Page 33 of Wolf Heir (Highland Wolves of Old #3)

As soon as Aisling saw two men guarding the gates at the back of the castle, she drew alarmed. They pulled their swords out of their sheaths and motioned to the castle. One of them said, “Morag wants an audience with you. Didna you get her message?”

“Go,” Aisling said to Coinneach’s family. “They came about a bairn in trouble at one of the crofters’ homes when they were on their way here, and my mother is going to help them. I also wished to ask if I could offer some assistance.”

“Nay, Lady Morag said that both of you are to meet her in her solar.”

“But she is no’ in her solar. She is there to watch the men practice fighting.

By the time she returns, I will be there.

” She heard footfalls crunching on stones underfoot and turned, figuring more guards were coming for them, but was surprised to see Coinneach, Aodhan, Collum, and Hamish all abreast of each other, now wielding their own swords.

“Drop your weapons,” Hamish commanded. His voice was deep and commanding.

“My laird, Lady Morag wanted to see Aisling and Blair in her chambers,” the guard insisted as if Morag’s wishes were more critical than Hamish’s.

Hamish took another step toward them, the other men with him following his lead. “What did I tell you?”

Then the men sheathed their swords.

“I told you to drop them.”

The men looked startled, afraid of what their laird intended to do to them. They slowly pulled out their swords and dropped them on the rocky ground. Then Collum and Coinneach retrieved the men’s swords.

“Why would you threaten the women in such a manner?” Hamish asked, his voice booming in the archway over the big, burly gates.

“We were supposed to take any force necessary to detain them,” the one guard said, the other nodding emphatically. “Look, Aisling is armed with her bow even.”

“And she could have shot you how at this short distance before you knocked it away from her with your sword?” To Aodhan and Collum, Hamish said, “Take them to the dungeon until I can determine what's going on here.”

Aisling wondered if he feared there was about to be a coup at the castle. “Armed guards might be at Morag’s chamber also.”

“I’ll check it out,” Coinneach said.

But she didn’t want him to go alone if two men were waiting for her and her mother to show up at Morag’s solar.

“I will go with you,” Hamish said.

The two of them strode off to Morag’s quarters.

Hamish asked Coinneach, “Do you believe Morag had something to do with attempting to poison Aisling?”

“Aye, I do. Morag could have wanted Aisling dead for any number of reasons. To keep Blair from telling the truth about me. To punish Aisling for getting her son in trouble. Or Rupert could have been behind it. Gormelia was interested in Rupert and was angry that he was only intrigued with Aisling, especially when I became part of her life.”

They finally reached Morag’s chamber and found the two guards waiting there. They appeared shocked that Hamish and Coinneach would arrive and not Aisling and her mother.

“Why do you guard Morag’s room?” Hamish asked, his voice hushed.

Coinneach suspected Morag had left the inner bailey and was waiting for her victims to arrive.

“My laird, Lady Morag wanted us to wait for Blair and her daughter to turn up,” the gray-bearded man said.

The younger man didn’t say a word, but he looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here right then.

“Who are you loyal to?” Hamish asked.

“Well to you and the lady, my laird,” the man said.

“Why did Morag want the ladies to come here?”

“We dinna know.” This time, the older man’s voice cracked with concern.

“If I tell you to return to your posts—”

“We will go.”

The younger man nodded vigorously.

“If I tell you to arrest Morag…”

The men exchanged glances.

“Open the door.”

The older man started to knock.

“Nay dinna knock, just open the door.”

“Aye, my laird.” Appearing nervous about earning Morag’s wrath, he still did as he was told and yanked the door open.

“Were you born in a wheat field? You never barge in on me without getting permission,” Morag screeched.

“It was at my behest,” Hamish said and pushed the guards aside. “What did you want with Aisling and her mother?”

“I wished to congratulate them on Aisling’s mating with Coinneach.”

“Come with me.” Hamish waited a moment for her to comply, but when she didn’t, he told the guards, “Bring her. We have some business to attend to.”

“What…what business?” She didn’t appear as waspish now, more afraid she wouldn’t be able to get out of whatever trouble she had gotten herself into.

The guards hesitated to escort her out of her chamber.

“You are either with me or with her. Choose now. Choose wisely.”

To help the chief make his point, Coinneach drew his sword. Hamish had his hand on the hilt of his.

The two men quickly grabbed Morag and pulled her out of the chamber.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Hamish said, “We go to the inner bailey.”

In the inner bailey, Hamish said in his booming voice, “We have news, as disturbing as it is.”

Everyone gathered there was quiet.

“Morag is guilty of trying to murder my son.”

Aisling and her mother joined Coinneach, and he hugged them both in a heartfelt embrace.

Rupert instantly defended his mother. “I dinna know where you got that idea, but ‘tis no’ true.”

“I mean my real and only son, Coinneach.”

Morag fainted as an accumulated gasp went over the pack members.

“I have come to learn that Rupert is Osmond’s son.”

“Mother, how could you?” Rupert said, sounding indignant.

She recovered. “I told you that years ago.”

So Rupert was well aware of the deception. But did he know that she had tried to kill Orla’s baby?

“I could sentence you to death for this horrific plan of yours,” Hamish said.

“My laird,” Blair said. “I know you are deeply offended, but I believe she will feel the regret of her actions more if she and Rupert are banished from the pack. By his own words, he had Gormelia attempt to murder Aisling. So he is no’ an innocent in these matters.”

“Does anyone want to join them?” Hamish asked, making a pointed look at the guards who had been at Morag’s chamber door.

Nobody said a word.

“Aodhan, Tristan, bring the other guards up from the dungeon.”

“Aye, my laird.” Tristan hurried off, and Aodhan quickly joined him.

Hamish said to Morag and Rupert, “Leave the castle grounds at once.”

“I must pack,” Morag said.

“You leave with all that you have on your back. You deserve no more.”

She headed for the stable.

“Halt! You willna take one of my fine horses.”

“You gave them to Rupert and me.”

“And I take them away. Dinna you see, woman, that you are getting off easy? If I had my way, you both would be dead for your murderous plots. It doesna matter that they were unsuccessful.”

“One was successful,” she muttered under her breath.

“What’s that you say?” Hamish asked.

“Naught, my laird. We’re going now.” Morag stomped off.

Rupert looked back at the castle as if wishing he could stay here and not be stuck living out in the world.

“Go with your mother, Rupert. I dinna want to see you a second longer.”

Then the guards who had been put in the dungeon joined the chief and repledged their loyalty. So did the ones who had been staying at Morag’s chamber.

All his men, including Coinneach pledged their undying loyalty. Aisling smiled at him.

Aodhan said, “Come fight me, Coinneach.”

“Not before he fights me,” Hamish said.

Well, gods’ wounds. Coinneach didn’t want to fight his chief da. What if he hurt him badly?

“After the chief, then,” Aodhan said, good-naturedly.

“But first, remove your shirt,” Hamish said. “This is how we know Coinneach is my son.”

Coinneach pulled off his shirt and winked at Aisling and her mother. Her mother’s cheeks reddened in embarrassment.

“The mark of the wolf. Only my offspring or my brother’s will have this symbol at birth.”

Several gasped. Hamish pulled off his shirt and showed his wolf on his chest, partly obscured by his chest hair. He motioned to Collum to show off his wolf, and Collum, who had already removed his shirt to fight with the other men, pulled his kilt down low on his hip to show off his mark.

All were different, but they all belonged to the same family line.

“Rupert had no wolf’s mark,” Hamish said. “I thought it meant our line would no longer share that special mark, but it turned out that Rupert wasna my son. So let the battle begin.”

Hamish drew his sword, and Coinneach hurried to draw his. Then they began to fight, but no one else did. Of all the combinations of fighters, this was the most important.

Thankfully, Coinneach managed to use his footing to keep an edge in the fight. But he could see that his da had a lot more years of fighting in him.

After fighting for what seemed like forever and neither man outplaying the other, Hamish called it a draw, which seemed to please him mightily.

Then Coinneach fought Drustan, not Aodhan, like Coinneach thought he might.

Before Aodhan could challenge Coinneach, Collum approached him. “See if you can best your uncle.”

Neither man had been in the previous fights, so like with Hamish, Coinneach had no idea how Collum would fare. But like his brother, he was powerful and used his footwork to the maximum to fight his foe. Still, like Hamish, Collum finally called it a draw.

Coinneach wondered if they didn’t want to show off to the others how much they could defeat him. He had to quit thinking thoughts like that. He was as good a fighter now as they were.

Then Aodhan challenged him. Wasn’t anyone going to fight anyone else other than those who had battled him and Hamish, who fought against Drustan? And to fight the monster of a warrior again.