CHAPTER SIX
In her dreams she was home with her da, in the dun, overlooking the village. The parapet she favored stood vigilant over her home. Her da was next to her, watching over her. “It’s time to wake up little one, time to go,” he said to her.
“I don’t want to go, Da,” she cried, the tears rolled down her cheeks. “I want to stay yer little girl forever,” she said, her face pressed into his clothes.
His clothes were wet, his body steamed from the heat it put off.
“Time to grow up Mackenzie,” he said with a whisper.
Mackenzie awoke with a start. Her hands were full of something coarse and wet. She rubbed her face to get the sleep out of it. She wasn’t in any room but in a forest. Her hands clasped black fur of the enormous wolf that seemed to follow her wherever she went. She bit back a scream as she scrambled away from it. His chest rose and fell with sleep, steam drifted off of his wet mane as the sun warmed him in the glade they slept in.
She still wore the sheer finery from the night before, now torn and ripped from being carried through the woods. Cold seeped through her and chilled her to the bone. The rain was still falling in sprinkles and though the sun was out, she could see her breath. She was freezing to death.
The wolf stirred, its head rose with a lazy gaze and its yellow eyes pierced her.
“What do ye want, ye beasty, to eat me?” she asked with a tremble in her lip.
The wolf responded by raising to its four legs, a long yawn flashed his razor sharp teeth at her. He lopped to her and lay on her lap in a heap. She froze as he lay there, the warmth of his body seeped into her bones fighting away the chill that had set in so quickly.
“Yer keeping me warm? Why?” she asked, confused. The animal bit her twice in the woods, now it saved her from freezing to death.
The wolf looked at her with disturbingly human eyes. Within a breath it changed, his fur vanished, his claws became fingers, his snout, a face, and suddenly, in the span of one breath, a man lay in her lap, his eyes on her.
“Hello Mackenzie, I’ve been looking for you for a long time, hjarta,” he said in a deep voice.
The last of whatever Kirkpatrick's servant had gave her was gone, her wits were hers. This man, the one who had shattered the door and rescued her from her husband, looked nothing like any man she had ever seen. His blue eyes, a near mirror of her own, pierced her soul, freezing her in place.
“Who are ye?” she whispered.
“I told you,” he said with a smile that made her heart melt, “a friend.” His accent was all wrong. She could barely understand him, though he spoke her language.
“I don't know ye though, we’ve never met, why did you save me, how are ye what ye are?”
He turned and sat up with a big yawn that rippled his muscles through his belly to his chest.
“That’s a bigger question than I can answer here, hjarta.” That smile again. “Come with me, I’ll show you where we can get some rest.” He stood and held his hand out for her.
He was tall, taller than even Cesan. His hands were rough, like her father's, from a lifetime of use, but he looked no older than any other young man.
She took his hand. He lifted her as if she were nothing. With her other arm, she tried to hide herself. The dress she wore was even more transparent than she realized and it was all but useless. Not that he was wearing any clothes at all.
She couldn't help but examine him, she was curious, and his body was only the second man’s she’d seen naked. The memory of the first made her shudder. What almost happened, her life that almost was. She could never go back now.
“So… yer the wolf then? How did ye find me? That place was huge,” she said.
“When I’m the wolf, I have a keen sense of smell, even as you see me now I have much sharper senses than a man.”
“Are ye a man then? Or a wolf?”
“Would you believe me if I said both?”
“Ye saved my life, and I don’t even know yer name, please, what is it?”
He was still holding her hand as they walked. She could have let go, but something about it was comforting. All the turns her life had taken in the last month, walking naked through a forest holding a strange man’s hand seemed the least difficult to grasp.
“Forgive me, Mackenzie, but it has been so long since I spoke with anyone that names lose their meaning. My parents called me Thor, I’m from Lochlannach, like your mother.”
She stopped and pulled her hand free. “How do you know who I am? Who me ma was?”
He smiled at her again. She could feel her insides twisting with his look. Never in her life had a man affected her in such a way.
Gods, I don’t know this man, but he makes me feel like.... I love him, I can’t though, can I? How can I love a man I just met?
“At first,” he started, “I was looking for you because my jarl sent me. He and your mother were... close, she would have married him if things worked out differently. He heard from a trader that she bore a daughter who lived in the north. He sent me to find you and bring you home.”
“What do you mean at first?” she asked. Despite the cold, sweat formed on her brow. She held one arm across her chest, trying to comfort herself with it. She was confused, and his explanations were not helping her.
“When I saw you that first time walking with that girl,” he took a step closer to her, his eyes never leaving her, “Something… I wanted to run away and I wanted to run to you, I can’t explain it, I just wanted to be near you.”
She was inches from him. His head was tilted down to look at her, her eyes were tilted up to him, her mouth slightly open.
“I… I feel so strange Thor. Why do I feel this way, why did you bite me, how do you do, what it is you do?”
She let him pull her to him, their skin touched and it was like fire. Her heart pounded in her ears, she put her arms around him. She closed her eyes and felt his lips on hers. She let him in. His tongue brushed against her lips, gently opening them; she wasn’t sure what she was doing, she just felt a burning desire to be with him.
His kiss broke any resistance she had. She ran her hands over his back; he pulled her dress down. Their tongues intertwined as her hands explored him. Her stomach clenched in knots, her thighs quivered and her heart pounded. In a distant part of her mind, she wondered if this were right, if she could stop. His kisses left hot trails down her neck to her breasts. He gently sucked one nipple into his mouth.
“Oh god,” she moaned, she’d never felt this way, not even with Cesan whom she thought she loved. Only now did she understand what true love felt like. He backed her against a lichen-covered tree and lifted her up. She put her hands around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist.
“Once we do this, there’s no going back,” he said between breaths. Her skin burned with pleasure wherever she touched him, her nipples ached to be in his mouth and her loins trembled with desire.
She leaned forward with her mouth open to capture his, it was all the answer he needed. He was rock hard and he pushed it against her pussy. She moaned into his mouth as he entered her. Her mind exploded as the desire to be filled by him became all encompassing. She squirmed as he pushed past her maidenhood. Pain split her awareness for a brief second and made her question her actions. Only for a second though; the pleasure was back and she rocked her hips forward to force herself down completely. She felt his manhood fill her, then he slowly pulled out and pushed back in.
She opened her mouth to speak but only whimpers came out. He rammed himself into her faster and faster, she felt her insides building to something but she didn’t know what. His hands cupped her tits and squeezed her nipples, electricity connected his cock to her breasts, and she screamed.
Her back arched and her thighs clenched together to hold him in place, to never let him go. He grunted and she felt his shaft twitch. Heat, unlike she had ever felt before, exploded inside her. She moaned, writhed, and panted as he came. Her eyes rolled back in her hea
d and her vision faded as she lost consciousness.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Her eyes gently fluttered open, it was light, but not bright. She was warm, something large and heavy leaned against her back. She focused her vision and she could see the bare arm of Thor draped over her chest, her right breast held tenderly in his hand.
The memory of their lovemaking flooded her brain. She relived it, each moment from the first kiss until they fell asleep after what seemed like hours of rutting. His now limp cock rested on her ass, his arms enfolded her and pulled her into his chest. She was completely his. She smiled, happy for the first time in memory.
Gently, she moved one hand, then the other from around her. They lay on a skin in a cave. She wasn’t sure when they got there, he may have carried her there after she passed out. Once out from under him, she looked around. There was a water flask in the corner. She could hear the sounds of running water somewhere distant. Only then did she realize how thirsty she was.
She downed the flask in one long gulp. She pushed her matted blond hair aside and tried to put it in some form of braid. Her mouth felt like sandpaper, she took the flask and went in search of the sound of running water. She found it. The small stream trickled through the cave. She put the waterskin to it and tried to fill it up.
She couldn’t wait; she put her mouth to the rock wall and drank it from the source.
“It won’t help, not the first time. The first time’s always the hardest,” Thor said from behind her.
She jumped and spun around, putting her back to the wall, and her hands over her body.
“What’s happening to me?”
She squirmed on the ground; something inside of her felt like it was trying to get out. Her skin itched, her hair hurt.
“What did you do to me?”
“It’s your birthright, hjarta, like mine, and your mother's,” he said. “I’m sorry, it’s going to hurt so much.”
Her gut clenched and she bit back a scream of pain. “What’s happening?”
“I bit you because it’s what your mother wanted. She wanted you to be part of our clan, the clan of the wolf. It’s what you’re becoming now.”
He knelt down beside her. He placed his hands gently on her face. They were cool to the touch and very soothing. She swooned a little and leaned into him. He guided her head down to rest in his lap.
“This will be the only time it hurts, I promise,” he whispered as he stroked her hair.
She kicked her legs out in a spasm, she grunted through the pain and clasped her hands together. “God, it hurts so bad, make it stop,” she gasped.
“Don’t fight it Mackenzie, go with it. Fighting it makes it hurt more,” he whispered to her.
She screamed as loud as she ever had. Her ears rang from her screams. Her skin felt like ice and her insides were on fire. She closed her eyes and tried to push the pain down, but it wouldn’t go away. Agony blossomed in her arm, she looked down and watched as the bone cracked, the skin tore and wolfs’ limb formed from the remains.
She screamed again, this time, it sounded more like a howl. Her vision dimmed into a tunnel, everything turned red. She looked to Thor, but his change took him and he couldn’t speak to her, he was caught between being a man and a wolf.
In that moment, she felt tremendously alone. Not only had she just committed herself to this man she didn’t know, she was turning into some sort of monster, and doing it without even the comforting words of this man she couldn’t help but love.
What am I?
Her breath evened out and the pain faded. She tried to stand but she wobbled in place. Her vision was narrow, more defined, but it felt claustrophobic. She looked down to her hands and only saw paws covered in gray and black fur.
Unsteady, she took a step and immediately fell. Thor was there next to her; he nuzzled her chin, his warm breath flowed over her. She could smell him, she could smell everything, the rabbit outside, the birds in the trees, she could smell her human self that had been there the moment before.
With his help, she stood. He leaned against her as she trotted forward. It was uneasy, her mind kept trying to walk like a person. She couldn’t though. Her first few steps built her confidence and she took a few more. She grinned, the memory of how to walk as a human faded and her wolfish instincts kicked in.
That’s right, don’t fight it, let me help you.
Who are you?
You may call me Freya, I’m your wolf side, your animal side.
You’re inside me?
In a sense. The voice in her head sounded feminine and strong.
We are drawn together, without me, you would be just be a wolf when changed, but together we can be so much more.
But, who are you?
A spirit, if you like; a spirit of your ancestors who, like you, were also wolves.
Can you tell me what to do?
No, but I can guide you, like this.
Suddenly images flooded into her mind, of how to run, to sprint, to hunt; she knew it all. She braced her legs and sprinted, not stopping to see if Thor could keep up with her. The feeling of freedom was immediate. The trees rushed by, the sun glittering through the tops like a far away jewel. The ground broke into a ravine and she lunged to the top of it, clearing twenty feet like it was two.
This is incredible. How?
The gods gifted our lineage long ago. It’s our blessing and curse.
She looked around and found Thor not far behind her. A thought flew across her mind and she acted. Large lungs sucked in air and she charged. She caught him in mid stride and they both rolled over several time to land in a heap. He nipped at her thighs, she at his face.
I feel so free, like I could do anything.
Beware, while you are stronger, faster, and you’ll heal, you can die, don’t be foolish with your gift.
Suddenly, Mackenzie felt the presence disappear; she didn’t know how she knew she was gone, she just was.
Thor stalked through the woods looking for prey. Mackenzie trailed behind him marveling at how effortlessly she could move without making a sound. They came upon a buck; its back was to them, its head in the air. Mackenzie could see it in several different ways. With her eyes, it had a sense of hyper-reality, everything was in distinct detail, almost as if she could only see the buck. With her nose, she could sense it, where it was, where it had been. She could feel the way the wind was blowing against her fur; she felt more alive in that moment, than the entire sixteen years before.
Thor leapt, the buck bleated a warning but Thor already had his jaws around the buck’s neck. Mackenzie smelled the blood in the air and her stomach growled, echoed by the one from her mouth. She charged forward and sank her fangs deep into the buck’s haunches.
The glorious flavor of warm blood and meat combined with the thrill of the kill ignited a passion inside of her she didn’t know she was capable of.
The buck lasted only a minute against them. Before its hearts beat its last, the two wolves gnawed and tore at the flesh, ripping the meat from its bones and cracking them to get at the marrow. Once the buck was nothing but a husk, the two wolves trotted over to a tree and lay together in the sun. Mackenzie felt a satisfaction in her soul that she never knew possible.
Slowly, as her eyes drifted toward close, she felt something change in her; the wolf receded, and in a brief span, the beast was gone, and only the girl remained. Thor wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her to him. She sighed as his hands found their way to her breasts. He pinched her nipples to hardness. She lifted her arm to run her fingers through his hair as he spread her legs with his own.
He kissed her neck and shoulders prompting a moan from her. Her breasts tingled and her pussy was moist from need. “Again, lets do it again,” she begged. “I want to feel it again,” she moaned breathlessly. He moved his cock to her entrance, she could feel it resting against her moist nether. She ached for him to be in her, she arched her back, and pushed back with her hips until his head entered her.
“Oh god,” she groaned as he penetrated her.
They quickly found their rhythm. The forest was filled with their grunts and groans and cries of ecstasy. Mackenzie held onto his hair as he slammed into her, his body building toward an epic release.
“Oh god yes, I’m almost there, don’t stop,” she grunted.
Thor groaned a reply as he slammed his hips into her as hard as he could, burying himself deep into her. He came with a cry of pleasure moments before she did. For a long moment, they lay in each other’s arms. Mackenzie felt his seed inside her, on her thighs, on her ass as he pulled out. He rubbed her arms with his hands, and planted soft kisses on her neck.
“Is this my life now? Because this is much better than the one you rescued me from,” she said as she rolled over to face him.
“I didn’t expect to find my hjarta in you, Mackenzie, I’m not sure what we do next.”
His sudden openness, and tender words brought tears to her eyes. “What is hjarta? Is it love?”
He opened his mouth, then stopped, and opened it again to speak. After a brief pause, he finally found his words. “Among our people, the wolves choose our mates, not us. We never know who it is, or when; you could go your whole life and not meet your hjarta.”
Mackenzie nodded. “It’s like a soul mate then?”
“More like pack mate, since we are a clan as people, but a pack as wolves. Did you meet yours? Who was it?” he asked. She could tell he was eager to know, but he hid it well.
“She said her name was Freya.”
Thor rolled away and was on his feet in an instant, his eyes bore into her.
“That cannot be, tell me you misunderstood her name!” His shout scared the birds and frightened Mackenzie. She suddenly became all too aware of her nakedness.
“Thor, what’s going on?”
“Tell me that’s not the name she gave you, tell me it’s something else,” he went from anger to almost pleading with her.
“Why, who is she?”
“She brings nothing but death and destruction to those she bonds with, you will die Mackenzie, and in all likelihood, soon.”
Bought By Their Alpha Page 20
