever.”
*
I was standing at the fire when the Yseult appeared beside me. Even though we’d had guards posted for days, on the lookout for the blonde woman, she’d cloaked herself to show her power, coming close to our beloved without warning, without asking permission.
I smelled her awful scent, cold smoke and stone, and kept my eyes on the fire. “I hate it when ye appear out of thin air.”
“I know you do.” She smiled. “Did you enjoy my little gift?”
“The old man? He knows some tricks.”
My flesh crawled as she studied me. “Has she bonded with you?”
“She speaks with us, using the language of the hands,” I hedged.
“Take me to her.”
I led her inside. Brenna sat with the old man beside the pool, their hands flashing as they spoke with gestures.
I stopped in the entryway and threw out my arm to keep Yseult back.
The witch obeyed my silent command. Together we watched Brenna converse silently. She didn’t notice us, but Samuel did. The Alpha prowled closer.
“Well, Yseult? What do you think of our mate?”
“Is that what she is? Your mate?”
“Yes. We do not care what the runes say. She is the one we choose.”
“Hmm,” Yseult made a noncommittal noise. “Her scent is different. Stronger. You awakened something within her.”
“What do you mean? Speak plainly, or not at all.” Samuel ordered.
“She smells like she is in heat. Her body responds to the pull of your magic.”
“Explain.”
“When I last visited, you promised me a night with the pack. During the summer solstice. That is today.”
“The pack is ready for you. We will uphold our end of the bargain. Now tell us why Brenna smells li
ke she is in heat.”
“And why she survived the dog attack when she was young,” I added.
Yseult smiled her damned enigmatic smile. She loved lording over us. “Brenna has magic.”
“Witch?”
“She’s not a witch. Not quite. Hers is a more subtle, earthy magic.” Yseult sniffed, and we knew she felt Brenna was beneath her. “Your Brenna is a hedgewitch, like her mother, and her mother’s mother. Also called a spaewife. They are less powerful than witches.”
“But she has some power? What is it?”
“That you must find out. I searched for the answer and learned of Brenna’s grandmother, who had some healing abilities. Not much power, at least, not enough to keep the villagers from burning her alive.”
“What about Brenna’s mother?”
“After the grandmother’s death, the mother took her children and fled. If she has any power, it deserted her when she took to the drink. What powers a spaewife has, Brenna and her sisters have the answer.”
Samuel and I exchanged glances. Whatever we thought the witch knew, we hadn’t expected this. “This is all you discovered? Our woman is a spaewife, perhaps with healing powers?”
“It makes sense,” I added. “She soothes the beast.”
“But she has not fully tamed it,” Samuel said.
Yseult cleared her throat. “Power grows with sacrifice. There is always a price.”
“What’s Brenna’s price? She already lost her voice, almost her life.”
“The same price we all pay,” Yseult said. “Pain.”
*
By evening, all the pack had assembled around the fire pit on the mountain. Samuel sat on his throne. Yseult stood to the side, wearing a white shift and an enigmatic smile.
By Yseult’s request, I stood with Brenna at the mouth of the cave, a safe distance from the pack. We would watch, and learn.
Pain. The witch had said. I knew that witches like my mother and Yseult sacrificed for magic. The sacrifice could be small—a rabbit or a dove. Or personal—like Odin, who gave his eye for wisdom. Or something else…like surrendering to an erotic beating. I wondered if the flogging had awakened Brenna’s powers.
Brenna and I waited as Samuel gave his orders to the pack. For one night, they could take Yseult and use her as they would. No maiming or death. Those were the only rules.
