Chapter 5

Booted feet wearing a path on the hardwood floors of his cabin, Chief struggled to keep his attention off where Alise sat on the couch and watched him as he barked into the phone at his ear, “I need to go back to pack territory!”

In a bored tone, Monroe drawled, “A deal’s a deal.  You’re mine for a year.  You’re oath.  Not mine.”

Motherfucking fucker!  “Things have changed,” Chief snarled.

“Aaah, yes.  Stricken by one miss Alessandra Marie Crane.  Congratulations.”

Alessandra?  Chief shot Alise a sidelong glance before tearing his attention from her and facing the wall.  “Seems a little convenient!  Don’t you think?”  Yeah, he was fishing.  He’d wanted to have this meeting in person because it would have been easier to scent or detect any deceit from Monroe, but it couldn’t happen.  Alise wouldn’t be able to handle him being away from her, and his beast wouldn’t tolerate leaving their unmarked female smack dab in the middle of Skin Walker territory with so many un-mated males around.  He didn’t want her around Monroe either.  His wolf knew what kind of trouble the Dominant could be and he wouldn’t permit Chief to take Alise around him until they were certain she wasn’t his.

“Tsk.  Convenient?”  There was a pause as if Monroe were actually contemplating the word.  “Is that what we’d call it?  Perhaps you mean fortunate.”

A growl vibrated Chief’s body as he rolled his neck on his shoulders.  This was a hard conversation to have with Alise sitting right there on the couch because he had to check his words to make sure he didn’t offend her.  It was difficult to do when he wanted to lambast the Dominant Skin Walker for somehow setting this up.

Through clenched teeth, Chief snarled, “You’re well aware that I was just in the shifter battles fighting for a mate.”

“Exactly,” Monroe chirped.  “Now you’ve got one.  Fortunate.  As I said.”

Chief clenched his teeth so hard they creaked.  “You got me here because my head wasn’t clear.”

“Yes, yes.  Thinking with the wrong one as I recall.”

A growl blasted across the line, and it only intensified when Monroe chuckled.  That was all it took for Chief to lose his cool.

“You tricked me into coming here and then forced some woman on me, and for what?  So you can study wolves being stricken?  Yeah, I’ve heard all about the fucking games you play with your Walkers.  I ain’t one!  I won’t be fucked with!  You will not be testing me!”

Glad that he’d gotten his piece out, Chief’s pride lasted only a moment before Monroe responded, and when he did, there was no amusement in the Dominant’s tone.  Voice low and lethal, he declared, “I’ll tell you once and only once.  I have zero desire to study wolf shifters or you being stricken.  My hands are full with a superior species.  A species that require my full attention.  A species who’ve earned my fealty.  Understand that if you make the mistake of questioning this gift, you will lose it.  I’ve got a Skin Walker chomping at the bit to claim your sweet little Alise.  A Skin Walker who I assure you wants and deserves her.  Don’t think I can’t make that happen.  While you’re correct in assuming that I know little about the shifter stricken, understand that’s by choice.  But rest assured that I know everything about the Skin Walker affliction.  Accept your fate or lose your mate, Chief, and don’t ever forget that you’re here because you lost a wager.  You’re here keeping your word.  This little tantrum is a bit melodramatic.  By your own admission, you were just at the shifter battles fighting for a mate.  Now you’ve got one.”

“A fucking human!” Chief snarled.

“Yes,” Monroe clipped out.  “A human.  Like my Eden.  Like RedKnife’s Cindy, and like King’s Lilly.  Like any of the dozen humans I have mated to Walkers.  Humans aren’t a problem, your ego is.  Fix it!  And know that I am the one who won’t be tested.  You’ve got a week to claim Alise before I start…how did you put it?  Ah, playing my fucking games you’ve heard so much about.  Rest assured, the rumors do me no justice.”

The line went dead, and Chief stood frozen for long minutes processing Monroe’s words as the receiver beeped an incessant cadence in his ear.  Staring unseeing at the wall, it felt like an eternity before his anger snapped him right out of his reverie.

Fucking domineering, egotistical, sonofa… 

Stalking back to the table near the wall, Chief slammed the phone down on the receiver so hard that the damn thing smashed into bits.  With a frustrated backhand, Chief sent the pieces flying off the table and raining across the room before he turned with a snarl that died in his throat as he instantly froze. 

Sometime during his conversation or his following outburst, Alise had stood and backed toward the door.  Hands clasped and held tightly to her chest, her eyes were wide with fear as she watched him like a lamb cornered by a lion. 

Chief took a step toward her with every intention of calming her, but when she jerked back, he froze.  Slowly lifting his hands palm side out in a placating gesture, he murmured, “Hey.  It’s alright.  Everything’s alright.”

But Alise was shaking her head and backed further away.  “Forced some woman on you?”

It took a second for her words to register. 

Awww, shit!  “Alise, I didn’t mean…”

“A fucking human,” she breathed out dropping her eyes to the floor as a hand flattened over her stomach.

“Alise…”

“Yeah,” she clipped out and gave him her back. “It’s fine.  I get it.”

“No.  You don’t.”

“Look.”  She reached for the door.  “I’m not your burden.  You didn’t ask for this.  Neither did I.”

“Alise.”

She tossed a, “Good luck,” over her shoulder as she jerked the door open.