Mated to the Berserkers: A Menage Shifter Romance by Lee Savino Page B

saved Brenna’s life. The large blond hunched and growled, his wolf coming over him.
    It was over in a flash, but I’d never forget the bone-chilling sight of my mate facing the large golden animal with nothing but her anger and a stick.
    Wulfgar’s hand clasped on Siebold’s scruff, and hauled him back. I caught Brenna and pulled her to my side.
    “Kneel,” I ordered her furiously, and forced her down. I kept a hand on her head, as a reminder to lower her gaze. I could only imagine her furious expression, but she stayed down, a picture of submission, at least. I hoped it would be enough to placate the pack.
    The warriors all waited to see what their Alpha would do. Disobedience like that couldn’t go unchecked. The rules were in place to keep the Berserkers from tearing each other apart.
    I cursed under my breath.
    You see, Siebold whined through the pack bonds. You see, Alpha?
    “I do see. Brenna.”
    Brenna flinched under my hand, but didn’t look up.
    “You must trust your mates to defend you. You are the weakest among us and cannot fight for dominance. You will be punished in front of the pack to learn your place.”
    A slight slump of her shoulders told me she understood. I warred between wanting to comfort her and wanting to set her over my knee and blister her behind in view of everyone.
    Siebold whined happily. Wulfgar yanked him back as if he were a naughty pup.
    “Siebold,” Samuel addressed the golden wolf. “You will not touch her sisters. We promised we would keep them safe.”
    “Why not, Alpha?” a warrior asked. “They are so young, and ripe for the taking. Why do we suffer when these women might help us?”
    Another warrior added, “We could just take one…the eldest. The blonde. She will be enough to warm us all through the winter.”
    A grunt from Siebold, who’d changed back into man form and prowled forward, keeping the fire between us. “I know the blonde. Sweet bitch, she bathes naked in the forest stream. Flaunting herself in front of us…she’s practically asking for it.”
    This time, I noted how Siebold directed his taunts, and kept a hand on Brenna. It didn’t matter. With a swift motion, she leaned forward, grabbed up the great stick, and thrust it into the fire.
    Not just into the fire—at the cooking pot. The tripod shuddered and the pot tipped, spilling broth onto the hissing fire. Steam rose as the pot rolled towards the scowling Siebold. The warrior leapt out of the way, but not fast enough to escape the hot liquid. He yowled.
    This time I hauled our beloved out of the clearing, away from the pack. “Are ye mad, lass?” I’d never guess, in a hundred years, that our woman would behave as she did. It seemed her sweet submissive self went only so far as our chambers.
    This was serious. Siebold was mad enough to shift and try to destroy her. Already Wulfgar and Fergus were pushing through warriors to stand between me and the Viking. The wolves were restless, shifting, whining, wondering if there would be a fight.
    A sound rolled across the clearing that I didn’t expect. Seated on his throne, Samuel was laughing. His chuckle echoed over the clearing. Wulfgar laughed too, and Siebold turned on the great warrior with fury.
    “Change,” Samuel ordered. Siebold’s body jerked from man to beast, forced to obey the Alpha’s command. Shrieking human turned into whimpering wolf, easily subdued by Wulfgar and a few others. One or two other wolves in the pack were caught unawares by the Alpha’s command and shifted into their animal form. They shuffled out of sight, ashamed. The rest of the pack quieted, on edge, waiting at the Alpha’s word.
    “We will not touch our woman’s sisters. We promised,” Samuel said. “Brenna will be punished in front of the pack in lieu of challenging Siebold for dominance. Any challenge she gives will be met with punishment. She’s a female and human besides and much weaker.” Samuel nodded to me. “Daegan will carry out her