He walked up behind her and tenderly touched the mark. Elsa then remembered he’d done that exact same thing while they’d made love earlier. Brand had known it was there, and given how he hadn’t reacted to it, it was no surprise to him.
“It’s nothing to be worried about,” Brand said calmly.
She spun around to face him. “Nothing to worry about? You know something about this, don’t you?”
“Come out to the bedroom and get dressed, and then we’ll talk.”
Brand didn’t wait to hear her reply. He turned and walked out into the main room. Elsa stood there, her stomach knotting as a sense of unease washed through her. What was Brand going to tell her? Was she going to find out he was some kind of crazy who liked to do weird things to the women he slept with? He was too perfect. It just figured there was something he kept hidden from her.
Taking a deep breath, ready to face whatever it was Brand wanted to say, Elsa left the loo and went into the bedroom. She didn’t look at him as she collected her clothes and pulled them on. Once she was finished, she sat on the bed and waited for Brand to begin.
He came closer and looked down at her. He didn’t say anything, just stared into her eyes. The knot in Elsa’s stomach grew tighter the longer he remained silent. She just wished he’d hurry and get it over with. But then as his body blurred, she found herself frozen in place. He grew larger, taller, taking on a form that looked half human and half wolf, his body completely covered in fur. He even had a tail. Her heart raced, threatening to beat right out of her chest, and she broke out in a cold sweat as fear raced through her veins.
“I’m a werewolf, and the mark on your back means you’re my mate,” Brand said in a voice a lot gruffer and deeper than his normal one.
That was it. His speaking to her was enough to unfreeze her. Elsa opened her mouth and screamed, loud and long. She threw herself off the bed and raced for the bedroom door. She’d managed to unlock and throw it open before a large furred hand wrapped around her arm and stopped her from escaping into the hallway. Elsa screamed again, struggling to get free.
“Let me go!” she yelled. “Let me the fuck go.”
The commotion had some of Brand’s friends rushing up the stairs or coming out of other rooms on this level. Elsa was only vaguely aware of them congregating close to Brand’s bedroom door. Fear still had her in its grip. She hit, scratched, and punched Brand’s arm, desperate to get free.
“Oh, Brand, don’t tell me you told her what you were by just shifting into your werewolf form,” said a woman who stood close to Elsa.
“Was the best way. She found Tiw’s mark on her back,” Brand replied, not even showing that Elsa had hurt him in any way.
“Brand, let her go,” said a man who stood next to the woman. He spoke the words as an order.
“If I do, she’ll run.”
“You won’t do that, will you, Elsa?” the man asked.
“The fuck I won’t. Look at him. He’s a werewolf.”
“All the men who live here are werewolves as well.”
That statement just made her struggle even harder.
Another woman came to Elsa’s side and pried Brand’s fingers from around Elsa’s arm. The woman then put hers around Elsa. “It’s going to be okay, Elsa. Brand, or any of the other men here, wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. I’m Maggie, Dolf’s mate.”
“Mate?” Elsa asked.
“Yes, just as you are Brand’s. I know this is scary and hard to understand. I know exactly what you’re going through right now. I found out all about werewolves truly existing in the worst possible way. I ended up being terrified of Dolf and thought I’d never get over my fear of him. But I did and have never been happier. Let’s go downstairs and we’ll do our best to explain everything to you.” As Maggie turned Elsa in the direction of the stairs, Maggie said over her shoulder, “Brand, shift back before you come down.”
Elsa allowed Maggie to guide her down to the lower level and into the living room. The others followed. A quick glance at Brand showed he was once more in his human form. Even so, the sight of his handsome face didn’t have Elsa wanting to go to him. Her legs shook, and she was grateful when Maggie had her sit on one of the leather couches. The other woman sat next to her.
“I guess to start off I should introduce you to the others you haven’t met.”
Maggie pointed out Raed and his mate, Lexi, who held their year-old daughter, Petra. Then she introduced Algar, his mate, Kamryn, along with Wulfric and his mate, Cydney. Maggie saved Dolf for last. “There is one other person you’ll meet. His name is Chris, but he’s not here right now.”
They all looked like normal, happy couples. Elsa never would have guessed all the men were werewolves. She still avoided looking at Brand. If she did, she’d lose it again. Being next to Maggie had quelled some of the fear she felt, but it didn’t mean she wouldn’t get the hell away from them all soon. She’d hear their explanations and then make a hasty exit.
“I’m sure you have a lot of questions, Elsa,” Maggie started. “We’ll do our best to help you understand.”
Elsa cleared her throat. “How is it possible that they’re all werewolves?”
“Maybe it’s best if I answer that,” Raed said. “To start at the beginning, I once was known as Raedwald, the king of East Anglia. Algar, Garrick, Wulfric, Dolf, and Brand were my men at that time. The Anglo-Saxon god, Tiw, the sky father, came to me with his offer of immortality in exchange for my help in protecting mortals from the werewolves sired by Fenris the wolf. The others quickly vowed to join me. Along with granting us immortality, Tiw gave us the ability to shift into werewolves to give us equal footing when we fight our prey. Tiw also marked each of us as his when he placed The White Wolf emblem on the cap of our left shoulders.”
Elsa stared at Raed. “That would mean each of you have been alive for over thirteen hundred years. I learned about King Raedwald in school. They figured the Sutton Hoo site is where you were buried.”
“Yes, we’ve been around that long. As for the burial site, that’s what I intended it to be perceived as. I had to end my old life to start the new one I’d taken on.”
Holy shit, all the men in the room were over a thousand years old, including Brand. “What about your mates? Aren’t they mortal?”
“Not any longer. Once we found our mates, Tiw granted them immortality as well. They also carry the same mark as you on their backs.”
“So I’m immortal now because I have an Anglo-Saxon god’s mark on me?”
Brand stepped closer and answered her question. “No, not yet. The mark means you are mine, and that you have accepted me. When you’re ready, I’ll call on Tiw to make us true mates.”
Elsa looked him in the face. “And you’re ready to do that? After only knowing me for two days, you’re ready to tie yourself to me for all eternity?”
He squatted in front of her and took her hands in his. Elsa had to fight her first instinct to pull out of his grasp. “I’ve known you were my mate for a very long time, Elsa. For seven years to be exact.”
“What? How? I never met you before until yesterday.”
“Yes, you did. You just don’t remember. You were sixteen at the time and very drunk. You were walking home from a friend’s place. I helped you. I didn’t realize you were my mate right away. All I knew was that you were the only woman who’d stirred my wolf. Then I found myself drawn to you time and time again, and I figured it out. I watched over you all these years, waiting for you to grow up enough for me to claim you. But then you became engaged to Teddy, and I was prepared to let him have you if it was what you wanted.”