Page 3

I curl into a ball and brace myself, but I’m not prepared for when the boat shatters all around me. The collision with the hard ground stuns me. For a few seconds, all I can do is fight the urge to pass out. I can’t. I must stay awake. Who knows what threats await me in this strange place?

A voice calls out to me, and a scent unlike anything I’ve ever smelled before pulls me from the dark depths, trying to drag me down into unconsciousness.

This smell… I must find out where it is coming from.

Who it belongs to. The ulfhednar within me stirs to life, filling me with the strength I need to find my feet and rise.

A man stands before me. He’s shorter, the top of his head reaching my chest, with a lithe, lean build.

He must not be a warrior, then. It looks like he lives a soft, comfortable life.

How pathetic, and yet I must admit he is stunning.

I usually prefer the company of women over men, but I’d be blind to deny his beauty.

I’ve never seen hair such a color in one so young; it’s as light and bright as polished silver, though his brows and beard are as black as my own.

And his eyes… so light and blue they look like shards of ice.

“Who are you? What is that…” I ask, and then the winds blow that delicious scent to me again. “That scent. What is that?”

As the man’s nose twitches, mirroring my own fascination, I come closer.

“It’s…” I whisper.

As his scent floods my senses, the wolf inside howls for him with a yearning so deep it takes my breath away.

“You,” he breathes, his voice full of the very same awe coursing through me.

He smells like the woods where I roamed with my father, like leaves and soil warmed by sunshine. Even more intriguing is the scent of his wolf, however faint. He is ulfhednar, like me. But where are his furs? I must know more about him.

He smells like…

Mine .

He is mine.

“What is your name?” The words escape me in a growl. I’m surprised by how foreign my words sound. I’m not speaking the language of my people but an unfamiliar tongue similar to my mate’s. The portal’s magic must have given me the ability to speak and understand his tongue. A useful skill.

“J-Jamie Sullivan. Uh. Maybe we should get you to a hospital, or—” He yelps as I grab the front of his coat and haul him in close. With my nose to his neck, I breathe in deep and practically groan as that sweet, luscious scent fills my lungs. “Dude. What the hell? Let go!”

“I understand why I arrived here of all places,” I say against his skin. “It was so I could meet you, Jamie, son of Sullivan.”

It’s then that I notice the wooden necklace protruding from the gap in his coat.

Is that ash wood? It is! I would recognize it anywhere.

Yggdrasil itself is an ash tree, and my people use branches or parts of ash trees to travel between the realms. This necklace could help me return to my time, overthrow my worthless brother, and lead my pack into the future they deserve.

Just as I close my fist around it, Jamie shoves me hard in the chest and sends me stumbling back.

“Whoa there, buddy.” Jamie holds up both hands. “Usually, strange men buy me dinner before they tell me how good I smell.”

There’s a laugh, and I notice a young boy has been hiding behind Jamie. “Were you having a cosplay party on a boat or something?”

I have no idea what the lad’s talking about. “A… party?”

“Are you dressed up as a Viking? Your clothes are so cool!” The boy’s eyes light up.

“Jace, chill,” Jamie hisses.

I think the lad is complimenting my clothes, even if I’m not sure what this “cool” means.

“My clothes are quite warm, I assure you.” I can’t tear my eyes from the necklace.

Even the symbol carved into the wood is one all ulfhednar would recognize: a wolf slumbering at the roots of Yggdrasil.

The symbol of my clan. How did he get such a priceless gift?

“Where did you get that necklace?” I ask.

He closes a fist around it, clutching it to him protectively. I can tell it means a lot to him. “It was a gift from my grandmother.”

“And her name was?” I wonder if I’ll recognize it.

“Astrid.”

A fairly common name. My clan has quite a few Astrids, but only one was a traveler. “Did she travel?”

Jamie squints at me. “Sure? I guess. She was always adventurous.”

“I knew her when I was a lad.”

Shaking his head, Jamie takes an even bigger step back from me. “No. I don’t think you did.”

Why does he insist on arguing with me? Leveling a scowl at him, I say, “She had a saying she’d tell us boys before going off on one of her journeys. ‘Not all those who wander…’”

“‘…are lost.’” Jamie’s eyes widen to twice their size. “Her favorite quote from Lord of the Rings .”

“Lord of the what?”

Jace huffs. “You’ve gotta be kidding. Everyone knows Lord of the Rings !”

Jamie leans back and catches himself on the railing. “Oh my god. How did you know my grandma?”

“She was a time traveler. As I am,” I bitterly add. I’d much rather not be here, contrary to how pleased my wolf is at finding our mate in this bizarre place.

Jace gasps. “A time traveler? That’s so awesome! I knew people like you were real!”

Jamie’s mouth opens and closes like a fish. Finally, he laughs. “Okay. I’d better be going. Have a good night.” He grabs the boy’s shoulders, ignoring his protests as he tries to push Jace ahead of him.

He’s leaving? He’s mad if he thinks I’ll let him walk away after I’ve only just found him—his necklace, that is. My place isn’t here, it’s back in my time, and that necklace is my key to getting home. This man is a complication I can’t afford.

Just as Jamie spins on his heel, I grab his wrist and haul him back to me. “Hand it over. Now.”

Jamie’s face whitens even further, the scent of his fear making my stomach churn. I’ve scared him. Damn it, why is guilt gnawing at me? I need that necklace. Nothing else matters. I’ve stepped over others all my life to get what I want. Using others is how I’ve survived.

“What the hell is your problem?” Jamie squawks.

“I need it!”

“You’re freaking crazy!”

A growl rumbles in my throat, and I yank him in closer.

“Hand it over, or I’ll… I’ll…” But at his panicked gasp and the widening of his terrified blue eyes, the words lodge themselves in my throat.

The growl cuts out as quickly as it began.

My fingers loosen around his wrist of their own accord.

My body, my very mind, can’t even comprehend hurting him, no matter how important that necklace is.

How am I supposed to take it from him if not by force? Damn it!

Oh no. Do I have to ask nicely? Must I beg?

I’d rather hurl myself back into the river.

“Would you…” I grind my teeth, trying to hold back the revoltingly weak words.

“May I—” I clamp my jaw shut and squeeze, grinding my teeth.

I have never asked anyone for anything before.

All I could possibly want has always been given, and gladly, or I’ve taken it by force with my fangs, claws, or sword.

“May I please have your necklace?” I can’t even look at him and snarl the words at the ground, ears and face burning. “I need it to return to my timeline.”

There’s a long, breathless pause as Jamie and Jace look at each other, then back at me like I’ve grown five heads.

I swear to Odin, if I have to repeat myself, I may die from humiliation.

“Sure,” Jamie says, tone light and breezy.

I jerk my head up—and yelp as his fist crashes into my nose.

“Stay the hell away from us, you creep!” Grabbing Jace’s hand, Jamie tears off into the night as if Odin’s Wild Hunt itself is after him.

My nose heals in seconds, though I wish I could say the same for my pride, and I wipe away the blood with a scowl.

My mate just punched me and ran away.

Since when does anyone run from me?

Gods. Can I do nothing right in this place?

Well, I can’t let him get away. Not before I’ve gotten my hands on that necklace. It’s not because I’m drawn to him in any way. That would be foolish.

Get the necklace. Get home. Nothing else matters. If I have to, I’ll take a chosen mate the instant I’m back in my time. Nothing is coming between me and my goals, not even fate itself.

Drawing in a deep lungful of Jamie’s scent, I pursue him away from the river.

His trail leads to a strange metal contraption I’ve never seen before.

Jamie climbs inside, and the contraption roars to life, making me jump.

What in Hel’s name is that thing ? Is it a horse?

Is that how people get around in this world?

I don’t see any horses to ride, so that must be it.

Gods. Horses are terrifying in this timeline.

The metal horse speeds Jamie away from me, moving faster than any horse from my time.

Damn it! I can’t lose him.

Ahead of me, a woman opens up the inside of her own metal horse thing. I cover the distance in moments. “You there! Step aside! I have need of your horse!”

“Get away from me!” She whips something small from her pocket, and the next thing I know, my eyes are on fire. Yowling, I cover them, wiping frantically to try and clear my vision. Tears stream down my face, blurring my sight as the woman climbs into her metal horse and hurtles away.

My eyes may be compromised, but my sense of smell has only heightened to make up for it.

Jamie’s scent lingers on the breeze. I must follow it.

Nose to the air, I pursue Jamie’s scent, wiping my streaming eyes as I go.

My vision slowly clears as my healing repairs whatever damage that woman did to my eyes.

What was that substance she sprayed me with?

It burned like silver. Could she have been a hunter?

How else would she have known silver is our weakness?