Wolf's Heart

“Here, have some potatoes. They were picked fresh this morning.”

My eyes widened as Ulric’s mother placed a heap of mashed potatoes on my plate, the mound doing a good impression of the mountain Ulric and I climbed. Emera smiled and moved on, placing an even bigger mound on Kyros’ plate. Kyros just smiled, picking up his wooden spoon before he attacked his food.

Emera sat down, Kyros at the head of the table with his wife across from him. On his right was an empty seat, reserved for Ulric, with me right beside it and on his left two other empty seats. I don’t know where Ulric is, he disappeared after we reached his parent’s hut, and I also don’t know who the other two chairs are for. All I know is Ulric left me alone with two strangers.

I slowly picked up my wood spoon, the shape expertly carved, and took a bite of the potatoes, almost sighing at the excellent taste. Moving on to the pulled beef I almost groan, the spices and herbs perfectly blended. Then there were the baked biscuits, steam still rising from the golden bread, the jugs of new milk, and a still warm apple pie. I’ve never seen this much delicious food in my life; my family had always been on the poor side, so I was lucky if I had fresh bread and cheese.

A little overwhelmed by all this food, I eat slowly and try to ignore Kyros as he stared at me.

“So,” the man sat back in his chair, “how long have you been with my son?”

“Um, just about a day,” I mumble as I twirled my spoon in the potatoes.

“A day?” Emera gasped, “but you seem so comfortable around him, as if you’ve known him for years!”

I frowned, shocked when I found she was right, “I guess I’m so comfortable around him because he’s always protecting me. In the few hours I’ve known him, he has done more to keep me safe than the entire village I lived in.”

Emera frowned, opening her mouth to speak when she looked behind me and smiled, “Oh, there’s my boy.”

Turning to see who had caught her attention I found myself staring at the man who stood at the entrance to the hut. He was tall, standing at 6’7”, and had to stoop in the hut. His black hair hung down in his dark eyes, curling at the ends. He had a layer of hair covering his chin, not a lot, but enough to darken his face as it wrapped around his jaw and mouth. The shirt he wore was a little small, stretching across his muscles while his pants were barely long enough for his long legs.

There was something familiar about him and the way he stared back at me, a protectiveness in his gaze that felt comforting. He sent me a cautious smile, as if my opinion was important to him, treasured.

“Ulric! You finally made it! Come, sit down before the food gets cold,” Emera gestured to the chair beside me.

My eyes widened when I realized it was Ulric’s human form that I was looking at. It would explain how safe and protected I felt with him in the room. Like everything was going to be okay now that he’s here. I swallowed as he sat down beside me, taking the full plate that his mother handed him.

“Thank you, mother.”

His deep voice sent shivers down my back, my flesh rising in goose bumps.

“Now,” Emera said as she sat back down, “Roana, why aren’t you in your village?”

I turned from staring at Ulric, blinking at his mother, “It’s, well… it’s a long story.”

“I think we have time for a long story, we’re just now starting dinner.”

I bit my lip, glancing at Ulric before I looked turned back to Emera, “Two days ago a little boy was playing with his friends when he fell and sliced his thigh open. It was a deep wound and everyone thought he wouldn’t make it,” I swallowed, a lump forming in my throat, “I know how to use plants to help people, whether they’re sick or hurt,” I pulled down the top of my dress, showing my already healing bite, “This happened only last night, but with the right mix of plants it’s ten times better, and there’s no infection.”

I pulled my shirt back up, “I’ve kept it a secret because I knew my village wouldn’t understand, but I couldn’t leave that boy in agony, so I mixed a potion and applied it to his leg. When he got better instead of worse people started wondering what I had done. Then they were calling me witch and threatening to kill me,” I lifted my spoon and twirled it in the potatoes, “The next day they stopped threatening me and chased me through the forest. Ulric came to my rescue just as one of their hunting dogs attacked, which is where I got the shoulder wound.”

“Oh, Lord!” Emera cried, “you poor thing!”

I fidgeted in my chair, jumping when a large hand wrapped around my smaller one under the table. I looked down to see Ulric’s hand grasping mine, squeezing gently. It was odd that his human tough didn’t give me the same comfort as his wolf touch did. Instead my heart raced faster and my stomach fluttered.

“Well?” Emera asked, leaning over the table, “What happened next?”

I entwined my fingers with Ulric’s and turned to his mother, “He fought the dog off me and scared the villagers away, and after that he’s been protecting me and keeping me safe.”

Emera smiled and looked at Ulric, “I knew I raised you right.”

Ulric opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when someone streaked into the room. We all turned and watched as a man with dark red hair skidded to a stop. He was a few inches shorter than Ulric and had short, dark red hair. His light green eyes had a brightness that hid something darker, something sinister. His smiled was more of a leer and when his eyes feel on me that leer turned into a smirk.

Ulric growled.

“Hello, family, you started dinner without me?”

“Well,” Kyros raised a brow, “Terrance, you were late.”

“So you ignore your only nephew because he was a few minutes late?”

“I ignore any one who’s late,” Kyros turned from Terrance and went back to his food.

Emera cleared her throat, “Why were you late?”

Terrance shrugged and took the open seat beside Emera, across from me, “I was just helping the sentries keep out home safe, something that the alpha should be doing,” there was hope in his voice.

Kyros narrowed his eyes, “I’ll let him know when I see him,” he turned and looked at Ulric, “Ulric, Terrance believes the alpha should be out showing the sentries what to do.”

Ulric glared, “No.”

I frowned, “Wait,” I turned to Ulric, “You’re the alpha?”

Ulric growled, “No.”

“He would be,” Kyros stated, “If he’d ever man up and take his responsibilities seriously.”

I stared at Ulric, “You’re supposed to be the alpha?”

Ulric roared, “No!”