Page 6 of Taming of a Wolf

He smells like…

Mine.

Heismine.

“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 ofmyclan. 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 fromLord of the Rings.”

“Lord of the what?”

Jace huffs. “You’ve gotta be kidding. Everyone knowsLord 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.

---