“What about you?” Isobel thought that Elene would stand a good chance with Alasdair, even better than she would because Elene was Scottish.

  Elene laughed. “I have an eye on one of Alasdair’s brothers. No’ that either take any interest in me, but you definitely have caught the laird’s eye. I think it was when you practically shouted at Alasdair that there had been no one on the beach with us that had intrigued him most of all.”

  Isobel sighed. “I hadna meant to make the outburst. He immediately knew I was a Viking and that there were others on the beach then.”

  “And once he learned who they were, he respected you for trying to protect them.”

  Isobel looked askance at Elene. “So which brother are you interested in?”

  Elene laughed. “I willna say unless things change between us. By then, I’m sure you’ll know yourself.”

  Lorne stalked into the great hall to speak with Alasdair. Everyone quieted and Isobel figured a problem had arisen.

  Isobel wondered if she would be needed to help other guards in defense of the keep. She admired the clan for building the wall around the keep, but they still had a long way to go to make it fully secure. She thought she could help build it when she wasn’t doing guard duty.

  As much as everyone was watching Alasdair and Lorne, she knew it must be serious.

  Alasdair glanced at her, his look stern. Was the trouble over her?

  Alasdair knew he was going to have to ultimately deal with Cleary and Baine one way or another. They wanted to join his prosperous clan. They couldn’t unless they were wolves. Turning them meant they would have difficulty controlling their shifting during the full moon and couldn’t shift at all during the new moon. Those who had fewer human roots were known as royals and could shift at will at any time they wished. Which made him wonder if Isobel was a royal wolf or not.

  “They came with a cache of fish,” Lorne said. “Do I accept the fish and send them away?”

  “They are trying to learn if Isobel and her kin are from the north.”

  “Aye. They’ve tried every way they can to ingratiate themselves to the pack,” Hans said. “I say we turn them and make them part of the pack.”

  “What about Isobel and her nephews and niece? If we turn Cleary and Baine and they become part of the pack, I still believe they will want them dead because the Vikings killed their family,” Alasdair said. The men were likeable, hard workers. He didn’t want to eliminate them, and they were good hunters, fighters—and fishermen, it seemed. But he couldn’t allow them to harm anyone in his pack.

  “They can help build the fortifications,” Rory said. “And if they try to harm the Vikings, we’ll eliminate the troublemakers. You know they’re not going to stop trying to join our clan, and at the same time, learn if Isobel and her kin are Vikings.”

  “I agree. Thank them for the fish. Ask them to join us for the meal. Beyond that, they can become part of our clan and they can help build our wall, among other things. They’ll stay in the barracks with the rest of the men and eat with us during the meals. But make room at a table farthest from Isobel and her kin,” Alasdair said.

  “Aye, we will.” Rory hurried off to have some of their people make room at one of the lower tables and Lorne went to fetch Cleary and Baine.

  As soon as the men entered the great hall, Lorne seated them at the only table that had space available on one of the benches. Both men thanked Alasdair then began to eat and drink the food and ale that women brought out for them.

  “When do we turn them?” Hans asked, knowing Alasdair had decided to do so or he wouldn’t have had the humans dining with them or joining the clan.

  “Get a good day’s work out of them building the wall. Tonight, in the barracks, you and I can take care of them.” Alasdair ate some of his venison. He and his eldest brother would take responsibility for the men and if they went rogue, he would take care of them. He wouldn’t leave that up to the rest of his pack.

  “Aye.”

  They tried to never turn anyone unless they had no choice—that someone had accidentally bitten a human, or that a human had seen one of their kind shifting. Then they would have to either eliminate them or turn them. Because there were so few wolves, they didn’t just eliminate them unless they couldn’t do otherwise. As in a case where they were members of an enemy clan and would not live peaceably with his people if they were turned.

  There were advantages to being one of their kind—increased longevity, faster healing powers, and of course, their heightened wolf senses. For newly turned wolves, the shifting issues were the problem. Neither of the men had any family, so that helped Alasdair in making the decision to turn them.

  Alasdair watched the two men as they entered the great hall with Lorne and were escorted to their table. Actually everyone did. Cleary and Baine glanced around the room until they spied Isobel. When they saw her, they observed her. Alasdair hadn’t figured they would show that much interest in her—unless they assumed the worst of her.

  Alasdair told Rory, “Hans and I will turn them tonight in the barracks. We want to have other men on hand if we should have trouble with them. And they must be disarmed.”

  “Aye. They are already showing way too much interest in Isobel. Do you think ‘tis because she is so bonny?” Rory asked.

  Why hadn’t Alasdair thought of that? He’d been thinking the men had heard Isobel and her kin were Vikings and staying with his clan now. Mayhap their interest in her went in that direction instead.

  “We will keep an eye on them. Mayhap, once they are wolves, they’ll understand we’re all wolves under one roof and we’re here for each other. If they canna live with the rules, we’ll have no choice but to eliminate them. If we dinna turn them to see if they come around, I’m afraid they’ll target them when we’re least expecting it. If they are only interested in the lass because of how comely she is, they could still turn on her once they learn she’s not a Scotswoman. We’ll have to have eyes on them at all times.” Alasdair thought of the bairns playing in the meadow, or Conall and Isobel with them on the hunt and accidentally being killed. Or that Isobel might bathe in the loch again on her own and the brothers could catch her at it. But Alasdair certainly thought of her and her kind being in danger where these men were concerned unless turning them changed their outlook.

  Rory had purposefully made sure Cleary and Baine were sitting next to Lorne. He would listen in on anything that was being said. Alasdair wished he could listen in on their conversations himself. Until Cleary and Baine had arrived, he had been concentrating on Isobel smiling and chatting it up easily with Elene. They appeared to be the best of friends. Isobel had been slow at making friends among his people, though the crofters loved her and her family already and wanted to keep them there for as long as they wanted to stay with them. His sister, Bessetta, had tried to befriend Isobel also. He hadn’t heard how that was working out. Bessetta was sitting at the head table with him, as she should be, and she hadn’t said she wanted to sit by Isobel. He was hoping they’d become good friends.

  Isobel’s younger nephew and her niece seemed happy to be with the other bairns of the pack. Bairns were more resilient, and the bairns in his pack were good about welcoming more wolf bairns in their ranks. He’d seen them playing in the gardens as wolves already. He’d also seen them doing the chores without complaint and he hadn’t seen any fights break out among them—yet.

  Conall seemed to be fitting in. When he wasn’t working on the wall, he was practicing fighting with the other youth his age. He appeared to have made a couple of friends. Alasdair was glad for that. Elene seemed to fit in with the other women and from what others had told him, she hadn’t said anything about leaving the clan to find her other pack members, if any of them were still alive. They would help her to locate them when they were able to.

  First, though, he wanted to get the fortifications done on the wall, to make it more secure before they left the keep for any length of time. Alasdair kept worrying about Cleary and Baine, though he knew everyone would be keeping an eye on them.

  That evening, Alasdair went to speak to Isobel to ensure that she understood what was going on with Cleary and Baine before she heard it from anyone else.

  They were in the meadow alone together and he said, “We have Cleary and Baine under watch at all times. Hans and I are turning them tonight.”

  “They’ll have more control over their shifting right now.”

  “Aye, between the full moon and new, they will. Which is partly why I wanted to do it now, but mostly because they seem to be interested in you and your kin and I canna have them giving you trouble. They’ve always wanted to join the clan, but since they’re no’ wolves, I couldna allow it before.”

  Isobel bit her lip, and he tenderly rubbed her chin. “Mayhap I am mistaken, and they are only interested in you. But I couldna have that either.”

  She raised her brows. “Nay.”

  He smiled. “’Tis possible.”

  “I doubt it. I imagine ‘tis more likely that they believe we’re from the north and they would like to destroy us. They saw the way Conall was dressed when we were on the earlier hunt.”

  “We hope turning them will change their opinion once they learn the truth about you and your family, but if it doesna and they wish to harm you, we’ll take care of them.”

  “Thank you, but if they come after us and I’m there, I’ll protect my kin.”

  “You have all of us for that from now on.” He suspected it would take a while before she believed his kind, who were not Vikings, would take care of her and her kin.

  She nodded, but he sensed she felt she still must take care of her own family—as if it were her destiny.

  “I’m going to the barracks with Hans now and take care of this little matter. If you have any trouble at all, just let me or my brothers know.”

  “Ja.”

  “Aye,” he corrected her, not wanting her to make the slip in front of someone other than their pack members. But he knew from the expression on her face she intended to take matters into her own hands if either man threatened her or her kin. He didn’t blame her, though he wanted to take care of them himself to prove to her that he was good for his word.

  “Will I see you this eve?” she asked.

  He smiled. “Do you mean will I go swimming again this eve?”

  “I’ll be there to guard you. You shouldna be alone like that. And I’m a guard.”

  He chuckled. “The same for you.” He saw Hans coming and he knew he wanted to get this over with. “Are you ready?”

  “Aye.” Hans inclined his head to Isobel. “Are you, Alasdair?”

  “Aye.” Alasdair slapped him on the back. “I will see you later, Isobel.” Then he headed for the barracks with Hans.

  “You told her?” Hans asked.

  “Aye. I wanted her to know she and her family are safe with us.”

  “Is she safe with you?”

  Alasdair chuckled. “Perfectly.”

  “Bessetta has said the woman has caught your eye. She notices things, you know.”

  “She’s a wolf. Sometimes she notices too much.”

  Hans smiled. But when they arrived at the barracks, a group of his pack members were talking to Cleary and Baine, and they all grew quiet, knowing just what Alasdair and Hans planned to do.

  Before Alasdair and Hans could strip off their clothes, two wolves barged into the barracks. He didn’t recognize them at first, but then he smelled their scents. Isobel and Conall. They raced into the barracks and attacked Cleary and Baine, not viciously, but biting them as the brothers threw their arms up to protect themselves. The wolves’ bites broke the skin, and then Isobel and Conall turned and ran out the door.

  If they had turned the brothers, Cleary and Baine were now of Viking wolf ancestry. Alasdair wasn’t sure if that was the reason for Isobel turning the men so that they wouldn’t kill them if they knew they were now related. Or she just didn’t trust Alasdair and his people to turn Cleary and Baine and keep her and her kin safe.

  Shocked didn’t cover how Alasdair felt about Isobel and her nephew turning Cleary and Baine. Both men were holding their arms, looking just as stunned as everyone else there. Once the Viking wolves disappeared into the night, everyone looked at Alasdair to see what he wanted to do about it.

  “Your—your hounds attacked us,” Cleary said, sounding astounded. “We didna provoke them, I swear. We’re always good with animals.”

  Good. Because they were among lots of wolves that they needed to get along with. Especially the Viking wolves.

  “We’ll talk in the morn when we break our fast,” Alasdair said, needing to speak at once with Isobel. He would have no wolf under his rule making his or her own plans without his agreement. Turning men that Alasdair had welcomed into the pack could not be allowed. But then he added, “Unless you need to discuss matters with them as they play out, Lorne.”

  Lorne would oversee the men who would watch the newly turned wolves. If they had been turned, Lorne might need to explain what had happened to them. But if they didn’t shift until daybreak, there was no sense in trying to explain it to them until then.

  “I will see you in the morn. Though if there is any trouble”—more so than what Isobel and Conall had pulled—“come and see me.” Then Alasdair and Hans left the barracks.

  Alasdair was headed straight for the crofters’ farm by the loch to speak with the Viking woman when he realized Hans was sticking with him. “You dinna need to be with me for this. Go. Get your rest. I’ll be returning to my chamber shortly.”

  “Dinna be too angry with her. She only wanted to protect her kin,” Hans said.

  “Do you think I dinna know that? How does it look to the clan when a woman—a Norsewoman—takes it upon herself to turn the Scots without my permission in front of all of us?”

  “Like she was protecting her kin.”

  “Dinna stick up for her.”

  “I am only saying that’s how our people will view it.”

  “I was going to turn them. Well, you and me. It’s our responsibility, no’ hers. Does she think she can protect her family better than we can?”

  “She lost her uncle and the rest of her family. She’s had to do so much on her own to keep her niece and nephews safe for weeks on end.”

  Alasdair growled. “Didna I tell you to return to the keep?” Was no one going to listen to his orders any more now that the woman had arrived?

  “I was thinking of swimming in the loch.”

  Alasdair looked sharply at his brother.

  Hans smiled at him, then frowned again. “She and her kin fled a certain death from her own kind. She was responsible for their safety on a long and perilous journey when two of the five of them are but bairns. She would do anything to protect them, dinna you see?”

  Alasdair rubbed his whiskered chin.

  “Mayhap you should wait until morn to speak with her.”

  “Nay. You think I willna hold my temper when speaking with her?” Even now as Alasdair walked briskly across the land toward the crofters’ home, he had lost some of his anger. All he had to see was the loch in the distance and think of the naked Icelander who made him want her like no other lass had ever done.

  “I think you are still angry with her. After we learned the two of you were at the loch last night, I spread the word that everyone must use the one in the south from now on. ‘Tis closer to the keep anyway.”

  Alasdair let out his breath. “I will watch my words with her. But I’m no’ pleased with their actions this eve and I canna guarantee that I willna”—he ground his teeth—“I will try to keep my temper. Go back to the keep and watch things for me, will you? It won’t be long before everyone knows what happened at the barracks and I need you to quell the unrest if our people are afraid of the Norsewoman’s uncalled actions.” She was ultimately responsible for the attack because he knew her nephew wouldn’t have done it on his own.

  “Aye. I will see you in the morn then, unless there’s trouble before then.” Hans turned around and walked back in the direction of the keep.

  Alasdair charged ahead, wanting to get this over with and hoping he could keep his temper in check. He didn’t remember a time when anyone countermanded his authority in such a manner before. He wouldn’t allow it.

  6

  “You did what?” Agnes, the crofter’s wife, asked Isobel, sounding alarmed when she learned that Isobel and her oldest nephew had turned Cleary and Baine without the pack leader’s permission.

  “I had to do it.” Isobel knew they’d probably be thrown off the lands now, but she felt with all her heart that she’d had no choice. Just like she’d had no choice but to take her family across the ocean for weeks on end and put them in so much danger. Staying with the clan could have been their death sentence anyway. As much as people had talked about them being outsiders and traitors, she had been certain the chieftain would have ended their lives there. “One of the men who was pulling guard duty with me said that Cleary and his brother were trying to learn who we were. Where we were from. He said we were so fair haired, he was afraid that Vikings had infiltrated the clan and Alasdair was unaware of the danger we posed to him and your people. I take full responsibility for what I’ve done. Conall only went along with it because he knew I couldn’t manage two men on my own. He should not be punished for my actions.”

  Conall said, “Nay, Isobel. I did it to protect my siblings also. If you had not done it yourself, I would have.”

  “He will be coming for you then,” Agnes said, worried, wringing her hands, glancing at the floor where the younger bairns were sound asleep on blanket-covered straw beds.

  Isobel knew she wouldn’t want to part with the bairns. Agnes loved them like they were her own bairns that she’d never been able to have.

  “I dinna want to see you go,” Agnes said, tears filling her eyes. She straightened her posture. “I will tell Alasdair that I begged you to turn Cleary and Baine to ensure the little ones remained safe.”