Page 48 of Taming of a Wolf

Jamie couldn’t be more different than me. Soft where I’m hard. Kind where I’m cruel. Trusting where I’m closed off. He’s a far better person than me, but I want to be worthy of him.

“It’s not too late, you know. You could still make amends with them.”

Is it possible? Could my brothers forgive me if I proved myself worthy of their forgiveness? A flicker of hope blooms within me, hope I didn’t even know was there. A hope for a second chance with the only family I have. Could I—

No. Never. Not after how badly I hurt Wulfric’s mate. Not after how I continuously challenged Wulfric over the years.

The hope curdles and dies before I give it the chance to bloom.

“What is this book?” The book in his lap is thin and has a colorful, eye-catching picture on the cover. I’d say it’s a happy, hopeful story just based on the artwork. “Is that a duck?”

“It’s a book about our alphabet. There are twenty-six letters that make up our alphabet. They form all sorts of words. Once you memorize them, reading will be a lot easier.” He grabs some blocks from a toy bin and lays them out. “If you prefer a more hands-on approach, you can use these blocks.”

“That’s a lot of letters.” It sounds like a daunting task. “How can I possibly memorize all of them?”

“Well, how did you learn to fight with a sword?”

“I practiced from the moment I was old enough for several hours a day.”

“See? That’s how. You just need to apply that dedication to reading. You can do this. I’ll help you.”

I did promise to give this a chance, so I move to sit behind Jamie, giving him room to recline against my chest. “Then let’s begin.”

Jamie leans back against me, opens the book, and begins our lesson.

Throughout the week, Jamie proves himself to be a dedicated teacher. Every morning, we have breakfast with Jace, Jamie drops him off at school, and we head to the bookshop before it opens, where he teaches me the alphabet. It’s frustrating. There are so many damned letters that I’m confident only Odin himself could memorize them with ease, and only because he’s our god of wisdom.

I can never remember which order the damn letters go in either. I can’t believe they have children learning these skills at such a young age. Still, I am determined. This will be the one thing I get right in this new world. I have always been a swift and dedicated learner.

And if learning to read makes Jamie happy, that can only bring us closer together. I’ll be able to understand his obsession with those romance novels he loves to read so much.

But aside from my cunning and dedication, there’s another thing I’m known for: my lack of patience.

“Snakes feast on your entrails!” I roar, chucking the blocks across the bookshop.

Jamie comes out of the kitchen with our muffins. “That was a creative insult.”

“This is simply impossible! I give up!”

“Whoa, whoa, hold up a second.” Jamie sets the pastries on our table and sits across from me. “You were doing great. What got you so pissed?”

With a scowl, I lean back against the window. The glass is cold and streaked with rain on the outside. “I can never remember what comes afterE!” I don’t struggle with any other letter as much as I do with that gods damned… whatever letter is afterE. “It’s just one letter. How in Odin’s beard am I supposed to learn to read if I can’t remember one stupid letter?”

“The letter is—”

“No, don’t tell me!”

“Okay.” Jamie takes a big bite of his muffin.

I think. And think. And think. Until my damn brain starts to hurt.

Jamie snorts, and I open my eyes to glare at him, but he’s the picture of innocence.

“Can I give you a hint?”

I exhale, chest deflating. “Aye. I suppose.” I spit the words, disgraced.

“It’s an animal.”

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