Page 12 of Wolf Alliance

“I’m so sorry to hear this.” Not only that Erik had lost his mate, but that her boys had had to live without their mother, like when she had lost her own. How did Erik feel about her loss? How did the boys feel? She felt bad for them.

For her, it took years to learn to live with the loss. Nannies had tried but couldn’t take her mother’s place. And her da would never remarry. This put the whole situation in a different perspective. Could his boys even love her if she tried to take Erik’s mate’s place?

She brushed away a wet curl of hair that had blown across her eyes. “Then why does Erik want me for a mate? He doesna need an heir. He has an heir and two spares. Truth be told, goddess forbid if anything were to happen to him but if it did, you or your brother Finlay or some other impressive wolf in the pack would take over, not a young boy.”

“Certes. But he still needs a mother for his sons. If you dinna get along with them, he will look elsewhere for a wife. He wants the best for them.”

Accalia hadn’t expected this and wasn’t certain she could handle it. Nurse maids took care of the young ones in her clan. And where did that leave her? Did he not even wish to mate with her, but be a mother to the three boys who might not even like her?

“I see. Well, this trial period may be very short-lived.”

Again, Logan smiled. “Your da says you’re very good with bairns.”

Her da would say anything, it seemed, just to make this happen between them. He should have told her what he had expected of her!

“I dinna know the first thing about bairns,” she said, honestly. She wasn’t about to lie her way through this. She could see it could be a total catastrophe. They had a few bairns in their clan, but no one had expected her to be a nanny to them.

Logan bowed his head to her. “Then it behooves you to make the effort.”

“Mayhap I should look for another prospect.”

“Such as?”

“A wolf who desires a mate, no’ a nanny, since he has some of those already.”

“Aye, my lady. I have said as much. We will speak later.” Then Logan turned and rode to the back of her escort and the other guard returned to walk beside her.

She didn’t have the faintest clue about raising wolf cubs or bairns. Her da had made her take warrior training if he was off to battle, and she had to lead their people in defense of the castle and how to manage the castle staff. The child-rearing was left to the nannies and nursemaids. The children sat among their people at the meals, and she had seen them playing games and learning their parents’ trades, but she was not responsible for them.

Did her father know the situation with Erik? If he did, why didn't he inform her? He probably kept it from her because he feared she would reject Erik if he couldn't move on from his mate's death. The same went for his sons losing their mother.

A sense of unease crept over her. All she could picture was the boys despising her, never getting to know Erik and the consequences that would bring.

4

Erik had seen his brother talking at length to Accalia and had assumed he was warning her about his triplet sons. He hadn’t told his brother he couldn’t speak to her about it and in a way, he was glad she knew before they arrived home. However, he had intended to mention it before then.

Finlay rode up to speak with him. “What do you think of the lass so far?”

Erik took a deep breath and exhaled. “She has the heart of a warrior.” Which he greatly admired. His late wife wouldn’t have been armed and fought assailants.

“Aye. Philbin said he and the other guards had to keep her in camp. She felt they needed to be with you to fight the thieves when they tried to sneak into camp.”

Erik smiled. “I expected her to provide an alliance, have children with me, and be a mother to my sons. And to run the household staff as she would have been trained. I didna expect her to fight my battles.”

Finlay agreed. “How do you think the lads will feel when she arrives?”

Erik shook his head. He was certain his sons would not be on their best behavior when they arrived home, especially since Accalia might become their mother. That meant more rules and another person to enforce those rules. The nannies let them get away with too much nonsense because they were the chief’s sons.

When they stopped for the night, he caught Accalia watching him, but then she settled down on his fur and looked away. She had barely eaten anything when they took their earlier break from riding. That worried him. He stalked across the campsite and joined her.

“Are you ill?” he asked.

“I am well. You dinna need a mate, I hear. When were you going to tell me about your sons? Or anything else about this arrangement between us?”

“I dinna need an heir, aye. I want more children by my new mate. But I need a mother for the boys.”

“But you dinna need a mate. If I was agreeable, that is.”