Chapter 1

1

S earching for any sign of danger on the ocean, Alasdair, a gray wolf and the clan chief in the Highlands, observed the sea during his morning scouting mission high above the cliffs. Vigilant and wary, he knew his duty was to keep his pack safe at all costs at Ghealach Castle and the surrounding territory. He narrowed his eyes, scanning the rough waves.

To his dismay, he believed he spotted two Viking longships approaching, briefly visible atop the waves, then disappearing into the troughs before the early morning light appeared on the horizon.

As a wolf, he could see movement and details at a distance better than humans, but the choppy waves obstructed his view of the ships. He could only discern so much from this distance despite his heightened senses. The ships, if indeed longships, were still too far away to make out any distinguishing features.

He couldn't shake the feeling that they were enemy ships. After Vikings raided them last summer and he lost seven of his men in battle because they were caught unaware, they were on edge that the raiders would hit them again. He couldn't risk ignoring what could be a potential threat.

He continued to observe, his sharp eyes scanning the horizon for more signs of the ships, if it wasn’t just a mirage. A small part of him hoped that nothing was there or that only harmless traders or fishermen were sailing on the sea. His instincts told him otherwise.

The decision had to be made soon. He needed to warn his people and prepare for battle if the ships were manned with raiders. They couldn't afford to be caught off-guard like last time.

He shut his eyes to rest them, hoping for a clearer view before opening them again. The full moon illuminated the dark water. One of the ships suddenly turned just so that the moonlight struck it, revealing a large, square-rigged sail on a mast positioned midship.

The sight made his heart skip a beat. He recognized it as a Viking longship, unmistakable in its shape. Other ships might also have large, square sails, but none would travel in this area, and none—other than a Viking ship—carried a crew of raiders who would kill and plunder.

He assessed the horizon, calculating that the vessels would take several hours to reach their shores. That meant they had precious time preparing for the impending battle against the brigands. Perhaps it would even allow their allied friends to arrive on time to lend a hand in the fight. He prayed they wouldn’t have to engage the raiders out in the open before they reached the safety of the castle.

With a deep breath, he raised his chin and unleashed a powerful howl that echoed through the air, a call to his clan and his pack at the nearby Ghealach Castle. Moments later, two of his men's answering howls reverberated to him, a fierce affirmation that they understood his concern.

He watched the ships grow closer, though still disappearing in the troughs of the waves and still hours away, trying to determine their direction. They were headed in his path. He would send others in shifts to watch the progress of the ships. Even if the Vikings didn’t land close to his castle’s location, once they landed, they could still head this way later.

Alasdair sprinted back toward the keep without hesitation, urgency propelling him forward. Every able-bodied man would need to stand and defend against the Viking raiders, and time was of the essence.

When he saw the castle, wagons carrying food entered the outer bailey, as was usual at this time of day. He darted through the carts and people into the inner bailey. The scene that greeted him was one of focused preparation and a little chaos.

His men rapidly assembled, their expressions resolute as they gathered weapons—swords gleaming, axes swinging in the air, and shields raised high. As he passed, they inclined their heads in acknowledgment, a silent vow of solidarity and courage readying them for the fierce onslaught ahead.

“How many ships did you see?” His brother Hans greeted him, carrying Alasdair’s clothes for him as men and women hurried past them, gathering supplies and sheltering crofters and local villagers within the castle walls.

Alasdair shifted and rushed to dress. “Two Gokstad longships, if I’m correct. That means a crew of around thirty-two.”

“Were you able to count the sixteen oars on the ships?”

“Nay, too far from shore. But I saw one of the ship’s square sails in the moonlight. They are Viking longships, to be sure. And the size looked like that of a Gokstad longship.”

“We’ll be ready for them.” Hans ground his teeth. “But they’ll have nearly forty warriors. What if there are more than two vessels?”

“Possibly. I need several watchmen to observe the ships throughout the day.”

The Vikings would outnumber the Highlanders even with just the crews of the two longships. Alasdair’s clan was only thirty strong, but seven were women, and they didn’t fight like the Viking women did if their crew had women warriors.

Alasdair’s clan also had two children. Counting the villagers, they had more women and children they were taking in to safeguard.

After the last fight with the Viking raiders, most of the farmers had some battle training. For that reason, his warriors trained them in the art of combat once daily. Everyone was determined to stop the marauders and protect their kin.

“If we are lucky, Erik and his clansmen will be here before the Vikings arrive.” Alasdair stuck his sgian dubh into his boot.

Their quadruplet brother Rory hurried out of the keep to join them. “Some women are preparing to care for the wounded, while others are cooking a meal now to feed our people. We’re arranging for everyone who arrived from the villages and farms to sleep in the inner bailey. Do you think Erik and his people will arrive in time?”

“I pray it is so. We have several hours before the Vikings arrive if they dinna head in another direction, which is possible. I want one of our people to be a lookout—in wolf form—watching the sea so that they will know which way the ships go.” That was one great thing about the Viking raiders. The raiders didn’t have wolf shifters among them.

Because of that, Alasdair and his wolves could see them even at night, hear them trying to sneak up on them, and smell them from a mile and a half away, depending on how the wind was blowing.

Their sister, Bessetta, hurried to join them as seriously as possible. Her blond hair was braided behind her back, and her blue eyes were worried. “I’ll take the first watch.”

Alasdair frowned at her. He didn’t want her near where the Vikings might come ashore.

“I willna be engaged in combat. As you said, it will take hours for them to arrive at our shore, if they even beach their ships nearby. Someone can relieve me after a few hours.”

“Aye, do it then.” Alasdair and their brothers had trained Bessetta to fight using a sword and a sgian dubh , but only to protect herself as a last resort. They would make sure she was relieved from her job as the neach-faire way before the Vikings landed. Even so, as a wolf, she could hide, and they would never be able to catch her.

Bessetta smiled brightly. She might not be the best at sword fighting, but she was always eager to help their clan in any way that she could. Being the clan chief and her brother, he wanted to keep her home safe from harm.

“You need to marry her off,” Hans said, jesting. “Then she’ll have a husband who will worry about her.”

“Then we’ll worry about him ,” Alasdair said.

Rory laughed. “Aye. Just as long as you dinna try to find lasses for us to wed.”

Mege, a woman who had become part of their clan when her family joined them last year and had her sights set on Alasdair, rushed out to speak with him. She often concocted reasons to approach him, trying to capture his attention as if she wished he would court her. However, that was not going to happen.

In their world, wolves needed to be mutually attracted to each other since they lived long lives and mated for life. While Mege was a lovely dark-haired woman, her personality didn't appeal to him. She acted like no other woman should show interest in Alasdair, as if she were claiming him for herself. The notion irked him.

“What is it, Mege?” Alasdair asked brusquely, having important duties to conduct.

“One of the villagers—a weaver—is having her babies.”

Alasdair’s jaw dropped before he hid his shocked expression.

It was not a good time for this, but he suspected the threat of battle had been the reason. He frowned. “Have the midwife see to her.”

Why did Mege feel he needed to be involved in the matter? He had to ensure his men were ready to fight and the villagers and crofters under his protection were safely within the castle walls.

Running her hands through her hair, Mege looked ready to collapse. “Our midwife, Rheba, is… missing .”

Inge was worried as she saw her uncle plot behind the chieftain’s back to overthrow him. She didn’t know her uncle’s exact plans, but others were eager to back him as Funi led several warriors, men and women, to raid a neighboring tribe again. His cousin, Ari, was off raiding somewhere else, though she didn’t know where, so her uncle decided to take control of the clan while he was away.

If Funi died in battle, Inge’s uncle could easily take charge. Funi’s son, Vigge, wanted to marry Inge, which would be problematic. Inge and her family were not really members of the clan, born and raised. They were wolf shifters, unlike the clansmen and women they lived with now, who were strictly human. But they could never reveal the truth about themselves.

Inge told her cousin Bodolf, who was four years her junior, “Come with me.” She had to speak to him about what they must do if Funi returned and her uncle failed to take over the clan's rule.

Bodolf set aside the ax handle he was carving on. “What? I have much work to do.”

“ Ja , as much as I do. But we must speak.” They had to prepare for the deadly consequences of her uncle’s actions should they go awry.

They hurried to a cave half a mile away that opened to the ocean. Once they entered the dark, damp cave, the jagged rocks formed a natural barrier from the outside world. They spoke freely without worrying about clan members, not even her younger cousins, overhearing them. The sea breeze blew into the cave, smelling of briny seawater and seaweed.

“ Ja , what?” Bodolf folded his arms, looking annoyed.

She let her breath out in exasperation. “I know you wanted to go with the great warrior chieftain to make a name for yourself during this latest raid of his, but you are not one of them.”

He frowned at her. “This is what you wanted to lecture me about?”

“We must be prepared to escape, should your da attempt to wrest power from the chieftain and fail. All of us will be killed if that should happen.”

Bodolf’s eyes widened. “He wouldna fail, would he?”

“If he has enough support, nay. But what if he doesna? What if he fails anyway?” She didn’t want to say that his da could fall in combat before he even reached Funi, but it could happen. “We have to plan for our escape should that happen.”

They had to be prepared for any outcome.

Bodolf ran his hands through his tangled blond hair. “What about Vigge?”

“What about him?”

“He might…might side with you even if da tries to take down Funi and fails.”

Inge shook her head. “He wouldna fight his da next. He would side with him, and he wouldna try to help us. If he did, his da would kill him. Loyalty above all else is important to him.”

“Vigge will come after you.”

Inge knew Bodolf was right. Ever since she had turned fourteen, Vigge had told her he wanted her. Of course, her da and mother had said no, infuriating both Funi and Vigge. The reason was that Vigge wasn’t a wolf, but they couldn’t share that with them, and they couldn’t turn Vigge either.

Which had always made her wonder if Funi had anything to do with her parents’ deaths. No one had watched their backs during that fight with another clan that ended their lives.

Mostly because as soon as they had died, Vigge had told her he wanted to marry her. It didn’t matter that she didn’t love him. She didn’t even think he loved her. It didn’t matter that she had been grieving her parents’ loss at the time, either.

She felt nothing for him like he thought he felt for her. But Funi and Vigge believed they should have felt honored that Vigge wanted her for his wife.

Once her mother and da had died, she knew Vigge thought he could convince her to marry him then, but her uncle always stood in his way.

Bodolf considered the crevices and shelves in the cave. “All right. We can hide our swords, daggers, shields, fur, food, and clothing here. Whatever we might need for the journey.”

Inge pointed to the slick rocks and explained, "When the tide rises, water fills up this cave, but only up to that line there." She gestured towards a visible waterline marked by a layer of seaweed and debris clinging to the rocks. "We can store our belongings on the shelf above it."

“Where will we go when we leave here?” Bodolf asked.

“Scotia.”

Bodolf frowned at her. “Nay. The journey and the people there are dangerous.”

“ Ja . It’s the only way. We’ll make this work. We have to. We canna stay in Iceland. Funi has a lot of enemies. If anyone learned we had been with him, they would kill us.”

“We’ll have to steal a ship.” Bodolf compressed his lips, his expression showing how unsettled he was.

She didn’t blame him. “ Ja. ”

“How can we cross the sea with Libby and Drummond when they are only six summers old?”

“We’ll take Elene with us. She can help us to row.” Ever since the chief had traded a slave for her, Inge had wanted to free the she-wolf.

“The chieftain will be angry that we stole her away.”

“He will be just as angry that he wasna able to kill us. She is a wolf like us. Because she is a Scot and we are going to Scotia, we must return her home. And she can rejoin her people. We canna leave her behind.” Inge would not do that to a fellow wolf. Elene would never have another chance of escape.

“We canna tell my brother or sister. They might let it slip that we will have plans to escape.”

“Hopefully, we willna have to resort to this. If we do, we must be prepared to flee.” Inge had nightmares about her uncle’s plans ever since she’d overheard him secretly talking about them with others in the clan.

“How will we get a ship to take us there? We canna pay for passage on someone’s ship. Funi will learn about it.”

That’s what she loved about Bodolf. He thought things through as much as she did.

“We take Bodil’s karvi. He drinks too much and rarely fishes any longer. His longship is the smallest there is, with six rowing seats. It will be perfect for us. We’ll gather all the coins we can that my mother and da saved and those of your mother. I’m afraid if it comes to that and your da dies, we willna have time to grab his coins as well.”

Bodolf frowned at her. “I should be there to help my da fight.”

“He hasna told you his plans, has he?” Since her uncle’s plans would affect all of them, he should have told her and Bodolf what he was planning to do.

Bodolf shook his head.

“He doesna want you involved, maybe afraid you would die in the confrontation, no’ thinking that if he fails, we all will die.” Bodolf’s da had always been a hard man.

As much as she and Bodulf were good at thinking things out, her uncle didn’t. or he didn’t care what would become of his children or his niece if he should fail.

Though he was arrogant enough that he might believe he was invincible. At least she would feel better about paying for it.

Her uncle never praised his children nor showed them any affection. Nor did he show any kindness to her, his niece. They were to be warriors from the time they could walk. She suspected that Bodolf’s da didn’t tell him his plans because he didn’t trust him to keep them a secret.

“I know where he hides his coins. I can sneak them out and return them if he wins. If he loses, then we will have them already. And we’ll give the money to Bodil?” Bodolf asked.

“ Ja .” She was certain Bodil wouldn’t trade his ship for any amount of money in the world, even if he rarely used his ship.

“What if he doesna want the money and wants to keep his ship?” asked her cousin.

“You will serve him enough mead that he will fall asleep. We’ll leave the coins with him and take the ship.”

Bodolf nodded. “Will we succeed?”

“Gods willing, we will.” She didn’t want to tell Bodolf that she knew for certain that they would die if they stayed, but the chance that they would make it across the vast ocean to Scotia was slim to none.

If, by some miracle, they made it there? They would be at the mercy of the Scots.