The Werewolf Mega-Bundle 2 Part 12

"Father!" she cried. "Please don't let them take me. This is my home!"

Her father tried to step forward to give her a last hug before they dragged her away, but two large blond men stood in his way, threatening him with swords. Two more powerful-looking men dropped a large chest in front of him and opened it, displaying an enormous amount of gold and jewels.

"For your trouble," one of them said in a thick, gruff accent.

"No! She wasn't any trouble. I love her. She's my daughter!" her father cried.

When he realized that they weren't going to let him hug his daughter one last time, he called out to her.

"Remember what I told you, Adeline! You're my daughter, and I will always love you."

Hot tears sprang to Adeline's eyes as the strange man started to pull her down to the beach and onto the strange-looking longs.h.i.+p. She kicked and screamed as tears flowed down her cheeks, and the man scooped her up in his arms and held onto her, saying something in his foreign, guttural tongue as he stroked her head. Finally seeming to remember that she didn't understand his language, he switched back to English and addressed her.

"My name is Alrik. I am from the north lands. You were promised to me a long time ago, and I'm taking you back to where you belong. You belong with me, Adeline," he said.

"I don't understand!" Adeline cried. "Please let me go home to my father. Please!"

Alrik set her down on the wooden floor of the s.h.i.+p, and then barked some gruff orders to his men. They set sail moments later, and more tears streamed down Adeline's face as she watched the village slowly disappear from view the further out to sea they headed.

Finally, Alrik turned his attention back to Adeline.

"We have a long voyage ahead. I suggest you go and get some rest while your body adjusts to being at sea. I will explain everything to you later," he said, pointing to the back of the longs.h.i.+p.

"No! I want to know now!" she replied.

His eyes blazed with fury as he advanced towards her and grabbed her by the arm again.

"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I'm in charge here. None of these big, strong men that you see on this s.h.i.+p would ever talk back to me or disobey a direct order. Go and sleep. Now!"

Adeline was terrified, but something in the man's face told her that he would never hurt her despite his anger towards her. The feeling from earlier had returned, and she felt her underclothing getting strangely damp as a tingling sensation spread through her belly and between her thighs.

Confused and distressed as to what was happening with her body and her life in general, she retreated to the back of the s.h.i.+p and curled up on a blanket that appeared to have been set aside for her. She could tell this because it was clean and finely-made compared with the others, and right next to it sat a small half-open chest, filled with women's clothing.

Thinking of her father and wondering if she would ever see him again, Adeline drifted off to sleep, hoping that when she woke up, this would have all been some cruel nightmare and she would be happy and safe back in the village.

Several hours later, Adeline awoke with great chagrin to find that she was still on the s.h.i.+p, gently swaying and rocking as it crossed the vast seas. Rubbing her eyes as they adjusted to the darkness, she saw several men sleeping not far from her, snoring loudly. At least they left me alone, she thought gratefully. She couldn't see Alrik anywhere, and realizing that she was desperately thirsty, she climbed out from under the blanket and looked around.

It was dark outside, but the stars and moon bathed the s.h.i.+p in a dim light. Looking around for someone or something to give her water, Adeline headed around to the other side of the s.h.i.+p and froze in horror at what stood before her.

Only yards away stood some kind of terrifying beast. It was facing away from her, but she could still tell what it was; a tall, powerful creature with the body of a man and the head of a wolf. At least, it mostly had the body of a man its hands and feet appeared to have sharp claws, and its back seemed to be covered in dark fur.

Without thinking, she let out a gasp, and then her hand flew to her mouth as she realized that it had heard her. It turned to her, its yellow eyes blazing with some unfamiliar expression as it regarded her, and then it charged towards her, its teeth bared as it growled.

Adeline turned and ran, not quite knowing what exactly she was doing. Where am I running to? Overboard? Please, G.o.d... help me! she prayed, before screaming as she felt two strong arms wrap around her waist. Looking down, she saw that the two arms were human with no claws, but she continued to scream anyway.

"Be quiet! You'll wake everyone!" a deep, familiar voice hissed in her ear.

Sobbing and shaking, Adeline turned around as the arms released her from their grip. Alrik stood behind her, his usually blue eyes flas.h.i.+ng yellow... the same yellow that she had just seen in the creature's eyes. He was s.h.i.+rtless, and she wondered how on earth he wasn't freezing.

"I.... you.... what..." she stammered incoherently, realizing that the monster was in fact Alrik, the man that had taken her from her father.

As fear flooded her mind, she turned and ran to the edge of the deck, and then placed her hands on it as she stared overboard, trying to muster up the courage to jump. She couldn't swim, but surely drowning in a freezing ocean was better than being torn apart by a terrifying wolf monster.

She heard a soft laugh behind her, and Alrik's heavy footsteps pounded on the wooden deck as he slowly approached her. Still not brave enough to jump, she turned around and stared at the powerful man, her eyes wide with fear. He grabbed her by the shoulders like he had done earlier and held onto her tightly.

"Do you really think I'd let you jump? No, my sweet girl, I've waited too long to have you."

"Please," she whispered. "I just want to go home."

Alrik's face softened and he loosened his grip on her arms, still slightly holding onto her as if he was afraid she might actually jump overboard.

"That's where I'm taking you. Home," he said, his deep voice sending s.h.i.+vers down her spine. "I do not want you to be afraid. I wanted to wait 'til the daylight to explain everything to you, but I suppose you were going to find out one way or the other."

"Find out what?" she asked, more confused now than scared.

"What I am, and what you are. You're one of us. Surely you always knew that you were different from the others in your village."

"Yes. But I'm not a monster. Not like what I just saw!" she cried.

He laughed.

"No, you're not a monster, and neither am I. I am a werewolf, as every man from the north lands is. Our women do not develop the shape-s.h.i.+fting abilities, but they are still our women, and that is what you are. One of us."

"So the legends of Vikings turning into wolves in battle is true?" she asked.

"Yes. Why else would we be such good fighters? Normal human men couldn't possibly stand up to us."

"And you think I'm one of you?"

"I do not think, I know. When I was a young boy, the elder wolves promised me my future mate; the baby daughter of Erik and Berghildr. Despite what happened to them.... you are still my mate, and I've waited ten years for you to come of age so that I could come and get you."

"You are mistaken," she said. "My father is John the blacksmith from my home village. My mother died when I was a baby."

"That's half correct," he replied. "Your real parents, Erik and Berghildr did in fact die when you were a baby. Neither of them was quite right in the head, and one day they took their baby out of the village and down to a fjord, and then left her on the sh.o.r.eline."

He paused and took a deep breath.

"They then drowned themselves. A traveling party of Englishmen found the baby and rescued her. She was nearly dead, but one of the men managed to nurse her back to health, and then took her back to England to raise as his own. That baby was you, Adeline."

"No!" Adeline cried. "My father is the man who raised me, and no one else."

"He is certainly your father in the sense that he took care of you as if you were his own daughter, but you did not spring forth from his loins. You are one of ours."

Adeline had been afraid, but now she was angry. This strange man had cruelly kidnapped her from her home and was now claiming that she belonged with him... yet his story didn't make much sense.

"If that is all true, then why did no one come for me sooner?" she asked, glaring up at him.

"Because by the time we found out where you were, the man you know as your father was already raising you. You seemed happy there, and we didn't want to disrupt a happy childhood. It is such a rare and wonderful thing."

"So why come now?"

"I had to. You have come of age, and I needed to take you as my mate."

She didn't know what 'mate' meant, but something else suddenly occurred to Adeline.

"Is that why no one ever attacked our village?"

"Yes. And as long as your father lives there, it will never be attacked. We are grateful to him for what he has done for you; for one of our own. One day, I will take you to see him, or bring him to the north to see you," he replied.

"You... you would do that for me?" she asked, surprised at the hint of kindness that was now present in his voice.

Her fears had nearly dissipated as he explained everything in his deep, calm voice, and as she looked up into his glowing eyes, she noticed once again how handsome he was. Viking wolf-monster or not, he was affecting her mind and body in strange ways. Her stomach was flopping around again, and her heart raced as she imagined what it would be like for him to kiss her. She had never experienced a kiss before, but she had seen some of the girls from her home village sneakily kissing boys when they thought that no one was watching. At the time, it had seemed an odd thing to do, but now that she was standing before such a stunning, powerful man, it didn't seem so odd after all.

"Of course. As my mate, you will have everything you desire. I'm a wealthy and powerful man, Adeline," he replied.

"What do you mean by mate?" she said breathlessly.

The tingling between her legs was starting to become uncomfortable, as if she needed it to be released from her body in some way. She was starting to get an idea of what being the Viking's mate meant, but she needed to hear him say it.

"As my mate," he growled, stepping even closer to her. "You will be mine. I will be yours. And we will be together forever."

"So... we would be married?"

"In a sense, yes. We do not do things the same way as the English. We will have a mating ceremony when we return, but the mating generally takes place the second that the wolf finds his promised mate."

Adeline swallowed hard. That means... now. She had a vague idea of what married people did when they were alone, but she had never experienced it herself. Afraid again, she looked down to the deck.

"I... I've never.... been with a man before," she said softly.

"I know," he murmured, reaching for her chin and tilting it up so that she was looking straight at him again. "I'm the only man you'll ever be with."

"If I'm your mate, does that mean you'll... kiss me?" she asked, feeling her face burn with embarra.s.sment for asking such a shameful question.

He laughed, and his eyes seemed to burn a brighter shade of yellow.

"That depends. Do you want me to kiss you, my little Adeline?"

Adeline bit her tongue and looked away again. She wanted to say yes, but it was wrong to want a man in that way, especially before marriage. She had learned that in church, and been true to G.o.d until now. But he's so handsome, and I feel like I might explode into flames if he doesn't....

"I can't," she finally replied. "G.o.d wouldn't approve."

He tilted her chin up to his again and spoke gently.

"Where we are going, there are different G.o.ds. The G.o.ds of our people look favorably on mating, as it produces children. And part of that process might just involve kissing."

The last of Adeline's resolve to stay a chaste virgin finally melted, and she widened her eyes before replying.

"Alrik. I want you to kiss me now," she whispered.

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she knew that she had made the right choice. Alrik's eyes burned with barely-contained arousal as he pounced on her, scooping her up in both of his strong arms and resting her on the edge of the deck.

"No! I could fall!" she cried.

He leaned closer and moved his mouth over her ear, his stubble grazing the soft skin of her neck as he did so.

"I'll hold onto you. I told you I wouldn't ever let you go once I had you," he growled.

His voice was masculine and entirely dangerous as he spoke to her, yet Adeline felt completely safe with the knowledge that he was her mate, and he wasn't going to let anything bad happen to her. She reached out and tentatively ran her hands over the tight, hard muscles of his chest and back, a tinge of delight running through her as she explored his body.

Without another word, he pulled his head back, smirked at her, and then pressed his mouth onto hers, sending a ball of warmth ricocheting through Adeline's body. He was rough as his tongue hunted for a way into her mouth, but at the same time something about the way he was kissing her felt undeniably amazing.

She opened her mouth to him, allowing him to deepen their embrace; his tongue gliding into her mouth and past her teeth before exploring and entwining with her own tongue. Powerful s.h.i.+vers were shooting up and down her spine, and she felt a distinct heat pooling between her soft thighs.

Something directly between her legs was aching in a strange way; it wasn't painful, but she felt as if it might get painful if she didn't feel Alrik's touch immediately. Breaking away from his delicious kiss, she stared up at him, her heart pounding and her breathing shallow and fast.

"I think I'm ready for you," she said. "Something inside me feels... I don't know how to explain it."

He grinned widely, and his eyes burned with l.u.s.t for her as he murmured his approval.

"I feel the same as you, don't worry. It's normal," he said, stroking her hair and trailing one fingernail down her cheek.

His words and touch ignited another fire within her core, and she knew that this experience would be unforgettable. Still holding her steady on the edge of the s.h.i.+p with one arm, he leaned down and growled into her ear again, a sound which Adeline now knew signaled his desire for her.

Alrik's other arm reached around and pulled on the bodice of her dress, and when he had torn the laced part open, he slid his hand inside, cupping and squeezing her full, round b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Adeline let out a soft moan, unable to believe how amazing it felt to have a man running his hands all over her virgin body, making her feel so bad and yet so good at the same time.

His mouth found hers again as he caressed her skin, and eventually he pulled his hand away and slid it further down, pus.h.i.+ng her dress up around her full hips. Adeline gasped as she felt the cool sea air hit her now-bared calves and thighs, but the burning heat within her core made her soon forget the goose b.u.mps that had p.r.i.c.kled up over her skin. His hand deftly tore away her underclothes, and Adeline let out another gasp as she felt the wet heat between her legs. It was as if the flood of emotions she was experiencing had also released a torrent of wetness in her nether regions, and Alrik let out a low growl as his hand moved between her legs, stroking her inner thighs softly before locating her warm folds.

His rough, stubbled face nuzzled her neck as he trailed his fingers up and down her most private area, and Adeline couldn't help but let out a series of soft moans. His fingers between her legs felt ticklish but somehow amazingly good at the same time, and she never wanted him to stop what he was doing.

He pressed the pad of one of the fingers against the hard, throbbing nub at the top of her pink folds and began to rub, and she cried out as a shockwave of pleasure reverberated through her body, sending ripples of warmth down her spine. Her mind was clouded with her desire for him, and she moaned his name as his finger started to move around on her nub in small, slow circles.

As his finger continued to draw circles on her, Alrik nipped at her neck and earlobes, sending another wild s.h.i.+ver down Adeline's spine. The feeling of needing some kind of release was getting stronger and stronger, and she thought for a moment that she might go crazy if she didn't feel it immediately.

Finally, she closed her eyes and let go, and the pressure that had been building deep within her core seemed to explode out of her. For a minute, she thought that an enormous wave must have swept her off the longs.h.i.+p and into the ocean, but the warmth that was flooding through her made her realize that she was just experiencing the utmost pleasure as waves of ecstasy crashed over her again and again.

Her Viking mate pulled his hand away and held onto her with both arms as she trembled and moaned, and her legs shook uncontrollably as her eyes almost rolled back in her head. Never had she thought that a man's touch could bring her so much joy, and it occurred to her that maybe no other man could. Maybe Alrik was the only man that would ever be able to touch her like that and produce such an incredible result.

"Please," she said breathlessly. "Do that to me one more time."

"No," he growled. "I'll be doing that to you a lot more than just one more time."

With that, he picked her up again and then carefully laid her on the deck, before pus.h.i.+ng her legs apart and settling his weight on her, moving his hips back and forth in an up and down motion. For some reason, the movement drove Adeline even wilder with desire for him, and she instinctively began to move her own hips in a rhythm with his, feeling the pulsing, warm pressure that was already starting to build in her belly again.

Alrik growled and reached a hand down, and seconds later Adeline looked down to see that he had unlaced his brown breeches. Something unfamiliar had emerged from them, and she gasped and reached her hand down as well, somehow knowing that she wanted to touch it. It was thick and smooth, and she suddenly realized what it was; the part that men had. Not only that, but it was hard for her. That was how much Alrik needed her. Spurred on further as she realized how much he wanted her, she boldly slid her hands through his hair and pulled him down for another kiss.

As he greedily took firm control of her mouth again, he pressed himself up against her warm, wet entrance and rubbed up and down, teasing her swollen nub and eliciting a frustrated groan from Adeline.