The Wolf You Feed Arc (7 page)

They settled into a standoff. Despite its smaller stature and fat belly, it didn’t pay to underestimate the pig’s capabilities. These damn things were vicious and, despite their rotund frames and short legs, they could run. When they took off, their movements were unpredictable. Tore knew his larger frame was less maneuverable. He’d have to play it smart if he didn’t want to lose the pig in the trees.

The boar stood its ground. It was only a matter of time before its aggressive nature forced it to charge. But still, the pig hesitated longer than Tore expected. He snarled, attempting to goad it. Willing it to run so it would stimulate his instinct to attack.

With a huge squeal and a cacophony of grunts, the boar broke the stalemate. Surging forwards it triggered Tore’s rush. The pig swerved right before it reached him and disappeared into the undergrowth. Tore followed at full speed, his hind legs struggling to grip the loose ground as he made the tight turns. Keeping his eyes on his disappearing meal, he ran faster.
 

As the boar twisted and turned between the trees, Tore watched for signs that the pig would turn and fight. A huge boar with massive curled tusks had caught him by surprise once before. That one had attacked him, sending Tore tail over ears into a thorn bush. By the time he’d extracted his embarrassed ass out of the undergrowth, dinner was long gone.

This time, there would be no mistakes. This would be a successful kill.

With one giant leap, Tore landed parallel to the squealing hog. Huge jaws locked tight around its throat and Tore’s long fangs, punctured its jugular. The boar thrashed and writhed as the wolf’s canines pierced deeper into its flesh. The pig was strong. Strangled squeals echoed around the forest as it fought for its life.

Tore used all his considerable strength to keep hold of the bucking creature. Inch by inch, he ratcheted his jaws together until the pig inhaled its last breath. With its heart no longer beating, its blood pooled in its arteries and the once robust body hung limp. Warm hog’s blood trickled down Tore’s throat and the gamey smell filled his nostrils. The impulse to feed on his prize was consuming his wolf, but Tore was half human. Unlike his animal counterpart, he could keep control.
 

Dropping the lifeless body to the ground, he stretched out the tension from his neck and jaw. Adjusting his grip, he checked his wolf’s compulsion to feed and dragged the heavy carcass back to the cave.
 

Nea was still on guard. He dropped the boar at her feet and backed away. Shifting back to human, he pulled on his clothes.

“How is Annike?”

Good, it was an easy birth. You have a son, Tore.

He dropped to his knees, overwhelmed at the news. His heart swelled with pride. 
A son.
His instincts had been right. Hope surged through his veins. A son would carry on his name and continue the Vargr legacy. But more importantly, this was a child born to
his
pack. Tore knew it would be the first of many. In a few years there would be more sons, maybe a daughter.
 

Then Tore remembered, there was another born to his clan that he had yet to meet. “What did you have Nea?”

Also a son,
she said.
I named him Rune.
She looked away for a second.
Would you like to meet him?

“Will you trust me? I’ll stay in my human form, I won’t shift.”

She took a moment to study his face. After careful contemplation, she pulled herself to her feet and went back to the cave. She returned carrying the pup by its scruff. Exercising caution, she laid him between her legs. Giving the pup three long licks, she sized Tore up. Rune made a small whining sound and settled into her warmth.

A sense of awe threatened to overwhelm him. Less than a week old, the pup was so much smaller than he’d imagined. With weak, just opened eyes and a soft gray down, Rune looked like a domesticated dog and too cute to be wolf.

“He’s so beautiful, Nea.”

Thank you.
Sadness filled her eyes.
I wish the circumstances were different, but he is mine and I love him.

She got to her feet. Picking up Rune, she placed him in Tore’s lap. His hands trembled as he wrapped them around the pup’s tiny form. He weighed nothing.

“Are you sure this is okay?” Nea lay down in front of him and nodded. The pup filled his two hands, its belly round, distended with his mother’s milk. Laying him in his lap, Tore stroked one finger down his back. It nuzzled against his hand. Rune’s tiny snout rooted and he latched onto Tore’s finger.

Annike appeared next to Nea and rubbed her head against her friend. Crouching down she watched her mate stroking Rune. Tore pushed his fingers through Annike’s thick chocolate fur, relishing the feel of touching her again. “How are you doing?”

I’m well. Nea tells me it was an easy birth. I guess him arriving a few weeks early made the difference. I’ll eat in a minute and then sleep.
 

He showed her Nea’s pup sleeping in his hands.

“Is our son as beautiful as Rune?”

She laughed.
Of course he is!
Annike wandered over to the boar. She looked exhausted. She sniffed at the carcass, but didn’t eat. After a moment, she vanished into the cave. She returned seconds later, her pup in her mouth. He was much smaller than Nea’s but they had similar coloring. Tore lay Rune, gently in his lap.

“He’s small compared to Rune. Is he okay?”

Rune was born late, ours early. Besides, our pup is only hours old, Nea’s has had time to fatten up. Don’t worry he is strong and healthy, in a few weeks he’ll catch up.
 

Annike placed him into Tore’s outstretched hands. The pup’s warmth melted his heart and love flooded through him. Tears poured from his eyes as he cradled his son. An overwhelming urge to protect and nurture this vulnerable creature surged through Tore’s veins.

This was his son, made from love, given life against the odds. Isak had tried to prevent this, exiled them to avoid it. But now, every sacrifice or hardship they’d gone through, melted away. Tore was wiping the slate clean. From today, there was no past. Only a future! A future that Tore would build for his mate, his son and his clan. Tore threw his arms around Annike. He buried his face into her pelt, allowing the tears to flow, dampening her fur. Pulling himself together, he kissed her snout and picked up his son. “What have you called him?”

Kjell,
Annike said.

“Kjell and Rune are fine names for my sons.”

The she-wolves exchanged a look of surprise between them.

Thank you, Tore. I’m honored that you’d take Rune as your son,
Nea said.

***

Over the next few weeks, they settled into a new routine. Each day Tore hunted for the three of them, refusing to let the girls’ help, wanting them to recover fully. He also continued to work his job at the warehouse on the outskirts of town. Before coming home at night, he searched for a place to live.

The pups grew quickly during this time. They would take on their human forms soon. Tore was beginning to despair at finding a place they could afford. Finally, a colleague at the warehouse introduced Tore to an uncle who had a small cabin available.
 

Tore looked at the details of the place as he spoke to the man from a pay phone. Cheap, the guy had said. It didn’t matter how small or basic it was, as long as they could afford it. When he finished the call, he felt relieved. The landlord had agreed to show him around. Tore worked out some numbers. He could just about manage the rent, until the girls could begin working.

That evening, Tore settled down to sleep outside the cave. Annike came out and snuggled up to him. Shifting to human, he sat next to her and she wrapped her arms around his naked skin.
 

“What’s the matter?”

“Nea and I have been talking. We’re concerned about moving into the town.”

He stroked her hair and kissed her. “It’ll be fine. I’m seeing a place next week. I have a good feeling about it.”

“That’s great, but we’re worried about what it’s going to look like when we show up? What will they say when they see you with two young mothers? Do you remember the looks we got when people saw us together while Nea and I were pregnant? They’ll ask questions, poke their nose into our business. I’m scared they’ll find out that we’re Lycans.”

Living so close to humans, worried Tore too. But they had no choice. This was their world now. Like it or not, they needed somewhere in town. He needed to be closer to work and they had to have a place safer than the cave for their sons. Once they settled, they could handle the gossips.
 

He patted her hand. “It’s okay. We’ll just have to be careful, keep to ourselves.”

“What if they only see one mother and think that the boys are twins,” she suggested.

Tore grinned, “How will we do that? I can’t hide one of you.”
 

“If Nea stayed in her wolf form, we could convince the neighbors she was a pet,” Annike said.
 

Tore burst out laughing “Nea a dog!”

“It was Nea’s idea. When we’re home, we can keep the shades closed, and she could shift then,” explained Annike.

 
“You think she’d pass as a pet?”

Annike sighed. “I think it’s worth a try.”

They would look more like a normal family. “I suppose it could work.”
 

Annike stood to return to the cave. She held out her hand. “You should come in with us now. You need to get used to being with the kids.”

“You sure?”

Annike nodded. He took her hand. “If you think it’ll be safe…”

Pressing her finger to his lips, she silenced him. “You won’t hurt them.”

They were Tore’s boys. His blood. His clan. She was right. There was no way he’d harm them, but there was nothing wrong with being cautious.

 
7

A week later, Max Albright met Tore outside his old hunting cabin. When they’d talked on the phone, Max had warned that the cabin had none of the modern facilities a young wife and mother would expect. Tore didn’t dare tell him they’d been living in a cave the past few weeks. In the end, he convinced Albright. “We aren’t city folks with grand tastes. This place is more than adequate for our needs.”

“Too many youngsters want too much these days,” Max said, as they stood back in the yard. “It’s good to find a young fellow content with what he has.”

But even so, Max insisted on giving him a long list of negatives before agreeing to let Tore rent. “There’s a few problems, I need to fix. Them slates for one, and a couple of small plumbing issues. I’d planned on putting in some upgrades before letting it, that sink in the bathroom, a lick of paint to freshen it up. That sort of thing.”
 

Tore wanted his family settled. The boys were already in their human form. The cave wasn’t safe for them. “If it’s okay with you sir, I’m pretty handy at fixing things up. We need a place as soon as possible. So, if it’s okay, I can carry out all the repairs for you. Then we could move in straight away.”

“Hmmm, could you deal with the roof? Replace that sink?”

“No problem, done all that stuff before. I can repaint the rooms too, do all those little maintenance jobs you pointed out.”

Max took a few minutes to think while Tore grew anxious and crossed his fingers.

“I like you, Mr. Vargr. Admire that you’re not worried about a bit of hard work. But if you did all that laboring for me, I’d feel bad about charging you rent. So how about this? You move in straight away, and I’ll give you the place rent-free for a month or two while you do the work. Now does that sound fair?”

***

As they walked up to the cabin, Tore was desperate for Annike to love it. He watched her face, as they approached the front door. Annike didn’t give anything away. He let the girls in, and stood outside with their few possessions while he took control of his nerves. Tore took a deep breath and stepped inside.
 

Annike bounced up and down on the old, green leather sofa. “Oh Nea, how cute is this!”

Her friend ran her hands across a small row of kitchen cabinets and pulled open the door of a battered and scratched full size refrigerator.

“Oooh, a fridge. It’s huge and so clean.”