The Berserker Brides Saga

by Lee Savino

  I whined. Her breath shuddered in her. She was afraid, but she remained still underneath my body. So small and innocent. Such a fragile pulse. So easy to destroy.

  No. I reared back, baring my teeth at the unseen enemy. My claws tore into my own flesh. I would rip out my own heart before I hurt her.

  “Stop!” Hazel reached for my bloody hands, and I pushed her away.

  A sound in the fog—the cadence of marching feet. I whirled.

  It’s too late for me, I told her. I will die so you might be free. With a final shout, I leapt to face her enemies.

  Hazel

  Knut, I screamed, but he’d blocked my mind. I ached, sensing the emptiness where he’d once been. The connection had lasted only a few moments but I felt the loss of him like a severed limb.

  I staggered to my feet, pressing forward in the thick mist. I had to find him.

  In the distance, Knut bellowed.

  A giant shape loomed out of the mist. A warrior with golden eyes. Then another, and another.

  I stumbled backwards and hit a hard, armored body. The Berserkers were at my back and front, hemming me in.

  “What’s this?” A large hand tugged my hair. I slapped at it, and burly arms grabbed me, held me fast.

  “A woman.”

  More hands on my legs. “She smells delicious.”

  “She’s in heat.” The voice was thick with lust. “A spaewife.”

  “Is she unclaimed?”

  “No,” I kicked hard, and my foot struck the warrior holding my legs until he dropped me. “I am Knut’s. You cannot have me!”

  “Knut?” The warrior at my back set me down, turned me to face him. He was a large and blunt-faced brute, but his hands were gentle. “I did not know Knut had a woman.”

  “He does now. He is mine,” I snarled as savagely as a Berserker in the grip of madness.

  The Berserker blinked in surprise. A few others chuckled.

  “Wait, stop!” Another warrior called out. A redhead pushed through the circle of warriors. “You are Hazel? This is the girl Knut went to rescue,” he said when I nodded.

  “Is this true, Leif?” Asked the brute holding me.

  “It is true,” Leif jerked his head at me. “She is why he defied the Alpha’s commands.”

  “Then she comes with us.” With a grunt, the warrior lifted me.

  “Wait!” I fought, “Let me go!” Knut! I reached out and heard him roar in impotent rage. The warriors must have restrained him, to keep him from me, but when I reached by my mind, he was silent.

  Panicked, I began to struggle harder.

  “Put her down, Thorbjorn. She is Knut’s,” Leif said. “She smells of his seed.”

  Thorbjorn grunted again, but set me on my feet.

  Hands shaking, I pushed my hair back and showed the mark at the tender junction of my neck and shoulder. The magic had done its work; the mark was red and shiny but already healing. I hoped it would never fade.

  “He marked you?” Leif and the others crowded around, but did not touch me.

  “I am his mate. Where is he?”

  “He’s in the hands of the warriors he tried to attack. He will answer to the Alphas for that, and his crimes.”

  “What?” I breathed. I tried to push out of the circle of warriors, but they might as well have been made of stone.

  “Enough, lass,” a stern-faced warrior blocked my path. “Let’s get out of this fog, and to the mountain.”

  They formed a circle around me, four walls of weapons, shields and hard-muscled bodies. As we marched, I kept reaching out with my mind, needing the touch of Knut’s thoughts on mine. But there was only silence.

  The further we walked, the more my mind cleared. The fog slowly dissipated, but my head throbbed with the loss of the bond.

  “Are you tired?” Leif asked me.

  I shook my head. “How did you know my name?”

  “Your story has been shared throughout the pack. Fleur returned to us, and told us how you fought to rescue her, and made your escape from the Corpse King’s cave.”

  I nearly stumbled. “Fleur is here?”

  “Yes. She is safe.” Leif’s hand hovered near me, ready to catch me if I fell, but he took care not to touch me.

  “Will…will I be able to see her?”

  “Her, and her mates. She thrives within their care.”

  “What about Knut?”

  “The Alphas will decide,” another warrior answered before Leif could. “He will go before the Alphas to answer for his sins.”

  “Brokk,” Leif said in warning tone, and the other subsided, shaking his head.

  “What sins?” I asked.

  “The Alphas tried to reach out to Knut, but he shut them out and resisted their orders to return to the pack. It made him unstable, and allowed his beast to almost consume him.”

  “He did not lose control. He didn’t hurt me, he held back.” I choked on my words. He’d said we were mated, was my love not enough to lift the curse? “I was safe with him. He protected me.”

  “He dishonored himself, and the pack when he defected to claim you.”

  “Please, I must see him. You must let him speak to me.” Knut, I searched for his mind. Do not shut me out. Let me know you’re all right.

  “He is under guard until he sees the Alphas. They will decide his fate.”

  “His fate?”

  “If the Alphas find him guilty of losing control, he may be deemed too unstable to take a mate,” Leif said. “He may choose the ultimate punishment to salvage his honor.”

  I gulped. “What punishment is that?”

  Brokk’s voice was grim. “Death.”

  The sun shone brighter as we neared the mountain, but my thoughts plunged back into despair. Even if the Alphas pardoned Knut, showing mercy because we’d been under the Corpse King’s attack, Knut would not return to my side if he believed he was unworthy to be my mate.

  Then what would become of me?

  At the foot of the mountain, two women sat on stones, hands folded in their lap. They rose as we approached.

  “Go to them.” Brokk rumbled. Leif nodded encouragingly.

  Aware of my ragged dress and wild hair, I picked up my skirts and approached them. One dark-haired and one blonde. The closer I got, the more familiar they looked.

  “Hazel?” the blonde called, and I halted. She and the second woman closed the distance.

  “I am Sabine,” the blonde told me. “This is my sister Muriel.”

  “Welcome,” Muriel said in a voice I recognized somehow. “We have been expecting you.”

  “Do you know Fleur?” I blurted. “You look like her.”

  “She is my twin,” Muriel smiled. “Sabine is our older sister.”

  “Come,” Sabine said. “We heard all about your escape from the Corpse King and your journey with Knut. You must be ready for some refreshment.”

  “The Alphas will want to question her,” Brokk said.

  “Not until she has rested,” Sabine’s tone turned sharp. She took one of my arms, and Muriel took the other. Ignoring the rest of the warriors, the sisters led me away.

  They brought me to a great lodge built into the side of the mountain. Two guards waited in front of the great doors.

  “We need water and firewood,” Sabine told them with all the haughtiness of a queen. After a glance, the two warriors nodded and trotted away.

  “There,” Sabine pushed the doors open. “Now we have some privacy.”

  Inside, the lodge was beautifully furnished with carven chairs, a table full of bowls of food. There was a bed at the back, piled high with furs. Bundles of herbs hung from the rafters, filling the place with a lovely scent. A fire already burned in the hearth, a few cauldrons full of water warming beside it.

  “Do you like your new home?” Muriel asked. Sabine went immediately to the fire and picked up one of the cauldrons, emptying it into a stone bath before adding a handful of herbs.

  I nodded, speechless.

&n
bsp; Sabine motioned for me to strip and get in the bath.

  Muriel sat on a bench, picking up a gown and needle and thread. “Fleur told us your size. We will get you new gowns when it is safe again to go to market. Until then, I will alter a few of ours.”

  “Come, Hazel,” Sabine beckoned. “The water will grow cold.”

  I sat in the tub while the sisters bustled about, setting out food, sewing my new clothes, and helping me wash. They were gentle and kind, full of cheery banter and sisterly teasing. Just like my fellow orphans at the abbey.

  But I could not relax.

  “Where is Knut?” I asked when I was dry and dressed. “I wish to speak to him.”

  “He arrived ahead of you, and went straight to speak to the Alphas,” Sabine sat behind me to comb out my wet hair.

  “Is he in trouble.”

  “That depends.” Muriel handed me a bowl of stew, but I was too nervous to eat.

  “Hazel, did he hurt you in anyway?”

  “No. Never. Not even when he turned into the beast. Please, you must tell the Alphas.” I turned and grasped Sabine’s hand.

  Gently, she freed herself, and lifted my hair off my shoulder, studying my mark. I resisted the urge to cover it with my hand. It was evidence of an intimate act. I did not like it being on display.

  “Fleur told us of her time at the abbey,” Sabine said finally. “Hazel, do you experience the mating heat?”

  “I--,” my face flushed. “Yes.”

  “We believe you are a spaewife. A special race of women who can mate with the Berserkers.”

  “I know. Knut told me.”

  “There are very few of us and we are all precious to the pack. That is why Alphas do not allow unstable wolves to mate.”

  “PIease,” I rose, wringing my hands. “Knut isn’t unstable. He was fighting his rage. The fog—the Corpse King’s magic affected his mind.”

  “The Alphas will be merciful,” Muriel soothed.

  “It is your bond that might save him,” Sabine said. “Do you understand how the bonds work?”

  I shook my head.

  “I will explain, but you must eat.” Sabine waited until I had settled down at the table and forced down a few bites. “There are several different types of bond. Every member of the pack is linked. The alphas have a strong bond with every wolf. Then there are brother bonds that form between two or three wolves.”

  “Brother bonds?” I asked.

  “It usually happens when two wolves save each other’s lives. The brother bonds link two warriors closer than any other in the pack. It aids them in resisting the curse.”

  “Does Knut have such a bond?”

  “No. He is an exceptionally strong warrior. Almost a lone wolf. But the beast almost claimed him in the end,” Sabine mused.

  Muriel cleared her throat. “The brother bond allows two men to share a mate.”

  “Share?” My mouth fell open.

  “Yes,” Muriel’s cheeks were bright pink. “I am mated to two wolves.”

  “As am I,” Sabine said, amused. “Fleur’s mated to three.”

  “Three?” I shook my head. One giant warrior claiming me was enough. I could not imagine two. Or three.

  “There is one bond that is stronger than all the rest,” Sabine continued. “The mating bond.”

  Muriel was nodding her head.

  “There are signs of a Berserker’s true mate. A mating heat,” Sabine raised a finger to indicate each, “A mating bite, which heals quickly as the Berserker shares his magic. And a mating bond that links the mind.”

  “We are able to hear our mate’s thoughts,” Muriel explained.

  “Knut and I are linked.” I looked down. He was still blocking me.

  “When did you first hear him in your mind?”

  “From the first. I saw him in the woods, and he came to rescue me from the Grey Men. That was when I first heard him.”

  Muriel and Sabine exchanged glances. “That is the earliest I’ve heard a mating bond form,” Sabine said. “Perhaps the magic around the Corpse King’s cave helped.”

  “Or perhaps Hazel was ready.” Muriel touched my arm.

  I set down my bowl and tucked my feet up on the bench, wrapping my arms around my legs. “I do not know what to think of all this.”

  The sisters watched me chew my lip.

  “What is it like with Knut?” Sabine asked.

  I blushed.

  “I think that’s all the answer we need,” Muriel murmured.

  I had a horrible thought. “Knut told me I could lift the curse, but then his beast took over anyway. Perhaps I am not his true mate after all…”

  “That is not how the mating works,” Sabine said with a sigh. “The beast still lives inside them. It still hungers for dominance, but your presence sates its great need. When the desires claim Knut, you will be able to satisfy him.”

  “But…then what about my heat?”

  “You will still go into heat. It is…uh…different.” Even Sabine blushed. “More intense. But pleasurable, when you have mates by your side.”

  “Are there others at the abbey who go into heat?” Muriel asked.

  “Yes. All of them,” I frowned. “Except the youngest. We all are cursed.”

  “‘Tis not a curse, Hazel,” Sabine said gently. “‘Tis your power.”

  “That is not what I was taught.”

  “And now you are mated to a fine warrior. He will teach you anew.”

  And gladly punish me until I learned. The thought made my cheeks heat, and heart race. I shook my head.

  “I know I cannot go back to the abbey. I must face this new life. It is just so different, and strange.”

  “It is,” Muriel said in her gentle voice. “Give it time. You will thrive here.”

  “Spaewives were meant to mate with Berserkers,” Sabine added.

  “I do not know if I will make a good mate.”

  Muriel looked away with a little smile.

  “I’m sure Knut will teach you all you need to know,” Sabine said.

  I bit my lip.

  “What is wrong, Hazel?”

  “He punished me.”

  “Ah yes,” Sabine sighed. “There is that. The rules of the pack require it.”

  “And also, it is their nature,” Muriel said. “Their dominance, our submission.”

  “At the abbey, they taught me to obey. To be silent and pleasing, as a woman should.” My fingers worried my new gown. “How is it different being a Berserker bride?”

  Sabine snorted. “We are not silent. It takes a strong woman to be a Berserker mate.”

  “I am not very strong.”

  “It takes great strength to give up your old life for someone, but that is what love is.”

  I stared at Sabine. She was fierce and brilliant. Muriel was beautiful and strong. These women were powerful enough to each mate with not just one, but two brutal Berserkers.

  “There is power in surrender,” Sabine said. With the set of her chin, I could not imagine her surrendering at all. Perhaps it took two men to challenge her. “All magic requires sacrifice. Our magic requires a sacrifice of the heart. The more we submit, the more powerful we become.”

  “The power to heal and to create, not destroy,” Muriel said. “In this way, we balance the beast.”

  “But both require strength,” Sabine rose and came to stand before me. “There is strength in leading, and strength in following.”

  I blew out a breath. “Knut has been a long time alone.”

  “You will teach him to soften, to love,” Muriel said. “In that area, you will lead.”

  “The abbey taught you lies to force your obedience. We have come to you to give you the truth. If you stay with Knut, there will be times when you must bow to his will. But in the end, everything is done with your consent,” Sabine gave me a sharp look that penetrated to my soul. “Do you choose him, Hazel?”

  I knew the answer right away. I would speak the truth, even if it frightened me.
“I belong to him, as he belongs to me.”

  Sabine sat back, gave Muriel a knowing nod. “We’ll tell the Alphas.”

  Knut

  The four warriors met me as I left the Alpha’s audience. Leif and Brokk, Rolf and Thorbjorn had always been ready to fight at my back, even before the witch cursed us.

  “Thank you,” I said. They blinked at me in surprise, and I felt ashamed. Had it been so long since I expressed my gratitude, my need for the pack? “Without you, Hazel and I might still be lost.”

  “You were close to being free of the fog,” Thorbjorn, the largest of them, came to throw his arm around me. We pounded each other’s backs, until the pack bonds between us hummed.

  “I was a fool to stay away,” I said. My arrogance put my mate at risk.

  “We’d have done the same, if we’d had a chance to catch a mate.” Leif cocked his head to the side. “Well? What did the Alphas say?”

  “I must speak to Hazel.” I’d begged my leaders to punish me for dishonoring the pack. They’d refused, lauding me instead for rescuing and claiming a spaewife. Even my disobedience, they’d forgiven.

  I could only hope Hazel would do the same.

  “Your mate is waiting for you,” Rolf said. He crossed his arms, leaning against a boulder. Slight and slender, he was smaller than most Berserkers and the best tracker. “She is in the lodge we built for you two, while we were waiting for the Alpha’s orders.”

  “What orders?” I asked.

  “Did you not hear?” Thorbjorn clapped a hand on my shoulder. “We go to rescue the rest of the women at the abbey. They are all spaewives. The Corpse King collected them there, for his evil purpose.”

  Leif rubbed his hands together. “Some of them will become our brides.”

  “You will be excused from the fight, of course,” Brokk assured me. “You will be too busy with your mate.”

  I frowned.

  “What’s wrong, Knut?” Thorbjorn said. He and Rolf had been studying me and exchanged knowing glances.

  “If Hazel was my mate, I would not hesitate to go to her,” Leif added and grunted when Brokk elbowed him.

  “I lost control.” Shame made my voice and chest tight. “She trusted me, and I betrayed her. She lived her life in slavery, at the abbey. I will not force her to stay with me.”