Chapter 3

It’ll do?  Monroe’s words ricocheted around Chief’s head like a bullet, but he couldn’t concentrate on them now.  No, his main concern was the female who’d dropped him to his knees.  Alise.  James had said her name was Alise.  And little miss Alise had just stricken Chief. 

Stricken for shifters was much akin to the Skin Walkers affliction.  Undeniable, irrefutable proof of destined mates meeting.  The woman suffering on the ground was his!  Alise was his mate!

Before he even got to her, StoneCrow’s Chief of Surgery, Jenny Arkinson, had everyone backed away. 

Good!  Because right now he still wanted to rip the fucking arms off the Sentries who’d dared to touch what was his.  Stupid fucks didn’t know that a female stricken by a wolf shifter couldn’t tolerate the touch of another. 

Once Chief got to Alise, he instantly lowered his hand from where it’d had been gripping his abdomen and dropped to his knees.  Alise was staring up at him, her eyes pleading for him to do something.  But when he reached for her, she whimpered, and her eyes grew wide and fearful.  He got it.  The touch of everyone else had been painful, she assumed his would be too.  It wouldn’t.  It couldn’t be, not if this was a true stricken.  He’d be hers.

Ignoring her fear, he quickly slid his hands beneath her and lifted her gently.  Settling her on his lap, he wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips into her hair to breathe, “Shhhh.  I got you.”  The second his skin touched her, Alise’s body went lax.  She expelled a harsh breath like she’d underwater and starved for air. 

Just by touching her he’d eased her pain.  It wasn’t the same for him though, it didn’t work that way for stricken males. Still, he’d gladly endure the torture of contact to alleviate her distress.

Slowly rising to his feet with Alise in his arms, possessiveness so fierce that it was nearly blinding swamped him when Alise lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck with a whimper.  As her panting breaths started to slow, she pressed her body more firmly into his and holy fucking hell if everything in his world didn’t feel perfect at that moment.  With a snarl at the Sentries standing nearby, he turned and walked right out of the reception area taking Alise with him.

***

Alise didn’t know what was happening.  All night, she’d felt that man watching her, but she’d avoided his gaze.  She’d dressed super pretty and yeah it was partly because it was her best friend’s wedding day, but mostly she’d spent extra time on her hair and make up for James.  He’d been paying her a lot of attention lately, and she liked him.  He made her laugh…a lot, and unlike most men, he wasn’t intimated by her loud personality.  Nope, from the second he’d met her, he’d accepted her just as she was and for the first time in forever, Alise had been excited. 

That excitement had faded ten seconds ago when she’d finally angled her head to try and peek at the guy who’d she’d felt watching her all night. 

After feeling his eyes on her all evening, she’d seen him in her periphery and had gotten a basic idea of what he looked like.  He was big, massive!  He had dark hair, dark scruff on his jaw and was as tall and as broad as a barn with thick bulky muscle, but that’s all she’d been able to make out all night.  At first, she’d convinced herself she was being conceited by even thinking he’d noticed her, but the longer the reception went on, the more his gaze on her started to feel like an actual touch.  It was odd.  At first, she’d been self-conscious about every move she’d made, but as the hours passed, the guy’s attention started to warm her until she felt oddly…safe. 

She felt protected under his intense scrutiny and hell yeah it was intense.  She knew because she’d been bustling from table to table keeping the candles on the centerpieces lit up and bottles of wine popped open and flowing and all the while, the swivel of his head followed her. 

She’d tried to ignore it because it felt like a betrayal to James even though they hadn’t really started anything yet.  But finally, unable to stand it any longer, Alise looked.  And that had been it.

Now, cradled in the behemoth’s arms, she was still panting and fighting off the residual pain that had seized her for no apparent reason.  It had happened the second she’d locked eyes with him.  Honestly, it had been the most painful thing to ever happen to her, and it had Alise worried that something was seriously wrong. 

The beast carrying her made an angry sound deep in his throat, and it should have scared her.  It really should have.  Yet, it didn’t.  In fact, it had the opposite effect.  It had her snuggling deeper into his chest, tucking her arm close between their bodies while simultaneously screaming internally, What are you doing? 

She was acting so out of character, she knew it, but for some reason, she couldn’t stop herself.

“You’re safe.  Everything’s gonna be alright.”

But was it?  She didn’t even know this guy, and here she was all snuggled up to him like he was some sort of life-line.  That’s what it felt like too because touching him seemed to be the only thing that made her pain lessen.  Still…

“Wh-where are you taking me?” she stammered.

“My place.”

That had her heart rate kicking up.  “Why?  I don’t…I don’t know you.”

“I’m Chief.”

Chief?  Not really helpful. Swallowing hard, she breathed in deeply, glad that most of the pain from earlier had diminished.  “I’m Alise.”

“I know.”

O-kay, that’s a little unnerving.  “What happened back there?”

Chief didn’t answer, and when Alise finally lifted her head to look up at his face, his jaw ticked once before he angled his head away from her. 

“It’s called being stricken.”

“Stricken?”  Fear suddenly made her stomach feel sour and had her tone hitching, “Stricken!  With what?  Oh, God! We need…  We need to go to the infirmary!”

“Look, it’s probably a fluke.” 

He sounded mad, and Alise didn’t understand why.

“It’s probably some goddamn game that Monroe’s playing.  I didn’t know why he wanted me at StoneCrow so badly.  This explains it.”

“Explains what?” Alise asked.  “This doesn’t explain anything.  Nothing is making sense.  What were we stricken with?  And why would Monroe’s games with you have anything to do with me?”

Chief slammed to a halt, his head jerked down as his lips twisted into a deep frown.  “Look, lady, you can cut the shit.  You’ve gotta be in on this with him.  You have to be.  There’s no other way to explain it.” 

“You know what?” she growled and shoved at his chest.  “Just put me down!”

“Can’t,” he bit out and stared straight ahead as he started walking again.  “My animal thinks you’re ours, so now you get to deal with the consequences of fucking with Beast.”