The Powtoken Nation had accepted them with open arms, thinking their animal selves a communion with the Earth Mother herself. They were regarded as near deities, and made the Berserkers honorary members of the tribe. At last, they felt like they had found a home.
After spending nearly two hundred years with the Nation, Europe caught up with them. They feared their presence would get the Powtoken killed, especially when Hahunsunacawh chose to make peace with the settlers. Hoping the Europeans would learn from these people, that the beauty that was the Powtoken would clear the fog from their eyes, Ryden and his men walked away.
Ryden felt they should have known what the settlers would do to the Natives years later, as they had already destroyed much of Europe, tearing down the forests and robbing the ground of the Earth’s treasures. Ryden would forever mourn the mistake he had made not killing the lot of the settlers. But perhaps then, it would have been even worse for the Nation, once more and more of the Europeans had come, and blamed them for the massacre. Berserkers were strong, but not strong enough to kill every settler that laid a foot on new soil.
Nor was it their nature.
Once each one hundred years since, Ryden and his men returned to this spot, paying their respects to the Nation and Hahunsunacawh for the love and family they had become. But now those settlers had ruined the land further, placing an amusement park on the largest Indian burial ground in the Powtoken Nation. Animals who once ran free through the vast forests that grew here were caged and put on show for the descendants of the Europeans to watch. Metal monsters flung them into the air and back to the ground. It made Ryden sick.
Until Rayne had captured the scent that had floored them all.
And Ryden knew that fate had finally found them and brought them to this wretched place for a reason. As they watched the woman from afar, they knew her to be a mate immediately; her scent had nearly driven all the men insane. As she turned, she had been drawn to Ryden. Locked within his gaze and it was sealed at that point.
She had chosen.
“Ryden?”
Pulled out of his abyss, Ryden turned to Rayne noting they were walking from the entrance of the park. Moving towards the woods at the far left, they blended in, walking until they were deep enough that no human would hear them.
“Ryden!”
“What?” Ryden’s word ripped from him on a roar, the energy he used to prevent himself from grabbing the woman and running into the woods with her was an irritant, and he took it out on the one man he knew would allow him his rage. His brother. His twin. The two were nearly inseparable, as if they truly were two parts of the same whole. And Rayne could take Ryden’s anger.
“We have waited too long, why did you not lure her out so we could take her? Her time is near she will need to be away from people soon.”
Ryden did not answer; afraid his brother would not like the answer. “She needs time.”
“She has none. The Nave is but three days away. The woman is in danger. We need to protect her.”
“So we watch her.”
“Watch? We watch her? This is not the time to sit back and idly strategize. She needs more than that. We need to get her to one of the safe houses and keep her under lock and key.” Rayne drew his fingers through his choppy blonde hair. “We can’t lose her, not after waiting this long.”
Moving to a fallen log, Ryden sat down, thighs wide, his forearms braced on his knees. The musty scent of rotting leaves hit his nose. “I don’t like the idea any more than you do, but she will not come quietly, I sense it. Her Valkyrie blood is too strong. And if we take her too soon, she may never forgive us. It needs to be her choice. We need to fire her passions, make her yearn for us, make her…comfortable.”
“Comfortable? You want to waste time…wooing the woman?”
“Wooing? In an odd manner of speaking, I suppose so. Put ourselves in her path. Make us less the strangers and I think it will be easier on her.”
“Brother, I have serious doubts here. The Swartska could be closing in even now. I hope you are right about this.”
“We haven’t sensed a threat in the area. And we will remain close by to protect her. Our brothers would lay down their lives to protect a mate, you know it.”
“I just hope it doesn’t come to that point, Ryden.”
****
Karli stepped out of the shower and threw on her sleep shirt. After a long day in the heat, and the crazy pull of the men in the park, she felt drained. Slipping into the cool sheets, sleep fought her, and she tossed in her bed. The bright red glow of the clock was like a constant reminder that she couldn’t find peace as the minutes ticked by.
Eventually sleep did come, but peace was still not to be. As soon as she closed her eyes, visions of the silver eyed men kept her up all night. She imagined them in her room, slipping into the covers with her, touching her in ways she had never thought possible. Holding her within their arms, making her feel safe and secure. Huddled between both of their strong naked bodies.
Rolling over, the ache in her pussy was too much for her to bear any longer, and her hand drifted between her legs to give her ease. Opening her bedside stand, she pulled out her vibrator, rubbing the length against her aching clit, imagining the entire time that Ryden rested between her opened legs, pressing against her burning flesh.
Fluidly beneath the sheets, she brought herself to completion as she had so many other times before, and as soon as she dropped the toy beside her, she felt tears spring to her eyes. Telling herself for so many years that she didn’t need anyone in her life, that she could take care of all of her needs herself; she had pushed the thought of a relationship from her mind and her world.
And now, after finding her empty completion, the one thing she wanted most was for someone to share her bed. Closing her eyes, sleep came for her once more, though fitfully. She continued to toss and turn, opening her eyes to a noise.
A large gray wolf padded up to her bed, standing at the corner looking at her with its silver glowing eyes.
“I must be dreaming,” she said to the wolf, as if he would understand her.
There was no fear on her part; she knew the animal was not there to hurt her. Karli sat up, the sheets falling off her upper body, revealing her naked breasts. A growl came from the beast, the sound vibrating through her body, making the dampness between her legs grow.
The wolf began to contort, turning into Ryden. He stood there before her naked, large and erect, ready to pleasure her. He remained at the corner of her bed; the eyes still the same stunning silver, with a question in them. Karli reached her hand out to him; she needed to be held in this bed that had suddenly become so vacant. He took her hand and climbed up the foot of the bed, resting alongside her, pulling her into his massive arms.
His heat bled into her, and her eyes closed in delight. Karli reached for his sex, and he moved her hand off him, remaining above the covers as he held her tightly. Pressing a soft kiss to her brow, he rubbed his heavy hands along her head, down her arm, calming her. As the tears came, he held her as she sobbed, and continued to do so until sleep finally fully claimed her.
She found peace, in Ryden’s arms.
****
Ryden looked down at Karli’s satin skin as she finally relaxed in his arms. Brushing a stray bit of russet hair back, he fanned the waves out onto her pillow. She was exquisite, even though he could tell she thought herself as plain. No woman who realized the full impact of her beauty would hide it behind loose clothing and ponytails. She deserved to be in expensive gowns with diamonds dripping off every possible space.