Sold to the Alpha novel · Chapter 10 of 24

Chapter 10: Sigrun

The blade came out of the dark before I had finished counting the hams.

It stopped an inch from my throat, flat side up, and a cold voice said, "Don't scream."

"I wasn't going to," I said. "I'm holding a cheese."

The blade did not move.

Sigrun Rask stood in the door of the cold pantry in her riding leathers.

Her white-blond braids were pinned up, and there was murder in her pale eyes.

"You were in my brother's tower last night," she said.

"I was."

"For three hours."

"It was closer to two."

"What did you do to him?"

I put the cheese on the shelf.

I wiped my hands, slowly, on my apron.

"Do you want the long answer or the short one?"

"Either one, before I cut it out of you."

"Sit down," I said.

"Sit down, have some stew, and I'll tell you what I did.

"If you still want to stab me after the stew, I'll hold still."

She stared.

Then, to my astonishment, the knife lowered an inch.

"Is it venison?"

"Barley and venison.

"Hetta put a fist of pepper in it."

"Fine," said Sigrun.

She sat on an upturned crate.

I ladled stew into a wooden bowl from the pot Hetta kept warm on the range.

She ate like a woman who had ridden three days on bread.

When the bowl was empty, I filled it again.

She ate that too.

"I didn't do anything he didn't want," I said.

"I didn't ask for any of it.

"I walked into this Hold with a debt, and a mate bond fell on my head like a roof."

Her spoon stopped.

"You said the word."

"Hetta said it."

"My brother won't say it."

"I noticed."

"He hasn't said anything to anyone in a year that wasn't an order."

Her voice cracked.

She stared at the bowl.

"He sleeps three hours a night, Lorne.

"He eats standing up.

Keep reading free with an account. Start Sold to the Alpha from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.