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CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Ahundred yards away, the old male held my gaze without flinching. Einar Ulven was more than just the twins’ grandfather—he was their great-grandfather many times over, the head of their line. One of the oldest wolves in all the known packs. The puffy, army-green down jacket he wore must have been at least thirty years old. His leather hiking boots, jeans, and blue and green checkered flannel shirt looked well-worn and possibly around the same age as his jacket. With my attention trained on the old male, my acute hearing zeroed in on the slow, steady beat of his heart.
He doesn’t fear me.
My mate’s anxious howl came up from the northeast. Through our bond, I knew his exact location, much closer than I had realized. I answered back to alert Seff to the old wolf’s presence though I knew he would’ve scented Einar already. Within seconds, Seff and a small group of wolves burst out of the trees between Einar and where my I stood with the twins.
I felt a persistent tug on my hand and glanced down to see Arteisma pulling at me.
“Des! Des!”
Her tiny hand wrapped around my long scythe-like claw was unnerving...and dangerous. If I twitched the wrong way, my claws had the potential to slice through her delicate skin. I slowed my breathing and focused on not accidentally harming one of my precious daughters.
“Des!” she shouted again, drawing my eyes back to her face. “Des, he helped us come home. Don’t hurt him.”
Helped them come home?I squinted and tilted my head in question.
“He knew the code words,” Nereida said. “So, we thought you sent him to find us.”
I stared up at the old male.How did he know?
He shouted across the distance, “If I had a cat, I’d name him Raspberry.”
“Evelyn,” my dad said in a low voice. “Take the twins in and warm them up with a hot bath. Then, we’ll all get something to drink.”
Arteisma said, “I’m hungry, Poppo. Can we have something to eat, too?”
My dad didn’t look away from the old male standing at the tree line, but his voice stayed calm and reassuring. “Sure, we’ll all have something to eat.”
I listened to my mom, Arteisma, and Nereida retreat inside and as soon as the door to my parent’s yurt closed, my dad looked up at me and said, “I think it’s time we find out their grandpa’s intentions.”
With reluctance, I took on my wolf form and walked out across the snow-covered ground. I tried to focus on Einar, but once Seff swiveled his head around and our gazes locked, I saw nothing but my mate, mysakana. I felt nothing but what we exchanged through our bond—longing, love, desire.
Once I reached him, I smoothed my body along the long length of his, inhaling in his earthy scent, tasting it on my tongue. He turned and threw his front leg over my back, then nipped at the soft area just behind my ear. Yes, I was his, and I’d missed him so much.
My dad had kept walking, and I heard him say in his easy way, “Einar, it’s been a long time.”
“My absence was never my choice.” The old wolf’s voice was deep and so full of sadness.
“The twins said you helped them find their way home.”
Einar’s pale blue eyes locked on me. “Viveca was wrong in taking them from you after you had already lost so much.”
How did he know?
