Free Highland Wolf Pact: Blood Reign: A Scottish Werewolf Shifter Romance by Selena Kitt

robe and she pulled it closed, color rising to her cheeks. “If ye had’na interrupted, ye would’ve seen ’er. She was turning t’me. Did ye n’see ’er eyes go silver?”
    “I only saw... t’dragon...” He frowned, moving to his feet, feeling a little lightheaded in the aftermath. He held a hand out to help her up and she made a face, ignoring it once again and standing on her own.
    “Father?” Bridget frowned, glancing behind Griff, and he turned to see both Alaric and Aleesa approaching. The look on both their faces startled him, but what they did next left him truly speechless for the first time in his whole life.
    “What’re ye doin’?” Bridget blinked as both of her parents took a knee before Griff, bowing their heads.
    “Y’are t’one true king,” Alaric said, a slight quiver in his voice, gray head bowed. “How can we serve ye?”
    What in the gory hell was he supposed to say to that? Griff stared at them, alarmed. Then he looked at Bridget. It was the fear in her eyes that forced words from his throat. He took the matter in hand as best he could.
    “Firs’ of all, ye can get up.” Griff huffed, rolling his eyes. He gave them both a hand up, which they accepted, unlike their daughter, who still stood, tall and haughty and disbelieving, beside him. “And then ye can tell me where t’find t’lost packs. Tis all I wanna know.”
    “Alas, we can’na tell ye.” Aleesa looked distraught, wringing her hands, looking at Alaric. “We do’na know.”
    “But we can show ye where tis written,” Alaric replied.
    “A’righ’,” Griff sighed with impatience. “I s’pose that’s t’next best thing.”
    “Except...” Aleesa bit her lip.
    “What?” Griff threw up his hands. “T’book’s hidden? We have t’tunnel t’the center of the country mayhaps?”
    “No, it has t’be high moon time,” Alaric informed him. “That’ll be jus’ a few days from now.”
    “Aye, a’course.” Griff ran a hand through his hair, wondering how in the world he was going to wait, even a few days in this place—for a full moon, of all things. “Do t’stars hafta be in alignment, too? Mayhaps I have t’strip naked an ’dance ‘round a fire while ye chant?”
    “Aye, tis exactly righ’.” Bridget looked at him, unblinking, a little smile playing on her lips. “Ye hafta dance naked ’round a fire under t’full moon.”
    “Bridget, hush.” Her mother sighed. “T’dragon will’na return now. We’ll hafta wait for t’high moon.”
    “If I hafta wait…” Griff sighed, too. He hated waiting. “Can I trouble ye fer a bed, mayhaps?”
    “A’course.” Aleesa nodded. “I’ll make up a bed fer ye.”
    “And, while I’m thinking on it... a bath?” he suggested hopefully. He hadn’t bathed since the day of the Great Hunt, and the pool in front of him looked very inviting.
    “Aye.” Aleesa smiled at him, putting a soft hand on his forearm. “I’ll start boilin’ water, m’lord.”
    “M’lord?” Bridget snorted under her breath and Griff glanced at her, remembering the way she felt underneath him, all softness pressed between the stone and the rigid resistance of his body.
    “Pardon?” He cocked an eyebrow at her.
    “Who d’ye think y’re, a king?” Bridget exclaimed, crossing her arms and glaring at him.
    “Aye.” He chuckled, glancing at Aleesa and seeing her frown. Clearly the wulvers were now on his side, even if the girl was not. He told Aleesa, “And I’d like ’er to tend me.”
    “I will not—” Bridget protested, her eyes widening.
    “Aye, lass, ye will!” Aleesa’s eyes flashed, not silver or red, but there were some things far worse than curses and prophecies, and clearly Aleesa’s temper was one of them. Griff grinned as Aleesa took her daughter’s arm, yanking her out of the room. “Now come wit’ me.”
     
     

Chapter Four

    Bridget grumbled to herself the entire time as she carried buckets of hot water back and forth from the fire to fill