Read By the Light of the Scottish Moon - Unrated (My Kilted Wolf, #1) for Free Online Page A

anything but. “To answer yer question, it was under that very tree I vowed to the Mistress that I would do whatever was needed to ensure the survival of our pack. Fer countless years, we’d been under the rule of a progressively unstable Ceannard , one that seemed to be systematically destroying our future as a clan. I fought hard fer our survival, believing I had the Moon’s blessing, but in fighting to protect The Chosen, I ended up sacrificing all that mattered to me.”
    He stared down at her, stating matter-of-factly, “Our Ceannard was a cruel and shortsighted leader, threatening our very existence by targeting the humans that live in this region. We’ve coexisted fer centuries by keeping ourselves hidden amongst them, but over time he’d grown to despise all humans and longed to declare war. When one of our respected elders, Keir, questioned his wisdom, Ranulf made a terrible and bloody example of him.”
    Bryn stroked her hair tenderly as she suffered through another wave of pain before continuing. His voice remained calm, even serene, despite the story he shared. “Ranulf called Keir up before the assembly at Sacred Point and asked him to explain his concerns to the pack. Naturally, Keir was flattered by such an honor and humbly shared his reservations, all of which were valid.
    “Our Ceannard listened carefully, but surprised us by laughing afterwards. Using Keir’s words against him, he told the pack. ‘Ye claim ye cannae fight against the humans in our territory and I agree with ye.’ Ranulf addressed the rest of us with a cruel leer that spoke to his intent. ‘Unfailing obedience to yer Ceannard is the law!’
    “He ordered Keir to bow before him. I’ll never forget the resignation on Keir’s face as he fell to his knees. He had done nothing wrong, and yet the entire pack stood quietly, doing nothing as our Ceannard transformed into wolf form.
    “I refused to stand by and watch a respected member of our pack die, so I transformed into a wolf to the violent protests of my family.”
    “They didn’t join you?” she asked in disbelief.
    “Ranulf was Ceannard fer a reason, Freya. He was the strongest of all the Alphas and I was no match against his strength or brutality. He played with me the way a cat does with a mouse as he finished off Keir in front of the assembly, tearing the old man limb from limb. Ranulf saved Keir’s throat fer last, so that the entire pack would remember his screams of agony.”
    Freya shuddered, imagining the bloody scene.
    “Would ye prefer I stop?” Bryn asked, cradling her closer to him.
    “Please don’t.”
    “Very well.” He sighed deeply before continuing, “It was quick and brutal when he finally stopped toying with me. Any attacks I scored were simply because Ranulf allowed it. When the final attack came, I fell to the ground to protect my underbelly. He closed his teeth around the back of my neck and ripped my back with his claws. My whole body went numb, smelling his blood-tainted breath as he shredded my skin.
    “But I’ll never forget that moment when I accepted my death—I felt total peace.”
    Bryn looked down at Freya tenderly. “Ye will feel the same.”
    She nodded, wanting to believe him.
    He let out a deep and painful groan. “If only I had died…”
    Bryn gathered her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “Instead, I woke up to the terrified screams of my sister. I regained consciousness in time to see her gutted by my Ceannard .”
    His voice caught when he shared, “She looked at the pack and whimpered, ‘I don’t want to die’ before choking on her own blood.” Freya felt warm tears drop onto her arm as he stated bitterly, “Not one tried to save her.”
    “But what about your parents?”
    “They were already dead. My entire family-line wiped out fer my insubordination.” Bryn held her tighter. “As Ranulf stood gloating over her body, I gathered all my hatred and found the strength to stand. I came up behind him